Does God Care About Football?

Today I finally received the answer to the question I’ve asked nearly all my life: Does God care about football? Richard John Mouw informs me [TU, Voices of Faith, 2/3/18¹] that “God cares much about how the game is played. And it is not simply about how the players treat each other.” Has Mr Mouw read the New Testament? I get that the Old Testament is quite football-worthy, what with all that smiting and so forth, but it sure seems that the NT becomes quite un-football-esque in places. But maybe that’s just me.

It’s not as if Matthew 25, or the Sermon on the Mount comes down on the side of how we treat one another. Did not Jesus say it best when he offered us, "Do to others what you want them to do to you...and hit ‘em hard! Knock his block off. Role the replay!"

No, he didn’t say exactly that, but one can imagine him saying it...if you pretend for a moment that you live in the universe of Richard John Mouw.

I’d leave football out of the equation. No spectacle wherein participants gravely injure themselves could possibly be thought Jesus-like. And I’m not just talking about the broken bones, but about the brain injuries that will show up in twenty years. Football produces thousands of people lying in nursing home beds with dementias. It creates scenes of carnage where a man places the barrel of a shotgun to his chest--so his brain can be later scanned showing people like Richard John Mouw how this evil thing we call a game is really just about money and pain. How much destruction does this game create? Vast swathes of waste and violence--but is this not predictable from a “game” which has its modus operandi as violence? That is what the “game” is about, after all. The Creator must care about how we play our games, but to conclude, as Mouw does, that He would affirm and validate this evil is a perverse conclusion that should never go unanswered.

The more I ponder this question, the more I see football as a form of mass hysteria, a madness that infects even those who claim to care about such things as religion, God, and how we treat one another.

¹In case the link does not work, as a subscription may be needed, I'll past the article below, since it is quite short:

Twenty years ago I had a public theological disagreement with Reggie White of the Green Bay Packers.

In addition to being a defensive end for the Packers, who were soon to play in the Super Bowl, White was a Pentecostal preacher. Both of us — and other players and theologians — were interviewed for the Sports Illustrated cover story, “Does God Care Who Wins the Super Bowl?”

Several of my theologian friends took the negative position on this. One doubted God cared about the game at all, and a couple were wary of any suggestion that God had anything to do with deciding who wins.

Reggie White was a supporter of the idea of an active divine role in the outcome. What basis do scholars have for thinking God does not take sides? he asked. After all, he observed, “God intervened in David‘s fight with Goliath.” There was the clear case of divine intervention “in Jesus’ victory over death.” The SI reporter who interviewed me told me Reggie had observed to him that God “doesn’t think much of losers.”

While not ready to endorse the idea that God determines who the winner will be, I rejected the view of those of my theological colleagues who insisted that God stays rather aloof from what goes on in football games. I said — and I still see it this way — God cares much about how the game is played. And it is not simply about how the players treat each other as competitors. It’s also about the physical prowess that is on display in a well-played game.

My friend and colleague Lewis Smedes mused about the range of things God enjoys: a well-written poem, a Bach concerto, a courageous act of justice. I would add to the list: an exciting football game. When a quarterback throws a pass and a player makes a spectacular catch, I imagine the Lord saying to himself: “Nicely done! This is one of the reasons why I created the human race!”

Twenty years ago, the Packers lost to the Broncos in Super Bowl XXXII. John Elway, the Denver quarterback, completed excellent passes in the game. I think God enjoyed watching those plays. I don’t think he was disappointed with Reggie White for being on the losing team.

I must acknowledge the Creator’s interest in how the game is played while not being a fan of anyone. We human creatures are not bound to that neutrality. I keep a theological perspective on the Super Bowl. I am not wondering which team God favors more than the other. But I have an interest in the outcome. I have strong feelings about one of the teams playing in Super Bowl LII: I hope they get beat. But if their quarterback happens to complete a few passes, I will remind myself about what God enjoys.

• Richard John Mouw is a professor of faith and public life at at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pacidina, Calif.