The sports analogy fallacy and men in church
Many pastors and even non-clergy types have made the comparison between how men act at a sporting event and how they act in church. With a heavy heart, it is pointed out that guys seem to get more excited about sports than about God. They will raise their hands and clap, they will jump up and down, and they will even laugh and shout at a game, but in church, they will maintain the demeanor of a bored sloth.
While the concerns are legitimate and the contrasts are obvious, hardly anyone talks about WHY this is the case. This comparison also tends to heap tons of guilt on men without offering much of a solution. So, let’s fix the fallacy in this analogy.
First, there are obvious distinctions between church and sports. If we are being honest, many churches do not want men to get excited at all. They want men to show up, volunteer, and give money, but outbursts of emotion would be considered “inappropriate,” “out of line,” or even “blasphemous.” For many of these types of churches, “doing all things in order” can easily turn into, “We don’t allow the Holy Spirit to do anything that might make us uncomfortable.”
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Yes, when they brought the Ark of the Covenant up to Jerusalem, King David danced before the Lord half-naked, and told his offended wife, “I will be even more undignified than this.” On the other hand, there is no biblical or archeological record of him doing that on every single Sabbath.
Meanwhile, other churches try to generate a fair amount of excitement by modeling their worship service after a rock concert. Many people can genuinely worship God in that atmosphere, but some get distracted by the light show or grow dependent on the hype in order to “feel something.” Regardless of our traditions, we are called to seek God with all of our hearts and extend grace to others.
Whether or not churches try to actively suppress the emotional side of men, many fail to realize that excitement and passion are tightly tied to connection and identity. Real sports fans often have jerseys, souvenirs, and perhaps even season passes. They wear their team colors with pride and feel a sense of camaraderie with fellow fans. By contrast, almost no man has a church logo on his hat or tee shirt, and high fives are not exchanged when they pass in the lobby. Even faithful, godly men are more likely to have a Cowboys or Packers sticker on their truck than a fish symbol.
Another disconnect is that sports are often exciting, but church services rarely are. The problem here is that churches are not making many touchdowns. Let’s be honest, we might hear stories about exciting things, but we almost never personally experience miracles or see God heal people that we know. To make matters worse, the question, “Are we leading people to a saving faith in Jesus Christ?” can make us feel like an umpire who has a player all up in his face.
But what if we put on the righteousness of Christ similar to a robe, or rather a team jersey, and started to earnestly and passionately pray for those things? What if we spent time at practice, diligently reading our Bible in order to hear from God? What if we regularly spent time basking in the love of the Father in private moments of worship and adoration? What if we found our primary identity in being an adopted son of the one, true God, rather than a team fan or even a church member?
It is natural for human emotions to go up and down, so a permanent state of excitement is not possible. These feelings are NOT the goal, but they are the natural result of making goals. To experience the emotional moments of triumph, we must understand the Big Game, how it is played, and how it is won. To experience the thrills, we must understand our position as a member of the team and be actively involved in playing the Game. If we are ever going to be “emotionally involved in church activities,” we have to be spiritually involved in Kingdom activities.
So, here is the game plan: We must understand the Gospel and what God has done for us because of His great love for us. We must experience the deep peace and overwhelming joy that flows out of our relationship with our heavenly Father. We must be involved in the Kingdom business of planting, watering, sharing, and praying. When we are deeply immersed in the Big Game of glorifying our Father and making disciples for Jesus, we will not only see the Holy Spirit score more touchdowns, we will stand and shout every time there is an amazing play. This is a high-stakes game, and you are an MVP. When purpose and eternity are on the line, there is nothing more exciting than when God changes someone’s life!
Let’s get in the Game!
Let’s get on God’s team.
Let’s fight like champions for the victories that really matter.
Michael Pearson is the author of the book Adventures of Discipleship. Adventures in Discipleship is a 40-day adventure of stepping out of your comfort zone, reevaluating your motives, and learning to love people like Jesus does. It is designed to help mature your faith and encourage you to set an example that others can follow.
