Posted on 06/25/2010 6:34:48 AM PDT by rhema
As any churchgoer who tuned in to watch the recent NBA finals contest between the Lakers and Celtics already knows, the term redemption is probably now heard more often in NBA sports broadcasts than in homilies. A Google search under "redemption" and "NBA" generates approximately 2 million hits—more hits than "redemption" and "Christianity." The term can also be found in more than 2,600 stories on ESPN.com.
What does redemption mean in the world of professional basketball and sports more broadly? It involves making up for—or, yes, "atoning"—for a poor performance. When the Lakers beat Boston, for instance, Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times called the victory "redemption for the Celtics' 2008 Finals beating."
More often, though, sports journalists use the term to praise the individual performances of NBA superstars. Thus, the Associated Press reported that Kobe Bryant "found redemption" after he won a title in 2009 without the aid of his nemesis and former teammate Shaquille O'Neal.
Manute Bol, who died last week at the age of 47, is one player who never achieved redemption in the eyes of sports journalists. His life embodied an older, Christian conception of redemption that has been badly obscured by its current usage.
Bol, a Christian Sudanese immigrant, believed his life was a gift from God to be used in the service of others. As he put it to Sports Illustrated in 2004: "God guided me to America and gave me a good job. But he also gave me a heart so I would look back."
He was not blessed, however, with great athletic gifts. As a center for the Washington Bullets, Bol was more spectacle than superstar. At 7 feet, 7 inches tall and 225 pounds, he was both the tallest and thinnest player in the league.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Matthew 19
The Rich Young Man
16Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”
17”Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments.”
18”Which ones?” the man inquired.
Jesus replied, “ ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, 19honor your father and mother,’[d] and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’[e]”
20”All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”
21Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
22When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.
23Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
25When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”
26Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
27Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?”
28Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother[f] or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. 30But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.
Another point, well made by the author of the article, is that Christian athletes are rarely described as Christian, rather as Humanitarian, or good guys.
Unless said Christian commits a “sin.”
bump
Obituary titles for Bol, for example, described him as a humanitarian rather than a Christian. The remarkable charity and personal character of other NBA players, including David Robinson, A. C. Green and Dwight Howard, are almost never explicitly connected to their own intense Christian faith. They are simply good guys.
I remember the mocking A.C. Green would get for his abstinence, even in the face of the revelation of Magic Johnson contracting AIDS, Tim Tebow getting the treatment now. It is a real shame, but hardly surprising considering.
God bless and keep the soul of Manute Bol, not just a gentleman, but a gentle man.
Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man. Be glad in that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For in the same way their fathers used to treat the prophets. But woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full.
Imagine Manute Bol as Sport’s Illustrated’s Athlete of the Year.
Now, let’s make it happen.
I was fortunate enough to meet Manute once, while he was still playing basketball. A friend of mine lived in the same townhouse community. Manute would often play basketball with the neighborhood kids and dads. It was a very middle-middle class neighborhood, and he was making a good deal of money at the time. I was at my friend’s house for a cookout, and he said “Why don’t we go over to Manute Bol’s house and I’ll introduce you all.” So about 5 of us did just that. We just walked over to his house, rang the doorbell, and he invited us in for a beer. He was very pleasant and gracious, and didn’t mind the impromptu interruption at all. And he was HUGE. He practically reached across the room to shake my hand. I’m only 5 feet 6 inches (on a good day). I felt like a little kid next to him. His car was just a little compact thing. Nothing special about it, except that he had the driver’s seat removed and drove from the back! I’m not kidding.
Anyway, I’ve always been impressed by him, and I’m glad that he never was corrupted by the fame and fortune he had.
May he rest in peace.
I didn't hear either. Thanks for the post, rhema. What a great man we've lost. Hopefully his good works in Sudan will continue. My prayers for him and his family.
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