Hey sports fans, have you ever thought about what happens when sports, our faith and life all come together?  It's an awesome thing to think about.  Have you ever thought about the Theology of Sports as a possible devotional topic for all your Adult Sports Leagues?  Every season I'm confronted with the challenge to bring something new and different to the table as I deal, as I'm sure you do, with both believers and non-believers in my leagues.  The information I found through the ministry and writings of Stuart Weir, who for many years has been involved in both Christians In Sport (in England) as well as CSRM, turned out to be invaluable, eye opening and inspiring to Christians and non-Christians alike.

By Rich Green, Sports Minister at Mount Pleasant Christian Church (Greenwood, Indiana) and adapted from devotional writings from Stuart Weir. 

Over the next few weeks we will be looking at what the Bible says about sport. Is there a theology of sport? For those of us who are involved in sport as Christians, this is a fundamental question. We need to understand sport as God sees it. We need to help others in our team, ministry or church to understand it. But, whether you are a Christian or not, it is still an intriguing question. 

I believe passionately that God is interested in all of human life and that must include sport. Over the next few weeks, we will try to understand more of what the Bible says about sport and how that should affect us.

By Rich Green, Sports Minister at Mount Pleasant Christian Church (Greenwood, Indiana) and adapted from devotional writings from Stuart Weir. 

God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself - 2 Corinthians 5:19 

Just as sin affected everything negatively, so the death of Christ affects everything positively. If we believe that Jesus Christ died to restore our broken relationship with God, then that has implications for everything in our lives. 

By Rich Green, Sports Minister at Mount Pleasant Christian Church (Greenwood, Indiana) and adapted from devotional writings from Stuart Weir. 

Sin is crouching at your door. (Genesis 4:8) 

If we were asked to sum up the message of the Bible in three words, you could hardly do better than - Creation, Fall, Redemption. 

If we are to have a Biblical perspective on sports it must take account of creation, fall and redemption. When Cain is told that his offering is not acceptable, God says that sin is crouching at his door. What an amazing image! 

By Rich Green, Sports Minister at Mount Pleasant Christian Church (Greenwood, Indiana) and adapted from devotional writings from Stuart Weir. 

For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. - I Timothy 4:8 

Believe it or not, there are people out there both Christians and not that have strongly discouraged any involvement in sports. This has been either because the activity was felt to be of itself sinful or because of the sin associated with sports. That the environment of sports was predominantly bad, often associated with drinking and gambling as well as provoking an aggressive and competitive spirit, was enough to convince many Christians to steer well clear of it. 

By Rich Green, Sports Minister at Mount Pleasant Christian Church (Greenwood, Indiana) and adapted from devotional writings from Stuart Weir. 

The story is told of Einstein who was travelling on a train one day and lost his train ticket. The ticket collector told him not to worry as he knew who Einstein was. Einstein continued searching and replied agitated, "I know who I am but I don't know where I am going" As sportspeople it is important to know who we are and where we are going! 

By Rich Green, Sports Minister at Mount Pleasant Christian Church (Greenwood, Indiana) and adapted from devotional writings from Stuart Weir. 

We can make two mistakes when approaching sports. We can give them too important or we may think it they are simply not unimportant. 

By Rich Green, Sports Minister at Mount Pleasant Christian Church (Greenwood, Indiana) and adapted from devotional writings from Stuart Weir. 

How many times have you seen it in college and/or professional sports… One day he’s a star and the next day he’s gone. It’s a harsh world! Guy McIntyre of the San Francisco 49ers summed it up well, "I'm in the team until they find someone bigger, faster or that they can pay less to!" 

By Rich Green, Sports Minister at Mount Pleasant Christian Church (Greenwood, Indiana) and adapted from devotional writings from Stuart Weir. 

For as in Adam all die, so in Jesus Christ all will be made alive. - 1 Corinthians 15:22 

It seems like almost every week, if not daily, we see the implications of sin in the world and particularly in the world of sports. Sin destroys everything. It ruins our relationships, our work life, our sporting life, our friendships - sin breaks everything.

By Rich Green, Sports Minister at Mount Pleasant Christian Church (Greenwood, Indiana) and adapted from devotional writings from Stuart Weir. 

"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own" - 1 Corinthians 6:19 

It would be impossible to play sports if you did not have a body! The human body is important. It is part of God's creation. The human body has been further dignified by the incarnation, when God became man and took flesh and blood. The theory of dualism - that the spirit is good and the body bad - finds no support in the Bible.