Toward a Theology of Competition and Sport

Chapter 2 
Theological Foundations for Competition 

By Dr. Greg Linville

The following is the second installment in a series outlining a Theology of Competition and Sport. 

The first article articulated the philosophical foundation from which a discussion concerning the integration of competition and Christianity emerges. It also presented seminal thinking on factors which both positively and negatively influence competition. It included a pioneering work on charting the predictability of an athlete’s fulfillment within his or her athletic endeavors and key definitions of competition, sport and athletics. 

This installment will outline the Theological Foundation for Competition using the rubric of “Creation, Fall, Redemption and Consummation as its basic guideline. A lengthy discussion on Special and General Revelation helps to determine whether or not competition is compatible within a Christian worldview based upon various Biblical Texts. In addition, arguments against competition will be countered. 

Subsequent articles will feature discussion on: a) the Theological Foundation for Sports; b) Biblical Basis for Specific Sports and Athletics; c) Historical Models of Competition and Sport; and d) the Biblical Basis for Individual Participation in Sport and Athletics; e) a section on answering difficult questions about sport and faith integration and f) a section discussing Lord’s Day issues. 

This article is broken up into component sections. Please choose a section below to read.

• The Theological Foundation for Competition 
  
• A Theological Template for Understanding Competition 
  
• Creation
  
• Fall
  
• Redemption
  
• Consummation
  
• Summary