Toward a Theology of Competition and Sport

Chapter 1
The Philosophic Foundation of Competition

By Dr. Greg Linville

The following is the first installment in a series outlining a Theology of Competition and Sport. This article: 

1. Articulates the philosophical foundation from which an integration of competition and Christianity emerges
   
2. Outlines seminal thinking on factors which both positively and negatively influence competition
   
3. Presents a pioneering work on charting the predictability of an athlete’s fulfillment within his or her athletic endeavors
   
4. Defines competition, sport and athletics, demonstrating how each is distinctively different from the other two and yet how they are interrelated to one another
   

Subsequent articles will feature discussion on: the Theological Foundation for Competition; Theological Foundation for Sports; Biblical Basis for Specific Sports and Athletics; Historical Models of Competition and Sport and the Biblical Basis for Individual Participation in Sport and Athletics. 

The overall goal is to present a Philosophical rationale and a Theological justification for the compatibility of Competition, Sport and Athletics within a Christian worldview. 

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

• Introduction - The Question
  
• The Philosophical Foundation
  
• Progressive Intensity Levels of Competition (PIL)
  
• Motivational Influences (MI)
  
• Combining PIL With MI on Competition
  
• Summary of Competition Philosophy
  
• Definitions