The 'Super Church-Bowl'

RELIGION IN THE NEWS

A report and comment on religious trends and events being covered by the media.This week’s item is from the Baptist Press, February 22, 2008, with a headline:“NFL to Allow Church Super Bowl Parties,” the following are excerpts:Churches can resume hosting Super Bowl parties without opposition from the National Football League, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has informed Senator Orin Hatch, Republican of Utah.For future Super Bowls, Goodell said, the league will not object to live showings, regardless of screen size of the Super Bowl by a religious organization on a routine and customary basis.Goodell’s reversal settles an issue of a Southern Baptist church in Indianapolis breaking Federal copyright law by showing the Super Bowl on a screen wider than 55 inches.The church, Fall Creek Baptist, was forced to cancel its Super Bowl party.Baptist Press, along with The Washington Post also reported on the issue prior to this year’s super bowl.According to a February 20^th news release from Hatch’s office after Goodell’s reversal, in essence this provides churches the same right as sports bars.

Tom:

Dave, I don’t know where we’re going to go with this, but I think we’ve got some opportunities here.First of all, the last Super Bowl, I mean, it was a fantastic game, okay, but I noticed your timing, you ended up preaching in a church on Super Bowl Sunday, and it was an evening service out here on the West coast, so the timing was, it was going on while you were preaching.Now, did anybody show up?It wasn’t a party there; you didn’t draw them in, because you were showing highlights.

Dave:

Tom, actually we had pretty good attendance, but as I remarked to the audience I said:Well, this shows who has recordable TV at home.

Tom:

Well, here’s the question—

Dave:

Because they didn’t want to know who had won, they’re going to watch it later.

Tom:

But here’s the question, Dave.Do you believe this should be a function that’s presented in a church, what’s your view?

Dave:

I don’t think so.It’s a compromise, Tom.In other words, wow, this Super Bowl only happens once a year, and I mean, you just can’t restrain yourself; you’ve got to see it!So, I think the church should kind of put God aside, only temporarily you understand.

Tom:

Yeah, but some of them are using it for outreach.Now, invite your neighbors because we’re going to have the testimonies; like for example, when Indianapolis, when the Colts played Chicago, both coaches had testimonies, they are believers, so what about an outreach?

Dave:

Well, Tom, I presume that Paul’s outreach, and he turned the world upside down, that is, the world in his day.It may have been a lot tougher world to turn upside down than the one we have today.But, here come these men who turned the world upside down.They didn’t have any song and dance, they didn’t have any magic shows, they didn’t have any DVD’s or NFL to show at all, and they had the Word of God.And when—I’ve quoted it a dozen times, I guess—when Paul was giving advice to Timothy he said:“Preach the Word, be instant in season, out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine.You’ve got a recorder, look at it later, but forgetting even that— Is there any sacrifice that I might make for the Christ who died for me on the cross?Then I’m going to have to—Lord, look, you’re competing with a Super Bowl.Now, it’s not going to work because, you know, Super Bowl is a whole lot more popular than you are.Now if we could just make you popular, Lord.Well, the first step is, let’s mix the Lord in with the Super Bowl.See, Tom, we’ve got another problem here, as you know, and we’ve talked about it, I don’t think on the radio, it would be a long time if we have.For example, I helped Athletes in Action and Campus Crusade, get started.I wrote the first material for them, helped the guys with their testimonies.The problem was, and they would get testimonies, I helped them with their testimonies that, maybe was a mistake, at half-time and so forth.I’m not criticizing Campus Crusade. I know these guys, I was with them, and we were trying to do this outreach.But you got a problem because some of the athletes who gave their testimonies, their lives didn’t measure up to it.Why do I need an athlete who may stumble and fall down the way, to endorse Jesus?I don’t think Jesus needs any endorsement, we need to come to Him in submission and gratitude for that He died for our sins.So, it raises a lot of issues, Tom, and I would just like to get back to the Bible.

Tom:

Yeah, Dave, the other issues that is the content of Super Bowl.Yeah, you do have athleticism on the field, but you also have all of the other baggage, whether it be the half-time show, whether it be the commercials, and so on.You know, we’re not trying to be legalistic here, but I think some more scrutiny of such an event in a church should take place.The other thing is the EmergingChurch, one of the characteristics of the postmodern generation is, they want it through entertainment, you know.And too many times I have seen whether they call themselves festivals, crusades, now what we call festivals, there’s a “bait and switch” deal.You give them the world and the culture and so on, and then you are switching to Christ and Him crucified?That’s a problem!

Dave:

It’s been going on for a long time, Tom, with various organizations, youth organizations.Now, I’m not trying to be critical of any of them but, Youth for Christ—

Tom:

No, we want them to be more thoughtful.

Dave:

Right, Youth for Christ.

Tom:

Well, you know, there are some who would recognize this.I know, Young Life, they try and stay with the Scriptures first, even though they were involved with kids, so it’s a difficult thing.

Dave:

When I was in the business world we lived in a large home.You could put a hundred people in our living room, or more, or in the family room, if you want to call it, nice fireplace and so forth.There were youth organizations that wanted to use these things.They got the door shut, but I can tell you, it was fun and games.They did bring in Jesus in the last 30 seconds or so.Tom, we let them continue to do it, but I didn’t have much interest in that kind of evangelism.