Can a Football Game Change Lives? Maybe - If You Cheer for the Other Side

I must admit that I've never been a big football fan. With a name like Esposito, maybe I was destined to like hockey instead. However, I recently read an incredible story of how fans at a high school football game were encouraged to cheer for the other side. As ESPN reporter Rick Reilly writes:

They played the oddest game in high school football history last month down in Grapevine, Texas.
It was Grapevine Faith vs. Gainesville State School and everything about it was upside down. For instance, when Gainesville came out to take the field, the Faith fans made a 40-yard spirit line for them to run through.
Did you hear that? The other team's fans?
They even made a banner for players to crash through at the end. It said, "Go Tornadoes!" Which is also weird, because Faith is the Lions.
It was rivers running uphill and cats petting dogs. More than 200 Faith fans sat on the Gainesville side and kept cheering the Gainesville players on- by name.

Why would someone go to their child's football game and cheer the other side? Well, because they wanted to be like Christ. You see, the Gainesville State School is a maximum security correctional facility and these boys have never had a home game or anyone cheer for them.

Faith's web site states that "The purpose of the athletic program at Faith Christian School is to develop and graduate authentic Christian leaders." That's what they were doing. They took Matthew 25:36 seriously where Jesus exhorts us to visit those who are in prison.

Reilly also reports, "As the Tornadoes walked back to their bus under guard, they each were handed a bag for the ride home-a burger, some fries, a soda, some candy, a Bible and an encouraging letter from a Faith player."

What impact could a selfless act like this have on tough kids? Actually, quite a lot. Reilly concludes:

After the game, both teams gathered in the middle of the field to pray and that's when (Gainesville QB) Isaiah surprised everybody by asking to lead. "We had no idea what the kid was going to say," remembers Coach Hogan. But Isaiah said this: "Lord, I don't know how this happened, so I don't know how to say thank You, but I never would've known there was so many people in the world that cared about us."

Christopher Hitchens says religion poisons everything. I think 14 football players and their coach can easily show how that statement isn't true.

If you'd like to read the entire article by Reilly, visit the link below.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?section=magazine&id=3789373

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License.

Books I'm Currently Reading - January 2009

As we start the New Year, many people are looking to improve themselves in some way or another. Perhaps settling down with a good book would be one option. I generally find myself reading about four or five books simultaneously. Maybe it's ADD, but usually I pick up a title on a subject that interests me and I want to research some more, or I have proclivity toward a certain author. In any case, I thought I'd give you some lists of books that I am currently reading. In later posts, I'll probably go back and note some books I've recently read and would recommend.

As you'll soon notice, most of the books on my list are nonfiction and generally deal with philosophy, Christianity, or apologetics in some way. This is merely out of necessity, given that I teach a class every month on a different subject and I simply need to do proper research on it. But don't be undaunted, as I'll try to include some "fun" titles along the way. Of course, you can always check out many different books at the Come Reason Resources page.

The Erosion of Inerrancy by G.K. Beale (Crossway, 2008) Many times evangelicals expect liberal theologians to doubt or water down the inerrancy of Scripture, but we hardly expect to engage in debate with fellow evangelicals. However, this assumption is unfounded as G.K. Beale, professor of New Testament at Wheaton Graduate School, demonstrates. The origin of the book was an article published in JETS, the Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, where Beale responded to Peter Enns' book Incarnation and Inspiration. Here, he more fully develops the different arguments that we run across by scholars, both liberal and evangelical who seek a more "progressive" view of Biblical Authority. Kind of technical reading, but interesting.

Heretics for Armchair Theologians by Justo Gonzalez and Catherine Gunsalus Gonzalez (Westminister John Knox Press, 2008) I asked for this book for Christmas. It looked like an easy read (160 pages), and knowing that most Christian theological creeds were developed as a response to heresies creeping into the church, I thought it would be interesting the see how the Gonzalezes cover things. In fact the best way to understand just what the essential tenants of Christianity are and why we hold them is to study the controversies that the church wrestled with. I'm just into the second chapter and so far so good. This might be good starter book for those who want to jump into theology or apologetics.

Return to Rome: Confessions of an Evangelical Catholic by Francis J. Beckwith (Brazos Press, 2008) At my last trip to the ETS/EPS meeting I saw this for sale and quickly picked it up. For those of you who don't know, Dr. Beckwith is an apologist and philosopher who was the president of the Evangelical Philosophical Society until he resigned when returned to Roman Catholicism. Frank's a friend of mine (he's participated in a previous Dare to Defend conference that we put on) and careful thinker, and while I've heard him speak about some of his motivations to leave Protestantism for Roman Catholicism, so I was really interested in reading about his thoughts in more detail. So far, he's outlined much of his personal history and his understanding of what salvation is. I haven't gotten o the "juicy" parts yet, so we'll see.

Philosophia Christi (The Journal of the Evangelical Philosophical Society)Volume 10, Number2 - Responding to New Resurrection Challenges The EPS always puts out a great journal and this issue is no different. With over 200 pages of articles, reviews and scholarly debate, this will keep you up to date on the latest issues pertaining to philosophy of religion. It's targeted toward the scholar, so it's definitely not an easy read, but I found the focus topic interesting. Stephen Davis, William Lane Craig and Gary Habermas all responded to arguments brought forth by Dale Allison in his book Resurrecting Jesus. Great stuff to make you think.

Understanding Intelligent Design by William Dembski and Sean McDowell (Harvest House Publishers, 2008) This book was sent to me by the publishers and I'm glad they did so. Aimed at a high school audience it lays out the basic issues within the intelligent design debate in an easy to understand format; a great general primer. Can you read this book and argue all the nuances of ID? No - of course not. But it will give you a broad outline of the arguments and places to jump off to find out more.

Christmas 2008

Christmas 2008 is almost here and I must say that I'm pretty excited for this year. It's not because I hope to get the really "good" gifts, though. In fact, I didn't really ask for anything much. The material aspects are just not so important anymore.

I must confess that my "tent making" functions have consumed much of my life over the past year. I've not written many articles at all for the site and I've neglected the blog.

However, God continues to be faithful. I've had the wonderful privilege to work with Dr. William Lane Craig this year, as well as helping the folks over at the Evangelical Philosophical Society. I also was asked to contribute to a new Apologetics Study Bible for Students by my friend Sean McDowell.
And so I approach the Christmas season with a joyful and humble feeling, knowing that the best gifts have already been given. God sent His Son to us so that we may enjoy Him for all eternity. I seek to celebrate that this year and pray that you will find joy in this season as well - knowing that no gift could compare to what we have received already - the coming of Jesus.

Banning Religious Books in Prison

Have you ever heard those "scare stories" of how believers will one day have most of their books banned by overreaching zealots? Normally, Christians think "well, I can see that coming down the line, when Christianity is outlawed in this country and Christians have to hide underground. Today, in countries like China, such things go on all the time, but in most Western nations we believe that we're decades away from such actions. Well, that time has arrived.

The New York Times recently reported that earlier this year the U.S. Federal Bureau of Prisons have banned most religious texts from all its chapel libraries. According to the Times, the chaplains were instructed to "the shelves of any books, tapes, CDs and videos that are not on a list of approved resources." The goal, according to BOP spokesperson Traci Billingsley is to deny access to materials that may "discriminate, disparage, advocate violence or radicalize."

Immediately, my reaction is one of amazement. Limiting access to thousands of titles of religious literature in case a title may incite terrorism or violence? I understand that the Department of Justice needs to be careful and control some of the materials that prisoners have access to. I mean, I understand books promoting governmental overthrow or how to build a bomb wouldn't be made readily available to convicted felons.

However, it seems to me that we shouldn't ban everything then create a list of approved books for access. Instead, ban the problematic titles. Prison Fellowship president Mark Earley summed it up when he said "It's swatting a fly with a sledgehammer. There's no need to get rid of literally hundreds of thousands of books that are fine simply because you have a problem with an isolated book or piece of literature that presents extremism."

As an apologist, I always encourage the examination of ideas. Truth has a way of holding up under scrutiny. Granted, sometimes you need a guide, but barring works that show the weaknesses within a belief system gives you a warped view of that system. Similarly, what about new titles? Why should prisoners have to wait to read the newest Lee Strobel book until some committee approves it?

Of course, the bigger issue is, if this type of screening exists today then what's down the road?

Photo courtesy flicker.com/kitsu and licensed by the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license.

Ten Movies Every Christian Should See But Probably Hasn't

Many people I've spoken with bemoan the state of Hollywood and the poor entertainment choices out there. However there are a good number of films with subtle or even overt Christian themes that most haven't seen. So, if you're going to the video store or organizing your Netfilx queue, make sure that these are in there.

1. Sergeant York (1941)
Gary Cooper won his first Oscar in this movie, based on the real-life exploits of Alvin York, a hard-drinking Tennessean who gets saved and is so radically changed he is torn between serving in WWI or being a contentious objector since the Bible commands "Thou Shalt Not Kill." Great story and a very powerful treatment of taking one's faith seriously in difficult situations. Even more amazing since York was awarded the Medal of Honor for leading an attack on a German machine gun nest, killing 20 German soldiers and capturing 132 others and did it nearly single-handed.

2. The Robe (1953)
Hardened Roman Marcellus Gallio (Richard Burton) oversees the crucifixion of Jesus Christ in Jerusalem. But problems arise when Marcellus wins Christ's robe in a dice game, played beneath the dying man. Haunted by guilt, Marcellus hopes that destroying the garment—now in the possession of his escaped slave (Victor Mature)—will cure his hallucinations.

3. Chariots of Fire (1981)
Fueled by disparate desires, long-distance runners Eric Liddell (Ian Charleson) and Harold Abrahams (Ben Cross) face off in a quest to bring Olympic glory to Great Britain. Liddell—a staunch Christian—seeks victory as a tribute to God, while Jewish student Abrahams views winning as a repudiation of anti-Semitism. An amazing study of personal conviction versus immediate opportunity – something with which we all struggle.

4. Shadowlands (1993)
Anthony Hopkins plays the great Christian Apologist C.S. Lewis in this true story of his meeting and eventual marriage to Joy Gresham. Lewis drew from this experience in his books The Problem of Pain and A Grief Observed. It also shows how life for the Christian isn't neat and tidy and that knowing theology is different from putting it into practice.

5. A Man Called Peter (1955)
Based on a true story (and adapted from the best-selling book by Catherine Wood), this drama centers on young Scotsman Peter Marshall who heeds his calling from God to be a minister. Marshall leaves Scotland and travels to America, where he lands the position of pastor of the Church of the presidents in Washington, D.C., on his way to becoming chaplain of the U.S. Senate.

6. Black Robe (1991)
In 1634, Jesuit missionary Father Laforgue (Lothair Bluteau) arrives in the Canadian wilderness to convert the Huron and Algonquin Indians to Catholicism. This is probably the most historically accurate account of the attempts to convert the Native American peoples. It also puts to rest the myth of the "noble savage" that was developed in Europe. CAUTION: there are some difficult scenes in this R-rated movie, so watch it after the kids are in bed.

7. Lilies of the Field (1963)
Aimless ex-soldier Homer Smith (Sidney Poitier) is on his way to California when his car overheats in the desert. He stops to get some water at an isolated farm and soon finds himself building a chapel for the nuns who live there. The stern mother superior (Lilia Skala) is certain God has sent Smith for just that purpose, and all of Smith's words to the contrary fall on deaf ears. If you don't love the scene where Homer teaches the German nuns to sing black gospel, then you're not alive. Poitier won an Oscar for his performance.

8. Luther (2003)
This epic movie follows the life of Martin Luther (Joseph Fiennes), author of the then-controversial 95 Theses and founding father of the Protestant church who, with the courage of his convictions, faced the wrath of the church in the 16th century, all in the name of religious freedom. Thinking about standing before the most powerful men in the world and denying them to their faces. "Here I stand, I can do no other." Christian history at its most profound.

9. Twelve Angry Men (1957)
A guilty verdict means death—but the jury's not about to let that spoil their day. Twelve men must decide the fate of an 18-year-old boy accused of fatally stabbing his father. Only one (Henry Fonda) wants to take the time to coolly deliberate the case. Sidney Lumet (Network) made his directorial debut in this fiery drama that illuminates all the petty impediments on the path to justice. What a great study in the power of reason and persuasion when most are guided by the "easy facts". Every apologist can learn from this.

10. Witness (1985)
Cop John Book (Harrison Ford) goes undercover in an Amish community to protect a boy who witnessed a murder. Once inside, the faux-Amish Block must adjust to major culture shock while cautiously romancing the child's mother (Kelly McGillis). A great thriller and a look at how people can be devoted to their faith and one another. Blood and guts violence give this one an R rating, so be forewarned.