I suspect whole churches could learn from the words of an NFL Quarterback.
In the God Squad sect, players often use moral conviction as an excuse for closed-mindedness.
But that's not Kitna's style. His responses to questions about his faith and leadership are mostly tinged with humility, perspective and openness. Asked to consider whether a Muslim, Jewish or agnostic teammate might feel excluded by group exaltations, Kitna pauses, rubbing his head.
"I know there are people in the locker room who don't like where I stand, don't like me as a leader or wish I'd shut up," he says. "My first responsibility to this team is to be a quarterback. But my priority in life is to be a man of God. I don't use my faith maliciously, to damn or to judge -- people who do are not Christians. And when I've had Mormon teammates, I've tried to understand where they come from. Because we have different beliefs doesn't mean we can't coexist."
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"What guys really have a problem with is inconsistency -- people who say one thing and do another. Hypocrites. Chameleons. My teammates learn pretty quick that this is who I am, every day and in every situation."
And the tests come constantly. Walking into the Lions' locker room a few days before the Vikings game, Kitna was greeted by silence. The Lions have three iPod docks that plug into their speaker system. But when someone began blasting Christian music, a tense standoff ensued. It was noted, loudly, that a majority of people in the room didn't want to listen to God rock. And so the speakers remained mute until Kitna arrived. "Everyone's music should be heard," he said, "or no one's." The Christian rock was resurrected, followed by a heavy dose of hip-hop.
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Like many athletes who are outspoken about something as personal as faith, Kitna -- with his ubiquitous cross hats and constant biblical references -- is often dismissed as a loon. But his impact in Detroit is undeniable. He is part of a team prayer group on Friday afternoons and hosts a Bible study for teammates and their wives at his home on Monday nights.
Since he signed a four-year, $11.5 million deal in March 2006, about 20 Lions have given their lives to Christ. Teammates, converted or not, credit Kitna -- and, in part, this religious awakening -- with helping change the previously poisonous attitude in the Lions' locker room. Says Orlovsky, "He is the pulse and the heart and the soul of this team."
Friday, October 05, 2007
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5 comments:
1) this QB sounds like a great guy.
2) But, he raises this specter of the 'hell-fire and damnation' Christian: "I don't use my faith maliciously, to damn or to judge -- people who do are not Christians."
This is one of the major boogeyman of Christianity right now, and I just don't see it. I see endless attempts by Christians to bend over backward to insist that they're NOT that--but I've really rarely seen this 'condemning Christian' who's so often trotted out.
But I'd be interested in seeing some examples, since so many right now think this is the BIG THING Christians need to get away from. Of course there are some fringe elements out there: there's Fred Phelps of 'God Hates Fags.org', and every town has a nut on a street corner. But, really, is this actually the Church's big issue right now?
If you think 'yes,' prove it. Give me URLs of main stream Evangelical churches that take this condemning position which so needs to be refuted. or links to articles that show these 'whole churches' that need to be schooled in this regard.
Why limit your description to "main stream, Evangelical" churches?
I think the real example of malicious faith is not in explicit condemnation of others, with a few noteworthy exceptions.
Rather, I think it's expressed in contrast - it's in self-righteousness, in a form of law-keeping that balms our conscience that forgets that the foundation of the law is love, love for God and love for man.
When my faith, my law-keeping, becomes a way of dividing us - not as a city on a hill, or a light to the world, but to feel superior to the guy over there - that's when it's malicious.
What I like about Kitna is that he's true to who he is, and he seems consistent in it. That he doesn't drink or swear is a footnote, not a highlight. The thing people notice is his attitude, and his heart.
You are right on one count. I can't pinpoint the behavior. I can't say that it is a dogma of some well-known church. But I also make a couple assumptions. The first, is that if as many people lived as Kitna as claim to be Christians, then Christians would be percieved differently. The second is that, with as many times as 1 John harps on the central idea of loving each other - of loving God being simply incompatible with hating your brother - that it's been a problem for a long time.
THE problem? I wouldn't say it's being too judgemental. I'd say it's a weakness of our love for God, and our love for each other. I think our love is an atrophied, pathetic thing.
I agree with you that the real issue is our love of God and neighbor.
But I'm not sure about your assumption that people's impression of Christians would be different if more were like Kitna.
Jesus said the world would hate us because it hated him.
My belief is that the primary reason the world hates Christians is because they represent the "smell of death to those who are perishing" (2 Cor. 2:14-16). Are there other reasons? Sure, but they're secondary, and often just used as convenient excuses to ignore the primary reason.
What a great story!!
And in response to the previous comment, I will say that the "condemning Christian" probably ISN'T as big an issue as a lot of us us make it out to be. But it does exist. I saw a lot more of it growing up in the south than I see out here in the west. And I don't know that it's always such a blatant thing; I think it's more of a mindset than a lifestyle, which probably makes it difficult to pinpoint. It's subtle, but it's there.
I'm trying to think of how to describe it, and the best explanation I can come up with is that, from what I saw growing up, Christians in the south didn't preach condemnation TO non-Christians as much as they preached it to each other, IN REGARDS TO non-Christians. Granted I'm talking in stereotypes here, but as much as the south is known for its hospitality, it's also known for a sense of pridefulness, I think.
So much of the south - particularly in "the Bible Belt" region where I grew up - is comprised mostly of people who believe they're inherently Christian. It's their culture. And of course, there ARE a good many genuine, authentic Christians there. But, at least when I lived there, I would say a good 80-90% of the population would have said they were Christian if asked, although I would guess far less than that would actually strive to follow Christ in their daily lives.
One thing I've found refreshing in the western US is that when people claim Christianity, most of the time it's real. They're not just claiming it because everyone around them does. When Christianity is part of your culture, it's easier to be judgmental toward those who don't share your "faith" because they're the minority. I may not have encountered many situations where Christians were actually confronting non-Christians with judgment; but I certainly encountered that general attitude on many occasions.
I'm rambling here. Mainly I just wanted to share my observation that the perception of the "condemning Christian" may be more or less of an issue depending on where one lives. Just my thoughts!
PS I started this comment when there was just one comment on the post. Now I see there are 3, so my thoughts may seem a little out of order!
I don't think that's the reason that people dislike Christians, because they dislike others with similar actions and dissimilar beliefs. For me to ascribe that hatred to Christ on our behalf, I'd need to see how the persecution of Christians is specific to our Christlikeness.
I do think that the world will hate Christians, but I think the typical "Christian" we think of doesn't smell enough like Jesus (to liberally mix metaphors) to worry the world.
If we suffer for doing good, great. But there is no reward when we suffer for wrongdoing. I think there is more of the later than the former in view today.
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