So last night there was a game of football/soccer between Manchester United [soccer is one of my least supported sports but if i have ever supported a team it has been Manchester United… and then locally Kaizer Chiefs back in the day when Dr Khumalo played and i always back Bafana!] and Real Madrid in the Champion’s League. Real Madrid won 2-1 but of course there was “that red card incident” with Nani getting sent off…
i was out for the evening playing poker with some mates and so we missed the game, but it took me a minute on Facebook to find out what had happened – not that Real Madrid won or Manchester United lost but that there had been a “worst decision ever” and someone [or a really huge group of people from the sounds of it] “had been robbed” and so on…
i skimmed through one particular post with 30 plus comments in it and then wrote this Facebook status:
Imagine a world where people who cared that much about soccer/football cared that much about poor people…
i am still not quite sure why i did not cop more [or any, really] abuse for it – perhaps cos it was in the early hours of the morning when it was posted and most people missed it [maybe i should repost, hm?] because when i have posted questions about the absurd amounts of money soccer [or really most sports people] get paid, then people have come out blazing… i have never understood why so many of the people who have been so passionate about strongly disagreeing with me on my sports people salary opinion have been christians because i honestly cannot wrap my mind around how someone who reads and understands the Bible and following Jesus and the sheep and the goats story as one example can believe that it is okay for one person to receive $25 million while another person is allowed to die of malnutrition. i don’t think i’m judging anyone, i just cannot get my mind around that.
and not to say that people who are not christians should be okay with that, because i don’t think anyone should, but i do feel like Christ following people in particular [and yes, the distinction between christian and Christ following might be a first clue] should be outraged and upset at the completely ridiculous disparity between rich and poor [and yes, it is not confined to soccer – same with musicians, actors, politicians etc etc – soccer is just such an easy example]. to me it’s criminal. other people clearly think differently. i have just not ever had it adequately explained to me why.
the point with this particular quote though was not about people not being passionate about sport. the words “that much” are the key. i am simply expressing the desire to see people who are so passionate about sport [music, new year, latest Hollywood blockbuster movie] become that same amount of passionate about the poverty in our country, about treatment of women, about the insane levels of rape in our land [you would think something like “rape” merited more fervour than something like a sports match?]
and yes, it is a generalisation because there are definitely some people who are equally passionate about both, but i imagine if [just by browsing Facebook or Twitter after the game] every person who was above averagely passionate about the game last nite had the same amount of passion directed to even just one cause, person in need, situation… that our country would change overnight or within a month or year at least.
next year, there will be another Champion’s League trophy and quite probably a different team will win it. by then, this match will be forgotten. [Like Kony was within a week or two] Nobody will care any more. But they will care obsessively about the next match. And then the following year another Champion’s League will happen.
i find that sport and movies and books and music are amazing things to help me relax or get excited or spend time with mates or find a little escape in… and i think all of that is great. but get passionate, like i mean really passionate, foaming-at-the-mouth passionate about getting behind a cause, changing someone’s life, affecting the plight of the ‘least of these’, seeing someone rehabituated from prison, championing adoption or women’s rights, working towards reconciliation in the face of racism and so on… stuff to really put your life and energy and passion behind…
Imagine a world where people who cared that much about soccer/football cared that much about poor people…
I like, and I agree that wages are way high, but then I think the same of presidents/govt officials etc who are there to serve. The reality with soccer players is their wages get that way because of economics, they are demanded by someone else and therefore they’ll pay more to get them; however government officials receive artificially high paychecks (not saying the soccer wages are okay, just saying other situations offend me more). Also, re the passion thing – I think its easier for people to support soccer more passionately for a few reasons – 1. they chose who they support, and it is not a binding agreement, you can technically opt out at any point (suits our society well, even though most would never, it still an option) 2. There is accountability between supporters and the managers as supporters literally pay their salaries (and its not forced because they can stop going to matches – as I have seen happen before, unlike taxes) 3. There is transparency – very week, the performance is broadcast all over the world, the results of the efforts of those in charge are visible and criticism is allowed, open and responded too 4. There are rules: easy to understand rules with clear consequences and which are enforced (and publicly) and so when there is an ‘injustice’ it is infrequent and the public opinion noted, and due to media among other things, people empowered to have their voices heard. And so, I think, due to the factors above, people feel they can passionately pursue it. With respect to poverty and rape etc in our country, I think people feel disempowered. They are trapped into a government structure to which they have to be committed (cannot opt out of); there is no accountability as irrespective of the job done, ministers, local govt the whole lot, are hardly ever called to account/replaced; there is no transparency – financially, with tenders, with vision, nothing is clear or transparent and there is certainly little room for media or general criticism as its always manipulated into something else. And lastly, there are no rules by which those in authority seem to play, enforcement is inconsistent and sporadic, and most certainly not uniform in any respect. So that was my 2 cents on why I think people find it easier to passionately pursue football, maybe more so than the weightier matters of our society. As a lover of the game, and also a passionate pursuer of justice in our society – I think we could learn a lot from the success of football in creating passionate supporters. I wish I had the same feeling of empowerment, and the same freedom of expression in dealing with rape/murder/poverty/injustice as I do in supporting my little team Norwich.
Imagine facebook wasn’t actually a real indicator of how people live/prioritise their lives. KONY being the case in point
To be honest brett that facebook post was so holier-than-thou that i’m surprised you didn’t get ruder responses.
see, now that comment i just don’t get. it is not a holier-than-thou statement – it is an absolute disbelief expressed – i really just don’t get it – and by posting the statement i am hoping that one person, two people, a small crowd, might do some introspection and go ‘man, maybe he’s right’ – it’s not about me being better than anyone [perhaps you could suggest an alternative means of getting the same point across?] and in fact it is in light of me having noticed that in myself in the past [which comes through more in the blog post i think] and quite possibly still in some areas in my life today where i might have blind spots… but there has to be place to question [how you read it might determine for you whether it is a question or a judgement i guess] and also call people towards something better… and yes, i personally believe a stronger passion and motivation to do something towards the poverty/violence/racial tension etc etc in our country and our world does constitute something better. i have to as a Christ follower. we are called to a different kingdom.
I don’t have much of an issue with any of the things you’ve said in this blog post or your reply to me. On the contrary, I fully agree. My issue is with the fb post itself. A reactionary one like that, in my mind, doesn’t serve to convict or inspire. All it did was piss me off (and i’m sure others).
Of course, we all need to re-examine what we value and are passionate about on an ongoing basis. I may not agree about the relationship between fb-loud-mouthedness and actual action (hence my kony comment) but we can agree on the root problem, lack of care for the poor/other big issues. So yes we should often choose to try and inspire ourselves and fellow Christians to do/care more. To me it matters how; the end does not justify thoughtless means. Do you really think someone would’ve read that and thought “i’m really bleek/irriated/passionate right now, but oh yes, now that you mentioned it, I’ll calm down and think about the poor – thanks” ? unrealistic
In summary:
– day after reasoned challenging blog post, acceptable
– semi-sarcastic (i know you probably didn’t intend it that way) “imagine” fb post, unnecessary
i hear you but i think it is a matter of opinion – i would say ‘timely’ rather than ‘reactionary’ – you would beg to differ – i hope it makes someone think and if not in that moment then perhaps through this blog post and all the great comments others [including yourself] have added to the conversation… you may not believe this but it was really not intended to be in any way sarcastic – that is the actual desire of my heart, same as with christianity and church – if only they really lived what they say they believe… we all have areas of hypocrasy i imagine, but there is a difference between those actively trying to live it out and those going through the motions and while God will only ever really be able to tell the difference between the two, sometimes there are clear signs…
i totally agree with you on the ongoing process comment and that is something we have to do again and again and it becomes frustrating when you keep on finding new crap in your life and try and clear it up all the while trying not to end up purely law focused and going through the motionals… keep returning to God, keep clinging to the vine of John 15, keep being still and knowing that He is God and start again…
while it may be unrealistic, i completely do think that, may be my eternal optimist who pitches up when SA are 8 wickets down needing another 100 runs but more often than not i think i expect o anticipate the best in people which is why i generally tend towards calling them to it… do i get it wrong? probably. do i trip over my own brokenness? undoubtably. will that make me stop? probably not – keep testing my own actions and listening to the people i have invited to give strong accountability into my life and test the spirits of what others say and hopefully hear God more than i miss Him…
thankx for taking time to comment.
I often find myself feeling irritated by something someone says or something I see on facebook and then end up posting some snarky passive-aggressive comment because I think I have a point to make.
Don’t you get, that because this not a subject (soccer) that you are also guilty of being “passionate” about, that this comment, and particulalry its timing, can be seen as sarcastic and accusatory, espcially by those to whom you’ve inadvertedly aimed it (man u fans)?
Dont mix the discussion into something about your actions in general. I’ve already appluaded the blog post and what you have to say on it. I just think you were wrong to post on fb as you did and are not willing to admit it. Ala John Piper – Rob Bell, admittedly on a much smaller scale.
I’m quick to criticize the actions of people with great influential voices as I value the good things you do have to say, and so while I’m not good at being nice about, see this as a compliment. Anyways, I accept that I am not one of those aforementioned accountablilty people so I won’t say another word on the matter after this.
i hear you Joel and appreciate the encouragement in there [and while i have some very close people that i give big ears to in terms of accountability because i know how much they love me, i am open to anyone and everyone holding me accountable and so, while i may not always agree with criticism leveled at me – i’d be in trouble if i did – i do try and weigh up what everyone has to see and then hold on to the good, discard the bad… so i really appreciate you asking the questions you do here and if meant in love/correction then for sure you do not need to stop any time soon] – i don’t feel like it was a reaction though and it certainly wasn’t brought about by this one incident [give it a week it will be the rugby or the next soccer game or whatever] but having a comment linked to an incident gives it more context and validity – posting a comment like that when nothing had happened would have just been a random event no-one would have even noticed…
[and yes I’m not Jesus, cos i know what’s going to follow the next dangerous statement – i feel we can learn from Him though] Jesus did this with the Pharisees and i feel like He did it with His disciples and the crowds, and most times publically – He called them on stuff – He pointed to how the kingdom operates – and often people got mad or felt bad or were sad [all of those are fine] – and He called them to a better way of living. in my defence i feel a WHOLE LOT STRONGER than anything i have ever commented on this topic – i think old brett [or younger brett?] would not have minced his words as much as i have – in terms of following Jesus and building the kingdom, so much of the church has almost completely lost the plot and Jesus kinda predicts this will happen on many occasions – see Matthew 7 for example – and to be honest my concern is that i sometimes don’t deliver the messages strongly enough for fear of annoying people – but i’m not living for people, i’m living for God and so i have to try and figure out what obedience to Him looks like, and if you read the prophetic voices of the old testament and even people like Jesus Himself, John the Baptist and Paul in the New Testament, they spoke a whole lot stronger than i usually do…
you [not Joel ‘you’ but the general ‘you’] don’t think it’s acceptable that i write a strongly worded statement and make you feel guilty [which no-one else can ever do to you actually, we choose that, people can be catalysts] well i put it to you that it’s not okay that someone starves to death tonite while you throw away your second helping of food because you didn’t really like the taste, i contend that it’s unacceptable that someone lies on the street shivering themselves to sleep while you have a choice of five colours and thicknesses of blankets and so on… the level of not-okayness is just so ridiculously huge and accepted as the norm that it is going to take something monumental to bring about a shift… but that shouldn’t mean that any of us should be muted for in the smallest of ways trying to point people towards the light…
Hi Brett! While I agree with you, I think that possibly the timing of, or using soccer (which you are not that into) may not have been the best example to use. Especially when a bunch of Man Utd supporters were still emotional about the transpired events. You clearly have a passion and love for people, especially the poor, but you also happen to like F1 and cricket, perhaps they would have been better examples to use as it could have added a personal touch to the topic which people could better relate too.
I must say, I clearly remember while watching soccer once, hearing God say “Turn that off and go and spend time with your family”. Of course I still watch games from time to time without getting those nudges, usually I try catch late games when everyone is asleep. But I think it shows that we can appreciate something without it getting in the way of our walk like you suggested.
thankx Wesley but i do think that unless you’re Indian [cricket] or a Ferrari supporter that the fanaticism associated with soccer is generally of a much higher level [possibly rugby in this country but i don’t know] and so i think it was the best example to use and i stand by it, realising that a lot of people will be unhappy with me for using it because it touches a nerve but hoping that each person will take the time to examine that particular nerve and that some people will hopefully be sparked to action…
Well, first thing…you’ve chosen the right team to support. Well Done!!!! 🙂 Secondly, it was an awful decision, but refs (being people persons) make mistakes. But my boys were fuming. I had to douse them with water. Talk about passionate!
I agree with you that the wages paid are obscene. I think those obscenities should be challenged, to an extent on a personal level, but mainly through the more effective means of making it clear that our communities as a whole believe in balance and equity by placing stinking high taxes on obscene wages. Sure it would be great if people made the decision to live more simply because it was the right thing to do. To be honest, greed isn’t good for individuals themselves, so it would be good to stop being greedy for purely selfish reasons. Those changes in people can, and do happen. But not enough to make significant world wide changes.
I especially agree with you that “and not to say that people who are not christians should be okay with that, because i don’t think anyone should”. Dead right. No one should. There are very good reason for fighting poverty…reason’s that don’t need a bible for support and are universal. We’re all walking this planet together, and it helps us ALL to learn to walk it better. And though I appreciate you think this applies especially to Christians, I would strongly beg to differ.
There are countries on this planet where the disparity between the rich and poor is a lot, lot narrower than in some others. I’m not great on statistics, or facts to support my case (ha!) but I’m pretty sure that there are quite narrow wealth gaps in some of the Scandanavian countries like Norway and Sweden. So in terms of what we can do to lessen those gaps there are clearly role models, and it might not be just about getting more passionate. The Scandanavians are very cool…but they ain’t gonna start doing the conga anytime soon, yet they manage to live relatively equitable lives compared with some parts of the world.
I’m not saying that personal decisions and personal passion don’t matter. I think these things can be vital catalysts, which is why throwing in your comment onto FB might irritate some people. But I think it’s great. It will make some people think. Or maybe only one person. But that is one way that change can start to happen.
Perhaps the best things we can do personally, I believe, is to start dealing with the stuff that we can do something about that is right in front of our faces. I mean forget about passion for poverty. Imagine what would happen if everybody started to care about what was going on in the lives about 5 people in their immediate network. And when I say care about, I mean in terms of trying to understand and empathise with what matters in their lives.
I’m not even managing that in my own family yet. Least not as well as I’d like to.
Anyway, these “thorts” of mine aren’t particularly coherent, but I appreciate your own personal passion Brett, and I like the way you challenge stuff. And sometimes you will look “holier than thou”. And sometimes you will BE “holier than thou”! But in my book, you’re doing it right. Trying to change yourself and the world you’re living for the better. We could all do that better…but standing still isn’t an option.
ah David you’ve nailed it on the head so much here – i know we come from somewhat different spaces but there is still deep truth being spoken and i think your last line of standing still is not an option is key as well as the idea of affect the ones you can – do that and then see what else comes your way but being passionate about poverty or other aspects will not mean much unless there is a person with a name you are helping and then maybe a family and then a community and who knows where it will end – thankx for the encouragement…
Hi Brett,
I hail from Georgia in the US. I must preface my response with the admission that many Americans buy into the idea that it is not “politically correct” to vent certain thoughts. I bring this up only to acknowledge that there may be cultural differences in my experience. I am almost 50 years old, and though I still feel quite young, I am finding a greater and greater number of my friends are younger than me, leading me to accept the reality that I am … getting older. But, the thought that I am getting older does not bother me. It’s it thought that my thoughts and ideas have become outdated. Our entire way of life is changing here in the USA and it’s hard to swallow for people like me who grew up in a day when there was free speech. Now, many people are afraid they will be put on the President’s drone list for speaking up on the internet. I admit, the thought crosses my mind often. But, beyond that, it has become politically incorrect, disrespectful, racist, or worse yet, “hate speech” to speak out about issues that you are passionate about that differ from the President’s party. This is not the type of America I grew up in, Brett. I am very passionate about certain things, much like the sports analogy you have used. I am specifically against government sponsored abortion, which aggressively targets minorities in our countries, and is equal to racial genocide. I am for life for the weakest among us. I started a food bank in my local church because I believe it is the individual’s responsibility to give in charity and feed the hungry. I am for our constitutional rights of free speech, and the right to bear arms in self defense. I am against “big government” control and the usage of drones to kill people of any country without a trial. This was never done in the past. In the US I grew up in, we gave Saddam Hussein a trial. You at least got a mock trial! Now, they don’t even grace you with that. I was aghast… I mean like jaw-dropping shock… when we assassinated UBL and threw his body in the ocean. I mean, it’s not that he hadn’t done horrendous things, but I thought that was what defined America… that fact that you would be given a trial no matter what a scumbag you were. My opinions could go on, and they do. But, the point is, since the last Presidential election, things have become very charged here on “Fakebook,” as many people here call it, where people who didn’t even vote became enraged over posts I made against the current policies. I was deleted by at least 6 people who disliked my opinions. One friend deleted me because I ate at Chick-fl-ay, a local fast food restaurant, when the gay community was boycotting against it. I pleaded to be reinstated, to no avail. I told him that I didn’t care one way or the other about the fact that he was homosexual and I am heterosexual. I wanted to be his friend. He insisted that he could not be his friend because I believed differently from him. Another friend warned me about posting the Bible verses I post, (because she was an Atheist and didn’t believe in God.) Then she deleted me over a “political” post. Basically, the point I am making is that being passionate is only acceptable if it is about sports in many social circles today. It is like television, and televised sports, was created to give people of differing cultures something to talk about, like sports and the weather, somewhere to put our rage, in a society where we are being programmed to accept whatever happens.
Hey Fish, living here in the UK has opened my eyes to the fact that people here do worship football. I am a fan too, but I know its place in my life, and I do not ‘praise and worship’ teams and players like most fans do here. However, I must give some, or most, of the blame to christians. Christianity here is GENERALLY a boring, dead, religious organisation. I believe most of what they are saying, but it doesn’t excite me in the slightest. I don’t really blame non-christians for not going to church, and filling that natural desire to worship something with football. I (and others) are trying to make a difference, but we are unfortunately in the minority. Another bit of food for thought, is there any scripture in the new testament telling us to give to the poor? Jesus was concerned with EVERYONE, why are we as christians so obsessed with the poor? In my opinion, anyone who does not know Christ should be our concern not just those with less money. I am not saying we shouldn’t give to the poor, just saying that everyone is important. I do agree with you that we need to put sport (and other not-so-important-things) in context.
hey man, thankx for you comments – the poor was just an example but i would go with Matthew 25 as one guide and widows and children from James… quite a lot of examples really and definitely should not stop at the poor! matthew 25 dealing with us reaching out to “the least of these” and i think the poor would definitely fit into that category…
It is lie when people say that they are devastated that they missed a tv show.. Try telling that to people who are driven out of their houses at gunpoint in war torn countries! That is being devastated, we use words too lightly.. I think we need to get loads of things in context..
Sorry, like, not lie..
exactly. same as when “raped” has become a random word used lightly for did badly on an exam or lost a sports match or someone logged into my facebook account and wrote some stuff as if they were me – that sickens me – rape is a horrendous thing and should not be used lightly – problem is that a lot of christians just join in with everyone else and you are the freak if you disagree and so need to be so careful and Spirit led but stand strong on convictions [in love]
That is another thing people take out of context.. We as christians are called to draw each other to God, and sometimes that means telling each other when we have done wrong.. Unfortunately, some people don’t like to be told when they are wrong, so they throw back the whole ‘don’t judge me’ argument. It is not judging, it is helping us reach our full potential in Christ. Anyhow, that is probably for another post one day..
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