I'm finally going to be able to get back to some book reviews for the bookshelf. Over the next month or two I will be posting the various book reports I have had to write for some of my classes here at Southeastern. Communicating on the Playing Field is the first of those, written by my Evangelism professor. It is an excellent look into sports evangelism. Due to the length of the review, this is only part one of my book review.
Josef Solc is a former professional tennis and ice hockey player who had to leave his home country, the Czech Republic, due to religious persecution. On a tennis scholarship, Solc attended Oral Roberts University in Oklahoma, thus able to move to the United States. From there, he attended Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he earned his M. Div and Ph.D. Solc is currently a professor at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina. His background provides the perfect combination for the message behind his book, Communicating on the Playing Field. Sports is the most popular activity in the world. Around 95% of the people in the world are involved in sports in some manner, whether that involves them actually playing or participating as a spectator. As a result, Christians have a great opportunity to reach out to almost any person in the world through the avenue of sports evangelism.
Solc begins his book by looking at the similarities and differences between Christianity and Sports. He believes that if Christians understand the vast influence that Sports have on the world scene, then they can find avenues in which they can get involved and ultimately share the Gospel with the lost world. Similar to the great influence Sports has in the world, Christianity also has a great influence. For years it has been the most wide spread religion in the world, and during the early centuries of the Church, Christianity was the premiere religion. Yet in recent years, a disconnect has arisen between Sports and Christianity. Now, it appears as if Christians, who are sports fans themselves, have lost their influence in the Sports arena.
Solc suggests that Christians should figure out how to be that influence in the world again, and since Sports is so prominent worldwide, he believes that it is a perfect tool by which to evangelize. He provides practical ways that this can happen, such as sports clinics and sports related ministries at local churches. He also suggests that Christians get involved in secular sports activities where they can be the Christian example on those fields. What is impressive about Solc’s approach is that he does not only list out ideas. He also provides sufficient background information to support his claims.
While the closing chapters of the book show specific examples of activities that individual Christians or local churches can use for sports evangelism, a large section of the book deals with understanding what the Bible says about this topic. Solc first looks at the language used by various authors in the Bible, comparing their terminology for the Christian life to the sports arena. Words such as wrestle, compete, run, or fight bring sports images to mind, but authors such as Moses and Paul use these images to describe the Christian life as well. Next, Solc walks his readers through the Gospel. He explains how God has had a plan to redeem the world from before the beginning of time and shows how God set forth that plan through His Son. Jesus came to the earth to be a sacrifice for His children so that they could come to know the Father. Thankfully, the story did not end with His death. It was through His resurrection that eternal life was offered to humanity. Again, the story does not end there. God commands His children to carry this good news to the nations, so that people from every nation can know the truth. Furthermore, God has given all His children the power of the Holy Spirit, who will give them the confidence to proclaim the truth as well as convict unbelievers of their need for a Savior. This is the mission given to every Christian, but there is no set way to go about it. Although the truth of the Gospel cannot be compromised, Christians must find creative ways to present it to a lost world. The focus of this book is to use the avenue of Sports in order to get the Gospel to that lost world.
One convicting idea that Solc points out in his book is the reality that the Gospel is not being spread to all the nations by most Christians. Only a small percentage of Christians are actually involved in telling others about Christ. As a result, Christianity is dwindling in a rapidly growing world. The problem is that Christians believe that after their conversion they can just sit on the sidelines and let the pastors and church leaders do the work. Solc explains that professional athletes never want to just sit on the sideline. After preparing their entire lives for the chance to start in a professional game in their sport, the last thing they want to do is sit on the bench and watch their teammates play the game. They would much rather be out on the field or court leading their team to victory. So why is it that Christians, who have the ultimate victory in their future, sit on the sideline not worried about the salvation of those around them?
I feel like most of us fail in this area at some point in our lives, and I have honestly been convicted of this tragedy before. The illustration that Solc uses to explain this laziness that so many of us find ourselves in really made me think harder about this harsh reality. Why would a professional athlete sit on the sidelines and not be involved in the game? In the same way, I, who have the greatest gift in the world and the ultimate hope for the future, cannot sit on the sideline any longer. I must find ways, such as through sports evangelism, to reach out to this lost world. I must also help others figure out ways in which they can witness effectively. We can no longer be lazy about spreading the Gospel.
Matt
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