Basketball Theology
After a Chicago Bulls player makes free throws to ice the game against the Celtics, he does a post game interview.
Interviewer: So what goes through your mind when you shoot those free throws?
Player: I just step up to the line, say a little prayer to God and let him handle the rest.
Interviewer: But you still have to shoot it.
Exactly.
Interviewer: So what goes through your mind when you shoot those free throws?
Player: I just step up to the line, say a little prayer to God and let him handle the rest.
Interviewer: But you still have to shoot it.
Exactly.
posted by Steve at
4/27/2009
7 Comments:
Agreed. Determinism is a foolish proposition.
Am I missing something? I don't get it.
Though I understand the intent of this post, this 'soundbyte' seems incomplete. You're assuming that he literally lets God take over his hands/body and the resulting trajectory of the ball, which would also leed to the assumption that he's never once missed, which in turn seems highly unlikely, which then would make God less than perfect, which would contradict the Bible...
What if this player was simply acknowledging that his gifts and talents are from God, and that what happens happens?
However, I also would not be surprised if this guy thanks God for available parking spaces, making Him a SCD-Bag.
good times.
Here's a random yet somehow relevant question.
Can someone profess to believe in God (details aside for now) and also go to some form of church (again, details aside for now) and NOT be a Stupid Church Person?
Just curious.
I'm just taking this player at face value - he said he says a prayer and then let's God handle the rest.
And that's why I think language is important because I can try and figure out what this player means but I definitely know what he said. And yeah, if he was pressed (and this is incomplete b/c it was a post game interview - and the players response to the interviewers last comment was to just laugh) he would probably admit to this not being what he really meant. But that's what he said. And I almost think it is what he meant, he just knows it sounds ludicrous to admit it.
My thought after I heard this is that a lot of Christians think this way...and I have had conversations with many of them.
EXAMPLE: "Before I balance my checkbook and pay my bills, I just say a little prayer to God and let him handle the rest."
And I guess my thought is, what happens doesn't just happen. There isn't a mystery as to why things happen to us (although there are things that do happen out of our control). The basketball player (no matter where you think his skills originated - some could say natural talent or it could have just been hard work on his part) still has to take the shot. And I still have to manage my money. God has nothing really at all to do with the outcome... and for those that believe, it's not to say he's not with you in the midst of the outcome.
And as to your question Ian, I think the non-SCP is the one that realizes he is one. How's that?
touche steve.
I also agree that esspecially believers need to take more repsonsibility for their daily actions instead of pawning it off on the 'God-will-handle-it' department. As much as I DO believe in the Godly mysteries that abound, I also believe that God is saddened when people don't take ownership of their actions. I believe that God is just and that He seeks personal responsibility from us.
Get my basketball - I wanna make God proud!
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