Anonymous stated:
Being a Christian, why do you think a person desires to be boo'ed (see your Feb 2 golf tournament blog from a couple days ago when you wrote ‘Professionals should get booed if they make a bad shot.’). I see boo'ing as a negative activity. As a Christian, we need to seek to be Christ-like, which includes supporting each other. Do you think Jesus would 'boo' others? How do you think Jesus would act in that golfing situation?
I think the "desires" in the first question was meant to mean "deserved" and will go under that assumption.
I would agree that as Christians, we should be supportive. From what I can tell though, I might disagree on what matters of life it is that we need support, and maybe a statement of the obvious given my previous post, I don't believe that golf shots are one of those areas we must support.
I don't view golf as a matter of worth. If someone is getting their identity from golf, they have bigger problems than my approval or disapproval of them. I would not want to encourage and support someone to get their identity from anything but Christ. Because of this, I place golf in the category of sport, game, activity, enjoyment. In doing so, I want it to be fun.
As someone becomes good enough to make their entire living playing golf, I feel that it is okay to add the pressure of them needing to play well. If they are going to make millions because of how well they hit a ball, i'm fine with them enduring the "boos" that come on one hole on tour if they hit a bad shot.
A different line of argument (than just that Christians should be supportive) that could be taken fecesiously is that Christians are to be honest. We shouldn't lie about if a shot was good or not. Jesus often pointed people to the truth of their actions, often more so because of their actions that were not good and shouldn't be supported than the ones that were worth encouraging.
I can't put Jesus in that specific situation though. I assume, if he was here today, he would have been watching Tiger win the tournament in Dubai, not the hole in Arizona where they boo bad shots.
Reactions and comments welcomed.
Professional athletes probably do grow accustomed to exuberant fans who express their opinions of their performance with boos or cheers. But beyond the huge salaries, how is a professional athlete really different from another profession? What you have deemed sport, activity, fun, etc. represents someone’s livelihood. Who determines when someone has reached a level in their profession that “deserves” some “added pressure”?
ReplyDeleteIn the event you described, the booing and the cheers appear to have become part of the accepted atmosphere and don’t appear to represent true animosity, anger, or hurtful negativity. There probably is a great deal of “fun” in the entire environment. Yet, I still have a couple of problems with your arguments in general.
First, facetious or not, the concept that booing is simply an expression of honesty is quite the stretch. As Christians, are we to walk around booing people who we believe aren’t doing their jobs as well as we think they could be doing it? Or do we reserve booing only for those professions we deem to be nothing more than sport or fun?
What might simply be a game, sport, activity or such to you is someone else’s chosen profession – their way of making a living. While the salaries in this profession seem out of line with the average wage-earner, it still remains someone’s set of career skills and resulting paycheck. In the interest of good sportsmanship alone, booing seems unnecessary and immature. But I guess if it brings you enjoyment - - -
Just curious – do you see golfers or other professional athletes as having less significant careers than ministers or other theological professions? When you have reached the point in your ministerial career to be “good enough” to earn a living preaching or teaching to a congregation or the like, at what point will you expect people to stand up during your performance and begin spontaneously verbalizing their dissatisfaction with your game? At what point should others be able to declare that you’re good enough to warrant unsolicited and arbitrary pressure to perform better, while you are in the middle of a sermon?
I'm bound to get myself into trouble when I answer questions like this without being able to communicate in person.
ReplyDeleteLet me clarify a couple of things. I don't necessarily feel that the "booing" fits under the "honesty" clause as a justification. I was just trying to point out that "encouragement" isn't the only thing that Christians are called to do. Sometimes, "encouragement" might conflict with other things we are told to do like "honesty" or "confrontation."
You stated, correctly, that in the event described, the booing and cheers have become an accepted part of the atmosphere, and most importantly, that they do not represent animosity, anger or hurtful negativity. I was applauding this acceptance.
I'll draw my distinction on the "added pressure" here...
If you are payed by your ability to entertain fans, those fans should be able to "add pressure."
It would not feel inappropriate for me to have a boss tell me I haven't been performing well enough, given that it is true. It would be expected. As a minister, I expect to be held accountable to my actions, whether teaching or otherwise by those who "pay" me. While that atmoshpere may not always look like people doing it in during the sermon, I have seen that happen. I would hope that anyone in a congregation I was teaching would feel comfortable approaching me if my teaching were not up to par with the standards the Bible presents.
As professional athletes draw a large amount of their income from fans, I feel the fans should be able to voice approvement or disapprovement in the work rate of those individuals.
I feel i'm digging myself in a hole again, but for some reason can't stop typing.
Let me back up.
"Do you feel that golfers or other professional athletes have less significant careers than ministers or other theological professions?"
Not in the slightest. I find that anyone who places their value and worth in their career is troubled and anyone who judges another's value or worth based on these things is arrogant.
Careers are of little importance to me. If i was able, I'd gladly play golf for a living. I, however, am not able to do that.
I believe God has created us each with a purpose. Some people's purpose might require a certain vocation, others will not. I believe my purpose will best be fulfilled in the full-time ministry vocation. I don't think taht is true for everyone, and I hope never to proclaim that my value is raised because of that, it is not.
I simply wanted to applaud the fun environment created on one golf hole as acceptable. Largely because it was so different than most golf holes or fans of generations past. With Tiger Woods, golf has become more of a fans sport. No player will deny that. No player would trade it, as their financial benefit has been large. I simply think, that with these benefits, they should have to deal with the atmosphere that fans bring.
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ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteBecause someone does not like or disagree (or boo) with something does not imply it is "Christian" or an un-Christian gesture. Jesus got angry all of the time. Him getting angry does not mean he did not respond in compassion.
ReplyDeleteBeing Christian is demonstrating Christ likeness. WWJD. Unfortunately, doing what Jesus would do is not necessary always nice. Following Jesus is difficult, which suggests that having to speak truth is sometimes difficult.
The deal is: One should careless what he or she think about a particular matter, but this does not mean he or she does not care about the person he or she is booing or disagreeing with. Really we should only care about what God cares about and thinks about us.
There is a big-big fundamental difference between caring and thinking about someone.
Just curious you need to realize that whatever vocation (athlete or minister) you are called to; there will be MUCH critique or booing. And if you are not experiencing resistance or booing you are either to comfortable, not making a big enough impact, and/or in denial.
Also I think booing is a representation of a honest expression. Booing is expressing a dislike or a disagreement of what just happen. One is being true to what one is thinking. Simply to fake clap would simply being a fake gestures and maybe considered lying. So I would argue booing is a legitimate honest expression.
Cheers....or should I say boo!??