Chapter 4: What is the purpose of sports?
- Coach Field
- Jul 1
- 3 min read
Updated: Jul 19
As Christians, we have been wrestling with the purpose of sport for many years. In his book A Brief Theology of Sport, Lincoln Harvey explores this topic in far greater depth than we will here, so if you’re intrigued, I highly recommend his work.
Like many issues in the Christian life, the challenges we face regarding sport are not entirely new. While the context may have shifted, the core tensions remain the same.
As we’ve discussed before, sport can generally fall into two distinct categories: the pursuit of excellence and recreation. Both have their place in the Christian life, but it’s important to understand the differences between them. If you haven’t read the previous chapters, I encourage you to do so before continuing. Here’s a brief summary to help set the stage and as we continue, the rest of this article will be written from the perspective of someone pursuing excellence in both sport and faith.
