Can churches succeed where sports has failed?
Iwrote an NBA column before church Sunday, but it didn't feel right. Debating basketball's restart plans is fine subject material, just not now. Not with rioting in the streets and a good many Americans feeling disenfranchised.
So it felt like a better time to address the issue of social justice. But I didn't know what to stay. People a lot smarter than me have come up short on ideas on how to fix the scourge of black men being killed by police for being black.
It's a crisis I admit I've arrived at late. My old pal Darnell Mayberry brought it to my attention several years ago, but it didn't register much then. Some have acknowledged the issue only in recent weeks, because of Ahmaud Arbery or George Floyd. Some still don't see the problem.
In times like these, we often look to sports. They are our heroes, after all, and we've always assumed our great athletes possess great character, too, even if it's clearly not true. So we want Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods to become outspoken leaders on social issues, even when they're not remotely capable. Or we criticize the athletes who do step out, doesn't matter which side, be it LeBron James or Curt Schilling or Colin Kaepernick.
Truth is, sports are hard-pressed to reconcile their own racial issues, much less society's. The NFL is betwixt and between on how to get its owners to consider more minority candidates for positions of power.
Politics isn't the answer, either. It doesn't help that Vice President Mike Pence tweeted out that the current administration “will always stand for the right of Americans to peacefully protest and let their voices be heard.” Good concept, if Pence had not walked out of Lucas Oil Stadium in 2017 before a Colts-49ers game, when more than a dozen 49ers knelt in protest during the national anthem. Which is it, Mr. Vice President?
Of course, this issue
was not created by Donald Trump. Barack Obama was president for eight years, and the same tragedies ensued. Anyone looking to politics to solve your problems will always be disappointed.
No, we've got to look elsewhere for the tonic that might heal the holes in our souls. My best idea?
Houses of worship. The evangelical churches of America, one of which I attend. Across the country Sunday, churches prayed for peace in our streets and some no doubt prayed for George Floyd's family. But if they didn't pray for social justice, if they didn't pray that black mothers and fathers could be free from the nightmare that their sons might not return home, because of the quick trigger or the irrational fears or the demented attitudes of someone with a badge, the churches missed the mark.
The bad apples who make up the one percent of peace officers are not our biggest problem. Our biggest problem is the people who, when confronted with injustice, don't say or do anything. And that's nowhere more apparent than in the church.
We have an Old Testament mentality, believing that we are God's Chosen People, forgetting the message of the gospels, which is that we are all God's children. Christ told us to be the Good Samaritan; instead we're the priest and the Levite, not caring when bad befalls our fellow man.
In America, we've got a crisis of spirit, in many places. One of those places is the church, where we've forgotten who our neighbor is.
Jesus espoused empathy. He told his disciples to look out for the vulnerable and the hurting and the marginalized. Doesn't have to be someone from a different race. Could be a different country, could be a different social status, could be a different religion.
What if the church started obeying? What if Christians started looking at people like Jesus looked at them? Might actually be a pretty good business plan, but it also might help America solve its crisis of spirit. Maybe the church can succeed where sports and politics have failed.
Berry Tramel: Berry can be reached at 405-760-8080 or at btramel@oklahoman. com. He can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including FM-98.1. You can also view his personality page at oklahoman. com/berrytramel.