The Minister of Defense: Reggie's (whole) story

Interesting article from USA Today about Reggie White called Reggie's (whole) story that sheds some light the tension that can exist between a humble Christian life and the fame of modern American celebrity athletes.

Two notable quotes ...

"When I look back on my life, there are a lot of things I said God said. I realize he didn't say nothing. It was what Reggie wanted to do. I do feel the Father ... gave me some signals ... but you won't hear me anymore saying God spoke to me about something — unless I read something in Scripture and I know."

White made the comments in a remarkable and largely overlooked interview with NFL Films that aired just days before his death. There was much more. "Prostituted" is a strong word, but it's exactly how White described the way he had been used by sports ministries and other evangelical groups eager to capitalize on his fame.

"Really, in many respects I've been prostituted," White said. "Most people who wanted me to speak at their churches only asked me to speak because I played football, not because I was this great religious guy or this theologian. ... I got caught up in some of that until I got older and I got sick of it. I've been a preacher for 21 years, preaching what somebody wrote or what I heard somebody else say. I was not a student of Scripture. I came to the realization I'd become more of a motivational speaker than a teacher of the word."

Some initially misunderstood White's changed rhetoric as a sign that he had lost religion. Hardly. Tired of having the meaning of faith spoon-fed to him so that he could spoon-feed others, White decided to learn Hebrew so he could study the original texts of the Old Testament — go straight to the source, in essence.

... and ...

Also, as White apparently came to believe, blending faith with pro sports and commerce might not, in the end, be good for religion. Is justice done for the purpose and power of faith when victorious players claim that God intervened so one Christian player might outdo another? Or when ministries put biblically illiterate celebrities on a pedestal to promote religion as though it were just another product endorsement?

"I used to have people tell me, 'God has given you the ability to play football so you could tell the world about him,' " White said shortly before his death. "Well, he doesn't need football to let the world know about him. When you look at the Scriptures, you'll see that most of the prophets weren't popular guys. I came to the realization that what God needed from me more than anything is a way of living instead of the things I was saying. Now I know I've got to sit down and get it right."

Unfortunately, death allowed him very little time to do that.

As we reflect on White on the occasion of his induction into the Hall of Fame, let's remember his legacy in its fullness. Yes, he was about family and faith. He cared about his teammates and his community, and he played the game with a unique talent and passion. And, yes, Reggie came to reject the very faith-in-sports movement he did so much to advance.

Let's remember Reggie's story — all of it.

In full ...

On Saturday, the late Reggie White will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The "Minister of Defense" — he was an ordained minister who had a passion for Christian evangelizing during his stellar playing career — will be extolled for his quarterback-sacking prowess, service to the community and commitment to his family and Christian faith.

Amid the deserved praise that will pour forth in the speeches and media coverage, there probably won't be much, if anything, said about another important but less easily swallowed chapter of White's story — namely, his post-retirement disavowal of much of what he stood for as the Jesus-praising champion of jock evangelism. As the greatly changed White put it shortly before his premature death, at age 43 of cardiac arrhythmia in December 2004, "(God) doesn't need football to let the world know about him."

For those who don't follow sports, White was a superstar defensive lineman in the 1980s and '90s, playing primarily for the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers. Not only was he a star on the field, selected to the Pro Bowl a record 13 times, but he was also an exemplar in the now-common practice of using athletic stardom to spread the evangelical Christian message. A frequent speaker at churches and religious events, a man quick to turn post-game interviews into opportunities to proclaim God, White probably did more than any other sports star to usher in the conspicuous religiosity that we witness in pro sports today.

As a player, White correctly sensed that his preaching wasn't welcomed by all fans. But he stormed past that disapproval as though it were just another lineman blocking his path to the quarterback. As he said in one live post-game TV interview during his days with the Packers, "God allowed me to use this game as a platform to proclaim the name of Jesus. ... I know some people don't like what I say sometimes, but God has called me to preach a message, and I have to preach the message."

White was also known for citing God's will in announcing pivotal career decisions. When he left the Eagles to sign with Green Bay, he claimed God had told him to make the move. And when he came out of brief retirement late in his career, he again attributed the decision to God's instruction.

A man 'prostituted'

Contrast that with the White who emerged shortly before his unexpected death nearly two years ago. "When I look back on my life, there are a lot of things I said God said. I realize he didn't say nothing. It was what Reggie wanted to do. I do feel the Father ... gave me some signals ... but you won't hear me anymore saying God spoke to me about something — unless I read something in Scripture and I know."

White made the comments in a remarkable and largely overlooked interview with NFL Films that aired just days before his death. There was much more. "Prostituted" is a strong word, but it's exactly how White described the way he had been used by sports ministries and other evangelical groups eager to capitalize on his fame.

"Really, in many respects I've been prostituted," White said. "Most people who wanted me to speak at their churches only asked me to speak because I played football, not because I was this great religious guy or this theologian. ... I got caught up in some of that until I got older and I got sick of it. I've been a preacher for 21 years, preaching what somebody wrote or what I heard somebody else say. I was not a student of Scripture. I came to the realization I'd become more of a motivational speaker than a teacher of the word."

Some initially misunderstood White's changed rhetoric as a sign that he had lost religion. Hardly. Tired of having the meaning of faith spoon-fed to him so that he could spoon-feed others, White decided to learn Hebrew so he could study the original texts of the Old Testament — go straight to the source, in essence.

White told his NFL Films interviewers that some Christian ministers had warned people to stay away from the new, heretical Reggie. That's deeply regrettable. White had something important to say on an issue that is far from settled — the appropriate place of religion in pro sports.

Sports and Christianity

If anything, Christianity in our major professional leagues has become even more forceful, and more problematic, since White retired from the National Football League for good after the 2000 season.

"Faith nights" — at which organizers stage religious programming before and after the ball game, including testimonials by players who urge fans to accept Jesus — are beginning to migrate from the minors to the major leagues. Christian chaplains with ties to Athletes in Action and other evangelical ministries are embedded with nearly every team in major league baseball, football and basketball, bringing players a conservative brand of Christianity and enlisting them in the effort to spread it to the sports-loving public. More than ever, it seems, religious players are testifying to their faith by making frequent religious gestures on the field and praising God in post-game interviews. Of course, pro athletes' religious expressions warm the hearts of many fans. What could be wrong with sports stars modeling religious faith rather than greed, violence and promiscuity? But in truth, religion is not the purely wholesome, non-controversial force in sports that its defenders would have us believe.

For example, is it fair that pro sports teams are allowing themselves to become prime vehicles for Christian proselytizing when they serve religiously diverse communities, and when they play in publicly financed stadiums bought by the tax dollars of many non-Christian fans? There is much to be said for making religion available to pro athletes. But the evangelical ministries dominant in pro sports aren't bringing religion to locker rooms as much as an exclusive form of Christianity laden with a divisive worldview and considerable political baggage.

Also, as White apparently came to believe, blending faith with pro sports and commerce might not, in the end, be good for religion. Is justice done for the purpose and power of faith when victorious players claim that God intervened so one Christian player might outdo another? Or when ministries put biblically illiterate celebrities on a pedestal to promote religion as though it were just another product endorsement?

"I used to have people tell me, 'God has given you the ability to play football so you could tell the world about him,' " White said shortly before his death. "Well, he doesn't need football to let the world know about him. When you look at the Scriptures, you'll see that most of the prophets weren't popular guys. I came to the realization that what God needed from me more than anything is a way of living instead of the things I was saying. Now I know I've got to sit down and get it right."

Unfortunately, death allowed him very little time to do that.

As we reflect on White on the occasion of his induction into the Hall of Fame, let's remember his legacy in its fullness. Yes, he was about family and faith. He cared about his teammates and his community, and he played the game with a unique talent and passion. And, yes, Reggie came to reject the very faith-in-sports movement he did so much to advance.

Let's remember Reggie's story — all of it.