Can Christians enjoy MMA?
Hi Dojo readers,
This morning I woke up and checking my Facebook feed, I saw this blog post by a friend that got my attention for a number of reasons.
That friend is John Pavlovitz and his blog is often profound, provocative and always worth reading. John is not only a good friend, but he is also one of the best youth ministers I’ve ever known. He and I were on staff together at Good Shepherd (where he is still Youth Pastor, whereas I have moved back into the pews…I mean, padded chairs, of the congregation), and I was one of the Pastors on the retreat during the particular event he talks about in his post:
We had just finished up the evening’s session, challenging us all to be,”men of God”. After putting some things in my cabin, I returned to our main gathering area, and saw that on the big screen, (you know, the one that just moments earlier, had contained sugary sweet church song lyrics about wanting to be just like Jesus), were two guys in the Octagon; one kicking the other in the face, the other bleeding profusely from said face.
This carnage was being joyously devoured by a bunch of guys, who just 30 minutes earlier were members of the “Crying Choir”.
“Really?”, I said to those in charge, using both a word and tone of voice that I shuddered to hear coming from my own mouth, “That’s what you choose to put on, during a spiritual retreat?”
There was such a synchronized rolling of eyes in that room, I swear you could hear it. I realized at that moment: I was the alien.
Not being the kind to let unpopularity with the masses concern me, I pressed further. “So, tell me what this has to do with being a man of God?” I asked. ” Just how exactly did Jesus condone this kind of senseless violence?”
Most people got quiet. I couple laughed sarcastically and turned away. A few brave souls did what most Christians do when challenged; they looked for Bible verses to make their point.
One friend, sheepishly shrugged and said halfheartedly, “Well, Paul does say: ‘I beat my body’!”
“That’s it?”, I thought to myself. ” That’s the best a room full of Christian men and Bible scholars could do?” I quickly pointed out that this verse from 1 Corinthians had been violently torn from any semblance of context, but more to the point, I replied, “Yeah, but he didn’t say, ‘I beat someone else’s body.”
Then came silence.
The conversation came to an abrupt and awkward halt after that. I left, and they hit the play button and enjoyed the rest of the bloody spectacle, ironically, much like Romans watching their Christian predecessors run around The Coliseum 2000 years earlier.
Now before responding I think a few things are worth noting first and foremost so that there are no misunderstandings (and because things like tone-of-voice and non-verbal communicative cues often don’t translate to online discussions!).
One: Not only do I love John as a brother in Christ and fellow minister of the Gospel…but I LIKE HIM as well! I’ve liked him since the I picked him up from his hotel for his interview with us at GS! He’s funny, clever, kind-hearted and gifted. Furthermore, he’s not afraid of a good argument and doesn’t mind speaking his convictions regardless of whether or not everyone agrees.
Two: Disciple Dojo was founded for PRECISELY this type of interaction and discussion! As I said on his Facebook thread, if Christians can’t smack each other around theologically over controversial issues where we differ, without disrespecting or needlessly offending one another, what does that say about our unity in the Spirit??
Three: I agree with a good deal of what John is criticizing. There is a culture of glorifying violence that often accompanies MMA and the UFC in particular that I think is unhealthy and not in conformity to the Gospel of the Prince of Peace. Many MMA fans recognize this and the “Just Bleed Guy” is something of a shorthand expression of this tendency that many within the MMA community regularly ridicule.
(Similar criticism could be made regarding the blatant and overt sexuality that many MMA promotions and organizations cater to with their choice of ring-girl attire…or lack thereof!) So I don’t want my response to John’s post to be seen in any way as a blanket condoning of all things MMA- or UFC-related. It is not.
That being said, I think John makes a number of assumptions and mischaracterizations that need to be addressed.
Firstly, his description of the situation is a bit different than I remember. I don’t remember “carnage being joyously devoured”, and I believe this is John’s projecting of his perception of what MMA is onto the motives and mindset of those of us who were watching it.
You see, on this particular retreat were myself and a number of guys from the church who at the time were training MMA and BJJ (Brazilian Jiujitsu) together on a regular basis. After morning worship, there was free time that men could go and do various recreational activities. Some went fishing. Some went hiking. Some played football. Some played board games (some of which were war-themed, I believe…). Some went to go read and relax. I had some DVDs including a number of movies men could watch, and I also brought a “Best of” UFC DVD that had a dozen or so of the best fights from the previous year on it. Some of the men wanted to watch that, as they were also MMA fans, so I put it in and we watched a few of the fights that some of them hadn’t seen.
This is when the exchange John mentions above took place.
It’s also worth noting that after watching the fights, those of us who train went back to our cabin and put the mattresses together in the common room area so that we could work on our grappling… 🙂
It was a great afternoon of training and fellowship with a great group of guys–what a Men’s Retreat should always include. Watching the fights gave those of us who normally train together during the week a chance during the free time session to watch some of our favorite matches from that year, talk shop about who’s facing who in the near future, who’s better at what between this fighter and that fighter, and all the other things MMA fans discuss to a degree that can sometimes border on the obsessive (for an example of this, just stop by the UG forums and you’ll immediately see what I’m talking about!). 🙂
But this experience also illustrates a very different set of presuppositions that John and I (and many other Christians on both sides of the issue) hold to when it comes to MMA.
John saw a fistfight and immediately thought blood, carnage, anger and violence.
I (and others) saw an professional martial arts bout and immediately thought strategy, athleticism, endurance and physical competition.
So who’s right? Which is it?
I would say BOTH have potential to be what’s going on–depending on the viewer.
Again, as a Bible teacher and avid MMA fan, I actually agree with much of John’s criticism.
In fact, my main critique of his post is that I don’t think he goes far enough in terms of being consistent. What I mean is that watching ANY contact or combat sport for the sake of violent thrills is wrong.
Watching NASCAR hoping to see crashes…
Watching NFL hoping to see big hits by linemen…
Watching boxing to see bloody KOs…
Watching (real) wrestling to see bone-breaking slams…
Watching Hockey to see fights break out…
…all of these are often couched in “manly” language and celebrated as part of what it means to be “one of the guys” or a “man’s man.” But, as I have written about here in the Dojo and others like Eugene Cho and Christianity Today have noted, they are not. We don’t need to re-image Jesus in order to appeal to the coveted 18-40 male demographic.
Jesus is Jesus.
He’s not an “ultimate fighter”.
(Likewise, we don’t need to re-image Jesus as an artsy vegetarian who only drinks fair-trade coffee in order to reach the indie rock or hipster crowds.)
So the caution against this pseudo-masculinity characterization is much-needed for many of my fellow MMA fans who also love the Prince of Peace.
However, comparing modern combat sports to the Roman Colosseum–while often employed by fans and critics alike, for totally opposite reasons–belittles the actual horrors of an Empire forcing convicts and captives to literally kill one another for the amusement of bloodthirsty crowds.
Such comparisons are all too common (and the UFC itself did nothing to distance itself from with their “Gladiator” intro clip which began every PPV up until their recent TV deal with Fox). Critics, such as John McCain in the mid-90s, have also compared MMA to “human cockfighting”…though as the sport continues its move to mainstream sports culture, such comparisons are becoming less frequent.
But the fact is, some sports are rougher than others and combat sports are at the farthest end of the spectrum in terms of physical contact and roughness. As I’ve noted before:
Combat sports–such as Judo, Taekwondo, Freestyle Wrestling, Greco-Roman Wrestling, Pankration, Sumo, Muay Thai, Karate, Boxing, Savate, Kendo, or Fencing–are inherently rougher than non-combat sports…but not always (i.e. compare the injuries in an average Football, Rugby, or Hockey player’s career with that of a combat sports athlete’s career and you’ll see what I mean!). Likewise, the goal in combat sports is to skillfully overcome your opponent within the rules provided and with no need for malice or violent intention. In fact, it is in combat sports that one finds the highest degrees of respect among competitors by FAR (for a fantastic portrayal of this aspect of MMA, I HIGHLY recommend seeing the film “Warrior” which came out last year, and for which Nick Nolte has been nominated for an Oscar–and deservedly so!).
Combat sports all simulate combat in some manner, but in ways that protect the lives and health, to varying degrees, of the athletes involved, while at the same time allowing them to develop the skills and techniques required to win against their opponent…many of which have their roots in ancient forms of combat.
This is where the different presuppositions come into play. Sports or activities that involve more contact tend to attract people with a lust for violence more than those that have little-to-no contact. But just as one doesn’t wag a finger at a group of NASCAR fans watching a race because some fans revel in fiery crashes, it also isn’t quite fair to discount the athletes and martial artists who love MMA for reasons that have little to do with blood for injuries.
MMA (and the UFC in particular, as the largest promotion) is to many martial artists what the Olympics, NFL, NBA, PGA, NHL or World Cup are to those who play other sports. It is the sport where participants of many varieties of combat sports can compete at the highest level.
MMA is also a key part of the development of martial arts as a discipline of study. John is most likely unaware of the roots of the UFC or why it was created in the first place. But longtime fans and martial artists who’ve followed the sport’s development know how it came about. For those that don’t, here’s a VERY abbreviated (and not at all scholarly!) summary:
By the late 80s in North America, there were many styles of martial arts that all claimed to be the most effective form of self-defense and personal combat one could practice. But competitions in which to sharpen, advance, and test these claims were ineffective because they were laden with a number of rules and safety gear which kept practitioners relatively safe…but also removed the effectiveness of the techniques pretty much entirely. In fact, even in the 60s and early-70s, martial artists like Bruce Lee were aware of this weakness and the ineffectiveness of much of what was passing for serious martial arts instruction. As a result, you had many martial arts “masters” who were training, teaching, and making a lot of money off of people who didn’t know better.
One family that wanted to change this was the Gracie family, many of whose members had moved to American from Brazil in order to spread the art of Brazilian Jiujitsu, particularly their brand which they believed truly was the most effective form of training and defense. One of the brothers, Rorion, wanted to showcase the art of Gracie Jiujitsu to America (and the world) and sought to create a tournament that had minimal artificial safety rules and allowed fighters of all disciplines to test themselves and their art against one another.
But knowing that such a tournament could only happen with a lot of financial backing and public appeal, the initial creators of the UFC decided to play up the whole “violence/gladiator/no-holds-barred” image in order to generate controversy (and the public interest that would ensue as a result!). This is where the martial art and sport aspects were meshed with the marketing/culture-of-violence aspects…and the UFC almost went out of business as a result.
However, as new ownership took over the company in later years and put in place things like weight classes, timed rounds, judges scoring and equipment requirements, the UFC evolved into the more mainstream combat sport that it is today (and as boxing had done nearly a century before).
So what’s the point of this jaunt down American MMA’s memory lane? Simply this: modern MMA is, for most martial artists who train in its various disciplines, one of the avenues available to further their skill, test their abilities and become better martial artists (as well as, for many, earn a living doing what they enjoy and are good at). MMA also functions as a proving ground whereby ineffective and dangerous “martial arts myths” are exposed and people are made more aware of which techniques work and which don’t in many situations. (For a fuller and EXCELLENT overview of all this, I highly recommend the book “Mastering Jujitsu” by Renzo Gracie and John Danaher!)
The simple truth is that combat sports (wrestling, boxing, judo, jiujitsu, MMA, fencing, karate, taekwondo, sumo, etc.) aren’t for everyone. Nor do they need to be. One doesn’t have to like, enjoy or even personally approve of combat sports such as boxing or MMA. No sport appeals to everyone and many are turned off by different aspects of various sports–just as they are by various aspects of music, art and any other recreational activity.
However, the challenge is to not throw out the baby with the bathwater or assume motives on the part of those who enjoy things that we ourselves simply cannot fathom enjoying and in fact see a number of potential dangers facing anyone who does (be it MMA, the Simpsons, Christmas shopping, or reality TV).
And that is my main criticism of John’s post.
It assumes that it is impossible for someone to watch and enjoy MMA without bloodlust.
It assumes that Christians who enjoy a sport that contains unchristian elements are inherently condoning those elements.
But surely John can watch a Giants vs. Eagles football game without condoning lusting after the cheerleaders or relishing the concussions dispensed by various linemen.
It comes down to individual discernment and awareness of the sport, I believe. One doesn’t have to be a fan or even like it. Heck, I’ll never be a fan of NASCAR–ever. But if I’m going to imply in a public post that those who watch it are in danger of sinning by doing so, it would behoove me to make sure I understand not only the intricacies of the sport itself, but also the motives and thought processes of those who do enjoy it.
We all have blind spots and are biased in various ways. We are not at fault for our inward emotional response toward something we don’t understand, enjoy or approve of. But we must also guard against becoming dogmatic or allowing our personal tastes to dictate the behavior of our fellow Christian brothers and sisters.
Rather than forming our opinion and allowing it stew for long periods of time, I would suggest that it’s better, when we believe fellow believers to be in sin (or danger of sin), to bring it to them directly and with an open and humble mindset that perhaps what is acceptable for them is not acceptable for us…and that’s okay. In fact, this is what we see in the pages of Scripture itself. We have guidance from the Holy Spirit and the example of Paul’s approach to various culturally divisive tendencies among Christians (such as Romans 14, Colossians 2, Titus 1, etc.) to keep us unified in Him even when we feel like the outsider or alien such situations.
Of course, putting that into practice is where it can get challenging. That is why I’m glad John wrote his blog post. It allows me, as someone who feels that God has placed him within the martial arts and MMA community to help people connect with Him who might not otherwise care about God, Jesus or anything related to the Bible, a chance to share why it is that I believe Christians can enjoy and participate in (either as fans, fighters, promoters or coaches/instructors) the sport of MMA while at the same time rejecting or refusing to celebrate those aspects of it that do not conform to truth or goodness.
I think we can be “in” the cage without being “of” the cage, so to speak.
I welcome any responses, comments, questions or points I may have missed in the comments section below. As always though, keep it respectful. This is the Dojo, after all.
JM
Categories: Arts and Culture, Blog, Martial Arts, Ministry
Very nicely done! As a pastor from Indiana who is now a full-time MMA Chaplain in Las Vegas, I spend a lot of my time making these points and trying desperately to educate people from both sides of the issue. I would love to connect with you guys!
by Josh Boyd on Jan 5, 2013 at 4:27 pm
Thanks Josh. I’d love to connect sometime.
BTW, I wrote a short article on Fight Church a while back. How is the project coming? Did it get released already?
by jm on Jan 5, 2013 at 5:12 pm