Qualifying Mark Driscoll’s defense of MMA
While reading discussions over on The Underground (a site whose founder, Kirik Jenness has been very supportive of Disciple Dojo!) I recently came across this post by controversial Seattle megachurch Pastor Mark Driscoll on the sport of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) entitled “A Christian Evaluation of Mixed Martial Arts“.
I have multiple theological and ministerial disagreements with Driscoll, but when it comes to being a fan of MMA and believing that it is a legitimate sport that Christians can enjoy and even participate in, he and I are on the same page.
However, while I believe his post does a great job of highlighting the development of the sport, particularly regarding its safety and rules which many people are unaware of entirely, I don’t believe it has anything to do with masculinity or gender or issues. Nor do I believe that people who reject it do so because “Their picture of Jesus is basically a guy in a dress with fabulous long hair, drinking decaf and in touch with his feelings, who would never hurt anyone.” This is a strawman caricature and suggests that Driscoll has not given serious reflection to the arguments of Christians who oppose MMA (such as THIS ONE, for instance, by one of Driscoll’s fellow Southern Baptists).
Nor do I believe MMA has anything to do with recognizing that Jesus will return in Judgment one day…or as Driscoll puts it “on his first trip to the earth Jesus took a beating to atone for sin; on his next trip he will hand them out to unrepentant sinners instead.”
Of course I DO believe Jesus will return in Judgment (in fact, I have an DVD study that walks readers through the book of Revelation and makes clear that when Jesus does return evil will be judged once and for all, and most severely!)…but I don’t see that as having any direct bearing on the sport of Mixed Martial Arts.
Rather, I believe, that MMA is one of many combat sports (which Driscoll does a good job of describing and classifying alongside other sports in his post). 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.
Of course, people can, and do, participate in or watch combat sports out of sinful motives–just as some people love watching Football for the big hits by linemen…or Hockey for the fights and checks against the glass…or NASCAR for the crashes…etc. But that doesn’t prove that such motives are a necessary part of combat sports anymore so than it proves the same for the non-combat sports mentioned.
However, I do recognize the danger in trying too hard to merge MMA (or any other sport) with the Gospel completely. In my article “Ultimate Fighting…Jesus??” I discuss the difference between how I approach MMA as a participant and fan, and how Driscoll and other Christians approach it from a more “machismo” perspective. The differences are significant, even though we end up coming to the same conclusion regarding the ethics of the sport itself:
There is clearly a desire among many Christian men for a more robust, more “manly” form of faith than the traditional “gentle-Jesus-meek-and-mild-petting-a-lamb-and-playing-with-children-among-flowers” stereotype.
However…the Jesus in the Gospels does not at all resemble “a fighter”…much less an MMA superstar!
As someone who loves MMA (I train regularly and am looking to compete in the near future) and also holds a Master’s degree in Theology I must confess that the presentation of Jesus as a fighter, and Christianity as rough and tough, is simply not in line with the Gospel message.
Jesus took the world’s ideas of tough and turned them on their head. He “fought” by willingly allowing himself to be killed by the might of Rome and Jerusalem combined. Even in the most “violent” book of the New Testament, the book of Revelation, the dominant image used to depict the conquering Jesus is that of a slaughtered lamb. To deny or distance oneself from this reality of the Gospel–even though done with a desire to reach people with the message of Christ–is basically creating a Jesus in one’s own image…in this case, the image of a cage-fighter.
So, does this mean that Christianity and MMA are incompatible? Should Christians avoid combat sports (i.e. MMA, jiujutsu, kickboxing, boxing, wrestling, fencing, karate, taekwondo, etc.) altogether? Can one who believes in the principle of “turn the other cheek” honestly train in the martial arts in good conscience?
I would say, absolutely.
MMA is a sport (as are the other combat sports mentioned above). Sports run the gamut from zero physicality (i.e. poker, darts, curling) to moderate physicality (i.e. track, soccer, basketball) to high physicality (i.e. rugby, football, sumo). On this spectrum, MMA is the highest end of the “high physicality” spectrum; but it is a sport nonetheless.
Of course there are MMA athletes who relish the violent aspect of the sport–though they are the exception rather than the norm, as anyone familiar with the athletes themselves can attest–but there are also football players and soccer players who relish the violence of their respective sports as well (Bill Romanowski, anyone?). At the end of the day, the goal in combat sports is to best your opponent within the allowed rules and be the best athlete you can be.
There’s no need to re-image Jesus as a fighter in order to appeal to the MMA lover…just as there is no need to re-image Jesus as a football player in order to appeal to the Superbowl lover!
Jesus is Jesus.
Rather than trying to make His message more “macho”, those of us who follow Him should strive to redefine the very concept of “macho” in light of who He is and what He teaches. In the end, that is what will have lasting impact; that is what will penetrate even the most battle-hardened fighter’s heart.
- [UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre and me after a class at Renzo Gracie Academy last Summer…GSP was ‘very impressed’ by the portrait! 🙂 You can read all about it HERE!]
Categories: Arts and Culture, Blog, Martial Arts, Theological issues
For me, violence is anything that dehumanizes the ‘other.’ I think with MMA and other sports that move from “contact” to “combat” run this risk, but I’m not sure I hold to this dogmatically. Interesting discussion… More to think about.
by Kurt Willems on Feb 14, 2012 at 11:06 pm
[…] 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 […]
by Disciple Dojo – JMSmith.org » Can Christians enjoy MMA? on Jan 4, 2013 at 9:31 pm
Just some love and grace from Mark.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfTmgPhmlto
Note: The video is the only one I could find with the direct quote. I am not in favor of, nor do I endorse the silly little art work on the vide.
by LiMack. on Jul 15, 2013 at 3:30 am
Drisoll ain’t SBC.
by CJJScout on Jan 20, 2014 at 8:45 pm
As far as I’m aware, he is connected to the SBC.
http://peterlumpkins.typepad.com/peter_lumpkins/2011/06/acts-29-network-mark-driscoll-and-the-southern-baptist-convention-a-compilation-of-articles-by-peter.html
by jm on Jan 20, 2014 at 8:49 pm
[…] Qualifying Mark Driscoll’s defense of MMA […]
by Disciple Dojo – JMSmith.org » What the Church can learn from Brazilian Jiu-jitsu (part 2) on Feb 13, 2014 at 10:57 pm