More Fouls We Commit

March 4, 2008

I’ve been using the analogy of fouls in a basketball game to address the issues we can be guilty of in the church. I have talked about some different types of fouls we are easily guilty of committing and now I would like to look at the two that I would consider the worst. These are the flagrant foul and the technical foul called on the bench. As in the past weeks, for those that have little knowledge of basketball rules, let me explain the fouls and then provide the analogy.

-The flagrant foul - This is a foul that is called when the referee determines that excessive force or contact is used or ill intent toward an opposing player.
How could a church be guilty of this kind of a foul? Certainly we would not consciously do ill will toward a non believer, but unconsciously we can if we become like the Pharisees. In our desires to do right and maintain that which is right, we can get ourselves in a position where we attack the sinner instead of the sin. This is never right. When Paul was observing the idolatry in Athens, his message was Jesus and the resurrection. There is no indication of his attacking the people of Athens, but rather of his clear contrast between the God who made the world and their idols. (Acts 17:16-31)

-The technical foul on the bench - This is a foul that is called when the referee determines a player on the bench or a coach has said something unsportsmanlike or has overtly questioned a call made. It could also be called if the coach has left the coaches box and not heeded warnings.
How can a church be guilty of such a foul? I think one way it happens is when we forget our role. We are not in the game to officiate. We are to play and to coach. The translation is that there is a God and we are not Him! He makes the calls; not us. I think sometimes the non-believing world sees us in a debate with God about what He is doing or has done instead of just trusting that He is God and that His ways are always best. If the non-believer should look down our bench, do they see joy and contentment or frustration and complaints about how life is treating us? It is something to think about!