Principle Intro Talk Grid
(This should be a 20-25 minute talk if you are doing this on the opening night of a UTC, just to set the audience up to hear the rest of the Principles.)
What is the question we are asking for this principle?
How are God and Sport connected? Is Sport a good thing?
What is the main point(s) of this Principle?
We want to give athletes a baseline understanding of the theology of Sport as it relates to the four-chapter Gospel narrative (creation, fall, redemption and restoration):
- Creation - God is Creator of all things and made them good. He created humans with a desire for playfulness and human relationships. Sports is a humanly organized form of play and interaction that comes from a desire for “re-creation.”
- Fall - Man and woman are deceived by Satan, they doubt God's goodness and then disobey God's clear command, which then causes major consequences in every area of creation, including the tainting of our playfulness/Sport.
- Redemption – God is redeeming ALL of his creation through Jesus. As we are each being redeemed, our interactions/playfulness/competition is also being redeemed.
- Restoration – One day everything will be fully restored, including our playfulness and interactions.
If your audience only gets one thing out of this Principle what should that be?
God created us with a desire for play/competition that is beautiful, but now it is also broken because of our sin. Jesus is in the midst of redeeming Sport. They also need to understand the definition of the AIA Principles = the gospel applied to sport, spoken in the language of sport and experienced through sport.
What are some Biblical texts to use for this Principle? How does they illustrate the point?
Genesis 1, 2 and 3 brief references/overview – talk about Creation and the Fall – and how Sport is connected to both.
Romans 1:21-25 – the exchange of worshiping Sport as an idol, instead of using Sport as a way to worship God.
Romans 1:16 – the power of the Gospel changes Sport, because it changes us as the athletes, coaches, and fans involved in it.
Romans 12:2 – how can we resist being conformed to the world when it comes to our sport, but instead be transformed by the renewing of our minds…the Principles (God's Word and God's Spirit)
What should be your first words to your audience as you introduce this Principle?
Introduce yourself and your reason for speaking on this topic. Help them understand that we need a “big picture” view of God life, and Sport before we can go in depth and examine what the scriptures say about all of this (The Principles).
What are we asking the athletes to consider changing about the way they do sport?
To see their sport in the context of the Bigger Story of Creation…to be open to how God might want to change their perspective on life and sport as they examine the 5 Principles.
Also help them see that Sport is a microcosm of life…the things they learn right now in the context of their sport will carry over into every area of their lives (how they parent their kids, treat their spouse, behave as an employee or employer, etc). These are LIFE principles.
How do you go about picking examples to use for this Principle?
Maybe start with a video that grabs them about the beauty or brokenness of sport.
