Review: The Reason For Sports by Ted Kluck


The Reason For Sports: A Christian FanifestoThe Reason For Sports: A Christian Fanifesto by Ted Kluck
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I picked this up while walking through a Christian book store (back when those existed). The timing in my life could not have been more critical. I was just coming to the point in life where my relationship with God started to seem really central and I was diving hard into "discipleship." Which was good. But as in most good things, excess was near at hand.

I was questioning whether Christians who were "serious" about their faith should waste time on make believe. Fiction books and sports being the two most pertinent examples in my own life. Ted took my hand and walked me off the ledge, by skillfully showing

1) fun is actually a God-given gift. The enjoyment of athletics is a gift from above. Or to borrow from Dr. Suess, sports are fun and fun is good.

2) More importantly, through his portraits of people, especially Tyson and Williams, Kluck helped me to see what my own sports experience should have: sports are about people. And God values people. So insofar as sports are an avenue to connecting with other human beings and learning about them, sports have a value even beyond the fun.

I wholeheartedly recommend this book.

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