‘I don’t live for the Jesus who eats red meat, drinks beer, and beats on other men.’

by Eugene Cho 02-03-2010

100203-mixed-martial-arts Several weeks ago, I had an extensive phone interview with a reporter from The New York Times about the growing popularity of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) in the wide and nebulous net of “evangelical churches.” The reporter had come across one of my previous blog entries and contacted me.

The NY Times article came out Feb. 2. You can click here to read the full article.

My hour interview was basically reduced to one quote:

“I don’t live for the Jesus who eats red meat, drinks beer and beats on other men.”

Let me clarify, since I have a feeling I’ll be getting my share of visitors over the next couple days who have no idea of who I am or the context behind that one quote. But first, some initial thoughts:

I don’t have anything particularly against MMA. It’s an exciting sport and just generally, I’m a recovering sports fanatic.
I acknowledge that it’s a legitimate sport and while I’m not really into to MMA and UFC, I occasionally watch it on TV. Umm, but I still vote boxing > MMA, and Pacquiao > St. Pierre.
I don’t even have problems with churches that have ministries around MMA — especially as a means of connecting with men. OK.
Thinking of creative ways to bring more people to your church so that they might become followers and disciples of Christ? Great.
I personally wouldn’t endorse an MMA ministry at Quest Church even if we have numerous dudes that love MMA. They get together for the big matches and often invite me to join them. When I go, I ask them to refer to me by my MMA name: Ragin’ Asian.

What I have a problem with is when we have Christians, churches, and pastors who now begin to blur the line in equating MMA to Jesus; that we somehow speak with great conviction that Jesus would have endorsed MMA or other forms and expressions of the growing hyper-machismo culture.

In an earlier post, I shared much of my thoughts and I still stand by them. Men and women are different. I get it and in fact, I embrace it and celebrate it.

I also get that there’s an issue with men in the church. Statistically, only 40% of folks in the church are men, and there is also the issue of fewer men actively serving and leading within the church. As a result, some even see the “emasculation” of Christian men as one of the largest threats to the evangelical church. Really?

Emasculation as one of the greatest threats? We’re focusing on genitalia here and not the heart?

The issue isn’t emasculation and it’s not solely with men. The issue is with both women and men that simply need to grow up. But since we’re focused on the topic of men, I wholeheartedly agree:

There are many men that simply need to grow up, mature, be responsible, and take their faith in Christ … to heart.

There is an issue, but aren’t we overreacting and going to the other extreme — and consequently and possibly, further away from Jesus. We do need to address the absence and silence of Christian men in their marriages, families, churches, and society. But here’s my question: Who exactly are we listening to as role models to shape our identity as MEN? While important aspects such as pleasure, protection, and provision are alluded to by the larger pop culture, they are often distorted. In addition, what pop culture will NEVER do is speak to the spiritual aspect of those responsibilities and privileges.

So what does it mean to be a Christian man? If we’re not careful, we’ll end up just being dudes who are rude and crude.

We drink beer, eat red meat, smoke cigars, swear like Christian sailors, insult boy bands, watch Ultimate Fight Club Championship, drive Hummers and four wheel trucks, pisseth against walls while standing up, be obsessed with Jack Bauer, hunt bears, etc. I do all of these things — with the exception of hunting bears. But are we reducing the definition of following Jesus to these external stereotypes?

Seriously, I personally don’t care what you eat, drink, hunt, or watch as long as it isn’t porn. I know Jesus wasn’t a pushover, but to reduce Christ into our pop culture images of manhood seems wacky — theology and Bible exegesis gone bad. Rather than focusing on external appearance, shouldn’t we focus on our “heart, soul, body, and mind”?

While there are clearly stories about Jesus’ “toughness” [Jesus topples tables and whips moneychangers in Mark 11, Matthew 21, and Luke 19/20], I also seem to remember that:

Jesus washes the feet of his disciples
shows compassion to the poor, lepers, and paralytics
feeds the hungry and heals the blind and sick
pursues justice and loves mercy
embraces the women and children, marginalized, and scandalized
demonstrates amazing grace to the prostitute woman in John 8
enters Jerusalem riding on a donkey to the shouts of Hosanna

…and eventually goes to the Cross to die for humanity.

Who do I live for? I live for this Jesus!

Eugene Cho, a second-generation Korean-American, is the founder and lead pastor of Quest Church in Seattle and the executive director of Q Cafe, an innovative nonprofit neighborhood café and music venue. You can stalk him at his blog or follow him on Twitter. He and his wife are also launching a grassroots movement, One Day’s Wages, to fight extreme global poverty.

Categories: Gender, Ministry, Theology, Violence and Nonviolence

Tags: Bible, Christ, Christian, church, compassion, culture, embrace, Evangelical, fight club, identity, interview, Jesus, justice, Luke, marginalized, Mark, marriage, Matthew, Mercy, Ministry, mixed martial arts, New York Times, pastor, pastors, role models, Sports, stereotype, Theology, Women, women and men

squeaky

Heard from Adam Felber on NPR's "Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me"

(In Announcer Voice): "Tonight, the lion will lie down with the lamb. But only one will go home! The smackdown on the Mount!"

BluegrassOhio

In this picture of the MMA guys, I see a resemblance of a bald Jim Wallis on top and kind of an older guy like Pat Robertson on the bottom. Is this a trick picture?

BluegrassOhio

Is Mr. Cho one of those "girlie-men" ? Mr. Cho, just kiddin you, but your writing did the trick and got us interested!

toddh

Thanks Eugene for clarifying your position. I resonate with a lot of what you say in the post. We need a nuanced and complex view of what it needs to be a man, rather than relying on shallow stereotypes. Though we may share some things in common, we all are not men in the same way - and that's ok. Let's celebrate the diverse ways that God has allowed us to live out our masculinity.

And to those who want to equate several different sports (boxing, MMA, wrestling, football) - I don't think that's a fair comparison. On first viewing, MMA feels qualitatively different than the other sports. It may be that I am numb to the brutality in the other sports, but it seems to me that MMA takes it to a whole 'notha level.

nuclearferret

DOn't worry, Mr. Cho has made it clear in the past he opposes football as a sport too.

squeaky

I've often seen such violent sports (including football, even though I am a huge football fan) as the fulfillment of this internal base need within us for violence and blood. We used to find that gratification through gladiators and public executions. We know we shouldn't want or like to view violence, but yet we still have that lust within us. It may now be satisfied by these sports, or by violent, graphic movies and TV shows and video games, but there is still a desire to see it and seek it.

For the record, I actually like mixed martial arts...when they are still on their feet. But invariably they end up on the floor beating each other's brains out, and that's hard to stomach. With the NFL taking a serious look at brain trauma, this and other sports should also be examined. There was a time in hockey when it wasn't manly to wear a helmet, but they all wear them now. Perhaps that would be an addition to be considered for this sport.

justintime

On the morning after Ventura's election, I happened to be attending a meeting in Canada with 10-12 Canadians in the room. The meeting opened with the Canadians confronting me over Ventura's win. I'd been reading the NYT on the plane, pulled it out of my briefcase and passed the article on Ventura around the table.
I offered them my theory, which is that America's political frustrations are so overwhelming, we're willing to try just about anything from movie stars to professional wrestlers.
The Canadians seemed satisfied with this explanation, expressed deep frustration with their own government and let me off the hook.

Have you seen Ventura's TV series, "Conspiracy Theory"?
What an embarrassment for the great state of Minnesota that their citizens voted this clown into the office of Governor.

justintime

A few months back, I watched an MMA match where the winner actually broke the loser's arm, who refused to concede.
There was an audible 'snap'.
The announcers (two ex MMA fighters with cauliflower ears) were appalled but the crowd loved it.

Last night I watched "Fight Club" and this morning read this article:

Wall Street 'Fight Clubs' On The Rise

While some Wall Streeters may be buying guns for protection, others are simply learning to kick ass.
As the sport of mixed martial arts grows in popularity across the country, apparently many in the finance world are not content to be simply spectators.
In a scene straight out of Fight Club, bankers and traders are said to be trading in their gelled-hair and Armani ties for black eyes and cut lips at gyms around the city.
Max McGarr, a gym program director and professional fighter, told Bloomberg News, "We get a lot of finance guys. It's a good release from their job. If you lost hundreds of thousands of dollars, it's good to come here and get it out."
Richard Byrne, chief executive officer of Deutsche Bank Securities, also endorses the rise in popularity of the brutal sport, saying, "It's a great stress reliever."
One banker, John Cholish, even converted the top floor of his duplex apartment into a training gym.
Governor Paterson is currently lobbying to make MMA legal in New York, believing that it would add millions of dollars to the state budget.

Anthropological theories looking for meaning behind the myriad games played in diverse human cultures recognize therapeutic benefits for participants and spectators alike, who focus their inner mental and physical resources on 'the goal'.
Inevitably, chronic frustration encountered while living up to the responsibilities required by complex social organizations demands some form of release.
Was Rome so desperately frustrated as to require gladiatorial combat to the death for the release of their collective emotional energy?

But a deeper meaning underlying games and sports is the development and integration of one's individual physical, mental and spiritual resources.
Fortunately, it isn't necessary to physically destroy another human being for your personal development.

BlueDeacon

Cho's point is that it's actually sanctioned by churches or the larger "body of Christ," and that makes it relevant. Christianity shouldn't be performance-oriented anyway.

BluegrassOhio

What can I say? You're mixing apples and oranges? Mixed martial arts is just a sport and very entertaining. You can't pick on MMA without mentioning football, college wrestling, or basketball. Same concept here: have fun, stay in great shape, win.

The organizers don't intend it to be a Christian promotion or ever state Jesus was a gladiator. I know some of the contestants are promoting God or Jesus (when they win). Most of the pros in MMA show great respect for one another and even smile after taking a little beating.

Much ado about nothing. Don't condemn others because this sport is not for you. Just ignore it.

jurisnaturalist

Good stuff, Eugene!
Let's also recall Jesus the political threat. He challenged the legitimacy of the rulers, both within the Jewish community, and up to the empire. He taught His disciples not to employ the power-over political manipulation methods in achieving the peculiar mandate He handed them. He bade them live sacrificially.
Nathanael Snow

letjusticerolldown

My positive spin on MN is that it is very civic-minded and produces some serious public servants; and also demonstrates an increasingly unhappy citizenry at the state of politics. Paul Wellstone, Rod Grams, Keith Ellison, David Durenburger, Vin Weber, Mondale--they'll go all over the map looking for someone that will go to work. MN thinks it ought to work and should work. My present homestate of AL is more cynical and too often acts powerless: e.g. "It doesn't work and won't work." It is very hard to squeeze good government out of cynicism.

squeaky

I was in MN at the time of his election. My personal hypothesis was that he was elected because the college students who voted for him thought it would be funny to vote for a wrestler for governor (not really thinking he would win).

In any case, MN is no longer the done deal DFL state it once was. Witness Senator Franken and Congresswoman Michelle Bachman. Could we be any more bipolar?

letjusticerolldown

Churches using MMA mimic the Jesse Ventura strategy that made him governor of an allegedly educated state (Minnesota). He saw opportunity to peel away some independents from both parties and drew in a boatload of voters who normally sit at home and would now be watching MMA.

There is a certain genius to the strategy. But at the end of the day I thought the MN populace to be ridiculous in selecting him Gov; and I think churches to be silly to use such a strategy. It is on the level of putting young women in bikinis on the road inviting men to come in for a friendly church visit.

TedBrackman

Hi Eugene,

I've enjoyed your contributions to God's Politics blog. Your comments regarding mixed martial arts raise some significant concerns on a number of levels. I'm attaching a letter that many church leaders and physicians supported in order for us to persuade the Puyallup Fair to discontinue amateur boxing. Please review the letter and I'd be happy to discuss this issue with you further. Love in Christ, Ted D. Brackman

TO: Puyallup Fair Management
RE: Boxing at the Spring Fair
DATE: October 11, 2007

The Puyallup Fair is a wonderful event for this community. It offers many enrichment opportunities for people of all ages. As a family Fair, it provides an environment that is safe, educational, entertaining, and socially engaging. This cherished event needs our support and participation.

It is from a long history of Fair involvement and care that the opposition to the staging of amateur boxing arises. Boxing, as Puyallup Fair entertainment, generates social, physical, and moral behavior that is inappropriate for a family environment.

Boxing, with or without headgear, has the goal of inflicting physical harm toward another person – in this case, children and young adults of both sexes. The more punches “landed” the more likely the fighter will win. The harder the punches, the more potential for a “knockout” (the fight being won sooner). How can we promote the harming of human bodies by design? Because inflicting trauma to the body (particularly the head and neck) is the stated goal of this activity, professional medical associations oppose boxing. (The American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Family Physicians, American Association of Neurology, American Academy of Ophthalmology, and American Association for Health Education are examples.)
Psychologically, amateur boxing generates the intention of hitting another person harder and more often than what is received. This requires 1) an objectification of the other person (who becomes an opponent to hit), 2) diminished empathy (emotional insensitivity), and 3) a willingness to do physical harm to another (assaultive attitude).
Boxing encourages young people to get a thrill out of physical violence. Boxing fans clamor for more and harder punches. When a fighter is being pummeled or is rendered essentially helpless from trauma to the brain, the fans are most elated.
Participants in boxing at the Fair are most often poor or minority young people who are taught that this “sport” is a pathway to social recognition and success. Shouldn’t we be encouraging nonviolent behavior and effective problem solving skills? What educational and pro social activities will help these young people find success in school or vocation in the community?
From a religious perspective, this activity is morally and spiritually questionable. The human body was created in God’s image and is called the “temple of the Holy Spirit” in the New Testament. It is doubtful that God is honored with such brutal damaging behavior. Doesn’t our mission include treasuring and enhancing the gift of physical life and wellness?
Perhaps entertainment on the same stage could include more appropriate activities. For instance, The Fair could stage other exciting physical contests (amateur wrestling, judo, ballet, etc.) or school supported talent shows, or a variety of physical, social, or intellectual problem solving events.

It is therefore requested that boxing of any type be terminated as entertainment at the Puyallup Fair.

Sincerely,

Ted D. Brackman, M.A., M.Div., Pastoral Therapy Associates

NC77

Receiving Jesus into ones heart for salvation is all about abandoning the world not embracing it. Christians, are in the world, but are not to be of the world.

MMA is just something that appeals to the flesh and apparently it is being used to attract a certain type of men with a certain mindset to an event where their attention can be held captive while they are witnessed to.

The gospel of Christ needs no gimmicks to be effective. If Christ's message and the power it has doesn't get their attention on its own, it is unlikely that throwing in worldly entertainment will add any transforming power. Just my opinion.

squeaky

OK, I have to recommend following the links to Eugene's first blog about the pastor who preached on pissing (it's the video posted), and not only watch that video, but also read Jack Danger Canty's comment afterwards.

alisen

I think that maybe we are constantly becoming caricatures of our own humanity.

I also think that we're really good at accepting tame caricatures of the Gospel.

And I've yet to understand how love of one's enemies can remotely be considered weak (or forgiveness or authentic compassion for that matter). I am certain that it's one of the strongest, fiercest things that people made in the image of God are capable of.

Is it a fear thing?

If we are equally made in the image of God, male and female, what do the characteristics we embrace as intrinsic to our identity say about the character of God?

I think this disconnect is hugely evidential of our fall.

larrychouinard

In Jesus males are set free from the stereotyped imagery of maleness by finding in Jesus a model for bravery alongside compassion, power alongside discipline, confrontation alongside patience and forgiveness, and endurance without resorting to violent reprisals. Quit trying to strain Jesus through modern grids of maleness.

Lord_Voldemort

I sympathize with most of this article, so I hope the following will be treated as a friendly criticism:

Regarding the use of the word "emasculation", Cho asks "We’re focusing on genitalia here and not the heart?" Well, maybe it's not the best way to describe what's going on, but "emasculating" is a perfectly legitimate English word used to describe something that demeans the essential nature of men or attempts to feminize men. And we aren't the first to pay particularly close attention to the genitalia, even as a metaphor. In the old testament the ritual of circumcision is very important. (And it's actually a rather apt metaphor for what God desires of men for reasons that I don't want to get into all at once here.)

Is masculinity being demeaned in the culture? It's a fair question and just saying that you don't care for the word "emasculated" doesn't make the question go away.

Okay, with that out of the way, I have to agree with Mr. Cho that MMA is not something that is inherently wrong, but I'm not entirely comfortable with churches using it as a jumping-off point for ministries. The aggression level of MMA is just off the charts and I do have to wonder if it is contributing to a cartoonish image of masculinity.

LV