Theology, Ethics and Transcendence in Sports

Theology, Ethics and Transcendence in Sports
Author: Jim Parry
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 257
Release: 2011-04-12
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 1136893806

This book provides an inter-disciplinary examination of the relationship between sport, spirituality and religion. It covers a wide-range of topics, such as prayer and sport, religious and spiritual perspectives on athletic identity and ‘flow’ in sport, theological analysis of genetic performance enhancement technologies, sectarianism in Scottish football, a spiritual understanding of sport psychology consultancy in English premiership soccer and how Zen may be useful in sports performance and participation. As modern sport is often intertwined with commercial and political agendas, this book also provides an important corrective to the “win at all costs” culture of modern sport, which cannot always be fully understood through secular ethical inquiry. This is a unique and important addition to the current literature for a wide-range of fields including theology and religious studies, psychology, health studies, ethics and sports studies.

Sports and Christianity

Sports and Christianity
Author: Nick J. Watson
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 310
Release: 2012-10-12
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 1136192891

This interdisciplinary text examines the sports-Christianity interface from Protestant and Catholic perspectives. In addition to a "systematic review of literature," field-pioneering contributors such as Michael Novak, Shirl Hoffman, Joseph Price and Robert Higgs address a wide range of topics from the sporting world, including biblical athletic metaphors, disability, evangelism, professionalism and celebrity, humility and pride, genetic enhancement technologies, stereotypes, sport as art and British and American historical analyses of sport and Christianity. Insightful chapters from Scott Kretchmar, one of the world’s leading philosophers of sport, and Father Kevin Lixey, the head of the Vatican’s ‘Church and Sport’ office (2004-), add further depth and breadth to this book, making it accessible and interesting to academic and practitioner audiences alike. Within the context of this relatively new and rapidly expanding area of inquiry, this collection provides a unique and important addition to the current literature for both undergraduate and postgraduate students, and serves as a point of reference for scholars of theology and religious studies, psychology, health studies, ethics and sports studies. The book may also be of interest to physical educators and sports coaches who wish to adopt a more "holistic" and ethical approach to their work. As modern sport is often intertwined with commercial and political agendas, this book offers an important corrective to the "win-at-all-costs" culture of modern sport, which cannot be fully understood through secular ethical inquiry.

Sport and Spirituality

Sport and Spirituality
Author: Jim Parry
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 279
Release: 2007-09-12
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 113413682X

Exploring the spiritual dimensions of sport, this broad-ranging study takes a provocative look at the human aspects of the sport experience. It is a must-read for students of sport studies, sports coaching, and sport and health psychology.

Spirituality, Sport, and Doping: More than Just a Game

Spirituality, Sport, and Doping: More than Just a Game
Author: Tracy J. Trothen
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 95
Release: 2018-10-24
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 3030029972

This book explores the deeper meaning of sports. Drawing on contemporary research, the author makes a strong case for why we should see sport not only in terms of religion but--more importantly-as a possible location for spiritual meaning. Taking this a step farther, she considers how gene editing, robotics, and other biomedical technological enhancements affect not only sports performances but experiences of sport as sacred. In addition, the author explores what difference it might make to the enhancement debate if sports’ spirituality is taken seriously. The author is not afraid to explore the issue in all its complexity. Yet, the argument she presents is both meaningful and accessible. This investigation applies insights from Christian theology, applied ethics, psychology, and sports studies. From lightweight tennis racquets to anabolic steroids, athletes have long used technology and science to improve their performances. But, until now, no one has asked how biomedical technological enhancements might affect the undervalued spiritual dimension of sport. This book presents rich insights into the connection between sports, spirituality, and human enhancement technologies. It will appeal to researchers, athletes and sports followers, and undergraduate and graduate students in ethics, sport, religion or theology.

Sports, Religion and Disability

Sports, Religion and Disability
Author: Nick J. Watson
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 236
Release: 2016-04-14
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 1317581474

This ground-breaking book provides a fascinating insight into the relationship between sports (and leisure), religion and disability. In the shadow of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, at which athletes that were both able-bodied and disabled, provided an extravaganza of sporting excellence and drama, this text is a timely and important synthesis of ideas that have emerged in two previously distinct areas of research: (i) ‘disability sport’ and (ii) the ‘theology of disability’. Many of the elite athletes at this global sporting mega-event often explicitly displayed their religious beliefs, and in turn their importance in the context of sport, by observing different religious rituals, and or, utilising the multi-faith sports chaplaincy service. This raises a whole range of unanswered questions with regard to the intersections between sports, religion and disability, which to-date has been under- researched. Examples of subjects addressed in this text include: elite physical disability sport--Paralympics; intellectual disability sport--Special Olympics; reflections on the illness narrative of the cyclist Lance Armstrong through the lens of the theology of ‘radical orthodoxy’; the application of biblical athletic metaphors in understanding modern conceptions of disability sport; the role of sport and spirituality in the rehabilitation of injured British Military personnel, and; the importance of sports and leisure in L’Arche communities. This book begins a critical conversation on these topics, and many others, for both researchers and practitioners. This book was based on two special issues of the Journal of Religion, Disability and Health.

Routledge Handbook of the Philosophy of Sport

Routledge Handbook of the Philosophy of Sport
Author: Mike McNamee
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 472
Release: 2015-03-05
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 1134119143

The Routledge Handbook of the Philosophy of Sport is a landmark publication in sport studies. It goes further than any book has before in tracing the contours of the discipline of the philosophy of sport and in surveying the core themes, approaches and theories that form its disciplinary fabric. The book explores the ways in which an understanding of philosophy can inform our understanding of important prevailing issues in sport. Edited by two of the most significant figures in the development of the philosophy of sport, Mike McNamee and Bill Morgan, and with contributions from many of the world’s leading sport philosophers, this is an invaluable companion reference volume for any course in the social scientific study of sport, and an essential addition to the bookshelf of any serious scholar of the philosophy and/or ethics of sport.

Sports and Christianity

Sports and Christianity
Author: Nick J. Watson
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 310
Release: 2013
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0415899222

This interdisciplinary text examines the sports-Christianity interface from Protestant and Catholic perspectives. In addition to a "systematic review of literature," the contributors, who include many of the pioneers in the field, address a wide range of topics. These include biblical athletic metaphors, disability, evangelism, professionalism and celebrity, humility, the Vatican's perspective on sport and genetic enhancement technologies.

Fight Sports and the Church

Fight Sports and the Church
Author: Richard Wolff
Publisher: McFarland
Total Pages: 209
Release: 2021-02-12
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 147667387X

Fighting sports may seem at odds with Christian tradition, yet modern ministries have embraced them as a means for evangelism and social outreach. While news media often sensationalize fighting sports, churches see them as a way to appeal to male congregants, presenting a peace-loving yet tough model of discipleship. From martial arts programs at suburban churches to urban boxing ministries geared towards at-risk youth, this book examines the substantial history of church sponsored training in combat sports, and presents arguments by Christian ethicists about their compatibility with church teachings and settings. Interviews with boxing and martial arts ministry leaders describe their programs and the relationship between fight sports and faith.

Sports and Play in Christian Theology

Sports and Play in Christian Theology
Author: Philip Halstead
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 244
Release: 2020-11-24
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1978711441

Sport is a major preoccupation of the modern world. It consumes the time and energies of millions of people around the globe. In fact, for many participants, it operates much like a functional equivalent of religion, giving them a way to interpret and understand the world. Sports stadiums are the cathedrals of our time. Sports stars are the saints or demi-gods through whom we access the transcendent. Members of the sports media serve as religious scribes, and sports fans are the worshiping faithful. What is true of sport is also true, more generally, of play. Nevertheless, and quite remarkably, Christian theologians and religious historians have been surprisingly slow to recognize the spiritual and cultural significance of sport and play, or to engage in the study of these concepts. This book attempts to redress that neglect by integrating sport and play with Christian faith and practice. In Sports and Play in Christian Theology, ten Christian scholars and practitioners explore sport and play from theological, biblical, historical, and pastoral perspectives. This rich collection of wide-ranging reflections and focused case studies will help readers locate sport and play within Christian faith and practice.