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This past Saturday marked the final fall tournament for Houghton Community's Ultimate Frisbee team, otherwise known as the "Roaring Sheep." Over the past few years I've had the pleasure of participating on this team, and I must say that I've developed a deep appreciation for certain aspects of the sport that make it unique from others. Besides emphasizing the importance of complete teamwork, the sport encourages a strong sense of camaraderie between competing teams. The one aspect of Ultimate Frisbee that I value and respect more than any other, however, is its structure as a self-regulated sport.
Some first-time observers of the sport are taken aback by the lack of referee presence on the field. Instead of relying on the rulings of a referee, players are responsible for making the rulings themselves. Of course, there is an overarching set of rules administered by the UPA (Ultimate Players Association), but the enforcement of such regulation is left up to those playing. This onus to make rulings based on individual assessment fosters the practice of integrity on the playing field. Players are expected to make rulings fairly and objectively.
In many ways, I think Houghton, and the greater Christian community, could learn a few things from Ultimate Frisbee and its structure as a self-regulated sport. Instead of allowing students to wrestle with the unclear rulings or "gray areas" of the Christian faith, rules prohibiting the experience of spiritually contested areas are enforced by outside and largely disconnected sources. While one might think otherwise, the Christian faith is full of areas devoid of God's explicit ruling. Unfortunately, one does not have to look hard to find how Christians have manipulated scripture to convey an explicit condemnation from God, even when its fairly obvious God had no intention of doing so. If you're drawing a blank, take for example the consumption of alcohol, smoking, or premarital sex. Those who make and enforce the rules barring students from engaging in these areas are convinced that they are performing a great service, by protecting students from the dangers of this world. In reality, I believe such outright banishment thwarts students' spiritual growth.
By completely banning the possibility of students coming into contact with these gray areas, many students are left sheltered from the areas' very existence. Some might applaud this as an achievement, but I see it as a grave disservice. One does not develop spiritual maturity and integrity by hiding from the messy areas of life. Christians must engage in life, and work out their own convictions for themselves. To do so can only be profitable to the strengthening of one's personal convictions. To be clear, when I say engagement of gray areas I certainly do not mean Christians must actively participate in those areas in order to reach some personal conclusion. I'm merely stating that the possibility for engagement within these gray areas must be present if we really are to work out what we truly believe. After all, belief without choice cannot be.
Taking this into consideration, what better place to wrestle with the gray areas than within the context of a "Christian Community" like Houghton? Here at Houghton we are surrounded by those who claim to follow Christ. If this is so, why are we so fearful of what could happen if such gray areas were opened for engagement? Sadly, many students will leave this place not having faced the gray areas of the Christian faith, and therefore, many will not have even considered what they truly believe concerning issues of obvious relevance. Do you have just a couple more beers at the party? Do you sexually go a little bit farther with your significant other? After Houghton, there will be no Community Covenant dictating what is black and white. From my experience, living a life that is Christ-centered contradicts the notion of there being black and white answers to difficult questions.
The overarching guidelines have been supplied to us. We mustn't hide from the gray areas in our faith. Instead, we must engage the gray areas by discussing with one another, and finally reaching our own "best perspective". To solely rely on the rules administered by others would be to reinforce the spiritual immaturity that currently haunts our faith.
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