Headbutting for Jesus

A report and comment on religious trends and events being covered by the media.  This week’s item is from the Portland, Oregon, Oregonian with the headline: “Praise the Lord, Pow, and Head Butt the Competition.”The Apocalypse is due in The Dalles on Saturday night, but it’s hardly the end of the world.Actually it’s for just one night and he’s bringing his friends.Apocalypse and his buddies Jesus Freak and Omega, Martyr, and Big Tom Storm are members of the Christian Wrestling Federation a group that aims to put the appeal of pro wrestling to work for Jesus Christ.Think of it as head locks for him.Their gig in The Dalles is the group’s first Northwest booking says Rob Vaughn, aka Jesus Freak, a personal trainer, and former pro wrestler who organized the Federation in Texas last spring.In its first year, the group did more than 40 shows and by its reckoning saved about 400 souls by combining wrestling and righteous personal testimonies.The Federation has inspired a flurry of news stories one of which caught the eye of Bob Petit, a former pro wrestler, aka the Masked Marvel, the Masked Spoiler and Mr. X among others who manages KRHP 14, a Christian television station that serves The Dalles, Hood River, White Salmon, Washington and neighboring communities.Petit fired off a letter and before you could say “smack down” he had booked the pious pugilists.He’s getting a new and improved Christian Wresting Federation, Vaughn says.The organization has grown from twelve to fifteen wrestlers, added a second wrestling ring, and travels in style now, having replaced the rented trailer with a brand spanking new one donated by a benefactor who doesn’t especially like wrestling, but likes what the Federation is doing.“There are an estimated 40 million people who tune into wrestling on Monday nights,” Petit said, “and there are people who will come to wrestling matches who would never darken the door of a church for any other reason.There are several people I have been praying for, for four, five, six, seven years he says.People I have invited to church and to other types of church events and they wouldn’t come, but they are coming to this and during this, some of the wrestlers will give their testimonies of how they came to know the Lord.”Petit, 54, plans a one match come back for the event.“I’ve got a plastic knee and back surgery and my body shows its wrestling days,” he says, but he looks forward to being part of an evening that will give wrestling fans a chance to see professionals flex their muscles without the vulgar language and sexual innuendo that sometimes creep into the ring.“What these guys are doing is using the popularity of pro-wrestling to tell people about the Lord in the same way a singing group would use the popularity of music to tell about the Lord,” Petit said. “Think of it as baptism by body slam.”

Tom:

Dave, before you roll your eyes at me and then you always say well where do you did these things up.Its like you know, I am out ferreting these things out in the deepest, darkest recesses of life.No, this is The Oregonian and we’ve had segments on here in which we’ve had those belly dancers for Jesus, and we’ve had cheerleaders for Jesus, and we’ve had all kinds of things.Now here’s why I bring this up.Some people are offended by this and some people say hey, it is a way to witness.Now you’ve been involved in the past with Athletes in Action, okay?They go, they play a game, and at half time the players give their testimonies and people respond to it.Now I am asking you, perimeters—this is—we’ve got head butting for Jesus here, okay?Do we draw the line anywhere?

Dave:

Tom first of all, that 40 million people would watch wrestling astonishes me because it’s a fraud, it’s a fake.These guys are no wrestling?

Tom:

It’s entertainment Dave isn’t it?

Dave:

Aw come on!

Tom:

Bad, but these are our opinions, I want folks to know, these are our opinions.

Dave:

Look, did you ever watch Olympic wrestling?

Tom:

Of course, I love wrestling.

Dave:

Okay, right, well you were involved in Judo.Well was this a fake?No, somebody won.But this is all a put up.I admit these guys are pretty good actors and some of them are very good athletes, good tumblers.They would make good gymnasts, some of them, right?

Tom:

Well you haven’t been watching it lately, because it’s gone way off the deep end.It’s crude beyond you imagination.That’s why these guys are trying to develop an alternative.

Dave:

Okay, well look, are these going to really have a real competition?Are they really going to wrestle one another?No, they’ll decide who’s going to win ahead of time.You couldn’t; there are no rules out there.

Tom:

But Dave, this is entertainment attracting people so that they can give their witness.I am asking what do you think about that?

Dave:

Well first of all it doesn’t entertain me because I, look when I watch—I love gymnastics.I like the floor exercises, the high bar; I used to do a little bit of that myself.It’s real, somebody is really doing something.Now if these guys would just do some gymnastics out there I would enjoy it.But they’re pretending that they are wrestling and they are going through all kinds of fake passing out, or what ever you know and injury and so forth.I admit it’s a tough game.

Tom:

But now they’re doing it for Jesus.

Dave:

I don’t think it is the thing that Jesus would have us to do, but look Tom, they think they are doing it for Jesus, they want to use the talents that they believe God has given them.I just question these 400 souls that were saved.Did they really meet Jesus?Is Jesus a pro-wrestler?Why is it that pro wrestling is—

Tom:

Well we’ve got the Power Team too.

Dave:

Yes, right that the same problem.Why is it that the Power Team, muscle guys, or pro wrestlers have the right to represent Jesus?I don’t think that Paul had that kind of a physic and he didn’t put on those kind of antics.The Bible tells me that it’s the Word of God, it’s the gospel that brings us to Christ.

Tom:

Now Dave—

Dave:

I’m afraid that some of these other things could stand in the way.

Tom:

I want to keep pressing you on this.

Dave:

Alright.

Tom:

Because a guy that you just spent some time with that we really like [and] is unique and I am talking about Ray Comfort.I mean he stands out in a crowd; he draws a crowd.

Dave:

Sure.

Tom:

And he is interesting [and] entertaining, but then he lays it out for them.Now what’s the difference?

Dave:

I would say he’s genuine, he’s not putting on a show.

Tom:

But isn’t he entertaining at first to draw a crowd?

Dave:

He’s challenging people and he’s got a microphone out there [to] let people challenge him.This is an intellectual challenge.It concerns the truth.Can we defend the Word of God and so forth?Is the gospel true?I don’t think whether some guy has big muscles and whether he can throw somebody else around really represents the Christianity that I read of in the Bible.Now Tom, I don’t want to offend these guys.They mean well, I’m sure they mean well.They’ve probably prayed about this and these are the talents that they feel God has given them, but in the final analysis it’s the Word of God.Peter tells us in 1 Peter:1:23Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
See All..., somewhere around there, “Being born again, not of corruptible seed (like silver and gold and that would have to do with wrestling acts and everything else), but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever.”And then he says, 25b) “And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.”Paul tells us the gospel “… is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth…”(Romans:1:16For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
See All...b).Now does it enhance the gospel?Is it going to help people come to grips with their sin, with their need before a righteous holy God?Is it going to help people understand better that Christ died for their sins on the Cross, to put on a wrestling act or a big muscle show?These men apparently think that their going to attract people that otherwise wouldn’t come.Tom, I’ll leave them to the Lord, but in my opinion, I think it is kind of counterproductive.

Tom:

Well Dave the only thing that I would add to that is that for those who would disagree with your view, I would ask them where would they draw the line?As I said, we’ve had programs in the past where we looked at belly dancers for Christ; tattoos for Jesus, and just on and on. It’s a difficult situation.

Dave:

Where you draw the line is what the Bible says and then that’s a matter of interpretation, so we all have to search the scriptures and come to our own conclusions before the Lord.