Should Olympic Athletes Compete on Sundays?

Gary: Now, Religion in the News…. This week’s item is from Business Day, August 2000. “A devout Christian athlete will pass up the Olympics because the final of his event takes place on Sunday. Chris Harms, of South Africa, a hammer thrower, has withdrawn from his country’s team, the publication Business Day reported. Harms, who hold the record on the African continent for the Hammer Throw, had qualified for the team during a pre-Olympic event in Croatia on July 15. He ‘agonized over his decision before deciding that his faith took precedence.’

“Sam Ramsamy, president of South Africa’s national Olympic committee told Business Day. Harms is the second Olympian to withdraw from the games for religious reasons since 1924, when British sprinter Eric Liddell dropped out of the 100-meter race in Paris because the final took place on the Sabbath. Liddell, the son of a Scottish missionary, won the 400-meter gold metal, but was preaching in a church on the day of the final, opening the way for Harold Abrahams to win the 100-meter gold medal. The story inspired the movie Chariots of Fire.

“Jonathan Edwards, a British world record triple jumper refused to compete in the 1991 World Championship because of his religion, but changed his stance in 1993, according to Business Day.”

Tom:  I know we’re—even in our taping of this, we’re past the Olympics. It’s been over for a week or so, and certainly when this is going to be aired, we’re past it. But it’s really related to “The just shall live by faith.” Here we have individuals who are, it seem, at least—I don’t know them—but they’re committed to Christ, and they have…they’re making some decisions about their life based on faith.

Now, Dave, we wouldn’t agree necessarily with some of the positions that they take—not just this first athlete but some of the other ones. But, what would you say about it?

Dave: Well, the Seventh-day Adventists certainly wouldn’t agree, because they don’t believe that Sunday is the Sabbath. Saturday is the Sabbath, but we’re not Sabbath-keepers. That was for Israel. And the fact that the Sabbath is not for all nations is very clear because it is not in the human conscience: Romans 2 says, “The Gentiles, which have not the Law, do by nature the things contained in the Law, and they bear witness to the Law written in their conscience.”

Nobody has written in their conscience to keep the Sabbath. That was for Israel. Now, what about Sunday? Why do we worship on Sunday? Because that’s the day Christ rose from the dead. The eighth day, it’s called. The first day of…(I think we talked about this before)…the first day of a new week, because we’re new creatures in Christ Jesus, the Sabbath was for the old creation, we’re part of the new creation. Now, so then, going on from there, well, what about Sunday? Isn’t that the day we set aside to go to church and…

Tom: …to rest, honor the Lord.

Dave: …fellowship, and so forth. Could you participate? I think I would be able to participate with a clear conscience because Romans 14, for example, says that we’re not to judge one another in “holy days” or “Sabbaths” or in meat or in drink. But each one have a good conscience before God. And I would not have a conscience about it if this were my event and fell on that day.

But, on the other hand, I’m not to judge those who have this conscience, and therefore, I must honor them. I’m sure the Olympic committee wasn’t too happy, and the team was not too happy. But nevertheless, here’s a man—the point you’re making is he has convictions that he is willing to live by them. And “the just shall live by faith.” What is my faith? Just some leap in the dark? Some idea I made up? Or, you know, some religious impulse that I have?

No, no! This is the faith that has moral content. It must impact my life. Now, we may disagree on that, but at least these people are being true to what they understand God’s Word says. And I cannot argue with them on that point.

Tom: On the other hand, Dave, we have some who—and I’m not speaking about these athletes, but you do have some who developed almost a legalistic idea. They’re not searching the Scriptures, they’re not checking things out. They may, in effect, be something that the church that they’re in has developed over the years, and they’ve not questioned them.

Dave:  I remember the home that I grew up in, a very devout home, we had…as I’ve probably mentioned…family devotions twice a day. On Sunday we couldn’t read the colored comics. I remember my father hid them. I would try to find out where he hid them. So much good that did for me! But usually he hid them pretty well. We didn’t play football, we didn’t throw the baseball on Sunday. Actually, we didn’t just sit around and twiddle our thumbs. We went into the hospital to give out tracts. We went to the Army base to give out tracts and to invite soldiers to come to our Sunday evening gospel meeting and so forth. So, we weren’t idle.

So it was because there were other things that we were doing, and it was a day that was set apart to honor the Lord. And, again, I can’t complain about that. I think that was very good, actually. Very good training for me as a young person.

On the other hand…

Tom: Well, someone listening to it would say, “Well, the comics. What does that have to do with true spirituality? With God’s Word? What does that have to do…and can’t this lead to a kind of legalistic…”

Dave: Oh, I’m sure it could, yeah. But on the other hand, what’s wrong with leaving the comics until Monday…

Tom: Right.

Dave: …and read your Bible instead…?

Tom: The point I’m making is that in some places—maybe this is really speaking to my Catholic background—we were told to do things because the Church said so. There was no reason or explanation given with regard to, oh, certainly God’s Word, but you find out in evangelical or protestant churches as well, that’s the danger here…

Dave: Very often. Instead of coming from the Bible. That’s our program: Search the Scriptures Daily, and you come to your own conclusions to them. We’ve given you our opinion. On this particular point we’re not really giving an opinion, but each one has to go by his conscience according to the Word of God. Know it for yourself!