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Hi Tony

You raise the point about people "worshipping at the temple of sport" and I think this is one the huge challenges of something like sport.

It does bring great joy to play sport to be part of a team. I love watching sport. Their is the enormous joy and excitement from events such as the Olympics which has been extraordinary, but it is interesting to see how commitment to sport can come at a huge spiritual cost.

For example, parents who take their children out of church or youth group or kids club for all of the league or soccer or netball or cricket or dance or little athletics season because the kids must attend training or play with the team. Individuals who commit their life to training and the discipline of making it at their chosen sport.

It is great to be able to achieve and participate in sport but so often I have seen it come at the cost of Christian commitment, even worse, walking away from Jesus.

Like with anything which is good, sport can so easily become a god which many people readily worship and wholeheartedly commit their lives to.

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That's a very helpful discussion, thanks Tony. I've been reflecting recently on the elusive concept of 'idolatry' and how this is often shorthand for what our hearts prize - but this always seems to affirm our agency rather than our slavery. Which makes some sense when speaking with Christians who have been freed (rom 6), but for the rest of humanity this has to be wrong, they are passive prisoners as much as complicit sinners.

I wonder too if we could add 'expressive individualism' to the list of 'lordless powers.' I've been reflecting recently on 'authenticity' culture which claims to offer freedom to be yourself, despite everyone turning out looking the same or adopting an alternative identity - sure, it may be a unique identity but it's all part of the same category. Who is more free? The person who 'expresses their true self' in line with cultural norms or the person who feels no compulsion to even enter that discussion, or indeed the person who in the face of pressure actually maintains an unpopular line.

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