The latest issue of Christianity Today has, for its cover story, a thoughtful piece about American football and Christianity. In particular it talks about NFL football and its place in American life, with a focus (interestingly for me) about the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers, says the author, is the best example of an NFL team that has retained some of the old, beneficial elements of the game: traditions and loyalty and community. What the author's not so thrilled about in the NFL is all the commercialization and sex and what-have-you.I thought the article was a perfect example of the excellent analysis of our culture I've come to value in CT as well as in its sister publication, Books and Culture.

What made this article especially fascinating was the fact that it was written by Eric Miller, associate professor of history at Geneva College. Miller writes in some detail about the sports-crazy culture of Beaver Falls and western Pennsylvania where I grew up. Also, Miller himself is of particular interest, since I am 99.9% certain that he's the Eric Miller who grew up in the same Orthodoz Presbyterian church in New Jersy as Charity. (Eric's father, Bruce, was a math professor at Geneva when I attended there and I have a clear mental image of seeing Eric in those days with his wavy shoulder-length dark brown hair parted in the middle and a big smile on his face. When I saw a latter day photo of him I was able to morph that old image with the new one...)

At any rate Miller's article so inspired me that I wrote a letter to the editor of CT which I will share with you below. (If it happens to appear, you will have seen it here first. If its doesn't appear, then it will be a Steffin Hill Extension exclusive.)

I grew up in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania and Eric Miller's article reminded me again of the western Pennsylvania zeitgeist. I myself was an occasional fanatical fan of the Pirates and Steelers as well as of local college football and basketball. (How well I remember standing on my seat in the Geneva College fieldhouse, shouting my head off.)

However, after leaving the area and growing in Christian conviction, my feelings about organized sport became more ambiguous. I wondered to what extent such enthusiasms might be unworthy of my new life in Christ. Miller's article deftly lays out those elements in professional football (and by extension, all sport) that ought to be celebrated--as well as those we need to be on our guard about.