On the 11th August 2024, the Paris Olympics is celebrating its closing ceremony.
The Olympics, the largest sporting event brings athletes from all over from various fields in the spirit of friendly competition. Through sports, the Olympics movement imagines a better world centered around the values of excellence, respect and friendship.
In the past weeks of watching the Olympic, we have seen great opportunities and limitations to events like the Olympics in bringing about lasting change.
On the one hand, the Olympics has enabled athletes from 206 different territories to participate, providing ample opportunities for friendship that can lead to openness and understanding Some of these athletes are from closed countries who would otherwise not be exposed to other cultures and worldviews. As an example, the Democratic People Republic of Korea, after skipping Tokyo Olympics, have joined the Olympics in Paris. A selfie between players of South Korea and DPRK after a table tennis match was caught by many news outlets as a rare show of harmony between the two Koreas.
The Olympics is also an invitation for Christians to plant the seed of eternal friendship. In the Para-Olympics held in London in 2012, WEA International Member, John Langlois, sponsored a North Korean para-athlete swimmer to come and compete. With just one arm and one leg, he came in last in the race but at the venue and on international television across the world he was applauded for his magnificent effort. To mark this achievement a dinner was hosted in honor of him, attended by the North Korean ambassador, his London staff and Christian friends. They had a wonderful time where Christians could welcome and entertain those with a different world view and show the love of Christ in action. This is but one of many examples of ministry that takes place during the Olympic games.
On the other hand, the Olympics can also be an opportunity to further other cultural agendas that are not related to sports. The inclusion of drag queens in the opening ceremony is a case in point. Questioning one’s sexuality is a slippery slope. This was evident with questions surrounding the gender of two competitors in the women’s boxing competition. These women became famous overnight with issues unrelated to their skills related to boxing. Rather, questions on gender have captured the imagination of spectators around the world, despite the claims of the organizers, the International Olympics Committee. When is a woman female? Through birth? Through the level of testosterone? Through the chromosomes expressed? Many on the internet seem to have an opinion on the gender of the other.
At WEA, we believe in the importance of discerning God’s principles apart from temporal socio-political trends. Looking at creation, God created man and woman, and it is good. The Bible is inerrant and is the authority to humankind. We believe that humanity is most blessed, healthy, and happy life under the guidance of the Triune God, the Creator, the Savior, and the Ruler.
As we enter the last days of the Olympics, we pray for more opportunities for God to open hearts and for those engaged in Christian ministry. We thank God for events such as these where we can leverage on. At the same time, we also pray for discernment for Christians as they engage for the sake of the gospel.
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