Onward Christian Athletes: Turning Ballparks into Pulpits and Players into Preachers [Hardcover]

Tom Krattenmaker (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0742562476 | ISBN-13: 978-0742562479 | Publication Date: October 16, 2009

Players pointing triumphantly to the heavens. Lavishly paid pro athletes proclaiming their Christianity in public every chance they get. Faith Nights at professional sports events. The hand of God proclaimed in every win streak. Pro sports teams are supposed to provide a civic rallying ground where fans of widely varying background and faiths come together. In Onward Christian Athletes, religion expert and commentator Tom Krattenmaker takes us behind the scenes of the conservative Christian movement to evangelize in the club house and enlist pro athletes to promote a specific brand of Christianity outside the mainstream of a religiously and politically diverse America.

Editorial Reviews

Review

With the skill of a journalist and the diligence of a researcher, Krattenmaker makes a persuasive and compelling case that conservative Christian groups have a virtual religious monopoly in professional sports—and that there signs of change. Remarkably fair and readable, insightful and important for anybody interested in either Christianity or sports. (Borg, Marcus )

I have been waiting for someone to write this book for years, and Krattenmaker does not disappoint, Onward Christian Athletes fills the gap in our understanding of the way religion and religious organization shapes the players and the teams we follow. Anyone serious about understanding 21st century sport needs to read this book. (Zirin, Dave )

Onward Christian Athletes is compelling, judicious, prophetic—and deeply disturbing. This is a superb book. (Balmer, Randall )

Tom Krattenmaker—in my opinion—is one of the most informed and relevant writers on the Evangelical movement today. His critique is fair and his knowledge is impressive. (Kevin Palau )

In this fascinating book, Krattenmaker maintains that 'spontaneous' displays of faith on or off the playing field (including team prayer huddles) are not so spontaneous at all, that they’re part of a concerted effort on the part of a 'network of evangelical chaplains and sports ministry organizations' to join Christianity—in particular the Christian Right—with pro sports. The author makes a persuasive argument that athletes are encouraged, sometimes even cajoled or pressured, to make public statements of faith, and that being a pro athlete can mean committing to becoming a spokesman on behalf of Christianity (and, by extension, a supporter of the Christian Right’s political agenda). Yet this isn’t an attack on religion in sports; the book argues its case but does so in a largely balanced manner. Expect both book and author to attract criticism and controversy from many on the Right; Krattenmaker won’t mind; he’s all in favor of a spirited debate. (Booklist )

Tom Krattenmaker leveled a comprehensive critique of the evangelical Christian message that, as he laments, permeates so much of the sporting world at both the college and professional levels. Krattenmaker correctly traces evangelical influence in sports to the 'muscular Christianity' movement so popular in America between the Civil War and World War II. He expresses appreciation for the moral influence of evangelical Christians and Christian conviction within the lives of athletes. Nevertheless, he is clearly alarmed by evangelical displays of the Gospel. (Albert Mohler Crosswalk.Com Blogs )

Tom Krattenmaker's new Onward Christian Athletes is a brilliant and much-needed investigative analysis for those viewing post-game, on-field prayer meetings as foolish displays of exclusionary, only-through-Christ silliness. . . . This is a book that many Americans, and many sportsfans, have been waiting for and Krattenmaker has performed a public service in his rigorous and often funny investigation of something everyone sees in sports and then lets go by like a Miller Lite commercial. . . . Thank you Tom Krattenmaker! (Uppity Wisconsin )

This is a remarkably interesting read. (Bill's 'Faith Matters' Weblog )

Krattenmaker has a keen awareness and knowledge of conservative evangelical Christianity, which promotes a particular brand of faith in all the major professional sports. This is a creative treatment of a serious problem in sport and society more broadly. Highly recommended. (Choice )

This work should appeal to both academics and the general public, no matter what religious persuasion, who have an interest in and concern about the place of religion in sports today. (Library Journal )

An incisive, example-filled look at the often overlooked, seldom-examined ways in which sports and faith converge. (Between The Lines )

About the Author

Tom Krattenmaker is a member of USA Today’s Board of Contributors and a frequent contributor to its weekly On Religion series. His work has also appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer, Los Angeles Times, and Salon. He resides in Portland, Oregon.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 228 pages
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers (October 16, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0742562476
• ISBN-13: 978-0742562479
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #595,489 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A timely window into those post-game huddles and what they signal for religion in America, October 19, 2009

By 

Robert P. Jones "CEO, Public Religion Researc... (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Onward Christian Athletes: Turning Ballparks into Pulpits and Players into Preachers (Hardcover)

Insightful journalist and commentator Tom Krattenmaker has given us a steady diet of compelling, nuanced snapshots of the changing role of conservative Christianity in America through his USA Today columns for years. Now, with his lens tightened to the professional sports arena, he gives us a detailed portrait of how conservative Christianity has taken on (and taken over) professional sports, transposing athletic field to mission field.

One of the strengths of this book is Krattenmaker's careful construction of the recent history, beginning in the 1990s of well-organized, well-financed sports ministries that encouraged (and sometimes expected) athletes to use their pre- and post-game cameos as opportunities for religious testimonies and evangelistic appeals. One contribution of Krattenmaker's analysis is that it shows that the seemingly spontaneous religious overtures by individual players and prayer huddles after games are supported and encouraged by a conservative Christian institutions, deploying a cadre of chaplains in ballparks on each Sunday of the season, that often remain out of view of the cameras.

One of the original contributions of this book is the integrated way Krattenmaker wields investigative journalism, fair-handed social critique funded by empathy for a world that is not his own, and an appeal to democratic values that undergird a free, pluralistic society. Krattenmaker is not out to undo religion, or even conservative Christianity, in sports. Rather the book aims to bring it out into the light and make it more accountable and representative of the wider religious public. Krattenmaker convincingly argues that because professional sports are not only among our most popular public rituals but also often the recipient of public financing, a reform resulting in more inclusivity is the only way to bring "fair play" to the intersection of sports and religion.

Dr. Robert P. Jones
President, Public Religion Research ([...])
Author, Progressive & Religious: How Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and Buddhist Leaders are Moving Beyond the Culture Wars and Transforming American Public Life

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More Talking, Less Yelling, December 23, 2010

By 

Dan Merchant (LAKE OSWEGO, OREGON, US) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Onward Christian Athletes: Turning Ballparks into Pulpits and Players into Preachers (Hardcover)

As an observer and commentator on the precarious intersection of faith and culture in America, Tom Krattenmaker has established a reputation as fair, thoughtful and controversial. Controversial in this sense: Tom is convinced it is better to talk about things, particularly the things we don't agree on, than it is to divide into teams and shout each other down. From his excellent USA Today columns, to his pivotal interview in the award winning documentary Lord, Save Us From Your Followers to his insightful new book Onward Christian Athletes, Tom helps us connect the dots and provides much needed perspective. Tom's exploration into the corner of the public square known as professional sports is expertly researched and well written. By turns the book is challenging and generous - depending on where you stand personally and it's this dynamic that gives Onward Christian Athletes it's staying power. If you don't understand why Jesus let Kurt Warner throw a game changing pick-six to James Harrison just before halftime in the Super Bowl then you need to read Onward Christian Athletes. Okay, in all fairness, the author doesn't know why either, but we can decide God loves the Steelers best or we can discuss it civilly. You make the call.

- D.M.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great, balanced book from an Oregon Book Award Finalist, January 27, 2011

By 

Pauls Toutonghi (Portland, Oregon) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Onward Christian Athletes: Turning Ballparks into Pulpits and Players into Preachers (Hardcover)

I was impressed -- but not surprised -- when I heard that Tom Krattenmaker was one of four finalists for the Oregon Book Award in General Nonfiction. This is a strong and balanced book, a sober-minded look at a topic -- the use and abuse of religion by athletes -- that doesn't get much middle-of-the-road coverage. Here's someone who's not afraid to discuss the importance of religion, but also willing to criticize, where it's necessary. This is as close to an unbiased book about religious belief as can be written, and it strikes me as a very honest book.