Spike TV has a TV show called Ultimate Fighter. On the show, two UFC champions coach a team of amateur fighters. A fighter-in-training from each team is chosen to fight in the octagon and the winner is one step closer to being a pro fighter in the UFC. As well, the team for which the winner fights is credited with a win thus showing the abilities of the trainer of that team. Matt Hughes, one of the coaches, is a Christian and requires his trainees to devote time to prayer and Bible study before training. Hughes has also been the champion of his weight class for quite some time now. He’s quite the warrior (he seems to have a genuinely cool personality too). He credits his success to not only having physical and mental health, but to being spiritually healthy too. Undoubtedly, God is no less capable of raising spirit-filled warriors today than he was in the days of old.
One of my favorite parts of the show was when Hughes, when commenting on why he made them study, said that he enjoyed caring for people and could quit fighting and go work for a nursing home. On the other hand, the show can be a pain to watch too. Like when the other team’s coach was making fun of Hughes for his Christianity and also the frequent bleeped-out profanity of the foul-mouthed guys.
I followed the link you provided (The Good Fight: Matt Hughes) and read the blog and the comments. It was interesting to see everyone’s responses. Most everyone pointed out that you don’t have to be a Christian to be a great fighter. But that misses the point of his post. Physical health is just as important as spiritual health. The difference between a Christian and non-Christian fighter isn’t necessarily their levels of skill, but simply the reasons behind their discipline.
Naturally, non-Christians and anti-Christians love to point out that many non-Christian fighters are world champions, and many Christian fighters have no skill. Sometimes it seems that people assume that if you worship God, you become a god yourself in whatever you do.
On a grander scale, it seems odd to me that America is a predominantly Christian nation, yet when someone honestly praises God or calls themselves a Christian on TV, it’s somehow taboo. It’s as if we can be Christian, but not talk about it freely.