On the Olympic Controversy…
My thoughts on the “Olympic Opening Ceremony” Debacle…
There’s so much furor about this going on everywhere, I thought I’d offer my thoughts in a brief format (and sorry for the length - I’d intended this to be a short commentary, but I guess I forgot who I am for a second…)
1. I have not watched the opening in full, and don’t plan to.
I’ve seen some still images and a few short video clips. I can tell from what I’ve seen that I do not want to watch it. I don’t want my wife to watch it. I definitely don’t want my children to watch it. My initial thought is that it’s certainly not what I grew up with. As a child and teen, I always looked forward to watching the Olympics, and the opening ceremonies were always fun and exciting, getting us ready to watch a great athletic competition. Clearly, the Paris organizers had a different agenda. Rather than about the spirit of athletic competition with the best athletes from each country participating in friendly competition, they were very intentional on the front end, to intentionally make a social/political statement. In my opinion, the Olympics aren’t about the LGBTQ agenda or any of that, but simply about friendly athletic competition, with all of the athletes striving to put forth their best effort on behalf of their individual countries.
2. The Organizers were making a statement.
Whether or not they were intentionally mocking Christianity by creating an LGBTQ Tableaux of DaVinci’s “Last Supper” I don’t know. I don’t purport to be able to see into the minds of those who conceptualized, created, and choreographed the whole thing, or to know the thoughts and intents of the participants. It seems unlikely, however, that someone didn’t at a minimum at least realize that it could easily be seen as some sort of depiction of the iconic “Last Supper.” While it’s technically only one artist’s rendering of a Biblical scene, DaVinci’s “Last Supper” has become a universal representation of a very significant event in the Bible and one that can rightly be said to be very representative of Christianity itself. There is, of course, the narrative that it wasn’t about the Last Supper, but was a depiction of the Feast of Dionysus. It took one short internet search then clicking “images” to see that, compared to the historical images, the final “pose” that got everyone all worked up is far more comparable to DaVinci’s Last Supper than it is to the historical images of the Feast of Dionysus. Even the headpiece the person in the center was wearing seems obviously intended to be some sort of crown with an aura, more representative of historical images of Christ at the Last Supper than of the Dionysus feast.
However - even if it was only intended to be the Feast of Dionysus and there was never any thought of the Last Supper, and there was truly zero thought of any sort of statement about Christianity, it’s still appalling. I still would not want my children to view it (again, nor my wife or myself). The Feast of Dionysus was a celebration of sin. According to a USA Today article, the ceremony’s artistic director said, "the performance is a nod to a pagan celebration featuring Dionysus, the Greek god of fertility, wine and revelry.”
Either way, whether thinking of the Lord’s Supper or the Feast of Dionysus, Galatians 6:7, which I was recently reminded of, is very relevant. It says Do not be deceived, God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.
3. It’s about Worldwide Friendly Athletic Competition
I understand that the Olympics had their foundation in ancient Greek culture, which was certainly very pagan and hedonistic. I would also say that whatever the origin of the Olympics was, through the years, it had become an event where the world comes together in friendly athletic competition. In today’s culture, however, sin is increasingly celebrated. Lliberal, or “progressive” interpretations of the Bible have become more and more prevalent. It’s become not just acceptable, but lauded, to mock, berate, or denigrate Christianity. Anything derogatory toward any other group is simply intolerable. The LGBTQ (etc) community doesn’t seem to understand that in order to “tolerate” their different views, we actually must have different views or opinions. It’s not actually tolerance that they want, it’s an abandonment of what we believe that they want. The goal of those who promote all of this is to force Christians to abandon their deeply held Biblically based convictions and join them in celebration of their sin and sinful behavior. Tragically, many Christians (and so-called Christians) have done that.
I remember fondly the Olympics growing up. It was never about social statements. It wasn’t about religion. It wasn’t about politics, even when politics prevented certain countries from participating or that became an issue. Watching the Olympics was simply about the fun of the competition and who could run the fastest, shoot accurately, or demonstrate the greatest strength.
I absolutely support the athletes and their endeavors. Whatever sport is in view, the competitors have made incomprehensible efforts to become the best in their field. The “pommel horse” guy is a wonderful story. THAT is what the Olympics should be about.
The Paris Committee, with their decision to begin it with a celebration of debauchery, whether or not it was intended to be a mockery or depiction of the Last Supper (I think, at a minimum, they had to know there was an obvious resemblance), has, tragically, tainted the whole thing. I’m not sure how much of the Olympics I would have watched had they not done that, but I do know that now, I have very little interest in watching any of it. I find that sad, because, as I’ve mentioned, I always looked forward to the Olympics. The anticipation of watching your favorite sport. The excitement when your country wins a medal. And when someone from your country, or a country you like wins the GOLD? Great times. Apparently they’re over.
4. The Root Problem is universal whatever your thoughts about Christianity are.
Whatever category you put yourself in, we all have the same problem. Ultimately, there are only two categories for those that truly believe and live by the Bible. There is Christian, and Non-Christian (insert whatever term you prefer here). There are certainly many different demographics - male, female, married, single, parent, working, retired, black, white, American, British, French (etc.), and other demographics that people fall into. But at the end of the day, the only thing that matters is this - have you trusted in Jesus?
We’re all sinful - that’s the problem. And we all want to feel justified in our sin. None of us inherently wants to admit that we’re sinful and in need of forgiveness for our sin. We even have preferred sins - certain sins that are more “attractive” or desired. But those sins aren’t what ultimately defines us.
And what I feel or think about my own sins and sinful inclinations isn’t what matters. What matters is what God thinks of my sin. He created me, and ultimately, I’ll answer to Him. Here’s what He would have us know in a very brief form:
1. God created the World - and He has every right to command us - and deserves our devotion. Psalm 96 says, “…great is Yahweh and greatly to be praised; He is more fearsome than all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols, But Yahweh made the heavens… Ascribe to Yahweh the glory of His name… He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in His faithfulness.”
2. You have sinned against a holy God. - To establish your abundant sinfulness, we only need the 10 Commandments. (They’re found in Exodus 20:3-17). Romans 3:23 says all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and in Romans 6:23 we learn that the wages (consequences) of sin is death. You have sinned (no one will ever convince me otherwise, and I’m in the same boat as you, I’m not any better than anyone out there. We’ve ALL sinned. And we all stand before God rightly condemned for our sin. We all - and I put myself at the top of the list - deserve death and eternal punishment in hell.
Let’s be real for a second - homosexuality is sin. It will keep you out of heaven. Adultery (any form of sexual activity outside of a man and woman married to each other) will keep you out of heaven as well. So will lying in any form or context. So will hating someone. So will stealing, being greedy, a drunkard, or a swindler. The list of sins that will send you to hell is lengthy. What the Bible says is what matters, not how you “feel” or what you think or prefer.
3. God provided a Solution - God became a man in Jesus and He lived the perfect life we should have. He then went to the cross and (1 Peter 3:18) suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, so that He might bring you to God. When Jesus died on the cross and rose again, that was THE CENTRAL EVENT of all of history. Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection (facts found not only in the Bible, but in other sources as well), matter more than any other historical event.
4. You Must Repent and Trust in Christ. Mark 1:15 summarizes the teaching of Jesus: repent and believe in the gospel. Acts 26:20 clarifies repentance by saying that we should repent and turn to God, practicing deeds appropriate to repentance. How you live your life does matter. Your deeds must be in alignment with what the Bible teaches. Romans 10:9 tells us how to be saved when it says, if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; Believe doesn’t mean to simply believe facts or information about Jesus, “Believe” means “to trust in, rely on, and cling to” Jesus alone as the solution to your sin problem. Only Jesus can save you. The question that matters more than anything is: Will you repent and believe in Jesus as your Savior and Lord?
For a full explanation of the Gospel, click here
I pray that this blog post has been helpful in thinking biblically about the Olympic opening and has been edifying. Again, if you have any questions about the gospel or what the Bible says about the topics I’ve mentioned, feel free to reach out.
Grace & Peace
Pastor Rob
To be absolutely clear, this blog is intended for the members of my church. As those under my spiritual care, I decided to offer my thoughts to them to be helpful by sharing how I believe we, as Christians should think about all of this. For those not in my church, I’m happy for you to read my thoughts, and yes - I’m putting this in the public sphere, but understand that it’s in the context of caring for my sheep that I write this - not to stir up controversy or engage in some form of hostile exchange. I don’t have the interest, time, or energy to debate people on all of this. If you have a genuine question about the gospel or what the Bible teaches about any of this, I’d be happy to answer as I have time, but I won’t engage in any angry diatribe-ish debates with you. It’s simply not productive. The message of the Gospel is simple and has not changed for 2,000 years. Click here to read that message.