Our church has canceled Sunday evening service for the Super Bowl. No, they’re not broadcasting a 
feed in the sanctuary per the NFL’s restrictions. They’re encouraging small groups and individual members to open their houses, gather with friends (hopefully, many of them unsaved), and enjoy this bloated American tradition.
The decision, of course, is not without its detractors.
- On the one hand are the folks who say: The Sabbath is holy. Let’s keep it that way! Besides, the Super Bowl is the worst of America — gambling, drinking, cheerleaders, wardrobe malfunctions, and the glorification of a brutal sport. Christians should be separate from the world, and the Super Bowl is worldly entertainment. After all, people are dying of starvation, the world is at war, and souls are headed to hell. Can’t Christians find something more meaningful to do with their time and money?
- On the other hand are those who argue: Jesus wants us to be in the world, but not of it. How can we ever hope to reach unsaved people if we only agree to meet them on our turf? Perhaps having a Super Bowl party will convince some of your heathen friends that you don’t live in an ivory tower. Yes, there are worldly elements to the Super Bowl. But this doesn’t automatically make the entire event, those who play in it, and those who watch it, evil. Football is not my god… but neither is Sunday night worship!
Perhaps it’s appropriate to resign this debate to the “Follow your conscience” category. If you don’t like football, or feel as if skipping church for a Super Bowl party would be wrong, then by all means, don’t go. But if you have your “church priorities” in order, and can watch football without becoming a stinking reprobate, by all means, do so. Either way, don’t judge the other guy.
However, I can’t help but feel that the detractors have a skewed understanding of Christians and Christianity.
Last I looked, nothing was “unclean of itself” (Romans 14:14) — this includes film, rock music, beer and men in tights. No doubt, excess in anything is wrong, whether it’s football or church. Furthermore, “One person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind” (Romans 14:5 NASB). Sunday night service is no more “holy” than Super Bowl Sunday (or vice versa). And since when was the Church a building anyway? Jesus said, “When two or three are gathered together in My name, there I am in the midst of them” (Matt. 18:20). Is it possible to be “gathering for football” and still be “gathering in His name”? Well, why not?
While Christians often try way too hard to be trendy and “culturally sensitive” to those outside the faith community, we have also been way too cloistered within our Christian sub-culture. Super Bowl Sunday may be the perfect bridge between the two. If anything, it is an excuse to get together with friends and family. . . and this may be one of the holiest, most “spiritual” events of all. Okay, now huddle up!
Here’s 2 cents from a girl with nothing at stake. I love going to church and never watch football. I’m not sure who’s playing in the Superbowl (sorry.)
Anyway, I grew up going to churches where every Superbowl Sunday morning sermon was designed to remind everyone where they “belonged” on sunday night and would surely be if they loved God. (big eye roll.)
Now I go to a church that (gasp) doesn’t have a Sunday night service. We have our 3 morning services and then many small groups to choose from during the week. Family time is encouraged. People’s time is respected.
Somebody show me a verse that says churches must have a sunday night service…
By the way, I’ll be going to a Superbowl party at a house loaded with sweet brothers and sisters from my church. I’ll eat the salsa and chips and cheese ball and have a blast, even though I’ll have no idea what’s going on.
Don’t Christians just crack you up sometimes?
Mike,
I guess I have the best of both worlds, then–like Janet, it’s church in the morning, and the Super Bowl in the evening. We don’t have a Sunday evening worship service, either.
If I fell into one of your two camps, it’d be the second one. But like you said, we all really need to get rid of judgmental attitudes over stuff like this.
I love Sunday night services simply because in the church I attend (and the first one I attended) it’s sweet and intimate with prayer time and lingering in the Spirit. I’m not sure what my church has planned for Sunday evening, but since my team isn’t in the Super Bowl this year, I haven’t decided yet whether or not I’ll be at church if we’re having it. Probably depends on the game itself.
The condemnation thing probably goes the farthest in alienating ANYone from Jesus–who He really is and how He knows our hearts. Leave it to the Holy Spirit to do the convicting–He knows how to do it.