Aaron Rodger’s Right. . . and Wrong: How God Cares about the Packer Loss

Last updated on: January 22, 2015 at 2:33 pm by John Mark N. Reynolds

Aaron Rodger’s Right. . . and Wrong: How God Cares about the Packer Loss 2015-01-22T14:33:54-04:00 John Mark N. Reynolds

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

My Super Bowl party was set. Fourth quarter and my Packers (hey, I am an owner) were in control, especially after yet another Seahawks interception. Cheese-head firmly on head, I said to Hope, also a Packer fanatic: “We have this. I mean: a touchdown, an onside kick, a touchdown? Rodgers has this.”

Wrong: instead of becoming a football prognosticator, I need to stick to my day job. The Packers lost what is already being called the Choke Bowl. The Super Bowl will not star Aaron Rogers, but a different godly man, Russell Wilson, in a match with the Patriots where both headcoaches send shudders through the sportsman’s soul, but the talent is truly super.

I was moved by Russell Wison’s humble approach to victory, so unexpected and the result of a team with heart. He gave God credit for the victory, perhaps less artfully stated than he should have done. And so the theological conversation between quarterbacks was joined.

Aaron Rodgers said: “I don’t think God cares a whole lot about the outcome” of fooball games and Rodgers was right. From the point of view of their shared Christianity, God knows the outcome of all football games, but as philosophers such as Alvin Plantinga have shown, His Divine foreknowledge is comptible with human freedom.

Even in my most rabid moments, I am not stupid enought to believe that God is a Packer fan. God was not wearing the Green and Gold and His Kingdom had no vested interest in the outcome of the game as a game between teams.

The Green Bay Packers (as a team) will not exist in Paradise.

However, Packer fans will be there and God cares about those people. God loves Packer players (even Bostick) and God loves Packers coaches (even the special teams coaches). SInce footbal is formative to them, God does care about their safety, health, and spiritual formation.

If all of life is a school for souls, and Christianity says it is, then football or any game is part of the curriculum. Brandon Bostick had a job to do on special teams (block) and he did someone else’s job (receiving). . . badly. Brandon Bostick is now an example of doing what you are called to do. He has learned and I can learn from him.

I am not yet as grateful to Professor Botstick as I should be.

Willson was on to something. While God did not “care” what the final score would be, the character and spirit of the players does concern Him. The fate of some misguided fan who bet the mortgage on the Packers mattered to God. The Vegas mogul who took the Seahawks by 7 mattered. The grandmother whose last game ended in tears as she saw her Packers lose mattered: her sorrow mattered. God cared about the fan who became a fanatic, giving too much of his emotions to the loss and wrote hateful tweets.

God cares about anything for which we care and He uses all of life to teach us. A Seahawk victory was partly a product of individual choices, combined with God’s curriculum for the players, and the billions of other by products of that victory.

God knew the Seahawks would win and He made it (in His providence) better that it be so. We can all choose to learn something good from it or choose to let it harm us. God cares what we choose in reaction to the fact: the Packers are not going to the Super Bowl.

God was not, therefore, rooting for the Packers, but God is rooting for us to learn and enjoy all that we find good in the fellowship, the joy, and the sheer fun of fandom because that good is eternal.

Even the “pain” of the loss is a pleasure because it makes winning someday more meaningful. Oh, the happiness of the Favre Super Bowl win if you lived through Scott Cambell and one playoff win after decades of support.

The relative unimportance of sports makes it a great learning tool. God can use a “lack of heart” on the playing field, the gasping for air due to the failure to (really) follow the workout regime you claimed you followed, and the reaction of a coach to loss to prepare for important things.

Rodgers is right: God wasn’t pulling for the Packers. Rodgers was wrong: God was pulling for the Packers people.

Pop Culture

Spiritual Reflections

Previous Post

January 21, 2015

Mentoring: How Small Schools Can Be Better than Big Ones

Next Post

January 23, 2015 Rowling's Error

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Apologetics Art Culture Education On Books On Education Philosophy Politics Pop Culture Spiritual Reflections Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 July 2025 June 2025 September 2024 July 2024 June 2024 December 2023 June 2023 September 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who said, "You shall have no other gods before me"?

Select your answer to see how you score.

God Joshua Aaron Moses

Books by This Author John Mark Reynolds

See All Titles »