Football and Vital Piety (From the “And” Series)
Go Hogs..or…Mustangs…or Blue Devils…or Bears. There are other mascots I just can’t bring myself to acknowledge. In September (and beyond), football is on my mind. It is in my blood, as they say.
But what does this have to do with Wesley or Methodism? I’ll start by saying that some of the shine has faded, especially when it comes to college sports. My enthusiasm has waned and this has something to do with a deeply rooted value system, cultivated by being a UMC, a United Methodist Christian. Something just doesn’t seem right. Accepting some cognitive dissonance is necessary if I am going to continue to be an arm-chair quarterback on Saturday afternoons.
There was a time, in my memory, when institutions of higher education did a better job of incorporating character formation as a goal. Now there seems to be an intentional disconnect between education and ethics, to the point of causing harm. Schools that I have loved and supported seem to have been taken over by a “winning is everything” mindset, where gambling, cheating, and self-promotion are not only tolerated but even encouraged. The prioritization of profit seems to have won the day and has replaced what I might call “the love of the game.” And it is all so unregulated and out of control.
It all makes this Wesleyan Christian wonder: Have we created an environment or model where education has been divorced from character formation? And if so, where does this lead? (And while I am picking on college football right now, I could highlight other institutions as well, from politics to entertainment, and perhaps even the church).
From a Wesleyan perspective, a part of the remedy is to “unite the pair so long disjoined, knowledge and vital piety.” While John Wesley promoted this concept, the actual phrase was pinned by Charles Wesley in a hymn, pointing to the life-giving purpose of a good education, where intellectual excellence is paired with the cultivation of holiness. And it needs to be clear that the Wesleys did not define holiness in terms of judgment or division as it is so often defined. The Wesleys consistently defined holiness in terms of virtue – patience, kindness, humility, and all virtues summed up with the word love. Holiness is by nature social. It leads to healthy and whole relationships.
By using the term “vital” in this phrase, John and Charles Wesley point to something more than outward morality. Vitality refers to a way of living animated by the Holy Spirit. Vital piety (or holiness) bears the fruits of love for both God and neighbor. This way of living produces relationships that are life-giving and good.
For Wesleyan Christians, vital piety is a primary goal of education. For John Wesley, the “only end [purpose] of education is, to restore our rational nature to its proper state.” The goal of education (and the method of methodism) is the restoration of the image of God within us, where we are able to reflect goodness into the world. For Wesley, the goal of education (and the disciplined practice of faith) is “to cure the general diseases of human nature” – which he listed as arrogance, anger, lying, acts of injustice, self-will, and love of the world, among others. As Wesley argued, we fall short when we only train our children to fit into this world. The goal is to prepare ourselves for the “life that will last forever.”
There is another phrase that has been attributed to John Wesley, but comes from John Milton in his Treatise on Education, where he says: “The end of all learning is to know God and out of that knowledge to love.” Wesley shared this same philosophy of education. The hope is that all intellectual pursuits would lead to the knowledge of love of God.
Perhaps the current landscape of college sports serves as a parable for what can happen when we separate knowledge from character formation. The explosion of legalized and accessible gambling, the lack of regulations or means to enforce rules, and the infusion of massive amounts of money, all make it tempting to turn the other way when it comes to matters of morality. Is this new landscape worthy of our attention when it comes to what we want to promote?
In the spirit of a good education, we can ask, what is good? What kind of people are we forming? Where do we draw the line? And in the spirit of self-examination, it is important to note that Wesley drew the line in a much stricter way than we might be willing to do today. He was not fond of games in general, believing that they take us from more meaningful pursuits. He was particularly hard on all games of chance, believing that they violate the call to be good stewards and cause great harm to self and neighbor. I believe he was right about this.
At the same time, I must confess that I will be watching college football this weekend. For a few hours it will be my obsession, remembering that the word “fan” comes from the word “fanatic.” I share that as a confession. But in good Wesleyan fashion, I will take some time to reflect on how I might be a part of a better way. On the lighter side of this pursuit, maybe I will check out a Division 3 game, where many of the other temptations are absent, or maybe I will become more of a fan of pro football. What more serious possibilities might there be?
The Charles Wesley Hymn is commonly known from the first line, “Father of Earth and Heaven.” The full stanza is: “Unite the pair so long disjoined, knowledge and vital piety; learning and holiness combined, and truth and love, for all to see. In those whom up to Thee we give, Thine, wholly Thine, to die and live.” Note the vital connections between knowledge and vital piety, learning and holiness, truth and love.
The Quotes come from John Wesley’s Sermon, “On the Education of Children.” For another post, we will explore what it means to have the image of God restored within us. In one place Wesley speaks of three dimensions of this image – the natural image, the political image, and the moral image.
Next Up: The Equinox and the Virtue of Temperance
Michael Roberts
Michael Roberts has served as a pastor, a director of conference ministries, a delegate to General Conference, a retreat leader, and a teacher of United Methodist history and doctrine. He is married with three grown children and two grandchildren. He likes to take time each day to write and play guitar as a part of his devotional life. He is the author of four books based on John Wesley sermons which can be found at marketsquarebooks.com.