I was watching a panel of American sports stars on ESPN this past week debate the World Cup. This was a panel of ex college and professional basketball, American football and baseball stars.

I’m not sure if this debate made me laugh or made me annoyed and frustrated. As you may well know I am a huge football (soccer) fan and in my view the world cup is the greatest sports event on the planet, so any debate of things of the football nature has my attention.

The reason this debate made me a little crazy was that these stars were debating what they believe was wrong with the World Cup. The main criticism came from the view that there should be no draws! This panel believed that every game should end in a win or a loss. Some couldn’t believe they played for a whole 90 minutes without there being an eventual winner. I couldn’t help but laugh at how a group of people who do not normally follow the sport, where talking about changing the rules of a game that has been around for the past 150 years and is adored by the majority of the world.

I’m sure most American’s would agree with the panel and the reason for this is that in all honestly the culture and sports following in America does not lean towards a football (soccer) mentality. Most American’s want lots of points, timeouts, multiple substitutions and most of all a result.

This reminds me a little of Christianity in the Western world. The way we conduct our Christian lives in all honesty is far from the way the disciples did when the church began. They gave up everything for their faith, they suffered, they went without, they stood against the religious system of their day and they spread the news of Jesus Christ like there was no tomorrow.

I wonder when we changed our system so it would suit our culture? I wonder when a church building became the focal point of Christianity? I wonder when receiving became more important that giving? I wonder when education became more important than passion? I wonder when fighting became the norm instead of loving? I wonder when our jobs, families and social activities became more important than carrying a daily cross of sacrifice?

It probably happened one day, when a group of people decided the Christ system did not fit into their Christian system and the church gradually became what we know today.

I wonder what would happen in America it we embraced soccer as football and if we in the West got back to pure, raw, authentic Christianity? I know for sure the second one would result in thousands of changed and transformed lives! The first one, I’m not holding my breath!