Michael W. Austin

Sports as Exercises in Spiritual Formation

Some followers of Christ claim that sports are pointless activities and even spiritually dangerous, given some of the values that are present within them. Other Christians look more favorably upon the value of sports. In this paper, I defend the latter view. I focus on the manner in which sports can provide a context for and be exercises in Christian spiritual formation. I then examine the practical implications this has for Christians who are athletes, coaches, and parents of children who participate in sports, and conclude that sports can offer a unique way for us to glorify God.

Do Children Have a Right to Play

Article 31 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child states that every child has the right to “rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities appropriate to the age of the child.” In this essay I argue that children possess a right to play, as recognized by the Convention on the Rights of the Child. I claim that the right in question is at least a prima facie right. That is, it is a conditional right, a right that may be overridden if particular circumstances obtain. I also employ an interest-based conception of rights, in which certain fundamental interests are taken to be a foundational justification of human rights. The notion of play that I am concerned with and will focus my attention on is play as it is exemplified in participation in sport. After offering an argument for the existence of a right to play, I consider several implications of the argument for practical issues related to children and sport.

Sport as a Moral Practice: An Aristotelian Approach

Sport builds character. If this is true, why is there a consistent stream of news detailing the bad behavior of athletes? We are bombarded with accounts of elite athletes using banned performance-enhancing substances, putting individual glory ahead of the excellence of the team, engaging in disrespectful and even violent behavior toward opponents, and seeking victory above all else. We are also given a steady diet of more salacious stories that include various embarrassing, immoral, and illegal behaviors in the private lives of elite athletes. Elite sport is not alone in this; youth sport has its own set of moral problems. Parents assault officials, undermine coaches, encourage a win-at-all costs mentality, and in many cases ruin sport for their children.

The Doctrine of Theosis: A Transformational Union with Christ

The doctrine of theosis is receiving increased attention from contemporary evangelicals. In this paper, I explore theosis and its importance for our understanding and practice of the Christian moral and spiritual life. I discuss the connection between theosis and how we understand the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer, and conclude with some practical applications related to this doctrine.

Sport philosophy now: the culture of sports after the Lance Armstrong scandal

In this book, Matthew James McNees offers a philosophical critique of contemporary society through an analysis of the Lance Armstrong scandal. One of the primary questions of the book is whether or...

Contemporary Athletics and Ancient Greek Ideals By Daniel A. Dombrowski. Published 2009 by The University of Chicago Press, Chicago, IL. (167 pp.) ISBN 978-0-226-15546-3

(2010). Contemporary Athletics and Ancient Greek Ideals By Daniel A. Dombrowski. Published 2009 by The University of Chicago Press, Chicago, IL. (167 pp.) ISBN 978-0-226-15546-3. Journal of the Philosophy of Sport: Vol. 37, No. 1, pp. 122-125.