FINAL REMINDER: A Tale of Two Visions

MONDAY NIGHT!

The anticipated arrival of the Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver and Whistler next year has energized many churches to sieze this occasion for bold witness and community service. With thousands of people from around the world descending on this region, and with the expectation of a massive television audience for the Games, churches have viewed this as an opportunity to live out their calling and mission by participating in the Olympic festivities in a variety of ways (hospitality, chaplaincy, volunteer service, etc.).

It is worth pondering, however, what the Olympics is all about, and whether the vision of the world promoted by the Olympic Games is compatible with the vision of the kingdom of God announced and embodied in the mission of Jesus.

Does the spectacular ritual of the Games, and the philosophy of Olympism that guides its production, uphold the perspectives, beliefs and values that lie at the core of the ‘good news’ proclaimed by Jesus and his early followers?

Is there a way of thinking and a mode of perception embedded in the ideology of the Olympics that is essentially at odds with the message of solidarity and liberation expressed in the teaching and life of Jesus? These are some of the issues we want to explore together, both through a creative presentation of the rhetoric / reality of the Olympic Movement and the biblical witness to the kingdom of God, and a time of respectful dialogue and discussion.

We believe that these are important questions to consider, and that our understanding of the Olympic Movement and our posture toward the Olympic Games cannot be separated from our fidelity to the Crucified One.

We invite you to come and engage with us.