Global Perspectives on Sports and Christianity [Paperback]

While the relationship between sport and religion is deeply rooted in history, it continues to play a profound role in shaping modern-day societies. This edited collection provides an inter-disciplinary exploration of this relationship from a global perspective, making a major contribution to the religious, social scientific and theological study of sport.

It discusses the dialectical interplay between sport and Christianity across diverse cultures, extending beyond a Western perspective to include studies from Africa, South America and Asia, as well as Europe, the UK and the US. Containing contributions from leading experts within the field, it reflects on key topics including race, gender, spirituality, morality, interfaith sport clubs, and the significance of sport in public rituals of celebration and mourning. Its chapters also examine violent sports such as boxing and mixed martial arts, as well as reflecting on the cult of sporting celebrity and the theology of disability sport.

Truly international in scope, Global Perspectives on Sports and Christianity is fascinating reading for all those interested in the study of sport, sociology and religion.

Foreword  Introduction  Part I: Some Transdisciplinary Considerations  1. Challenging the Secular Bias in the Sociology of Sport: Scratching the Surface of Christian Approaches to Sociology  2. Sports in the Biblical Narrative  Part II: Non-Western Perspectives on Sport and Christianity  3. Interreligious Football: Christianity, African Tradition and the Religion of Football in South Africa  4. Soccer Fandom as Catechism: Practices of the Sacred among Young Men in Argentina  5. Soccer Victory Authorized by the Gols·