a christian defense of limited competition: part one

To be completely honest, competition is one of the most difficult subjects for me to address without a bias. I have never stood up well in highly competitive situations, and thus, have grown to despise them. So there may be some underlying prejudices that I am not aware of that influence the conclusions that I make. But, to my credit in this endeavor, I have ended with a conclusion that I had not held when I started. That is, I have discovered some of those biases, thought through them critically, and then finding them unfounded, have chucked them out the window. This has allowed me to see competition in a new, and hopefully more accurate, light. I suppose I would like to challenge everyone to that same end. I am certain there are many biases on this subject--let us be rid of them and submit ourselves to the discipleship of Jesus.

My goal in writing this essay has become an effort to isolate a particular kind of competition that is consistent with the guiding principles of Christian morality laid out in the life of Jesus and revealed through scripture. After a lot of discussion and study, I have come to the conclusion that there is a form of competition that can be positive for discipleship, though I think the parameters are narrow.

The Guiding Principles

What are the relevant principles by which a Christian should judge whether competition is good for a person or society? That is the question that I would like to answer at the outset; I would like to adjust the focus on our critical eye so that we may clearly see the parts that are in harmony or conflict with the worldview given to us by Jesus through scripture.

First, I would like to consider humility. Humility is one of those traits in Jesus that the secular world has a difficult time understanding or respecting, and therefore, has been something that the Church has tried to excuse or even deny. Yet, the second chapter of Philippians gives a vivid, undeniable example of the kind of humility that Jesus models. The chapter opens with this admonition: “Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” Whatever we conclude about competition, we should agree that forfeiting our humble concern for the well-being of others would be a violation of our discipleship.

Along the same lines of humility, James 3:13-18 tells us to put off selfish ambition, an important thing to evaluate in a discussion about competition, and instead take up a more Jesus-like wisdom: “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such 'wisdom' does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.”

Again, not straying too far from what we have already laid out, Paul says in Colossians 3, “Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” These particular “articles of clothing” can be summed up in the principle that Jesus, in his Sermon on the Mount, calls meekness. We should certainly maintain a meek character, even in competition, if we want to follow Jesus and “inherit the earth”.

Of course, all of these things are bound up in the essential principle of love. Paul gives a description of this love, what he calls the most excellent way, in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

What is interesting, and incredibly challenging, about Jesus’ call to love is that he is radically liberal with it. That is to say, he offers it to everyone, and to a shockingly painful degree. He not only commands his followers to love each other, but also their enemies. He makes it clear what he means by this by allowing his enemies to execute him, and then prays for God to forgive them for it. This is the kind of radical love that Jesus expects of his followers, and it is the kind of love that we should not violate in our concept of competition.

Now our critical eye should be in focus with these guiding principles as we consider how competition might benefit the ongoing discipleship of a follower of Jesus. Once again, to prepare our minds, here is the list of the relevant principles we have found in scripture: meekness, compassion, kindness, gentleness, patience, mercy, submission, humility, righteousness, peace, being considerate of others’ well-being, impartiality, sincerity, and finally, love. Is there a form of competition that we can participate in without losing these virtues? And if so, is there a compelling reason to employ such competition? These are the questions I will seek to answer in the next three parts that will follow.