In the past month, USA Today carried a story in which the Colorado Rockies baseball team publicly announced that it is a Christian team. Media reports and players’ own statements differ about what this means, but some reports include the team explicitly looking for players with “character;” enforcing family values in the locker room, including no swearing or reading offensive material; team prayer before and after games; and attributing any team wins or losses to divine intervention.
What does the Christianization of the Rockies mean for the community or for society at large? More and more, corporations, institutions of learning and non-profit groups are taking on overtly Christian, and staunchly evangelical postures, while refusing to apologize for their new stance.
Establishment of a state religion is prohibited in our Constitution. But shouldn’t there be space in the public realm for the outward expression of faith by an individual through their artwork, or within a private corporation’s internal culture?
Is this open expression of religion any different than any other affiliation, inspiration or belief? These same types of organizations routinely support causes that are leftist or conservative, and everything in between. Why is a similar affiliation with a religious belief seen by so many as somehow different?
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For more informaiton, please contact Kristin Millikan at 312.422.5580.