Is going for gold un-Christian?
Lose gracefully and you're everybody's favourite third-place finisher. Win too much and the love quickly fades.
As the Winter Olympics in Vancouver came to a close in a spectacle of waving maple leafs and melting snow, I was left with a bittersweet taste in my mouth.
I'm overjoyed at how our athletes performed, and the 14 gold medals Canada won—more than any nation ever has won at the Winter Olympics. I was blown away by Ashleigh McIvor's spunk and dedication as she won the first ever Olympic gold medal in women's ski cross.
I loved the audaciously joyous pride with which Jon Montgomery belted out the national anthem after his winning skeleton run. I cried at the emotion and courage in figure skater Joannie Rochette's bronze medal performance. And when our men's hockey team rebounded from a brutal loss to Team USA earlier in the tournament, beating them in overtime to take Olympic gold, a street party literally erupted outside.
But Canada's Olympic successes came with one particularly nasty side effect, one which left me feeling physically sick. While Canadians may argue over the cost, benefit and efficiency of Canada's "Own the Podium" program, some of the world's reaction to our recent surge of national pride has been nothing short of disturbing.
The British press were especially scathing. The Independent said that while Canada under "normal circumstances is arguably the most moderate, unassuming and compassionate [nation] in the entire Western world" our public face had now been "contorted" into something "ugly," inappropriate and "highly unpleasant."
The Daily Mail accused us of both cheating and causing the death of bobsledder Nodar Kumaritashvili. It said Canadians had "perverted" the Olympic movement with our "worthless aggrandizement and pride."
The Guardian accused Canada of mislaying our manners and forgetting that we are best known for our "politeness," adding our attitude was a blow against our "reputation as the kindest, gentlest member of the Olympic community."
I've been in England in the heat of World Cup soccer frenzy. And believe me, while I am proud of my dual citizenship, for Brits to lecture Canadians on excessive athletic fervor drips of a sickening and patronizing hypocrisy.
But it was a message which played loudly in the media everywhere from the United States to Australia: while pride and ambition might be allowed from others, Canadians don't have the right to behave like this.
Canadians are supposed to be quiet. We're supposed to be humble. We're supposed to be polite, gentle, unassuming and not cheer too loudly for ourselves.
A recent article by columnist Julie Wan in The Washington Post asked, "is going for gold un-Canadian?"
Wan, herself a Canadian living in the United States, wrote, "From birth, Canadians are bred to be courteous, congenial, compliant….In a strange way, the perfect Canadian has come to be one who does not exist."
Her words hit me pretty hard, because it reminded me of another argument I've been in recently: do Christians ever have the right to stand up for themselves?
I've been having a lot of fun leading some sessions on "boundaries" with the youth group in my church. I'd actually been planning to talk about dating or sex, but when I asked for anonymous topic requests I discovered what they most wanted to talk about was boundaries—specifically whether they, as Christians, were allowed to have any.
What should they not put up with from a friend or boyfriend? Are they allowed to leave if the person they are waiting for is extremely late? Are they allowed to say "no" when people ask them for money? Do they have the right not to listen to the hurtful words of others?
How far does the injunction to turn the other cheek really go? Are they supposed to be willing to just lie down in the mud and let someone step over them?
These kids are proud of our athletes. They laughed out loud when I told them what the foreign media were saying. They were enthusiastically eager to tell me why they believed our athletes, our students, our veterans, our immigrants and our population should be proud to do their best for Canada.
But it hit me that sometimes in the eagerness to emphasize the sacrificial nature of God's love, we forget to remind each other that Jesus was neither congenial nor compliant.
That Jesus said "no" to people. That Jesus knew how to make time for Himself. That Jesus was conscious of how He was touched and whom He spoke to. That Jesus defended himself when it was right and appropriate to do so.
This week I have wondered if, like Canadians, Christians are being bred to be congenial, compliant and non-existent—to the point where we feel there is something strangely un-Christian about standing up for ourselves and pursuing excellence in our own lives.
God keep us all glorious and free and able to stand on guard for ourselves, for each other and for Thee.
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