The "Ought", the "Is", and the "Absolute"

Last weekend at the NABC Convention I had the opportunity again to attend a clinic held by Michael Josephson of the Josephson Institute of Ethics. I have had the privilege of attending quite a few of his sessions over the past five years or so and he always challenges my thinking and causes me to reflect on my philosophy of sports. His thoughts also drive me to the absolute truth of God’s Word.

Mr. Josephson’s organization (Josephson Institute of Ethics) has partnered with the NABC to promote sportsmanship and character development as well as to encourage coaches to have high ethical standards. You can check out his website at www.josephsoninstitute.org . He does tremendous work with businesses, schools, and with public servants such as police officers. The results of his work have been featured on national television programs and he is a well-respected consultant on ethical issues and challenges we face in our culture today. The sports related arm of the ethics institute is Character Counts which emphasizes a program called Pursuing Victory with Honor. His “six pillars of character” are certainly worth promoting in any endeavor that works with young people. Check it out at www.charactercounts.org.

In one session I attended entitled, "The Toughest Decisions Coaches Make", Mr. Josephson dealt with lying and deception specifically related to the recruitment of athletes. There were many coaches in the session who agreed with him regarding what he called the "Ought". We ought to be truthful with the athletes we recruit. We ought to be "up front" with both the athletes and their parents. We ought not to lie. We ought not to deceive. We ought not to make promises that we cannot fulfill. While many coaches believed and agreed with the "ought" that he was presenting, you could tell by the reaction of most of them, that they didn’t believe that they could maintain job security in that kind of environment. The "Is" environment that most coaches lived in contrasted significantly with the "Ought" environment that they all agreed was right. They justified what "Is" because they felt that they could not live by the "Ought" and survive in a work environment that depended on winning for job security. In short, the end justified the means and the end seemed to be self-preservation for many coaches. The only way to accomplish that was to win, and to win often. A necessary ingredient to consistently winning is to have superior athletes. Whatever it takes to get them is justified as long as the outcome is winning.

As Christian coaches we should function beyond even the "Ought" that Michael Josephson presented. We have absolutes. We have the truth of God’s Word. The reason why we don’t lie, deceive, or cheat is not because it’s just a good idea to help us maintain a civil society. It is because it is God’s law. Admittedly, none of us is capable of keeping God’s law, but that’s not why He gave it – to see if we could keep it. He gave it so that it would point out how far we fall short of His absolute holy standard. Then, He sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to perfectly fulfill the law by living a sinless life and becoming a sacrifice for our sins by dying on the cross. He paid the death penalty for our transgression of the law, but he didn’t just die. He rose again and became victorious over death. We especially celebrate His resurrection this weekend with the Easter holiday.

So, what goes beyond the "Ought"? The absolute truth does! The truth is that none of us deserves to stand in the presence a Holy God, but He made a way by sacrificing His Son to clothe us in His righteousness. The truth is that Jesus paid the penalty of death, was in the grave for three days, and then conquered death for every man. The truth is that Jesus is the only Way, the only Truth and the only Life. (John 14:6) The evidence of his death and subsequent resurrection is overwhelming – the empty tomb, the testimony of the soldiers guarding the tomb, the eyewitnesses of the resurrected Savior, the changed lives of not only the followers of Christ after His resurrection, but of those today who have accepted Christ as their Lord. In the book of Acts, Luke writes that Jesus showed himself alive after His death by "many infallible proofs", a phrase that indicates the strongest possible legal evidence.

I heard it said once that "facts don't cease to exist simply because they are ignored". In a similar way I believe that "the truth doesn't cease to exist simply because it is rejected". God’s word is absolute truth. We need to obey it and live it in every aspect of our lives, even when coaching and/or recruiting athletes. Let’s maintain honesty, integrity, character and sportsmanship in our coaching not just because we "ought to", but because it is absolutely right to.