A small predominately white church in Nashville Tennessee mixes faith with martial arts. In an effort to build its flock, Xtreme Ministries combines faith with body blows.
Xtreme is part of a growing number of evangelical churches using mixed martial arts to attract young men. The sport is a top draw on pay-per-view. The outreach is part of a larger and more longstanding effort on the part of some ministers who fear that their churches have become too feminized, promoting kindness and compassion at the expense of strength and responsibility, according to the New York Times article.
“The man should be the overall leader of the household,” said Ryan Dobson, 39, a pastor and fan of mixed martial arts who is the son of James C. Dobson, the founder of Focus on the Family, a prominent evangelical group. “We’ve raised a generation of little boys.”
This story raises so many perplexing questions. Would this concept be popular among African Americans? Should churches find more physical ways to excite black males? And are our churches making boys soft? Oh, and does fighting make a man the head of his home?
So many questions.
