IT’S A LOVE HATE RELATIONSHIP (1 OF 9)
by Scott Maze
Scripture: Malachi 1:1-5
This content is part of a series.
It’s a Love Hate Relationship (1 of 9)
Series: Majoring in the Minors
Scott Maze
Malachi 1:1-5
We are majoring in the minor Prophets this summer. Summer means baseball and the major leagues as well!
Most of you know the name Jackie Robinson. Robinson was the first African American to break into Major League Baseball. Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier on April 15, 1947, when he donned a Brooklyn Dodgers uniform. He put on that now-iconic No. 42 across his back at the old Ebbets Field. Jackie went on to be a Hall of Famer player, and his No. 42 was retired by all major league teams. Jack Roosevelt Robinson was, by any measure, an extraordinary human being. In becoming the first black man to play in the major leagues, Robinson encountered racism in its vilest manifestations - racial taunts and slurs, insults on the playing field and off, character assassination, and death threats. But did you know that Christianity played a significant role in the man who masterminded integration, the general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers? The man who chose Robinson for his role was Dodgers GM Branch Rickey. Robinson and the Dodger’s general manager, Branch Rickey, forever changed race relations in the United States. The General Manager was a ‘‘Bible-thumping Methodist’’ who refused to attend Sunday games. He believed it was God’s will that he integrate baseball, viewing it as an opportunity to intervene morally for the sake of the nation. Rickey specifically chose Robinson because of his faith and moral character. The general manager considered other players, but he knew integrating professional sports would take more than raw athletic ability. He knew the attacks would be ferocious, and the media would fuel the fire. And if the selected player sought retaliation or lashed out, the effort would be set back a decade. So in their first meeting together, Rickey read aloud from a book entitled, The Life of Christ, and he chose to discuss a section of Jesus’ Sermon on t ...
Series: Majoring in the Minors
Scott Maze
Malachi 1:1-5
We are majoring in the minor Prophets this summer. Summer means baseball and the major leagues as well!
Most of you know the name Jackie Robinson. Robinson was the first African American to break into Major League Baseball. Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier on April 15, 1947, when he donned a Brooklyn Dodgers uniform. He put on that now-iconic No. 42 across his back at the old Ebbets Field. Jackie went on to be a Hall of Famer player, and his No. 42 was retired by all major league teams. Jack Roosevelt Robinson was, by any measure, an extraordinary human being. In becoming the first black man to play in the major leagues, Robinson encountered racism in its vilest manifestations - racial taunts and slurs, insults on the playing field and off, character assassination, and death threats. But did you know that Christianity played a significant role in the man who masterminded integration, the general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers? The man who chose Robinson for his role was Dodgers GM Branch Rickey. Robinson and the Dodger’s general manager, Branch Rickey, forever changed race relations in the United States. The General Manager was a ‘‘Bible-thumping Methodist’’ who refused to attend Sunday games. He believed it was God’s will that he integrate baseball, viewing it as an opportunity to intervene morally for the sake of the nation. Rickey specifically chose Robinson because of his faith and moral character. The general manager considered other players, but he knew integrating professional sports would take more than raw athletic ability. He knew the attacks would be ferocious, and the media would fuel the fire. And if the selected player sought retaliation or lashed out, the effort would be set back a decade. So in their first meeting together, Rickey read aloud from a book entitled, The Life of Christ, and he chose to discuss a section of Jesus’ Sermon on t ...
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