At virtually every major sporting event on television in recent years we expected to see enthusiastic groups of individuals raising a placard with the words John 3:16 or John 3:7.Missionary-minded evangelicals have been using this strategy to persuade people to read verses of St John's Gospel and hopefully be moved by what they read. "God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that everyone who has faith in him may not perish but have eternal life," (John 3:16) and "You must all be born again" (John 3:7).
The simple intention of these placard-carrying evangelical Christians was to communicate as widely as possible what they take to be the central message of Christianity. Since this biblical pitch was intended primarily for TV viewers rather than for the other spectators at the game, these evangelical enthusiasts placed themselves into positions where they were likely to be caught on TV cameras. A position directly behind the goal posts was the most obvious location.
This mission started in the United States around 1980 and was the brainchild of a born-again Christian, Rollen Stewart who was nicknamed ‘Rockin' Rollen Stewart. After his conversion he hit upon the idea of proclaiming the Word of God through free TV advertising by attending big sporting events and using various tricks to draw attention to himself - a fool for Christ's sake.
At PGA golf tournaments he would naturally position himself behind the 18th hole where the TV cameras would not miss him. Wearing printed T-shirts with phrases like "Jesus Saves" or "Repent!" he would often step towards the camera waving his hands or giving the thumbs-up or victory sign.
Sometimes he would enhance his visual impact by wearing a high multi coloured wig. Through this he earned the nickname, "The Rainbow Man”. Not surprisingly Rockin’ Rollen’s antics annoyed many people and he was evicted from many sporting events. Undaunted, he and his wife travelled the U.S. in a car in which they lived, living on the donations of from impressed spectators. This is not everybody's idea of mission and for many in the Roman Catholic tradition it is quite bizarre. Nevertheless, there might be some of food for thought in it. Without checking, how many Catholics would know what the text of John 3:16 says? And, which biblical verse would most Catholics say captures the essence of Christianity?
Fr Sean Dwan is the Columban Researcher on Mission and Culture and lives in Hong Kong
Editor’s note: For a time Rollen Stewart was the most celebrated sports fan in the United States but his act grew stale. He ended up alone, destitute and homeless in Los Angeles. At present he is serving three life sentences at Mule Creek State Prison near Sacramento after he took two men hostage while armed, in a hotel room in the city. His placard of John 3:16 resulted in an unprecedented number of enquiries on Google to find out what the scripture was. He expects the Second Coming of Jesus before he is released from prison.
