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Document Details : Title: 'Het beste van jezelf geven' Subtitle: De kerkelijke aandacht voor sport in verleden en heden Author(s): VANYSACKER, Dries Journal: Tijdschrift voor Theologie Volume: 60 Issue: 3 Date: 2020 Pages: 234-251 DOI: 10.2143/TVT.60.3.3288625 Abstract : It goes without saying that sports play an important role in contemporary society. Nevertheless, church and theology often seem to overlook this aspect of human life because sports sooner seem to involve physicality rather than spirituality. This contribution will examine whether this is accurate and whether church and theology have indeed so far not paid any attention to physical exercise and the rise of modern sports. It also discusses whether the recent document Giving the best of yourself (2018) by the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life offers new common ground for church, theology, and sports. Very few catholic faculties actually deal with this possible common ground. Yet, from its earliest beginnings, the church has shown an interest in physical exercise and play, and a quick scan of the Vatican website shows that, since the twentieth century, popes have on at least two hundred occasions, from audiences to addresses, spoken about body culture and sports. It shows a certain development from an ecclesiastical embedding and engagement towards an ecclesiastical vision on these phenomena as a service to the world. This is what Giving the best of yourself expressly seeks to do, in step with the Second Vatican Council. Even more remarkable is that the things sports can teach us are actually closely related to what could be dubbed the ‘quasi-religious’ aspect of sports: sport is thus seen as a form of grace. This is a new common ground with the church and with theologians: at the heart of modern culture, in sports, we find a form that embodies the gratuity of life. This deserves our attention and support. Insight into how church and theology have dealt with sports and body culture in the past will help us to understand and design possible attitudes for our day and age. In that sense, this article is also an appeal to catholic theologians to consider specifically looking into and developing a vision on modern sports and body culture from their own disciplines. |
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