Catechizing my children as Spurs supporters is basically parallel to their catechesis into the Christian way:

• Both are a citizenship that leads to some daily joys and many momentary sorrows.
• For both, the true reward is mostly found on a distant shore. That is, when the spurs saints go marching in.
• Neither are solely achieved through reading a book. But both involve the ever-increasing embodiment of a story.
• If I don’t fully embrace either of these myself, there is zero earthly reason for my children to do the same.

This was a letter sent to our student body in May 2023 about the rise of AI in education. You can read an essay of mine that expands on these things here.

To put a bow on the past few weeks we have spent discussing Councils, Creeds, Confessions, and Catechisms, my Senior Theology class has an exciting task ahead of us this week:

Use soccer as a running analogy for the Christian Church, and articulate where each of these things fit.

For example, perhaps:

• Councils function as governing bodies with varying levels of authority, whether official or unofficial. (FA, FIFA, YMCA, etc.)
• Creeds are the boundaries of the pitch, basic definitions, telos, and rules of the game. (It’s simply not soccer if it doesn’t include X, Y, Z.)
• Confessions/Statements of Faith are special contextualized rules, often claiming to be the best universal rules. (Akin to regional or league-mandated differences in application of basic rules.)
• Ministry Philosophies are specific strategies or formations, often claiming to be the best universal strategies or formations.

Excited to see how my students run with this question, and how this activity will reflect their renewed understanding of these things.