I am really pleased to share that a proposed talk has been initially accepted for the 4th Global Congress on Sport and Christianity (GCSC). The congress, happening this summer in Waco, Texas, has been something that I have prioritized now for a number of years dating back to the first congress in 2016 in York, England.
The working title of my presentation is “Game Plans and Gospel: Translating the Scriptures for Sport”
How Contextualization and Paraphrasing Bring Biblical Truth to the World of Sport. As I was thinking through some potential topics to share during the congress, my thoughts began to center around the profound amount of translation that I often find myself doing as a chaplain. Whether it is a Bible story or biblical concept — there is a lot of paraphrasing and retelling the Gospel story in ways that are fresh, compelling, and captivating for many people who’re unfamiliar with the sacred scriptures.
Translation is not an easy or light kind of work either. Some images don’t translate. Some parallels shouldn’t be made. How do we hold the tension of the integrity of Scripture with the difficulty that much of the world doesn’t know what God says through the Bible? The aim of this talk is to encourage and inspire others to do the difficult work of translating God’s Word in appropriate ways into their sporting context.
A lot of this idea came from my recent books which were published, The Soccer Psalms and The Football Psalms. While I still have yet to fully develop the presentation, the abstract below makes for a great starting place and reference point:
Translating the Bible into the language, imagery, and story of sport presents both challenges and joys. How can the profound truths of Scripture resonate with athletes, coaches, staff, and fans immersed in these unique cultures? Drawing from 20+ years of experience as a chaplain to the Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer, this presentation explores the creative process of contextualizing and paraphrasing biblical texts—like the Psalms—to connect with the spiritual needs of those in sport. Through examples like “Psalm 23 for a Footballer,” questions arise: Does such adaptation dilute Scripture’s authority? Can such efforts genuinely foster biblical literacy in a community often disconnected from faith? Yet, there’s joy in witnessing the transformative power of Scripture presented in fresh, accessible ways. This session highlights the balance between honoring biblical integrity and engaging imagination to make the timeless truths of God’s Word accessible and to draw individuals toward the life-giving truths of the Bible and a deeper engagement with God through His Word.


2025 marks the fourth GCSC and the Faith & Sports Institute is proud to host the event at Truett Seminary in collaboration with Sport.Faith.Life, Ridley Hall, the Christian Society for Kinesiology, Leisure, and Sports Studies, wired4sport, and the University of Tennessee’s Sport & Religion Research Alliance.
This will be a special time, as well, as I have had the privilege of teaching the online section of Soul Care in Sports with Truett Seminary this past semester and I will likely get to meet several of the students face-to-face, while in Waco. I am hoping to raise about $1500 to offset the costs of the conference. If you’d like to make a contribution toward this, you can make a one-time donation via PushPay to the General fund.
