I am an MMA (mixed martial arts) fan. I even host a podcast and website about the sport.
I came across a Christian MMA clothing site today. Their tag line is “Jesus Didn’t Tap.” For those unfamiliar with MMA, “tapping out” is when a fighter taps his opponent to end the fight. Normally this is done when the losing fighter is in a grappling hold that can result in injury. An example is an armbar where a fighter’s arm is hyper-extended at the elbow by his opponent. If the hold continues, the fighter’s arm would be broken. The fighter will tap out to prevent the injury but admits defeat in doing so.
The site’s explanation of their tag line:
Jesus Didn’t Tap was one of the first Christian based MMA clothing companies to hit the scene. In the sport of Mixed Martial Arts, to “tap” is to quit or give up. The message of the Jesus Didn’t Tap line is that Jesus didn’t quit after going through unimaginable suffering and pain when he was crucified on the cross.
I am not sure what I think about it. I kind of like it. MMA competition is physically punishing but nothing compared to Jesus’ crucifixion. Maybe it will be effective to MMA fans. I think it is a message which can resonate with them.
Thoughts?
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I'm not comfortable with this. Many Protestant teaching strategies for youth, certainly well-intentioned, borrow from popular, um, culture. Whatever ads and ad-chants are current are employed by youth ministers and publishers of youth texts and modified into a Christian context. The defense for this is "reaching the youth where they are." Well, we know where the youth are; they're in the pews and at CCD / Sunday School, bless them, and in school and in the malls and on after-school jobs. We owe them better than a recycling of the often silly and sometimes destructive images and sounds forced upon them by the adults around them.
The Church and its art and music should influence popular culture, not the other way 'round.
Am I sounding too stuffy? I'm trying not to be.
– Mack, public-school teacher
But not all youth are in the pews. Also this is not only aimed at youth. It is aimed at MMA fans which does tend to be young male adults.
Another way to look at this is in St. Paul's words of becoming all things to all men. The slogan does speak to MMA fans in terms they understand about the truth of the crucifixion.
What is somewhat different from an evangelical perspective is its focus on the crucifixion. Evangelicals tend to quickly move past that part preferring to focus on the resurrection.
Overall, it doesn't seem to be on the same level as "Jesus is my homey" – something I couldn't stand when I was still an Evangelical because it ignored the lordship of Christ.
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Hi, and greetings from reader from Croatia, homeland of Cro Cop
I am also a fan of MMA, I like to watch fights, my heart is really pumping when Cro Cop is fighting, but also I often ask myself, is it OK for me to watch that kind of sport? We must admit, it's not like olympic sports, where players are usually protected and winner is one who hit right places to get point (like karate, taekwondo, etc.), it's way more brutal, and somehow like ordinary fights we can see in towns in front of bars, only this time here is judge who can stop fight (like last Cro Cop's fight) to avoid serious injuries. But what are differences from ordinary fight? Almost everything is accepted, elbow punchs, "soccer punchs", all kind of dirty punches. What Christians / Catholic should learn or get from watching those fights?
Now, back to topic. I came across this site few months ago, and on first, I liked slogan "Jesus didn't tap", but on the other thought, I think it contradicts our 2. commandment: "You shall not make wrongful use of the name of your God". I don't think that these t-shirts should bring MMA fans to Christianity, my conclusion is that they're made for bringing Christians to MMA.
p.s. I hope my english isn't that bad
Just like Johnie, I like watching MMA fights but sometimes wonder if it's right ot do so. I was conviced it's not bad when I realized that most fighters (at least UFC's) hug their opponent at the end of a fight, thus expressing their brothely love for each other.
As for the "Jesus-didn't-tap" tag-line, I don't see why it could not be used. A few years ago, many Canadian Catholic churches would display a poster illustrating Christ with the tag-line: "He never asked for overtime"
"There is but one religion which can only decorate even its triumphs with an emblem of defeat. There is only one army which carries the image of its own captain, not enthroned or riding, but captured and impaled."
- G.K. Chesterton