1. Both coaches have unashamedly declared their personal faith and the influence that faith has had upon their character and behavior. You can check this out for yourself at www.beyondtheultimate.org.
2. Less than a week before the game the NFL made it clear that churches would be in violation of copyright laws if they used the name "Super Bowl," charged admission, or viewed a screen larger than 55 inches. I believe this ruling will be challenged, but until it is clarified I believe that we should obey it. The day after the game Christianity Today did a poll to determine how churches responded to the NFL rules. The vast majority of the 566 respondants claim that their church did not have a large event for the game, but the following statistics startled me.
- 2% said they canceled their "Super Bowl" party because of the NFL rules
- 5% said they changed their plans to accomodate the NFL rules
- 18% said they ignored the NFL rules.
Put these two observations together and this is the message I get. The coaches believe that God honors their efforts when they live with integrity, nearly one in five churches believe they can ignore the law and still experience God's blessing. This is not the first time the church has run afoul of copyright laws. In many churches the photocopier is used for more illegal activity than a private Still during prohibition
How about your teaching? Do you strive to teach with integrity and trust the Lord to bless it or do you act as if the end justifies the means?
By the way, our youth group tweaked its plans so that they fully complied with the NFL rules and SLEFC purchases each year copyright licenses that allow you to photocopy music lyrics for group singing and use select video clips for teaching. There is also a section of the copyright laws that allows for duplication in certain "educational" settings.
