Times Of Swaziland: ‘FOOTBALL ‘UNGODLY’ TAG TO BE HISTORY’

‘FOOTBALL ‘UNGODLY’ TAG TO BE HISTORY’
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BY CHRIS DLAMINI on 16/05/2019 08:40:00


EZULWINI – Sport, in particular football, has always been perceived as
‘ungodly’ but the Bible Society Cup is here to eliminate that belief.
This is the view of Sports, Culture and Youth Affairs Minister Harries
‘Madze’ Bulunga. He was the guest of honour in yesterday’s official launch
of the third edition of the annual Bible Society Cup, a ‘Bible in the
soccerfield’ event set for June 15 this year.
“As an introductory note, I should state that the Bible Society’s
involvement in sport, particularly football, is vital in addressing one of the
biggest myths on the church and sport. Many forms of sport, particularly
football, have been portrayed as ‘ungodly’ and for a long time many
believers have been afraid to follow their various sporting passions.
“To have the Bible Society take the lead, by taking the Bible into the soccer
field destroys that stereotype and now Christians are able to enjoy their
various sporting passions which go even beyond football,” Minister Bulunga
remarked much to a huge round of applause.
believers
He said the Bible was also a way of life and uses sporting examples to inspire,
warn and guide believers. He quoted 2nd Timothy 4 verses 7-8 where Apostle Paul
says, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the
faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness which the Lord,
the righteous judge, will award to me on that day,”
He explained that two sporting analogies were evident there to inspire
believers, that of ‘fighting the good fight and ‘finishing the race’.
“In the same sport we talk about the importance of sportsmanship and
perseverance. The Bible sets the foundation for the creation of morally upright
human beings. It is in the Bible where we find guidance, as well as inspiration
as to how we are to live and interact with other people,” he said.
He said through this initiative, human beings of good moral standard would be
developed, to have athletes who can tell between right and wrong from a tender
age and also be able to refrain from doping and age-cheating among other
mischief.
complement
He said the Bible and sport will always complement each other as they promote
integrity, accountability, hard work and many other values. He encouraged
athletes to use their God given talents for the betterment of the society while
thanking the Bible Society, for partnering with football again this year as he
looks forward to a good tournament.
Meanwhile, Bible Society Cup Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ngcebo Mbuli also
expressed their excitement at partnering with football for this initiative,
saying there were many questions when they started in 2017, with some of the
views that football was evil.
conceived
However, he thanked the Premier League of Eswatini (PLE) for welcoming them, as
they felt that they were taking the Bible to places conceived as darkest. He
said they had fans and players who were Christians, and all they wanted to
achieve as a society was to see people carry their Bibles and actually get to
read them, as they sought healing by just reading it.
growing
The Society’s Board Chairman Dr. Nomsa Mndzebele thanked PLE for welcoming
them and said this global event was growing in leaps and bounds.
She said when they started; she had no idea about football, but now she knew
more about off-sides and hopes to learn more as they take this initiative
forward together with the PLE.