When our Heroes Let us Down
Like many Sydneysiders, I have watched the unfolding news concerning several Sydney Swans players with sadness and concern. I have supported the Swans for many years through the lows of the early 90s and the highs of the 2000s, and so I won’t pretend I’ve read the reports with detached interest. I feel dismayed.
Not because football or the reputation of a football club is what matters most here — it clearly isn’t. At the time of writing, serious allegations are being investigated, and there is much that don’t know and I suspect much more to be revealed. It would be wrong for any of us to decide guilt or innocence on the basis of media reports, rumours or social media posts.
But perhaps my dismay does raise a bigger question: what do we expect of the people we admire?
The Bible gives us a remarkably realistic view of human beings. It holds together two truths our culture often struggles to keep together.
Human beings possess extraordinary dignity. Every person is made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). And human beings are profoundly fallen. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
That means we should neither be naïve about human behaviour nor cynical about human worth. It means taking wrongdoing seriously while recognising the dignity of everyone involved. It means caring deeply for those who report abuse while refusing to pronounce guilt before the facts are known. Truth matters. Justice matters. Compassion matters.
It also means being more careful about our heroes.
Sport has an extraordinary capacity to produce them. We admire skill, courage, discipline and achievement. We wear supporters’ guernseys, kids wear their favourite players names numbers on their backs. There’s often much to celebrate around their feats on a football field.
But here’s the thing, too often we tend to mix talent with character. We conflate achievement with virtue.
Our culture can be remarkably willing to overlook character when someone is talented, successful or useful to the cause. And before we evangelicals point the finger, we should recognise the same temptation among ourselves. Christians too have sometimes overlooked serious character flaws because someone is a gifted preacher, a successful ministry leader or an influential Christian voice.
Yet when Paul describes Christian leadership in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1, what is striking is how much emphasis he places on character. God is interested in the kind of person they are becoming before he cares about what they might be able to achieve.
So how should Christians respond when allegations such as these dominate the news?
Our cultural moment can pull us in competing directions. We can become so concerned for victims that an allegation itself becomes a verdict. Or we can become so suspicious of cultural overreach that our concern for due process leaves us appearing indifferent to those who have genuinely suffered.
The Christian response should be different.
We must take allegations of sexual assault with profound seriousness. We must care for those who report abuse. We must insist upon truth, justice and proper process. We must refuse to participate in gossip and speculation. And because of the gospel, we must continue to believe in repentance, forgiveness and redemption.
Behind headlines like these are real people — people made in the image of God. And for some in our own community, stories such as these may touch painfully close to their own experiences.
Perhaps, then, there are four Christian instincts worth cultivating: seeking truth, resisting gossip, showing compassion, and prizing character.
And perhaps there is one more.
Be careful where you place your heroes.
The Bible’s view of humanity explains why even extraordinarily gifted people can profoundly disappoint us. Human beings can inspire us, entertain us and accomplish remarkable things. But none of us can bear the weight of another person’s ultimate hopes.
Christianity points us instead to one man who can.
Jesus doesn’t ask us to pretend human wickedness isn’t serious. At the cross he shows us just how seriously God takes our sin. Yet in that same moment as he dies in our place he showed us the extraordinary depths of his mercy towards sinful people.
Our heroes will sometimes amaze us; sometimes they will disappoint us. Jesus is worthy of something more than our admiration. He is worthy of our trust.