Does the U.S. Archery Coach Overstep The Boundries of Evangelism?

BEIJING — Two weeks before leaving to compete in the Olympics, the archer Brady Ellison waded into a pool not far from the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif., and was baptized in the Christian faith.

In the water with him was Kisik Lee, the head coach of the United States archery team and a Christian who has become a spiritual guide for Ellison, 19, and the larger group of athletes who train and live full time at the Olympic Training Center. He has also served as a sponsor in the baptism of three other resident archers.

During the Olympics, Lee and at least three of the five United States archers who qualified to compete in Beijing met every morning to sing hymns and read from the Bible, and to attend church together in the chapel at the Olympic Village. Lee believes having a strong faith makes for better archers because it helps quiet their minds. To that end, he tailored Ellison’s Olympic schedule to include spiritual and athletic objectives.

“I give him six tasks a day, including reading the Bible and education,” Lee said. “And he’s doing it.”

But Lee’s advocacy has raised concerns in the United States Olympic Committee, and some in the elite archery community feel uncomfortable with his proselytizing. The mother of a teenage archer who lived at the center said she worried that complaining about it might jeopardize her daughter’s future in the sport.

Lee said coaching was more of a challenge for him when members of the team did not share his beliefs.

“I don’t want to have any favorites,” he said. “I would love to be fair for everyone. But sooner or later, if they can see through me God, that’s what I want to try to do. I’m not God, and I can’t drive them to God, but I can pray for them.”

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Looking Back at an Eclipsed Earth

Here is what the Earth looks like during a solar eclipse. The shadow of the Moon can be seen darkening part of Earth. This shadow moved across the Earth at nearly 2000 kilometers per hour. Only observers near the center of the dark circle see a total solar eclipse – others see a partial eclipse where only part of the Sun appears blocked by the Moon. This spectacular picture of the 1999 August 11 solar eclipse was one of the last ever taken from the Mir space station.

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Relevant Church – 30 Day Sex Challenge Book

The 30daysexchallenge book is intended to help couples succeed in the challenge by breaking the challenge up into four mini-challenges: spiritual, emotional, sexual, and physical. We use a holistic approach which incorporated with the new 30 days of questions, couples assessment, and workbook sections, will build intimacy into the relationship and give the couple a fresh passion for each other.

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The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) has not collaborated with nor does it endorse the movie, Billy: The Early Years.

A response from Franklin Graham

The content lacks my father’s greatest passion: to preach the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ to the world and point men, women, and children to His saving power.

While the movie covers many aspects of my father’s early years, it depicts events that never happened or are greatly embellished.

My father’s life has been documented in many ways and I have always appreciated those who painstakingly sought to tell his story accurately.

Franklin Graham
President
Billy Graham Evangelistic Association

Link

And an article

Graham movie catches flak from Franklin
Son isn’t encouraging or discouraging people from seeing ‘Early Years’ – he just wants it clear some of it is fiction, and not backed by the organization.

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