Thursday, November 10, 2005

Mohler to Mahaney: "Nerds Rule!"

From Al Mohler's blog:

All kidding aside, make sure to read Mohler's review of CJ's excellent book.

In today's commentary, I review C. J. Mahaney's newest book, Humility: True Greatness. C.J. is the right man for this job in almost every respect. Almost every respect.

Just consider the insight in this paragraph: Nowhere is the word 'great' mentioned more often in our culture than in the context of professional sports. If you watch any game this weekend and listen to the announcer's commentary, then like a mantra you'll probably hear the word 'great' repeated throughout--great, great, great. Yet it may well be that nowhere in our culture is the absence of true greatness more evident than in professional sports. So be careful about cultivating an excessive love for professional or collegiate athletics in your child.

That's so profoundly true -- and counter-cultural, too. But he ruined it all for me with his introductory paragraph: Take athletics, for example. You should know that I love all things athletic. I myself have been active in strenuous athletics all my life, so it's not like I'm some uncoordinated geek who's now seizing an opportunity to display his inner resentment toward people who are athletically superior. That's not what this is about.

Well, on behalf of uncoordinated geeks all over the world, I take offense at that kind of athletic condescension and braggadocio. How's that for a display of "inner resentment toward people who are athletically superior?" Nerds rule, C.J. That's what this is about.

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All kidding aside, make sure to read Mohler's review of CJ's excellent book.

Update: CJ responds on the Girl Talk Blog:

"Nerds do rule and it is a very happy day for all who played right field in gym class softball!"

"I'm so grateful that nerds do indeed rule. I am so appreciative that men like Dr. Mohler are leading the church, and I am following him. I am one of his biggest fans. Actually, most of my smart friends are nerds and though I have the deepest respect for them, I have seen them throw a ball and it's not a pretty sight. So I encourage my scholarly friends to study away and leave the athletics to me."