Angels in the Outfield?
It's time to end religious monopoly on baseball
The 'temple' of baseball? Photo illustration by Ron Kaplan
I've loved the game of baseball for as long as I can remember. I grew up in Maryland and developed early on what eventually turned into a depressing passion for the Baltimore Orioles, with my grandfather's stories of having pitched batting practice for the old New York Giants in the days of Mel Ott and Carl Hubbell feeding my general enthusiasm for a sport that fascinates me like no other.
It seems fitting that it was when I was on my way to my grandfather's unveiling on Sept. 18, 2005, that I came across an article in The Washington Post by Laura Blumenfeld about an evangelical Christian ministry called Baseball Chapel, which supplies volunteer chaplains to every major and minor league team (more than 200 in total).
According to Baseball Chapel's Web site, these chaplains lead Sunday worship and provide other services weekly to approximately 3,000 players, coaches, managers, team personnel, umpires, and media members.
Blumenfeld's article focused on the Nationals team and its then chapel leader, Jon Moeller. Toward the end of the story, Blumenfeld reported the following exchange: "[Ryan] Church was concerned because his former girlfriend was Jewish. He turned to Moeller, ‘I said, like, Jewish people, they don't believe in Jesus. Does that mean they're doomed? Jon nodded, like, that's what it meant. My ex-girlfriend! I was like, man, if they only knew. Other religions don't know any better. It's up to us to spread the word.'"
I was stunned. Even more than I wondered how a ballplayer could think nothing of such offensive comments, I wondered how a chaplain could think this was appropriate for the clubhouse.
Local reaction to the article was swift and harsh, prompting the Nationals to suspend Moeller and drawing an apology from Church. But I was still bothered by what I perceived to be a larger national issue of evangelizing affecting the game I love so dearly — after all, Baseball Chapel's stated vision on its Web site is seeing "deeply committed players use their platform to influence people around the world to become followers of Jesus Christ" — and so I wrote a letter to commissioner Bud Selig, who happens to be Jewish.
I noted how troubling it was that this right-wing, evangelical view of Christianity was the only style of Christian worship and chaplaincy made available to MLB personnel. The majority of American Christians do not denigrate other religions and make it difficult to have meaningful dialogue and healthy interactions between people of different faiths.
I suggested a rotation of chaplains, either of all faiths or even just of different Christian denominations, to better enable MLB to meet the religious needs of all its personnel.
Simultaneously, MLB could live up to its responsibility in ensuring that its personnel, many of whom are looked up to by fans all over the country, are taught that, if we are talking about religion, there are "many paths up the mountain."
If the melting pot of America rests on a foundation of tolerance, then shouldn't "America's Game" teach tolerance?
The very next day, Selig wrote back. "I, of course, share the concerns that you have raised, and I will take steps to insure that much of what you have written is implemented into Major League Baseball," the commissioner stated. "I was deeply offended by what happened with Ryan Church and Jon Moeller. It was, to say the very least, disappointing and offensive. I will certainly share your letter with my colleagues, as it is a wonderful articulation of what we should be doing in baseball."
It has been more than two years since I received Selig's response indicating that he would get involved, and a recent Moment magazine article reveals that absolutely nothing has been done to address the issue. Baseball Chapel continues with its religious monopoly in all of major and minor league baseball.
How long will this go on? Two years ago, I gave Selig credit for a thoughtful and serious response when he could just as easily have sent a generic reply.
Well, Mr. Selig, another season of baseball is almost over. It's about time for you to finally step up to the plate and show us what your words are worth.
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