Theology of Competition

    William Diehl was a top executive in a national steel company in the 1960s and 70s.  He was a very well known and influential layman in the Lutheran Church In America.  And, first and foremost, he was a Christian.  Because of these credentials, Mr. Diehl was often invited to address synod conventions and clergy workshops.  In one of his books he writes that he enjoyed baiting clergy with the question, “What is your theology of competition?”  In these settings, most of the clergy did not answer Mr. Diehl’s question.  I suspect there are several reason for the non-response.  1. The first time you are asked a question, the answer is not automatic.  No matter what you answer the words feel awkward.  2. It is threatening to answer such a question in front of your colleagues who sometimes can be critical of theological answers.
    While I don’t remember a great deal about Mr. Diehl; i.e., the name of his company or the exact year in which I read his book, I obviously remember his question.  We live in a land and time that worships competition.  We compete on every level of life.  We competed, consciously or subconsciously, with our siblings when we were young.  We competed in school for good grades or to make an athletic team.  We compete at our work for a raise or promotion.  We argue, rightly so, that competition pushes us to be the best that we can be.  Competition forces creativity, hard work, and an excited feeling when we win.  In our culture, competition is everywhere.  Mr. Diehl’s question is very appropriate.
    After asking his question, Mr. Diehl pointed out that the Bible does not have a theology of competition.  In fact, Paul denounces competition.  Instead, Paul offers a theology of cooperation and teamwork.  Paul argues that we are at our very best when we work together to achieve a common goal.  We are at our very best when we push each other so that we all might succeed.  We are at our very best when we celebrate each other’s contributions to our combined effort.  Perhaps the best text for this theology is in Paul’s metaphor of the human body, 1 Corinthians 12:14-26.  Every part of the body needs every other part of the body.
    I thought of Mr. Diehl’s baiting question and his answer about competition when I wished the staff a very merry Christmas on behalf of the Church Council and the disciples at Epiphany.  I thought about how the staff works in cooperation with each other to make every ministry program the very best it can be.  I thought of the way information is shared, of side meetings that help each of us work more efficiently.  We end each staff meeting with prayer requests.  We list names of those who need prayer from our personal lives.  It is also common that staff members add ministry programs such as the Stewardship Committee and its annual campaign, the Drama Team as it prepares for the Children’s musical, the planning for an up-coming youth program, and the Adopt-a-Family Christmas program.  I thought of the staff’s theology (spoken or unspoken) that when one “wins” we all win.
    At times I have been accused of being extremely competitive.  I do not like to lose or to do a sloppy job.  But when all is said and done, a theology of cooperation beats a theology of competition every time.  What do you think?
Pastor Pete