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In the last decade, mixed martial arts (MMA) has evolved from being considered a brutal sport with no rules, banned in almost every part of the country, to topping the pay-per-view list of 2009. MMA has made its way into the mainstream media, and is becoming increasingly popular, especially among young men. With church attendance of young men declining, some churches are using mixed martial arts as an opportunity for outreach.  Many young men have been turned off by an approach that to them seems feminized, by focusing on kindness, love, and compassion. By incorporating mixed martial arts into the ministry, these churches hope to bring the young men back by injecting some “machoism” into the ministry. The blending of martial arts fighting and faith has become a legitimate tool for outreach to young men.

Out of approximately 115,000 evangelical churches in America, an estimated seven hundred are involved in this effort. These churches are focusing more on Jesus the “fighter” and less on the kind, compassionate Jesus. By injecting masculinity into their ministry, they hope to make Christianity more appealing to these men. These churches are hosting “fight nights” where a mixed martial arts event is televised. They continue with the theme of fighting, showing that Jesus himself was a fighter. Now granted, Jesus never put on the gloves and broke someone’s nose, but he did fight the ultimate fight, the fight that topped them all. Jesus fought for what he believed in, even to death. He never gave up. He never tapped out. For those of you unfamiliar with mixed martial arts, to “tap” or “tap out” is to literally tap the ground, signaling to the opponent and the referee that you give up.

Although this method of evangelizing can be very effective, often times one must dig deeper to reach those who are truly lost. Many of the young men involved in mixed martial arts aren’t the ones who will attend churches. Tim Morris, former MMA fighter, explained, “You need to go to where the hurting people are- the sinful, the fatherless, the hopeless. Most of these young men do not have fathers, and if you can give them basic guidance, you can have a ‘voice’ with them, and once they are open to hearing the Gospel, present it very basically and let the Holy Spirit do its work.” Many of the young men in the gyms come from broken, dysfunctional families. They are searching for somewhere to get away from it all, and to find a place where they feel like they are wanted and belong. Over the past couple years a sort of Christian subculture has made its way into the mixed martial arts world.  Brands like “Jesus Didn’t Tap” and “Fight 4 Christ” have made their way into the mixed martial arts clothing industry.

1 Timothy 6:12 encourages reader to “fight the good fight of faith.”  Morris continued, saying, “The reason I belong to my gym, first and foremost, is because it is my mission field. It is where God has called me for this season of my life.” We as Christians have been called to fight everyday. Everyone’s battleground or mission field is different. No matter what mission field God has called you to he wants you there for a reason. We are called to be “faith fighters” and to never back down from the challenges that the Lord puts before us each and every day. Jesus never tapped, why should you?