As I sit and watch the Wildcats fight their way back into a game in Maui (maybe God is calling me there as a missionary (somebody has to go)) and the Tennessee score scrolls across the bottom of the screen, I can't help but to think about the latest news rolling out of the University of Tennessee. If you haven't heard about what went down in the Volunteer state, Bruce Pearl was found guilty of breaking NCAA recruiting regulations and lying about it. As for consequences, league commissioner Mike Slive has decided to suspend Bruce Pearl for the first eight SEC conference games and dock $1.5 million dollars of his pay. All that is old news, though, and not really focus of this post. The focus of this post is centered around the response to the Pearl's punishment.
Recently I was flipping through the channels on the television (that is "the television" for those of you who don't speak Spanish) and I came across a news reporter who was asking sports fans in the Knoxville area what they thought about Pearl's consequences. Of course there were mixed responses to the question of whether or not the consequences of Pearl's actions were fair, but what blew my mind was one of the reasons why some think they are not. Responding to the question, one interviewee stated something along the lines of, "I don't think it is fair. He is sorry and regrets what he has done. I really don't think that he should be punished" (like I said, that is along the lines of what the interviewee said).
Now at the risk of ranting, which is something I will try not to do too often on this blog, that answer tore my heart in two. It tore my heart in two not because of the interviewees opinion of the punishment, but because of the interviewees mindset concerning punishment for doing wrong (sin is a better word in this context). I know this position on punishment for sin is a dying breed, but the truth is that sin deserves punishment. In no way am I saying that we should not incorporate mercy in government type settings, for God has shown great mercy on me, but just because someone is sorry for what they have done does not mean that they should be acquitted of their crime. That is not true justice. Unfortunately, the idea that sin should not be punishable extends far beyond the realm of NCAA basketball. It extends into the mindset of many in our postmodern age, and this mindset is going to accompany many to the grave without hope of life with Jesus. And I am not saying this just because I am a UK fan.
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