Social media erupted with rage as a megachurch pastor in Ohio disrespected a Bible in a Superbowl-themed sermon. Pastors for Crossroads Church in Cincinnati, a multi-site interdenominational church with a weekly congregation of roughly 34,000, “punted” a Bible as part of their Super Bowl of Preaching” series. The sermon was given on Feb. 11, 2024, on the same day the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII.
The church looked more like a stadium than a sanctuary: the service featured play-by-play announcers, color commentary, a referee, and a stage covered in AstroTurf. Senior Pastor Brian Tome and Pastor Alli Patterson wore football jerseys as they prepared for a “pregame” coin flip. When Tome won the coin flip, the referee asked, “Would you like to kick or receive the Bible?”
The Senior Pastor replied, “I will receive.” After this exchange, Patterson takes a few steps off the stage and squares off with the Bible, wrapped in a football-themed cover. She took a running start before booting the Bible off the stage and into the crowd. After the kick, she high-fived her coworker. The announcer said over the PA “Patterson back with the kick … Oh my goodness!” He added For the first time in 18 years, there’s a touchback for the kickoff.”
This was not the only time a copy of the Bible was disrespected in the service. In another skit, a Bible was kicked a shorter distance, as the rest of the “players” on stage jumped on top of the book as they tackled one another. The announcer seemed to realize this would be controversial as he said “We’re gonna get some emails; here we go.” The video of the sermon was introduced by Andy Reider, community pastor for Crossroads Anywhere, the church’s mobile app.
He introduced the sermon by offering a greeting and a disclaimer. He warned viewers “Today, you are tuning in for a church service that is unlike any other,” said Reider. “Disclaimer: it has little to nothing to do with actual football or the Super Bowl, but no matter what you believe, you’re going to laugh.” He added, “No matter what you believe, you might be a little confused at some point, but I believe you will and can experience God and church in a fresh new way.”
He acknowledged that many viewers would have objections: “You might be wondering why on Earth would we do something like this.” Reider says one of the reasons was because “we believe that church can and should be fun.” he explained, “You’re going to experience hilarious commercials filled with middle school humor, really great music, and some good old-fashioned smack talk.”
He added, “But secondly, we believe that there are spiritual truths and realities that can be drawn out from sports and that’s what each of our teachers are going to be doing today.” Crossroads was founded in Oakley, Ohio, more than two decades ago by former employees of American multinational Proctor & Gamble. The congregation has been mired in controversy before.
Watch the Shocking Video Below:
Woke activists melted down as a guest speaker compared trans people to individuals with anorexia who are suicidal because they think they are overweight. David Mahan, the director of policy with Center for Christian Virtue, asked churchgoers how they would react if an anorexic teen came before them, saying she was suicidal because she was fat. Mahan said, “What is your response? Affirmation, or do you try to get her distorted mentality of herself to line up with her biological reality? What do we do? And if we do the latter, why wouldn’t we do it with the same dysphoric condition of transgenderism?”
Featured image: Screen shot from embedded video.