Anglican Communion News Service

by Jeremy Halcrow

It is hard to avoid controversy when you are effectively the Anglican Bishop for the Olympics. Christians seem divided on the most appropriate way to respond to the Olympics. Some feel the primary Christian voice needs to be ‘prophetic’, responding to the dark side of professional sport. Others see the Olympics as an unprecedented marketing opportunity for Christianity. On top of that, the media seek you out for comment, hungry to fill another Olympic headline.

Bishop Brian King walks this public tightrope with good humour and good grace.

The most recent public debate in which Bishop King found himself in the middle, was over the Sydney Olympic Organising Committee’s (SOCOG) treatment of chaplaincy in the Games Village. Apparently some chaplains have been upset with SOCOG’s requirement of a ‘roster’ system which means that they cannot have ongoing contact with those they have been counselling.

"SOCOG have done a wonderful job in providing chaplaincy services to the Athletes Village – they have organised it very well indeed," the bishop said with a wide smile, as if relishing the chance to play the diplomat. "The recognition of the need for chaplaincy has been very pleasing."

Asked why there had been tensions surrounding the chaplaincy issue, Bishop King explained that SOCOG was forced to introduce a roster system because of the security requirements and the need to account for the coming and going of some 80 voluntary chaplains.

"The roster system is to protect the security situation – SOCOG have done a wonderful job of maintaining security," he said. "As one chaplain leaves, they have to hand their pass onto another chaplain who is coming in." However, the bishop said he understood that some chaplains were concerned by the issue and agrees that they work most effectively on an ‘always available-relationship basis’.

"Otherwise it deprives an athlete of confidence and trust in a chaplain, and it deprives a chaplain of credibility if they are unavailable," the Bishop said. "Nevertheless we hope the roster system works well."

Bishop King has two Olympic roles. He is chairman of the Archbishop of Sydney’s Olympic Games Taskforce and he is also chairman of Quest – the inter-denominational group co-ordinating the churches’ efforts for the Games. He sees his role as helping those Christians committed to welfare-type voluntary work, and those Christians committed to evangelism to see that they are working on the same team.

"Quest and Christian chaplaincy are all about helping and counselling. It is not a devious method for ‘Bible bashing’ or proselytising. We act compassionately in order to express the compassion of God."

The evangelistic element in Quest comes about naturally, he says, because, "We believe the love of God is worth so much more than gold that we want the whole world to know about it".

Bishop King believes one of the big issues to come out of the Games is the need for the Church to think about how to engage with a pluralist, multi-faith society. While the ‘multi-faith’ nature of the ‘chapel’ in the Olympic Village has been the source of controversy with some Christians, Bishop King said he has ‘no problem’ with such multi-faith situations. "Each faith has its own chaplain," he said. "Anyway, Christian chaplains have a track record of helping people of any faith."

However, he was genuinely saddened by the way Olympic organisers so readily dismissed his idea of a ‘multi-faith prayer’ at the Opening Ceremony. He believes that this decision is symptomatic of Australian society’s failure to engage with spirituality. The result: public officials are so fearful of upsetting minority groups that they remove all religious language from the public domain. But in so doing they fail to realise they are actually pushing a rather narrow secularist agenda, which is anti-religious.

Despite this one sadness, Bishop King remains remarkably upbeat about the Olympics.

"It is marvellous expression of community and togetherness. Although some people regret the crowds and expense involved, it is an event that is sure to have positive results."

Such comments would be of little surprise to those who know him. Bishop King is passionate about sport. He is a former ‘Wallaby’ (Australian Rugby Union international) and talks with enthusiasm about his memories of tackling the mighty New Zealand All Blacks. He is still a member of his local Gordon Rugby club, and is a regular speaker at their events. He also has a long track record in sports ministry, serving as vice-chairman of Sports and Leisure Ministries for 20 years.

"A pessimist will regret the competitive nature of sport, but Christians have a mission to express the love of God wherever people are in life," he said. "I have an appreciation of all sport. The skills in nearly every sport can be translated into life in general – in terms of commitment, concentration, idealism. Sport is a marvellous vehicle for those attributes."

While the Bishop readily acknowledges the corruption and cheating in much contemporary sport, he believes ‘the positive aspects of sport far outweigh the dark side’.

Bishop King describes himself as a natural optimist and it is hard to dispute that assessment.

He is a relaxed and easygoing conversationalist, who is ready to share his latest joke with any who will listen. It is a style which endears him to many of the ‘ordinary Aussie blokes’, whom he sees as his special area of mission. This is also why he enjoys greatly his other role as Bishop to the Australian Defence Force.

His work with the military has only clarified the Bishop’s belief that sports ministry is a key way of reaching the missing male demographic in churches. "Particularly in Australia where the ‘macho’ image matters so much," he said.

Bishop King is looking forward to seeing the finals of athletics and soccer at this Olympics, but quickly adds that he ‘very keen to see the wheel chair rugby’ at the Paralympics.

Bishop Brian King is the Anglican Bishop to the Australian Defence Force and the Regional Bishop of Western Sydney in the Diocese of Sydney.