Amen to Brickyard Controversy

Spirituality Column #92
August 12, 2008
Current in Carmel (IN) newspaper
Current in Westfield (IN) newspaper

Amen to Brickyard Controversy
By Bob Walters

I've been paying attention to the lingering controversy after NASCAR's Allstate 400 at the Brickyard.

Days after the event, it was still a heated topic on local sports talk radio.

I'm speaking of course of the debate over the pre-race prayer. Eloquent, long-time Indianapolis Christian preacher Howard Brammer finished up his invocation praying "in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen."

Brammer, Speedway CEO Tony George's now-retired pastor at Trader's Point Christian Church, has been doing the Brickyard 400 prayer since the race's inception in 1994, and has prayed in the name of Jesus every year.

You Bible-readers know that in John 14:13-14, 15:16 and 16:23-24, Jesus - who left mankind few specific instructions except to "follow me," "believe in me," and "love me and each other" - specifically tells us to "ask in my name" when we pray.

Many Christians think that prayers not specifically invoking Christ's name bounce back off of God's heavenly switchboard. Although that’s how I like to pray, in Matthew 6:9 and Luke 11:2 where Jesus himself provides the foundational pieces of what we know as the Lord's Prayer, it says nothing about praying in His name.

Anyway, I have a hunch every sincere prayer is patched through.

It is not a new idea for a Christian to pray in Christ's name, just to pester the politically correct. I expect a Rabbi to pray to God, an Imam to Allah, and a Christian preacher to pray in Christ's name. It's just the way it works.

The talk radio guy lamented the unconscionable inconvenience of having a public prayer mentioning Jesus Christ "jammed down my throat" (direct quote by one of the hosts). He agreed as the caller ridiculed NASCAR fans for being "intolerant and close-minded" about religion. I sort of chuckled about the irony of these guys calling anybody else close-minded and intolerant.

Y’know, 43 drivers - most of whom go to Christian pre-race chapel in the garage area with their families - navigated that 400 mile race on treacherous, shredding tires without major injury to anything but Goodyear and NASCAR's fixable reputations.

I'm of the opinion that the last thing anyone should complain about is the pre-race prayer. ‘Seems to me it worked.

Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) has attended 28 Indianapolis 500s (including the last 25 in a row), 14 of 15 Allstate 400s, and went to all eight US Grands Prix. If you're marking a scorecard, yes, I went to church race morning ... 8 a.m. (2013 update ... now been to 33 Indianapolis 500s, this will be my 18th of 20 Brickyard 400s ... and at the moment sort of doubt I'll make it to church Sunday morning.)