Great post by David Mathis on how Jackie Robinson’s Christian faith drove him to not return evil for evil. I don’t know if this important theme is brought out by the new movie 42, but I hope it is, because it’s the only explanation for how he could have done it. Mathis writes:
The story of Jackie Robinson (1919–1972) — and with him Brooklyn Dodgers president Branch Rickey (1881–1965) — is one of the most powerful tales American athletics has to tell. Robinson overcame what seemed like insurmountable obstacles not only by playing outstanding baseball, but even more significantly, by not retaliating when treated with rank injustice and racism. According to Metaxas, “Jackie’s not fighting back against such filth and injustice was as heroic an accomplishment as anything the sports world had ever witnessed” (126).
Metaxas writes about Robinson (among others) in his new book Seven Men: And the Secret of Their Greatness
Read the rest of Mathis’ post.