Thursday, August 30, 2007
Vick's path to redemption
Linda Whitlock
Recent columns
From the RoundTable blog
Michael Vick had it all -- a dream career, money, fame, esteem. Now he's close to losing it. The NFL has suspended him. Nike's cut ties with him. The Falcons can't wait to recoup some of his signing bonus then dump him. And, more than likely, a judge will soon sentence him to a year or more in jail. For Vick, it was a quick rise to the top and an even quicker plunge to the bottom.
I used to be an avid fan of pro football. Or at least of Joe Montana and the late Bill Walsh's 49ers. But those days are long past, and it's been years since I've had time to pay much attention to football. Still, living in such close proximity to Virginia Tech, I could hardly avoid knowing at least a little something about Michael Vick and his brother, Marcus.
Though not a fan, until the revelations about his dogfighting involvement, I always thought reasonably well of Vick. He seemed a pretty decent guy, particularly compared with his brother. But, I confess, I have little sympathy for him now.
Training dogs to be vicious and using them to fight other dogs is cruel enough. How involved Vick was in that, however, isn't clear. At the least, his money helped fund it. But what is clear, from his own admission, is that he did participate in brutally killing dogs that hadn't lived up to expectations. That isn't an error in judgment, as Vick and others might want to believe. It's a deficiency in character.
This past Monday, Vick pleaded guilty in federal court. Afterward he acknowledged that dog fighting is "terrible" and apologized for his actions, especially to his young fans. That was a good thing because, for good or ill, many young boys look up to athletes and try to emulate them. Athletes are the only heroes some kids have. But Vick's apology, unfortunately, won't undo the damage his poor example may have caused.
Vick also said he's found Jesus.
It's tempting to be skeptical of such a claim -- to chalk it up as just another jailhouse conversion. Too often, we suspect, such claims are made more for their potential effect on sentencing and public opinion than as the result of a sincere change of heart.
But not always.
One of my heroes, in fact, made just such a claim. And it was greeted not only with skepticism but with outright disbelief. Just over 30 years ago, Charles Colson "found Jesus" during the Watergate investigation. As Colson's biographer, Jonathan Aitken, tells it, when the news became public some months later, "columnists, editorial writers, and cartoonists had a field day of mockery." Who could believe Nixon's "hatchet man" had truly sold out to God?
But this proud, powerful man had reached the end of himself. Like Michael Vick, Colson had been at the top. Soon all he'd worked for would be on the line -- his reputation, his law practice, his self-respect, eventually even his freedom. But, as Aitken's biography explains, after a business acquaintance witnessed to him and gave him a copy of C.S. Lewis's "Mere Christianity," Colson finally relinquished his pride and turned his life over to Jesus.
Ultimately Colson was convicted and sentenced to prison. While he was there, God gave him a heart for prisoners. After his release, Colson founded Prison Fellowship. Through Prison Fellowship, he's spent the last 30 years advocating for prisoners and ministering to them both in the United States and throughout the world. In 1993, Colson was awarded the $1 million Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion, money he promptly donated to Prison Fellowship.
"I will redeem myself," Vick promised at the end of his news conference. But if he really has found Jesus, the one thing Vick should know is that there's no way he can redeem himself. Jesus has already done that for him. All Vick can do is strive to live a life worthy of that redemption.
Because Chuck Colson has lived such a life, there's little question now his jailhouse conversion was for real. Aitken's biography of Colson is subtitled "A Life Redeemed." It's a title that fits Colson well. Thirty years from now, I hope the same can be said for Michael Vick.
Whitlock, a Roanoke Times columnist, is an adjunct English professor who lives in Salem.
