The Fellowship of Christian Athletes has bridged the gap between faith and sports since 1954. Don McClanen, who founded the FCA, was motivated to help athletes and coaches understand they were separated from God by an unbridgeable chasm of sin that only Jesus Christ could bridge.

McClanen couldn’t help but notice the elevated status of top athletes through advertisements and thought their popularity and influence could be put to another use. “It occurred to me that nearly everybody was capitalizing on the well-known social phenomenon of hero worship,” McClanen told Sports Illustrated. I knew that if guys like Otto Graham or Bob Feller told kids to eat a certain kind of cereal, the kids ate that kind of cereal. I wondered why, if sports stars could endorse breakfast foods, cigarettes or sportswear, they couldn’t endorse Christianity.”

Hebrews 7 – What Separates Us?

In Hebrews 7, the writer helps us understand the idea of Christ as the bridge—between sinful humanity and our holy God. Christ serves as our perfect and permanent “Bridge-maker.” The central part of Judaism is the priesthood. Without the priests, no sacrifices could be made, and without the sacrifices, no sins could be forgiven.

Melchizedek’s priesthood was superior to Abraham and Aaron’s priesthood, and so also was Christ’s. Jesus’ priesthood is universal, royal, righteous, peaceful, personal, and eternal. Christ’s perfect and complete ministry surpassed the old, imperfect, temporary system of sacrifices. Melchizedek was a man God intended to serve as a picture of Jesus Christ. His life and ministry were an illustration, a very limited analogy to what Christ would later do during His earthly ministry.

The Kingdom Coach and Athlete use the idea of Christ as the “Bridge-maker” to motivate them to share the gospel with others. They help others see all humanity is separated from God and that Jesus is the only solution.