Skip to content ↓

Judge Not

The Olympics have finally ended. As Olympics go, this one was relatively free of scandal, which really means there were only a few scandals instead of so many that the whole two week time period falls under suspicion. It seems that the events that generate most controversy are the judged events. It is much more difficult to contest results in non-judged events.

Probably the most contentious issue this time around has been the medal awarded to the American gymnast Paul Hamm. He was awarded gold, but the South Korean team protested, saying that their athlete had his event improperly judged and that he deserved the gold medal. Their case is just about watertight and it seems that the Olympic Committee may have to strip Hamm of his medal. A Canadian athlete also lost out on a medal when judges did not remove the necessary marks from a vaulter who stumbled out of bounds after his vault. Again, their case is solid, though it seems less likely that anything will be done in this case. As I think about these events I’m reminded of the last Winter Olympics where there was a huge figure skating scandal as it became obvious that judges were in collusion and the entire competition had been tainted.

I can’t imagine dedicating years of my life to a task only to have my greatest accomplishment stolen from me by corrupt people. Imagine how these people must feel, having given years and even decades of blood, sweat and tears – so much sacrifice – only to unfairly lose out. That has got to hurt!

It makes me glad that the ultimate Judge is completely unbiased. When our time comes, He will judge completely fairly. And that’s a good thing since the stakes are so much higher than gold, silver, bronze and a few brief moments on adulation.


  • Are We Living in the Last Days

    Are We Living in the Last Days?

    The world is a mess. The world is a mess and seems to be getting messier. I could draw up an inventory of all the wars and conflicts, the diseases and disasters, the rise of immorality and decline of virtue, but that would be to tell you what you have already observed and already know.…

  • A La Carte Friday 2

    A La Carte (March 29)

    A La Carte: How to protect your kids from sexual abuse / Talk to God about what hurts / How’s your Bible reading plan going? / Resentment between men and women in the church / and more.

  • A Batch of New Books for Kids

    A Batch of New Books for Kids (and Teens)

    Every month I put together a roundup of new and notable books for grownup readers. But I also receive a lot of books for kids and like to put together the occasional roundup of these books as well. So today I bring you a whole big batch of new books for kids of all ages…

  • A La Carte Thursday 1

    A La Carte (March 28)

    A La Carte: The case against the abortion pill / What I’ve learned about grieving with hope / Heartbreaking deception: teen girls, social media, and body image / Could podcasts save the church from stupidity? / Count it all joy / and more.

  • What God Wants You To Forget

    What God Wants You To Forget

    We are never far from reminding God of our credentials, of providing him with a curriculum vitae that lays out all we are, all we have been through, and all we have accomplished for his sake. We are never far from making the subtle turn from grace to merit, from what is freely given to…

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (March 27)

    A La Carte: New music / Millennials and GenZ / Scotland’s new hate crime law / Cate Blanchett, Easter is for you / Why the Reformed pray for revival / What truly happened to Jesus on the cross? / and more.