Writing in The Salvation Army’s latest Thought for the Month, Turner chided the church for not being more welcoming to the “losers” of the community and challenged believers to reach out to the down and outs on their own doorsteps.
“We love to see TV programmes like ‘Beyond the Boundaries’ in which disabled people take on challenges most able-bodied folk would fail. We cheer the ‘losers’ who make good,” he wrote in his sports themed article.
“But what of the down and outs in our community – those with drink and alcohol problems, broken marriages, disability or disease?
“Most people have no time for them. Even in our churches those who ‘don’t fit’ can suffer a rough ride.”
Captain Turner pointed to the example set by Jesus in offering forgiveness to the Samaritan woman who had been divorced five times, the healing he brought to the disabled, and the occasions on which he touched lepers – a condition Turner described as “the HIV/Aids problem of his day”.
“Jesus had lots of time for misfits – whether due to disability or social status,” he wrote. “The high fliers in among his Band of Twelve were a former tax collector and a thief who finally betrayed him. But Jesus knew that with God’s Spirit in them people can change.”
Captain Turner concluded with a reminder to Christians of God’s ability to save even the biggest underdogs.
“Remember that God has the same attitude as the good sports fan,” he noted. “That with the right coaching and proper application (God’s Spirit working in our hearts to apply His Word), the biggest loser can be transformed and receive eternal life.”
