SKU: 74796656875

Bull in the Ring: Football and Faith, Refuge in a Troubled Time

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Bull in the Ring: Football and Faith, Refuge in a Troubled TimeThe thread of the book is an account of the 1970 Missouri large schools high school state football championship my St. Louis University High team won. We were unlikely champions: undersized, not very fast, no home field, high academic standards for admission, half our games against Top 10 teams in the state. We barely qualified for the four team state playoff, we faced the heavily favored title game opponent having won our previous four games by an

The thread of the book is an account of the 1970 Missouri large schools high school state football championship my St. Louis University High team won. We were unlikely champions: undersized, not very fast, no home field, high academic standards for admission, half our games against Top 10 teams in the state. We barely qualified for the four-team state playoff, we faced the heavily favored title game opponent having won our previous four games by an average of just 4.5 points, including a 14-13 victory over our archrival in front of 18,000 people at Busch Stadium. I was a center and linebacker, and one of the team captains.

The story of the book, though, is how football and that championship season became a refuge for my classmates and me, young Baby Boomers whose great but na ve ambition was tempered by the frightening, threatening social turmoil of the late 1960s. The Vietnam War was escalating, the Civil Rights Movement was exploding, college campuses were erupting in protest, and many of us were at war with our parents' generation.

Adding to our drama, our beloved Student Council vice president and classmate was wounded in a robbery attempt on August 1 of 1970, and died two weeks later, the day before our football season workouts began. We devoted our season to him.

I tell this true story from the first person, and through the reminiscences of a handful of the key characters who were central to it, including our legendary head coach Paul Martel, who died in January 2016 at age 91. I conclude the book with reflections of what that season and accomplishment meant to us, particularly as we now face the final quarter of our lives. Educated by Jesuit priests, who challenged us to question, to commit to something, and to act, we pulled together in common purpose, at least for that season. Most of us were buoyed by our belief in each other, and by our faith in God. And, at least for me, I experienced life lessons that proved invaluable for what I was to become: a daily newspaper sportswriter and columnist, then a business executive, husband and father.

  1. true sports stories such as Remember the Titans, Hoosiers, Friday Night Lights, and One Shot at Forever (the story of the small-school Macon, Illinois baseball team that finished second in the 1971 Illinois baseball tournament), offer drama beyond the tension of high school competition on the fields and courts. This story provides plenty for an avid sports fan. But it, too, offers much more. I suspect Baby Boomers around the country, and readers of all ages, can relate to the way dreams evolve, become compromised or rationalized, and come to rest. And how hard-earned accomplishments, especially those boosted by the kind hand of an unseen power, provide meaning and comfort as we reflect on the impact we have made on the world.

Among the characters: our best player, an earnest and unselfish athlete who had his best game in the state championship; our only African-American teammate, whose parents moved him to St. Louis to distance him from the racial turmoil in central Alabama in the mid-1960s; our biggest player, a character seemingly straight from Clair Bee's Chip Hilton stories; our quarterback, a free-spirited genius who exasperated the coaches but pulled off heroic plays; an under-sized defensive end seemingly possessed by the spirit of his cherished older brother killed in Vietnam; and our Student Council secretary, an African-American who challenged us to confront society's racial issues and later revealed he is gay.



Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Jala Publishing
Published: 08/15/2017
ISBN: 9780999247709
Pages: 288
Weight: 0.94lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.65d
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SKU: 74796656875

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LakeDR
Massapequa, US
★★★★★ 5
Reveals sad truth about America
Format: Paperback
This book details the origins of systemic racism and the effects on Black people throughout history and today.
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Reviewed in the United States on August 12, 2022
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Evelyn Foran
New York, US
★★★★★ 5
A revelatory book with the fingerprint of The Holy Spirit!
Format: Paperback
I have other books by Dr. Mark Chironna and as usual this book did not disappoint. The wealth of insight Dr Chironna has will cause you to get revelation! Outside of the Bible I can not say this about any other authors except for the books I have by Dr Chironna. I get so much revelation that I have to stop reading it to write it down. The Prophetic Integrity is a must read. I believe all Spirit led pastors and leaders in the body of Christ need to read and teach out of this book.
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Reviewed in the United States on June 5, 2026
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MB
West Palm Beach, US
★★★★★ 5
A pastoral and prophetic epistle to the Western Church
Format: Paperback, Format: Paperback
I was so glad to read this book! Joash Thomas writes with an accessible blend of humor, vulnerability, and incisive observation as he reminds the Western Church of the inheritance of the saints across time and around the world. With pastoral sensitivity and prophetic courage, Joash brings the global heritage of the Church into the spotlight in a kind, clarifying, and convicting way. The book is structured in three parts: the first clears away some of the roadblocks to considering a justice-oriented lens, the second explores and illuminates the necessary work of decolonizing our doctrine and praxis, and the third invites readers to imagine an alternate path forward. I liked how the book is sprinkled with story-telling—both examples from global church history and story-telling ways churches today are prioritizing justice. I also found his idea for shifting "mission trips" to "vision trips" that see what God is already doing to be very provocative and hopeful. My favorite part of the book was the exposition on the Lord's Prayer. Each chapter ends with reflection questions, making this a great resource for a church small group or book study. *** A few of my favorite quotes: "One of the most beautiful, anti-colonial things about the Table is the way it visibly unifies all of us in Christ, regardless of socioeconomic status, race, gender, or politics. The Table is a rare place on earth where people who have nothing else in common suddenly find themselves reminded of how they hold the most important thing in common with each other, which is being united by the body and blood of Christ. The colonizer's gospel divides to conquer, but the gospel of Christ unites to heal. In a Western church that is highly divided on issues of theology, race, politics, and socioeconomics, the Table can be a physical place of healing and unification. Unless we learn to receive the body of Christ with our enemies at the Table (which requires allowing our theological and political enemies to participate at the Table with us), we will never know what it looks like to become the body of Christ for this broke world in need of healing." pg. 89 "Many Western Christians today are uncomfortable (and in many cases, even made fearful) by the idea of Christians living at peace and in the minority in a highly pluralistic society, even though this has been the reality for the vast majority of non-Western Christians around the world." pg. 109 "When we start prayer acknowledging that we're children of this heavenly Father, we are reminded that we are a part of a cosmic order much bigger than ourselves...When we ask God to give us our daily bread, we are asking God to give ALL his children their daily bread...God still takes the side of people in poverty and oppression because they have no one else who can advocate on their behalf. God's preferential option for the poor is not because of the goodness of people in poverty; it is because of the goodness of God." pg. 137-139 "In situations like this, we must set aside our desire for success (in this case, transforming the entire political climate of a nation) and prioritize faithfulness (doing what we can with what we have), even if this means we have to operate from the margins." pg. 158
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Reviewed in the United States on November 19, 2025
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Tyler
New York, US
★★★★★ 5
Thoughtful, Challenging, Research-Based, and Compelling: Joash P. Thomas' "The Justice of Jesus"
Format: Paperback
I cannot recommend this book enough! Especially for Christian's actively involved in a church community. In The Justice of Jesus, Joash offers a compelling and challenging vision of what authentic, Christ-centered justice truly looks like. What I loved most about this book is how directly Joash engages with the reader to reflect on what justice means, what it looks like, and why that can sometimes be an uncomfortable topic, especially for White, Western Christians like myself; and Joash masterfully addresses the topic in a way that's sensitive yet direct and firm, allowing readers from all backgrounds to thoughtfully consider his argument without feeling targeted or turned off. I also really appreciate the quality of his evidence and argument, especially as it relates to anecdotal experience. He provides countless examples of Church communities engaged in the work of justice Jesus' way. There is so much I wish I could dive deeper into, but one of the key takeaways from this book that I appreciate is that, as hard and uncomfortable it can be to acknowledge, Christian's in the West (especially white) are deeply privileged and carry with them a colonized theology that's more often led to harm, oppression, and violence than it has to love, peace, and brotherhood. We've over emphasized the salvation of souls to the detriment of care for physical bodies, perfectly content to keep people in bondage so long as they say some magic words or profess belief. Joash rightly challenges this, calling on Western Christian's to 1) acknowledge their privilege and history of colonial conquest, 2) hold freedom of the body just as highly as salvation of the soul, 3) prioritize unity as beloved children of God over theological/liturgical differences, and 4) do the hard work necessary to address the harm our past has done (a task for which Joash provides many examples/suggestions) as we move forward as the Body of our Lord. Joash includes thoughtful reflection questions at the end of each chapter, making this the perfect book for a book group or study. I recommended it to the pastor of my church and look forward to engaging with it even more!
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Reviewed in the United States on February 2, 2026
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M Summers
Louisville, US
★★★★★ 5
Profoundly helpful!
Format: Paperback
I lead book studies centered on social justice and Joash’s work is powerful and refreshing! Fresh perspectives, practical tips, & convicting truths rooted in the Good News of Jesus. Each member of the study has said again and again how good this book has been! Thank you Joash!
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Reviewed in the United States on May 24, 2026

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