GUTS Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma has a youth program they call Sub30. (Because, you know, that name’s so hip, you *have* to join!)
One of the ways the group celebrates God is by having a regular Fight Night.
It’s exactly what you think it is…
They even celebrated their latest event on Twitter:

Ok, so they box for Jesus. The whole point is to do something catering to younger people so they eventually become tithing church members. I have no idea how it’s supposed to make them “better Christians,” but I’m not part of their target demographic, so what the hell do I know.
Anyway, what could possibly go wrong with fighting in the church?
Former Tulsa Golden Hurricane linebacker George Clinkscale died Wednesday night after participating in an unsanctioned amateur boxing match held at Guts Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
…
This was the sixth time that Guts Church had held a boxing event, billed on their website as “Guts Fight Night VI.” According to a tweet sent out by Guts Church pastor Bill Scheer, there were 12 fights set to take place during the event.
In order for an amateur boxing event to be held in the state of Oklahoma it must be sanctioned by USA Boxing, the governing body approved by the State Athletic Commission in 1999. USA Boxing is the only sanctioning body authorized to sanction amateur events in the state of Oklahoma.
Joe Miller of the Oklahoma State Athletic Commission said that after making contact with president of the Local Boxing Committee of USA Boxing Jack McCann, he was informed that the committee was unaware that the event was taking place.
So not only was it a dumb idea, it was an illegal idea… and now someone is dead because of the church’s negligence.
It’s not the only time the church glorifies violent “manhood” like this, either.
Every week, the church gives an award to the local high school football player who makes the biggest hit in a game. It’s called The Ultimate Hitman Program:
The Ultimate Hitman Program celebrates the “Hit of the week” in over 20 local high schools and 4 states around the country.
We send reps to each school every week to give the team a challenging word and award the Big Hitter with a Hitman t-shirt. Each of these teams have scheduled team nights at our GYC services and we culminate the season with the Ultimate Hitman Awards Show.
Over 2,000 people will be in attendance at this years Hitman Awards as we show higlights in 5 categories with over 25 schools in attendance. We are changing the culture of High School football — Hit Hard and Love God.
That’s really the message we want to send to young people. Don’t just tackle someone because it’s one way to help your football team — do it because it’s what Jesus wants.
I don’t get the obsession with violence, as if that’s the best way to bring young people together. Go to any high school in the country and you’ll find students doing amazing things while getting virtually no recognition for them. Celebrate those things, not “fighting for the lord.”
(via Apprising Ministries — Thanks to Beau for the link!)