Cunningham: "I Feel Like There's a Revival"
The Indiana Fever guard said she chose her own baptism and doesn't live for other people's applause.
Sophie Cunningham, guard for the Indiana Fever, said on a recent episode of This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von that she feels "there's a revival," The Christian Post reported. The quote is Sígueme's translation.
Von asked her whether the energy of faith seen in sports is real or sometimes just posturing. Cunningham didn't preach a sermon: she said some athletes don't believe, that she's totally fine with that, and that most of the people in her close circle do live out their faith.
She also celebrated that more and more people with big platforms are declaring themselves believers and speaking boldly about Jesus. Seeing them be bold is something valuable, she said.
«Applause and mockery come through the same screen and disappear just as fast.»
Neither Applause nor Criticism
Playing in the WNBA, she said, brings her a lot of praise and a lot of hate. Her faith keeps her steady and grounds her in who she is, she said. Applause and mockery come through the same screen and disappear just as fast. She said she doesn't care what people think because she doesn't live for their applause.
I think that's the point for anyone growing up among likes and comments: if both last the same amount of time, neither deserves to rule your identity. Her faith doesn't rest on the outcome of the game or the approval of the crowd.
Baptized as a Child, Decided as an Adult
Earlier this year she shared the video of her baptism at Christ's Church of the Valley in Phoenix, Arizona. She said she had already been baptized as a little girl, but felt a nudge in her heart to do it on her own terms as an adult. At a press conference afterward she described it as one of the best things she has done: she had always been a person of faith, she said, but now the decision is her own.
She acknowledged that, because of her lifestyle, she doesn't have a regular church. She was raised Catholic and today identifies as a non-denominational Christian. Baptism doesn't save anyone; it is the public response of a faith that already exists. That said, it's impressive to see a 30-year-old woman who doesn't just inherit her faith: she signs her name to it.
The Line That Was Also for You
In the conversation, Von said what he likes most about faith is the connection with God in prayer, but admitted that he gets filled with other things and ends up disconnected. He said he would like to have that connection stronger right now. Cunningham answered him and those listening: nothing you do or don't do can separate you from God's love, grace and forgiveness.
It wasn't a motivational podcast line. Scripture puts it this way: "For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38-39, ESV).
In the same talk she suggested that Von invite historians and scientists, and argued that many great scientists have concluded that Jesus existed. That shows her way of believing: without asking permission.
Her faith doesn't rest on applause or criticism. She has no regular church; she does have conviction, and this year she made it public. This week you can do something similar: find one person—a friend, a classmate, someone going through a hard time—and tell them that nothing can separate them from God's love. Who will you tell?
