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Non-muscular Christianity

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Probably not Jesus Christians grow tired of seeing Jesus Christ - He who willingly made the greatest sacrifice ever offered - portrayed as a somewhat wimpish, pallid and, dare I say, effeminate figure. One recourse amongst his followers has been to re-imagine the Christian body, the 'temple of the Holy Ghost', as a place of physical, sporting, and masculine strength. The idea of Muscular Christianity first grew from the writings of Thomas Hughes & Charles Kingsley. Hughes' book Tom Brown's School Days fictionalised and immortalised the work of Thomas Arnold, Christian headmaster of Rugby School in 1830s England, who encouraged the boys in his care to organise and take part in numerous sport and leisure activities. Arnold's intent was that the boys would grow into strong, principled Christian men, ready to take the Gospel to the world, and he believed that active energetic pursuits would be a key tool in their moral and spiritual education.