Muscular Christianity

Muscular Christianity was a philosophicalmovement that originated in England in themid-19th century，characterized by a belief in patriotic duty，manliness，themoral and physical beauty of athleticism，teamwork，discipline，self-sacrifice，and“the expulsion of all that is effeminate，un-English，and excessively intellectual.”

3-9　Muscular Christianity

Proponents of Muscular Christianity draw support from Paul the Apostle，who used athletic metaphors to describe the challenges of a Christian life.However，the explicit advocacy of sport and exercise in Christianity did not appear until 1762，when Rousseau's Emile described physical education as important for the formation ofmoral character.Hughes used it in Tom Brown at Oxford5；saying that it was“a good thing to havemuscled，strong and well-exercised bodies，”he specified，“The least of the muscular Christians has hold of the old chivalrous and Christian belief，that aman's body is given him to be trained and brought into subjection，and then used for the protection of the weak，the advancement of all righteous causes，and the subduing of the earth which God has given to the children ofmen.”

In addition to the beliefs stated above，Muscular Christianity preached the spiritual value of sports，especially team sports.By 1901，Muscular Christianity was influential enough in England that one author could praise“the Englishman going through theworld with rifle in one hand and Bible in the other”and add，“If asked what ourmuscular Christianity has done，we point to the British Empire6.”