Paul Putz serves as the assistant director of the Faith & Sports Institute, part of the Truett Seminary at Baylor University. Though Paul and I connected previously through social media, we met in person at a conference in June in Minneapolis and found out we have quite a bit in common, mainly our passion for Jesus and sports.
If you're a Christian who likes sports, you'll especially enjoy this conversation. Earlier in 2023, Paul gave a chapel talk called "Jesus and James Naismith," where he explored the Christian roots of basketball. In our conversation this week, he shares a little bit about that history and the Christian origin of one of the world's most popular games.
Even if you don't like sports, stick around for Paul discuss how he followed his passions to end up where he is now professionally as well as how he goes about his research and writing.
Speaking of his writing, he's writing a book about the history of sports and Christianity in modern American culture, which should be published in late 2024 or early 2025. Paul is pretty active on Twitter, so give him a follow @p_emory, or on Threads @paulemoryputz. You can also email him at Paul_Putz@baylor.edu.
I'd love for you to connect with me by signing up for my newsletter, "The Road Ahead": coledouglasclaybourn.substack.com. You can also find more of my articles and content at coleclaybourn.com and on social media: