The Mystical and Sublime in Extreme Sports: Experiences of Psychological Well-Being or Christian Revelation?

Extreme sports athletes sometimes report experiences that resemble mystical or sublime states, but when examined through a Christian theological lens these are not genuine encounters with the Holy. Drawing on theologians like Richard Zaehner and social scientists, the article distinguishes positive psychological states such as 'flow' from theistic mystical experiences described in the Bible and Christian theology. It also considers whether nature–person interaction in wilderness settings can evoke the sublime. The authors conclude that extreme sport does not provide access to the mystical realms of the Holy as articulated by Rudolph Otto, St Paul, Jonathan Edwards, and St John of the Cross.

Study at a glance

Abstract

The aim of this article is to examine the legitimacy of claims that athletes in extreme sports may encounter the mystical and sublime, when examined though a Christian theological lens. Drawing on the works of theologians and religious studies scholars – in particular, that of Richard Zaehner (1961) – and social scientists who have written on the topic of the mystical and sublime in sporting experience, the two major themes explored are first, the differences and similarities between positive psychological states commonly reported in extreme sport, for example the ‘flow’ experience, and theistic mystical experiences articulated in the bible and in Christian theology, and, secondly, the possibility of experiencing the sublime through the nature–person interaction in wilderness settings. As to whether extreme sport experience provides access to the mystical realms of the Holy that Rudolph Otto, St Paul, Jonathan Edwards and St John of the Cross refer to, our answer is an emphatic no. That said, we wish clea...