Athletics
Our Athletics Department at Lincoln Christian University is one of our most treasured aspects of our
Christian community. God's Word often uses athletic imagery to describe the discipleship journey, and
we seek to harness the power of those images and utilize them for intentional personal development for
our students and for Kingdom work.
Our sports teams pursue excellence and achievement through rigorous discipline and training efforts.
They seek to identify and engage their athletes' strengths, knowing that they play for an audience of
One and they work for His glory. In addition to striving for physical readiness, our teams seek to
live out Christian community as a team working together as one body, striving to win with a clear
picture of true Victory set into their minds.
In these pursuits, we believe that our athletes can be used by God to reveal the character of Christ.
We believe that our teams are trained by God's Word. We believe that worship occurs on our courts and
our fields. We believe that a game is more than a game; that the drama unfolding in the midst of
competition is an embodiment of the Christian life.
Seeking a mascot that would embody all these truths together with Earl Hargrove's vision of the
mission of Lincoln, to prepare preachers and other leaders for service in the church and the world,
was a task that was not undertaken lightly. After much careful consideration and prayerful discussion,
we are proud to announce the new mascot of Lincoln Christian University, the Red Lions. The lion has
been viewed positively through-out much of human history, often referred to as "King of the jungle,"
or "King of beasts." It has been a prominent symbol in ancient art and architecture. The Bible uses
the lion metaphorically to describe the Tribe of Judah as a people marked with boldness, power, and
majesty. Scripture also uses lion imagery to offer a fascinating contrast between Satan and Jesus.
Satan is presented as a treacherous lion looking to devour (1 Peter 5:8), while Jesus is pictured
as a triumphant lion who makes everything right (Revelation 5:5). Our enemy, like a hungry lion,
is ruthless and aggressive, but our Lord, as an honored lion, is majestic and worshiped in the end
like the victorious Aslan of C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia. As a mascot for Lincoln Christian
University the lion represents an athletic program marked with dignity, discipline, and an eager
desire to delight in the One who alone satisfies (Job 38:39 and Psalm 104:21)."