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Scene from 'Moneyball' Depicts Our Freedom in Christ

Moneyball begins with Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane (played by Brad Pitt) upset by his team's loss to the New York Yankees in the 2001 postseason. With the impending departure of star players, Beane attempts to devise a strategy for assembling a competitive team for 2002 but struggles to overcome Oakland's limited player payroll. During a visit to the Cleveland Indians, Beane meets Peter Brand (played by Jonah Hill), a young Yale economics graduate with radical ideas about how to assess players' value. Sensing opportunity, Beane hires Brand as the Athletics' assistant general manager.

Ultimately during the 2002 season, the Athletics win an unprecedented 20 consecutive games, setting the American League record. Despite all their success, the A's lose in the first round of the postseason.

As Beane sits alone in the clubhouse, Brand attempts to convince him that he "won pretty big." Seeing that he is unconvinced, Brand invites Beane to the video room. Brand has cued up a segment of tape for Beane to watch—a clip about a player named Jeremy Brown, a catcher from their minor league baseball team, the Visalia Oaks.

Brand narrates as the clip plays:

The Visalia Oaks and our 240-pound catcher Jeremy Brown, who as you know, is scared to run to second base, this was in a game six weeks ago. This guy [the pitcher] is going to start him off with a fast ball. Jeremy's gonna take it to deep center. Here's what's really interesting, because Jeremy is gonna do what he never does—he's gonna go for it; he's gonna round first and he's gonna go for it. Okay!

In the video, Jeremy rounds first and appears to be headed for second, only to stop and crawl back to the security of first base. He clings to first base like a frightened child clings to a teddy bear.

"This is all Jeremy's nightmares coming to life," says Brand.

"Ah, they're laughing at him," says Beane.

Brand says, "Jeremy's about to find out why; Jeremy's about to realize that the ball went 60-feet over the fence. He hit a home run, and he didn't even realize it."

Beane stares at the screen as Jeremy finally discovers that the ball went out of the park and then jubilantly rounds the bases for home.

Beane smiles and asks, "How can you not be romantic about baseball?"

"It was a metaphor," Brand responds.

"I know it was a metaphor," replies Beane.

And of course Jeremy Brown's behavior is also a metaphor for the Christian life. Christ has already hit the home run that brings us home. His righteousness has been credited to our account, and we are now at peace with God. We don't have to live in fear, carefully crawling back to and then clinging to first base. Instead, we can jubilantly run the race as we head confidently toward home.

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