A small but growing number of evangelical churches that have embraced mixed martial arts a sport with a reputation for violence and blood that combines kickboxing, wrestling and other fighting styles to reach and convert young men, whose church attendance has been persistently low.
"Compassion and love we agree with all that stuff, too," said Brandon Beals, 37, the lead pastor at Canyon Creek Church outside of Seattle. "But what led me to find Christ was that Jesus was a fighter."
