justinhmin@gmail.com
I guess I shouldn’t do yoga anymore…
Although Driscoll makes a number of valid points within the piece, I was surprised to find that his principal theological sentiments were seemingly at odds with Justin Holcomb, a fellow pastor at Mars Hill Church. In a recent post on the Resurgence website, Holcomb discusses how Christians should respond and relate to Halloween. Refuting Pat Robertson’s claim that participating in Halloween would be a mistake for all Christians, Holcomb writes:
In rejecting this holiday outright, Robertson fails to ask the following question: To what extent does something’s evolution from pagan roots entail that its present practice is tainted? As Albert Mohler notes, there has been a shift in Halloween from pagan ritual to merely commercial fascination with the dark side. What Pat Robertson misses is that for most people in America, Halloween is about candy. A quarter of all candy sold annually in the US is for Halloween night!
Could not the same be said of yoga? Despite its roots as a means to achieve union with the Hindu god, yoga in its present practice has evolved into just another form of exercise for many Americans. Admittedly, Christians should continue to avoid yoga practitioners and studios that continue to incorporate pagan elements in their stretches and exercise routines; however, I would be wary to generalize yoga into a practice that is impossible to divorce from its spiritual elements.
Concerning food offered to idols, Paul reminds the Corinthian Church that “an idol has no real existence, and that there is no God but one.” (1 Cor. 8:4). Hence, “we are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do.” (1 Cor. 8:8). God is chiefly concerned with our hearts and the love that we display for our fellow brothers and sisters – not merely the performance of external acts and rituals. I believe the same could be said of yoga. One is not better or worse off for engaging in yoga because, even if these exercises have roots in pagan religions, the Hindu god – or any other god for that matter – does not exist. Ultimately, as it pertains to yoga, we must act in accordance with our own respective consciences, but also tread carefully around those who may be stumbled by our actions.
If Driscoll’s main grievance, then, is with the term “yoga” and how it necessarily evokes pagan beliefs, then I wouldn’t mind encouraging individuals to use the term “breathing/stretching exercises” although I can conceive of a subsequent conversation by two Christians going something like this:
Person A: Would you like to do breathing/stretching exercises with me?
Person B: You mean, like yoga?
Person A: No, not yoga. Well, like yoga – just not with all the pagan stuff.
Person B: Ok?
As someone who has only done yoga once in his life (it’s not as easy as those girls make it look, folks!), I guess what I’m trying to say is that yoga isn’t important, semantics isn’t important, these discussions aren’t even that important. But God is. And thank God for that.
