Everyone in this town seems to be talking about YOGA. In case you missed it, on 10/28/18 Pastor John Lindell of James River Church preached a sermon entitled, Haunted: Pursuing the Paranormal. In that sermon, he warned his church to avoid practicing yoga because of it's "demonic roots." He went on to say that the positions in yoga were "created with demonic intent to open you up to demonic power because Hinduism is demonic."
Who would have thought such comments could become a major talking point in Springfield and beyond? The local media covered it, it's been picked up nationally, it's taken social media by storm. For two weeks, almost daily, I've been asked for my thoughts on Pastor John's sermon. So hear you go, YOGA'tta hear me out on this one.
1) It doesn’t matter what you or I think, we begin with God's Word:
In 1 Corinthians 10, Paul is answering an important question for this young church at Corinth: "Should we eat food that has been sacrificed to false idols?" Keep in mind, many of these Christians were new believers. It hadn't been many years since they were polytheistic pagans in their religious practices. Not only were they accustomed to participating in festivals in their homes, many of them were still attending temple rituals including, but not limited to, visiting temple prostitutes. Paul was discipling these young believers, teaching them to walk with Christ as they walked away from pagan beliefs. At times, he told them to abstain from things: "Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry (v. 14)." And at the same time, he gives allowance to walk in Christian liberty: “All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up (v. 23)."
Paul is reminding this church that God is a jealous God (see v. 22). He desires that our affections are for him alone. He reminds them of the mistakes of the children of Israel (vv. 1-5) and declares, "Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did (v. 6)." Paul is making the point, whether you eat (yoga) or don't eat (don't yoga), do it for the glory of God. We should do all things to the glory of God, avoid whatever might be the means of stumbling one another, and seek the profit of others in spiritual matters rather than our own gratification or opinions.
2) What do we know about Pastor John?
I do not know John personally. I see him often at the gym and choose to give him space. I would never desire his platform; With it, comes fame, scrutiny, and a lack of personal space among other things. I have close friends who know him well and speak highly of him. I do know this, His character for 25+ years has proven in this town to be impeccable. Sure, I've heard stories that say otherwise, but I choose to look at the whole body of work rather than nitpicking via the stories of a few.
His church has been a tremendous blessing to this community. I won't even try to summarize all the good they've accomplished, but you can watch this video here if you'd like to educate yourself on their history and Kingdom accomplishments.
I see a man who has faithfully pastored his church from a small start up (like ours) to a mega-church with multiple campuses reaching thousands with the gospel (not like ours). Quite honestly, it doesn't matter that I want to avoid becoming a mega-church. I'm not concerned about our minor theological differences. My respect for Pastor John is rooted in the recognition that he has been faithful to "run in his lane." This is not the 1st time he has received criticism for something he preached that collided with social norms. With meekness, he has waded into the murky waters of socially accepted sin and taken shots with the big target he wears on his back, all while seeking to be faithful to the scriptures and the God he serves. I may not agree with his every word, but I admire his boldness and consistency. Which brings up another question...
3) What about grace?
Grace must be given because the Word of God is infallible, but the pastor is not. This is what makes pastoring so difficult. We are imperfect men and yet, each week, we study, listen and write what we believe is good for our people to hear. It is with pastoral concern that John preached this sermon. It was out of love for the people God has entrusted to him. Agree or disagree with his conclusion, but Pastor John gave his church a wise caution: We should not step blindly into any cultural activity without examining it through the lens of Christ.
Grace must be given because sometimes we, as pastors, get it wrong. I have many friends who are longtime members of JRA. I've been impressed with their maturity as they've defended their pastor even while they disagreed with his sermon. It pains me to hear of others who walked out and vowed to never return. It should be far more difficult for church members to leave their church. As your pastor, I hope you don't always agree with me. I pray that I provide healthy dissonance in your spirit as you're confronted with the sinful flesh at work in your life. I also pray for grace when my flesh invades my sermon and I misspeak. Grace is the unmerited favor of God. We need to take our cue from Him and learn to extend favor to one another in our fallibility. It is in Christ, that we become one body (1 Corinthians 12:12).
A Warning:
I am deeply disturbed in my spirit at the response of Christians over this. How should we respond as Christians? Be gracious! Agree or disagree, but don’t pile on. Whether it's a church putting up a billboard (picture above) to capitalize on the yogis who left a church or a pastor's blog that is lacking grace, or a gossip sessions at a coffee shop, God is not pleased by any of this. If demonic activity is anything that stands in opposition to the Spirit of God, then one thing I'm sure of is this: Gossip is far more damaging to the believer than a theologically suspect sermon or even yoga for that matter. Slander is another fruit of the flesh. When we participate in conversations such as these, we are willingly doing the work of the demonic.
Should we yoga?
I'll leave that up to you. I'll trust that you can wrestle with the scriptures and seek the Holy Spirit for guidance. I WILL TELL YOU that one should not participate in any cultural activity without 1st seeking the scriptures and 2nd becoming informed of the practice's origins and purpose. Paul gave this warning to the Church at Corinth in 2 Corinthians: [4] For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. [5] We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ..."
How do we carry forward the Love Story of God?
We know that yoga finds it's origins in the Hindu faith. I do believe we should avoid syncretism (blending religious beliefs) and universalism (all roads lead to god) at all costs as these belief are diametrically opposed to the Christian faith. However, I also believe nearly everything (there are some exceptions, such as pornography) in culture is redeemable by the gospel. After all, as Bruce Marshall wrote, "The young man who rings the bell at the brothel is unconsciously looking for God." I would say that yoga and every other form of pleasure-seeking, relaxation-seeking or comfort-seeking is actually an attempt to seek the ONE TRUE GOD.
Pastor John said, "Yoga is diametrically opposed to Christianity," he said. "....Christians should stay away from yoga because of its demonic roots." On the former statement, I don’t disagree with him because it's original purpose is intended to serve the Hindu faith. However, on the latter, if culture is redeemable, then yoga practiced apart from its Hindi roots is permissible. Not only is it permissible, it might even be redeemable for gospel storytelling. I would say, be cautious. Pay attention! Do your homework. Seek God. And if you yoga (or do not yoga) do it for the glory of God.
It's fascinating to me how most of us have a disdain for christian legalism; reducing our faith to a set of dos and don'ts. Yet, when it comes to matters such as this, we almost demand it. "Pastor, tell us if we can or if we can't." Or "pastor, you better answer this correctly or I'm leaving!" As a pastor, it is easier to draw lines that require members to abstain. After all, if you avoid yoga completely, you are less likely to fall into the trap of Hinduism. However, that ignores the Spirit of God within you. And it becomes extremely difficult to draw legalistic lines anyway. You might have to also give up your Christmas tree or chocolate Easter bunnies. Are you willing to quit your martial arts classes because of your faith? Are we in sin for handing out costumes to the community? I think not. That is why I prefer to teach you to walk in Christ.
In Acts 17:16-34, there's a wonderful story of Paul telling the LOVE STORY of Jesus to the people of Athens. "Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols (16)." Now Paul did not stop to worship these idols, but he did pay close enough attention to notice them. He even noticed one in particular that he deemed useful for sharing the gospel story of Jesus: [23] For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. [24] The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, [25] nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. (vv. 23–25). Rather than avoiding the culture, Paul stepped right into it for the sake of the gospel. And what was the result? "...some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them (v. 34)."
Church, we exist to know, live and tell the Love Story of Jesus. These are not simple matters so I implore you, hold your tongue, expand your knowledge, then live out your story as you share it with unwavering confidence wherever the Lord leads you.
Originally posted as a letter to Story Church by Pastor Chris Ballard in his weekly newsletter.
For more information about the Story Church Movement…