Unbiblical vs Biblical View
In 2018, before most of the world new anything about Wokism, there was an article getting wide circulation on social media. It seems that article has since been removed from the internet, but it was titled, “Americans Who Practice Yoga Contribute to White Supremacy, MSU Professor Claims – Alex Jones’ InfoWars: There’s a War on for Your Mind!”. These were my thoughts as I pondered the issue on a cold February day.
It’s always best to investigate the validity of commentary from any source, including sources who admit to holding polarizing viewpoints (such as Infowars). In this case, it does appear that Infowars and many other commentators pegged the story correctly… but incompletely. Quotes from the original article point to easily identified biases which are shared by Shreena Gandhi and Lillie Wolff.
For example:
“The history of yoga practice in the United States is intimately linked to some of the larger forces of white supremacy… Yoga contributes to our economic system, but never forget this system is one built upon exploitation… In order to uphold the foundation and on-going functioning of white supremacist and racial capitalism, white people are taught to be ahistorical and emotionally repressed…. The cultural void of white society is intimately mixed with white supremacy, capitalism, and globalization… Cultural appropriation of yoga is a continuation of white supremacy and colonialism… Western yoga is often represented and marketed in mainstream culture by thin, white, upper middle-class, cisgender, able-bodied women.”
It is all too easy to read thoughts such as these and see an anti-white, anti-West, anti-capitalism worldview. However, the real point at issue is one of religion. Tucked near the end of the original article we read these words:
“All of this conspires to create a culture of elitism and is antithetical to the true roots of yoga, which are all about yoking the mind, body, and spirit in order to remember our innate oneness and connection with universal consciousness.”
The authors might, indeed, be unhappy that yoga has been monetized, westernized, and/or homogenized. But their foundational problem is with yoga practitioners who appropriate the non-spiritual (i.e. non-religious) elements of yoga while jettisoning the true core of historic yoga (which places focus on “spirit”, “innate oneness”, and “universal consciousness”). Put more simply, these authors understand that when a person FULLY and completely adopts the practice of yoga, that person has adopted a religious practice. Now, if rejecting the Hinduism/Jainism/Buddhism long associated with yoga to pursue only physical/mental/emotional benefits that might be gained from yoga, then the authors are essentially saying, “How dare you?!!”
This is an important consideration for Christians (or Muslims, Jews, etc.) to carefully consider. According to what Shreena Gandhi and Lillie Wolff have written, the reader is left to surmise that there are three choices. One: Don’t practice yoga at all. Two: Practice an altered form of yoga which is stripped of its core spiritual foundation. (By the standard set forth in the article this would open one up to charges of supporting white-supremacy). Three: Practice yoga as historically done. (This would require the Christian, Muslim, Jew and others to be untrue to the teachings of their church, mosque, synagogue, temple, etc.).
Speaking as a Christian, “Option Three” is not an option at all. “Option Two” could be okay for the Christian/Muslim/Jew, but this can be (and has been) debated. So, in the end it could well be that “Option One” is the only option remaining for the faithful Christian/Muslim/Jew/etc.
A Look Back at Veterans Day
My friend (and guest on The Faith Debate radio show numerous times) sent this message for Veterans Day. (Be sure to click on the links to watch the various videos. Good stuff!).
Dear Friends,
106 years ago today World War I ended at the 11th hour on the 11th day of 11th month. Naturally, it wasn’t called the First World War at first, but rather “The Great War,” or as the French called it, “La Der des Ders” (The war to end all wars). Beginning in 1918, November 11th has been Armistice Day. Since 1954 in the USA, November 11th is also known as Veterans Day, to honor all American Veterans.
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103 years ago today, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was dedicated by President Warren G. Harding at Arlington National Cemetery. I’ve had the privilege of accompanying a group of ministry leaders and military chaplains to their formal Wreath Laying Ceremony at the Tomb. My friends with the Evangelical Church Alliance had a professional video made of their Wreath Laying Ceremony. The video is less than 5 minutes and very moving. I appear briefly in the 3-second group shot at 2:33.
Attached is the updated version of my “No Greater Love” walking loop at Arlington National Cemetery, including the 14 Bible verses I shared with them along the way. BTW, we wrote more about that week in our 2017 Fall Prayer Letter.
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106 years ago this week, Billy Graham was born (11/7/1918). In 1996, he & Ruth were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal. In the attached photo you can see him speaking while Ruth (in red) sits in the front row. Also, in the front row are Newt Gingrich, Al Gore, Strom Thurmond, and Bob & Elizabeth Dole. Interestingly, the statues in the background are of James Garfield (Ohio) who was the only minister ever elected President, and Roger Williams (Rhode Island, holding a Bible) who is famous for using the biblical metaphor (later used by Jefferson) correctly stating the ‘wall of separation’ had the singular purpose of protecting the church from the state, not the other way around. See Isaiah 5:5.
The full program with Billy & Ruth Graham in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda is online here (67 minutes). Remarkably, C-Span has made a clip with 204 seconds of the core of Billy Graham’s evangelistic appeal.
I have often quoted the middle sentences of Billy Graham’s speech to people I’ve taken to the Rotunda: “From time to time I’ve wandered through this hall and looked at all those statues. And I’ve stood in front of some of them whose biography I knew a bit about. And I thought to myself, there’s one thing they all have in common. They’re all dead. Secretary Brown [previously mentioned/explained] has joined them. And one day, you will join them. Are you ready?” [Note: North Carolina replaced one of their two state statues in the U.S. Capitol with a statue of Billy Graham on May 16th of this year (2024). They had to wait for Billy’s home-going!].
Meanwhile, we are very grateful for your prayers and support to be able to step into these various ministry opportunities and to create a growing host of evangelistic ministry tools.
God’s great blessings to you in Christ,
Bernie Beall – Great Commission Families
“With Families at Heart and a Heart for the World!”
P.S. Happy 249th Birthday to the U.S. Marine Corps! I often do a 4-flag (plus 4 Bible verses) presentation of Navy/Marine flags at the Iwo Jima Memorial and created a gospel flier of that in 2018.
Agree or Disagree?
When a person dies his/her spirit is no longer present with the body, which is what most people mean by saying “the person’s not really there, it’s just a shell” when discussing a corpse. However, by saying “the person isn’t really there” are we failing to highlight the wholeness of what it means to be human?
The Bible teaches that humans are more than merely spirits. Whether holding to a dichotomy view (body with a soul/spirit) or holding to a trichotomy view (body with a soul and a spirit), the debate has tended to be over how to understand the immaterial aspect, not the material aspect. But maybe both aspects should be tackled with equal vigor.
Why do I raise the question? Well, I’m strange and this subject came up during conversation with a friend, leading us to discuss the wide reaching implications that flow from how we answer this question. As an aside, the friend said to me, “I believe Yoda said it best… Luminous beings are we. Not this… crude matter.” He then added, “Come on. You knew I was gonna go there… Boy, I just nerded everywhere.”
I told him I’d “see” his Star Wars quote, and “raise him” a quote from the Chronicles of Narnia author:
There’s no good trying to be more spiritual than God. God never meant man to be a purely spiritual creature. That’s why He uses material things like bread and wine to put the new life into us. We may think this rather crude and unspiritual. God does not: He invented eating. He likes matter. He invented it.
Following Up on the Thoughts Above (Sparked by Comments I Received)
It’s been said, “God can easily restore any earthly deprivation”. I’m in full agreement. He not only “can”, but in fact does! And, yes, this would be true even with apparent annihilation such as cremation, burial at sea, being eaten by animals, or even simple decay to dust over time. Hence, I’m not suggesting that a person ceases to exist if/when the body ceases to exist. On a related note, I’m not arguing against cremation or burial at sea.
What I’ve suggested is that our bodies are part of who we really are, not merely containers within which our true selves reside. So, the deceased person now residing in the spiritual realm is absent from the body and looking forward to the glorious day when they’ll be made whole again (with the miracle of a resurrected body). As a point of clarification, I don’t mean to suggest in any way that humans are merely their bodies, or that our bodies are more important than our spirits-souls. Instead, I’m resisting the idea that humans are merely their spirits-souls or that our spirits-souls are more important than our bodies.
Furthermore, I agree that the future hope, based upon the promise of a resurrection body, is glorious! Otherwise, why even care about bodily resurrection? Views that deny this reality certainly don’t help answer philosophical, practical, and even moral questions such as, “Why should we honor the bodies of the dead?” Or even the question, “Who’s buried in Grants tomb?” (I sort of ask that last question in jest). On a more serious note, a more robust view of the human body helps answer the question, “Who was buried in Christ’s tomb?” If Jesus, Himself, was not laid down behind that famous stone, but instead only some shell that He once possessed was placed there, then I think there are a number of important questions to which we’d have to seek answers. At least in my mind we would.
In writing this, the thought occurs to me that what happens at death might be somewhat akin to a limb amputation. Instead of amputating just an arm or a leg, it’s the entire body that’s amputated from the soul-spirit. When everything’s put back together the way God intended at Creation, that’s quite the reunion celebration! For further study, there are plenty of interesting articles on the subject. Actually, to be more specific, look for a link that takes you to the script of a short lecture delivered during the 1950’s. (Happy hunting!) I’m not sharing this because I believe it’s the final word on the matter. In fact, I’m not entirely sure what I think of certain parts of it. But it is compelling, to be sure. I think you’ll enjoy reading it as I have enjoyed reading it.
I’ve had people try debating me on these honest queries, but they’re really trying to have a different discussion altogether. This post is asking questions about how to understand the human body within a soul/spirit/body ontology. Others are entitled to respond, “I don’t like those questions.” It’s their right, so fair enough. In the spirit of full transparency, sometimes I don’t like my questions either. However, the topic of this blog isn’t a debate over physicalism/materialism versus dualism. Maybe another time in a different context (or even in a different forum) I’ll want to engage in those debates (or at least happily read along as others do so).
As a friendly word of caution, beware the trap of always putting too fine a point on things. Following the logic of one argument can slip into misunderstandings, failures to communicate, and question begging. Also, know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em, and know when to tap out.
Many blessings to you,
Pastor Troy Skinner
