Two years ago I listened to a lecture about the history of Yoga and why, in one missiologists opinion, Christian’s are wise to avoid all forms of Yoga. More recently, this issue came to up again.
From The Huffington Post, via Out of Ur:
While yoga is not a “religion” in the sense that the Abrahamic religions are, it is a well-established spiritual path. Its physical postures are only the tip of an iceberg, beneath which is a distinct metaphysics with profound depth and breadth. Its spiritual benefits are undoubtedly available to anyone regardless of religion. However, the assumptions and consequences of yoga do run counter to much of Christianity as understood today. This is why, as a Hindu yoga practitioner and scholar, I agree with the Southern Baptist Seminary President, Albert Mohler, when he speaks of the incompatibility between Christianity and yoga, arguing that “the idea that the body is a vehicle for reaching consciousness with the divine” is fundamentally at odds with Christian teaching. This incompatibility runs much deeper.
Read the entire article. It’s a good look at Yoga and Christianity, but from the Hindu perspective. I think it makes sense, in light of the Barna Report on our Theological Illiteracy.
Brandon Markette 