Ann Lenaers
I have an evangelist friend who created a Christian alternative to yoga. She was formerly a dancer and loves a good stretch, so she infused her faith into a workout routine. I find it admirable the way she reminds us that our body is a temple for the Holy Spirit and that we should include Jesus in the way we care for our physical health!
A few weeks ago she shared an article on social media talking about a new craze called “rage yoga” where people yell, swear, and drink alcohol during their workout. Accompanying the link to the article she simply wrote “This sounds like a really bad idea! A better option here” with a link to the page for her stretching program. After seeing this, a woman decided to completely tear into her in the comments. I have not seen such a bold keyboard warrior in quite awhile, and that’s really saying something in the modern world.
She went off about how Jesus sat at the table with sinners and that is where she would be found. She accused my friend of not being a good Christian, suggested she was not fit for her calling in evangelism, and repeatedly condemned her saying she was passing judgment in a way that only God has the right to do – all for saying something might not be a good idea. This woman dug her heels into shaming my friend.
Set aside for a moment my desire to defend my friend and sister in Christ. Looking at this objectively, this post said absolutely nothing about Jesus and did not actually criticize anyone. She just said she felt it was a bad idea without sharing her reason why. When she tried to reply to the accusations, she calmly explained to the woman that it’s not healthy to dehydrate and poison yourself with alcohol while working out and that swearing isn’t a good coping mechanism. These are just fact statements based on our knowledge of health. This further angered the woman as she continued to accuse her of passing judgment.
This story paints a clear picture of something I’ve seen a ton of people do lately, especially in the Christian community. I’ve grown tired of the rudeness happening among the body. People get easily offended about things, then they jump to responding in a way that surpasses even an eye for an eye, becoming more like die for an eye. Christians are instructed to turn the other cheek, so I find these disputes hold a unique hypocrisy, lacking the grace in execution that they so strongly insisted wasn’t present to begin with.
It’s time for us to mature in how we address our concerns.
Point 1 – Our freedom in Christ is not a license for chaos. Even though we are under grace, we are still called to live a holy life to the best of our ability, letting our old spirit man die to the sins of the flesh and be born again in Christ. When Jesus sat down to the table with sinners, they were called to repent and follow him.
Point 2 – When someone saying “this sounds like a bad idea” is viewed as playing God and passing condemning judgment, we have a very serious problem. We must be able to speak truth without calling it judgment. Jesus is the way, truth, and life. If we cannot speak truth, we cannot speak of our Lord.
It is simply true that mixing alcohol with exercise is unhealthy. It’s a bad idea. A doctor could say that without being called judgmental, so everyone else should be able to do the same. Unfortunately, we now live in a world where people instantly equate disagreement with hate and condemnation. Maybe in heaven that would be logical, but on earth we are all sinners and all make mistakes. That means corrections and discussions about what is good/bad are necessary to keep us in line with the truth.
Scripture tells us in Proverbs that as iron sharpens iron, so to does one friend sharpen the other. In Colossians 3 we are called to admonish one another. We are told to correct each other speaking truth in love many times throughout the New Testament including gems like Galatians 6:1, Matthew 18:15-17, 1 Timothy 5:20, and more.
Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. Ephesians 4:15 (NIV)
To be able to speak truth in love, we must understand the following:
- Someone can disagree with you and not hate you. Disagreement is a first step that can potentially lead to hate down the road if not properly handled, but it doesn’t start there.
- Stereotypes are dramatized generalizations (often exacerbated by the media) and often false. Ex: Just because one male extremist commits a hate crime doesn’t mean all men share that same hate just because they share a label.
- Unconditional love does not obligate me to accept or approve of bad behaviors.
- Truth is not judgment.
- Sometimes we feel judged by others when we are actually feeling the conviction of the Holy Spirit.
- Guilt is when your mind knows or believes you did something wrong. Shame is a painful emotion caused by guilt. Whether you are truly guilty or not is always only between you and God. Talking about it honestly with others helps heal the feeling of shame and is a positive thing.
- Hard discussions will need to happen for certain aspects of healing to occur. Love is not just graceful. It’s honest.
- “No” is not a swear word.
In English, judgment can have two meanings. Yes, we are called to execute “sound judgment” so that we can live by the truth. This is the foundation of discernment. If you do not “judge” (evaluate, apply reason, consider) the situation by identifying the problem appropriately you will not be able to find a proper, Jesus-centered solution.
However, you are not your brother/sister’s judge and jury. You can decide how you will proceed, not how they will. You do not get to decide a punishment for them. You are not to call them inappropriate names, criticize them, or treat them harshly. God has the final word, and we will all stand before Him in the end.
We must learn and embrace the difference. Communication is a foundation we stand on and build from. As things are right now, the body cannot come together peacefully and grow. There’s too much anger and bitterness over our differences. We have no ability to have sound discussions about the things that matter most when we can’t even handle the little stuff. Let us no longer abuse the message of truth and grace that is Christ’s message in the gospel. Let us live it in love.
My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins. James 5:19-20
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