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| Along the Way 10-8-10 |
 The Savannah Morning News reports that the Southern Baptists are debating whether yoga is a dangerous spiritual practice damaging the health of unsuspecting Christian practitioners. When I read this article I shuddered, not because I’m worried about a yoga-takeover nor because I am a yoga practitioner. From what I hear about how difficult and strenuous yoga can be I will stick to my bicycle. I shuddered out of concern that this Baptist debate might spill like toxic Hungarian sludge into Methodist territory. Since we Methodists and Baptists intermingle and intermarry so often it seems like a good possibility that somebody will eventually ask me what I think about yoga. I would just as soon leave that issue for the Baptists to debate. It’s not that we United Methodists deplore debate. Actually, the opposite is probably true. We United Methodists, almost 8 million strong in the United States, already have enough debatable topics on our church plate! What does the Bible say over issues of war, poverty, human sexuality, divorce and the environment? Does God’s word have anything to say about the death penalty, abortion, prayer in school and healthcare? These are questions we United Methodists reason and argue over with some regularity, and we don’t all arrive at the same conclusion. Just as sure as you are certain of the answer on a controversial subject, chances are good that a United Methodist brother or sister in your pew will prayerfully, conscientiously disagree with you. The Articles of Religion are the doctrinal standard for the UMC. We United Methodists believe in the Trinity, the 66 books of the Old and New Testament as the Word of God, the sinful nature of human beings and our inability to save ourselves, the offering of Christ on the cross as the perfect and sufficient sacrifice for the sins of the whole world and other central faith statements. But there are scads of subjects about which John Wesley said that Methodists are free to “think and let think.” I think yoga would be one of them. The last time I looked it wasn’t found in The Articles of Religion. Not surprisingly, this story has gotten lots of press. I’ve enjoyed reading some of the online comments. Here is one gracious comment, left by an unnamed correspondent (who could be a United Methodist except for the part about drinking communion wine): “As overzealous and misguided as this religious leader might be, I'm confident that he probably means well. He is welcome to instruct his own flock as he so chooses. As for me... I drink real wine at the altar, I've danced, and I've observed a regiment of daily office to include meditation and prayer... and no... I'm not askeered that I'm flying south when I die. I know grace and love. I'm good with that.” As far as stretching is concerned, the kind that intrigues me is what Paul described: “This one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 3:13-14) Let’s keep on stretching and pressing forward! I’ll see you Sunday. Creede Hinshaw |
