Source: www.abpnews.com
DALLAS, TEXAS, October 20, 2010: Texas Faith, a regular feature of the Dallas Morning Newswebsite, invited panelists Oct. 19 to react to a column by Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, warning that “Christians who practice yoga are embracing, or at minimum flirting with, a spiritual practice that threatens to transform their own spiritual lives into a ‘post-Christian, spiritually polyglot’ reality. Should any Christian willingly risk that?” Sam Hodges, the reporter moderating the discussion, asked 12 panelists from various faith traditions about whether they agree with Mohler.
Jim Denison, theologian in residence for the Baptist General Convention of Texas, pointed out that the dictionary defines Yoga with a capital “Y” as “a Hindu theistic philosophy.” The lower-case form describes a series of exercises “originally used to advance Yoga.” “Millions of Americans are apparently happy to adopt and adapt yoga with little or no knowledge of Yoga,” Denison wrote. “But is this a good idea?” “Albert Mohler doesn’t think so,” he continued. “In his view, ‘When Christians practice yoga, they must either deny the reality of what yoga represents or fail to see the contradictions between their Christian commitments and their practice of yoga. While I disagree with Dr. Mohler on a variety of subjects, I find myself persuaded by his logic here,” Denison said. “Christianity and Hinduism are contradictory worldviews. Jesus taught that ‘whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life’ (John 3:16). Hinduism embraces reincarnation, thousands of gods, and eventual ‘moksha’ whereby one is absorbed into Brahman and ceases to exist. If one is right, the other is wrong.”
George Mason, senior pastor of Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas, meanwhile, observed that Mohler “seems to be on the prowl these days to purge all impurities from Christian practice.” “The problem is that Christianity is always and has always been at work adjudicating spiritual reality rather than summarily rejecting everything it doesn’t create itself,” Mason said. “Spiritual practices like yoga can be infused with Christian meaning without opening the door to New Age thinking,” Mason said. “It requires knowing what one believes and why, but Mohler’s alternative of rejecting everything outside his world view of the Christian faith is not a healthy or faithful approach to a God who is also at work in the world outside of the Christian community.”