Martial Arts and Christianity

Can Martial Arts be used to glorify God?

There are some organizations that question whether martial arts can be used for the glory of God. One position I have heard is that martial arts are rooted in false religions and for this reason, those who practice martial arts are allowing demonic influences into their lives, causing spiritual warfare and may impact the spirituality of their families as well as themselves. In one case, someone said that anything that has corruption at its roots is in and of itself corrupt or “evil”, and for that reason, it cannot be used by or for God as demons have a “legal right” to it.

First, there is no conclusive evidence that all martial arts are rooted in evil. Many arts were developed as a means of survival. Many styles have techniques that were developed after watching animals fight. Tae Kwon Do for example is an art that among others, was influenced by the fighting style of the tiger. In this style, you will see the "cat" or "tiger stance". There are many other examples, but for the sake of this discussion, we will remain focused on the topic.

Anything with corruption at its roots cannot be used for God? We do not find any scriptural basis of this position, but there are Biblical examples of where God used sinners, who were born into a sin nature, but submitted to His Will and were redeemed by the Almighty God! Our position is that Jesus used people who were corrupt, and evil, and used them in His ministry. For example, Paul killed Christians, but later became one and wrote several books of the Bible. Tax Collectors were collecting much more than they were entitled to collect, they were thieves. Yet one of Jesus’ disciples was (at one point) a corrupted Tax Collector. David was a murderer and adulterer, yet was a “man after God’s own heart”, and God used Him to slay Goliath. Even after God forgives sinners, they continue to sin – everyday! To say God cannot use that which is rooted in corruption, is false. God uses people who, since the first man and woman, sin. He is not limited to only use that which is not corrupt.

The Bible is full of examples of God’s ability to redeem the corrupt and evil people. To say that anything rooted in evil cannot be used for God’s glory, EVER, is false. God uses people everyday in ministry, every single person God uses sins everyday – each individual was born into a sin-nature.

I have heard people argue that martial arts are based on false religion and even the motions (techniques) are acts of worship to false gods. This is not true. While artists throughout history may have been believers of Zenism, Buddhism, or other religions, I am sure that many others were Christians. The point is that regardless of one’s religion, their practice of the arts does not automatically imply a relationship of the activity to their religion. To say that everything people do is an expression of their religious beliefs is ridiculous and unsubstantiated. Techniques can be used defensively, offensively, for entertainment (demonstration), competition, survival, discipline development). They can be used in ministry for God and they can also be used for evil (bullying, theft, murder, etc.). What determines whether the arts are being used or misused? It is the application of the techniques. The determination is based on how and why the techniques are used.

Application of Martial Arts in Ministry

In cases where self-proclaimed spiritual advisors advise families that martial arts are evil and that their participation is inviting demonic influences into their lives, I would strongly urge them to consider the following example:

A child joins a Christian martial arts class. The child’s parents chose this school because it was consistent with their religious beliefs. Over the years, this student sees positive moral character, memorizes Scripture for rank advancement, develops strong and lasting relationships with the students and instructors in the school. Twenty years later this student is called to use his or her talent of martial arts, and can no longer suppress the passion to teach, and follows God’s calling to start a new martial arts school. In this new school, a passer-by, who has never been introduced to God, sees a class in session. Their curiosity is great; an inquiry simply must be made. Days later, they sign up for classes. They see the Christian flag next to the Chinese, Japanese, or Korean Flag, and perhaps an organizational flag is displayed too. They don’t give much thought to it, but then they see that the students have a time of Bible study in the class. Scripture memory is required for rank advancement. They see that a Demonstration Team is made up of Christians who were trained to lead lost people to Christ. Through the witness of fellow students and relationships established in this martial arts class, the once curious passer-by is approached by someone in the class and as a result of a fellow student’s witnessing, they accept the gift of eternal life by asking for forgiveness for their sins, and enjoys their new life in Christ. As this student had no interest in or knowledge of God, they would have not just decided one day to go to a church to see what it is all about. So this sphere of influence was the mission field for the Instructor. It was possible for this new student to learn about God and seek His forgiveness because his martial arts instructor answered God's calling.

Although some of the details of this example were added to stress the relevance of a positive spiritual influence, this was not a hypothetical situation, it is one that I have personally witnessed in a ministry that my father and I shared -- and were blessed to see entire families grow closer together and closer to God. In other cases, we have even seen the kids bring their parents to class (as spectators or fellow students), and hear the Gospel for the first time. If a spiritual advisor were to advise the family in this example to remove their kid(s) from such a class (because it allows demonic presence in their lives) then the parents may in fact follow the advice in fear of what may happen if they don’t.

Unfortunately, by removing the kid(s) from the Christian martial arts class, the ill-advised family has interfered with God’s calling for their kid(s). The blessing for their kid(s) of fulfilling God’s calling to share the Gospel with their fellow martial arts classmates may not be realized , but most tragically, the lost people that would have joined the school and learned how to be forgiven for their sins may never hear the Good News as was God’s calling for their own lives. I warn that no reasonable spiritual advisor would want to be accountable for interfering with God’s will.

Not Everything Eastern is Evil!

If the argument against martial arts is primarily that the arts came from eastern religion, I will provide a brief lesson in geography. Christianity originated in the East, Jesus was born, raised, killed, and resurrected in the Middle East! If the challenge is that anything coming from the Far East has ties to false religions, then that would mean that we should not drive foreign cars, use foreign electronics, or wear foreign clothes – because the workers who live in the Far East are predominantly followers of false gods (which means their wages are in part, given to support false religions). The result is that if you buy products made in the Far East, then you are financially supporting false religions! This line of thinking is obviously a seriously flawed argument and is simply ludicrous, but some people actually believe this line of thinking to be appropriate.

Our Stand

The position of Black Belts of the Faith International is as follows:

1)      We disagree that martial arts are rooted in evil as it is well documented that the primary purpose early arts were established was for survival.

2)      We challenge the very premise of the argument that God cannot use anything with corruption at its roots – he forgives and uses sinners in His ministry.

3)      We believe that being gifted in the arts, is a gift from God. He gives some practitioners a passion to teach. These teachers then have students that were led to them by divine appointment.. God equips each person with gifts and talents; He expects His children to use their gifts for His glory.

4)      As we have, by first-hand experience, seen people who have come to know Jesus Christ as their savior as a direct result of their involvement in our Christian martial arts schools. Whether others agree or argue the point is irrelevant. The fact is that we know it is a ministry blessed by God.

5)      When faced with difficult decisions, we encourage believers to pray and ask God for guidance. In some areas, God is very clear (adultery, murder, deceit, etc.). Other are more difficult, such as areas that include factors of timing, implications on the family, etc.  However, in many areas, God allows us freedom to chose for ourselves what we prefer, and many of these decisions have no impact whatsoever on His cause. We are to take care of our bodies as they are a temple of God. The point is that we take care of our bodies. Does this mean only one shower is needed every day? But if we took six showers a day, we would be even more submissive to Him? Of coarse not, in fact this extreme thinking reduces our ability to serve Him at all. You would have no time to do anything substantive for Him, because you would get distracted by the unimportant things and miss the point of serving Him. Would it glorify God more if you use Aquafresh or Crest toothpaste? Obviously, it makes no difference. God grants us freedom. Should I serve God by teaching a Christian karate class or should I serve Him while I am at my current job? The best answer would be both, of course. Let's assume that the class would be the full-time job. I do not see any difference between them, they both have a meaningful mission field. If you can provide a place of recreation for Christians while they enjoy themselves and learn to defend themselves, you are contributing to His kingdom -- don't let anyone convince you otherwise!

6)      We suggest that for those who may be struggling with whether their involvement in martial arts is acceptable to God or detrimental to His kingdom, it is a good idea to ask, “Would God be glorified if I choose to…” In most cases, the answer lies not in what the activity is, but how and why you proceed with it. You can abuse any of the talents or blessings God gives you, but you also have the choice to embrace them and use them to their fullest capacity for His glory.

For further clarification of our position, please contact mike@blackbeltsoffaith.com.

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