The Lutheran Magazine and Website Promotes Yoga

(The following two articles were written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org.  You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and twitter - here.)

Erin Strybis is an associate editor for Living Lutheran. She is an "avid yogi" and a member of an ELCA church in Chicago. She writes at the ELCA website: "The closest I’ve felt to God, as of late, was not in church. It was on my yoga mat last Wednesday."
(see here)
 
There is a Lutheran Church in the Twin Cities that advertisers yoga classes on a sign on its front lawn. I went to the church's website and saw a picture of a yogi in a seated position. You would have thought it was a page from a Hindu website.
 
This is what got the ancient Jews in trouble. They kept worshiping Jehovah God, but added other pagan spiritual practices. In the end God judged them by bringing in the Babylonians. You cannot worship God and Baal.
 
I recently visited a Missouri Synod Lutheran congregation (the Missouri Synod is much more conservative than the ELCA). Even this congregation was advertising a "Christian yoga" class led by one of the members. I wrote the pastor an email sharing my concern but got not reply.
 
I am reminded of the song from Oklahoma "I'm just a girl who can't say 'No'". Sadly, pagan practices are making their way into Christian churches because some pastors do not have the backbone to say "No" to parishioners who may mean well but are deceived.
 
May each of us this day keep the First Commandment: to worship no other gods than the one true God.
 
In Jesus our Savior,
 
Pastor Tom Brock
pastorsstudy.org

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The Lutheran magazine promotes yoga
 
In the latest edition of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's official magazine, we are encouraged to do yoga. Yoga is a Hindu practice that has to do with becoming one with the Ultimate. It has nothing to do with Christianity, but that doesn't keep the ELCA magazine from promoting it.
 
"Syncretism" is the belief that one should take aspects of all religions and mix them together. This is precisely what got the Old Testament Jews in trouble when they tried to worship Yahweh alongside Baal and Ashtorah.
 
You can read the whole sad story below.
 
Sincerely in Christ,
 
Pastor Tom Brock
Pastorsstudy.org


http://www.thelutheran.org/article/article.cfm?article_id=12931