Introduction
A new trend permeated American culture during the 1960’s and early 1970’s. Spurred on by popular TV shows, hit pop songs, and an infusion of Asian culture, the United States saw an explosion of interest in Asian martial arts. While American practitioners of Karate, Judo, etc. had existed before then (largely influenced by American GI’s returning home from the Japanese occupation), it was not until four decades ago that Asian martial arts truly could claim a part of American culture.
As interest grew, many Christians also began to practice martial arts. The early 1970’s saw a number of Fundamental Baptist colleges1 begin their own marital arts programs, usually with the intention of using them to reach out to children and youth. Bob Jones University, for one, had both a Karate and Judo ministry team. Tennessee Temple University had a Kung Fu team. Many churches began to utilize these teams just as they would a college choir, drama team, or ensemble. This writer’s father, a member of the Tennessee Temple kung-fu team, took part in many demonstrations and saw many children led to the Lord through this ministry.
Many pastors and other Christian leaders, however, have always had genuine concerns for the utilization of martial arts as a ministry. Their impression has been that martial arts, specifically Asian martial arts, are by nature demonic and mystic, having more in common with the New Age movement than with biblical Christianity. Often they have vehemently opposed martial arts, viewing those that practice it as engaged in an activity inappropriate for a Christian, much like drinking and smoking. Occasionally such people have had some experience with Asian culture or have seen some non-Christian demonstrations and have been rightfully repulsed by the mysticism and paganism prevalent there. Taking this to be exemplary of all Asian culture or of all martial arts, they have viewed Christian practitioners as treading on thin ice, biblically.
Generally, such opposition to Christian martial arts as a ministry stems from one or all of the following: 1. a lack of knowledge or understanding concerning the nature of martial arts (especially Asian martial arts); 2. an experience with martial arts that exposed them to the paganism of Eastern culture, which they then take as representative of all martial arts; and 3. a misinterpretation of certain key Scriptural verses coupled with an ignorance of others.
This paper will attempt to provide the reader with an accurate knowledge of both the history and purpose of martial arts while demonstrating that mysticism is not an inherent principle. In addition, it will examine key Scriptural passages in order to demonstrate the validity of martial arts as practiced by Christians. It is beyond the scope of this paper to examine all martial arts styles; hence, kung fu2 will be the main focus of this paper.
Examining Martial Arts in Light of its Definition and History
Before one can begin to discuss the biblical view of martial arts, one must first determine what exactly constitutes a "martial art." A historical and linguistic examination will provide the reader with a definition and better conceptualization of the topic.
The Definition of "Martial Arts"
Bob Larson, author of the well-read Larson’s Book of Cults, portrays martial arts (for him, specifically Asian marital arts) as mystic and occultic. He states, "While it may be true that the various disciplines of martial arts have different forms, they all have similar religious backgrounds and goals."3 Larson is correct in appropriately documenting some of the dangers inherent within certain philosophies of martial arts. His error lies in generalization and in an ignorance of the history of Asian martial arts. Developing a proper definition of martial arts will demonstrate that in general they bear no intrinsic relationship to religion any more than eating, drinking, or music do.4
The Random House Unabridged Dictionary defines martial arts the following way: "Any of the traditional forms of Oriental self-defense or combat that utilize physical skill and coordination without weapons."5 While this definition provides the standard Western view of martial arts, in reality the term "martial art" is much broader. To begin with, most martial arts styles do use weaponry (this author’s own style of kung fu, Sheng Dian Quan, primarily utilizes the Chinese single saber, the quarterstaff, and the 3-sectional staff). Furthermore, this dictionary’s definition inaccurately depicts "martial arts" as solely an Asian development.
From a linguistic standpoint, three keys exist to determining the meaning of a word or phrase—etymology, context, and semantic range. Of these three, etymology is the least useful, for words often change
meaning over the ages. Yet the etymology of "martial arts" does provide a clue as to its meaning. "Martial" obviously refers to that which has to do with war; thus the original reference of "martial arts" was to a system of making war. Art can refer to the expression of beauty or style through a medium (e.g. poetry, painting, etc.) or it can refer to a systematized study (e.g. Sun Tzu’s The Art of War). The current semantic range of the term "martial art" also demonstrates that there is much more to it than weaponless Asian arts. Thomas A. Green, for example, has edited a work entitled Martial Arts of the World: an Encyclopedia (published by ABC-Clio., Inc.) wherein he documents and examines martial arts from around the world, including Africa, the Philippines, etc. Likewise, Sydney Anglo has written a book aptly entitled The Martial Arts of Renaissance Europe (Yale University Press, 2000) which closely examines the weaponry of that era. Furthermore, the current popular sport "mixed martial arts" (often seen on cable TV in the forms of UFC, Pride, K-1, etc.) involves countless styles of fighting, including American, Brazilian, and Russian. Thus those who attempt to limit "martial arts" to open-handed Asian styles are woefully ignorant of the meaning of the phrase. Modern martial artists and scholars realize the multi-cultural heritage of martial arts, some of which use weapons. Indeed, the term "martial art" is not something that can be limited to a certain culture—every nation, if it has experienced conflict, has developed its own martial art.6
For the purpose of this paper, the term "Martial Art" will be taken to mean an organized system of fighting. If this definition is to be accepted, to claim that mysticism or religion is inherent within martial arts would be incorrect. Coupling this with an examination of the history of Chinese martial arts, one may note that even Asian martial arts cannot be said to have unbiblical mysticism as an inherent principle.
The General and Biblical History of Marital Arts
A proper critique of martial arts must begin with its history. Here one may find that many misconceptions have originated through an improper understanding of the origins of martial arts.
The true origin of martial arts, in the strictest sense of the word, will probably never be known. The evolutionist would no doubt view martial arts as stemming from violent tendencies in primitive man tens of thousand of years ago. Yet the Christian must search elsewhere for answers, beginning with Biblical history. In Genesis 4, Cain killed his brother Abel. Thus violence existed from the earliest point of the cursed state. While Cain’s primitive murder can hardly be called "martial arts," logically martial arts would have developed because of (or perhaps in reaction to) the threat of wanton violence that originated with Cain. Still, it is impossible to point to any Biblical or archaeological evidence as the origin of martial arts.
The development of armies and militias, however, indicates the existence of martial training. Abraham, just nine generations removed from the flood, had his own trained militia (318 trained servants, born in his own house) which effectively routed a victorious, allied army (Genesis 14). While the question of whether Abraham himself trained them or not is pure speculation, the fact remains that these servants were said to "trained" men (14:14). The context assumes they were trained in the art of war. Thus this chapter in Genesis provides the first clear reference to martial arts;7 furthermore, it is a positive reference—Abraham, a friend of God, utilizes servants trained in warfare to free his nephew. Far from condemning Abraham for his actions, Melchizedek, servant of the most high God (possibly himself a theophony, though this is doubtful) blesses Abraham (vv. 18-20).
Jacob’s wrestling with the Angel of the Lord (most certainly a theophony) provides another example of martial arts in the lives of the patriarchs (32:24-32). The Hebrew word av’k here is an incredibly rare word, appearing only in this passage (twice) within the entire Old Testament, yet context clearly indicates a violent struggle. While obviously Jacob could not have "prevailed" against his divine opponent unless the angel of the Lord let him win, Jacob most likely possessed some knowledge and skill of fighting in order to subdue him (the middle-eastern world has always been rife with conflict, yet the patriarchs seem to have been quite capable of taking care of their friends and possessions as illustrated above). Indeed, the angel of the Lord divinely allowed Jacob to so dominate Him that even when He put Jacob’s thigh out of joint, Jacob was still able to keep the upper hand (as evidenced by the Angel of the Lord having to demand that Jacob release Him). It is improbable that Jacob could have successfully wrestled all night against a superior, divine Opponent without some systematic knowledge of grappling.8
In general, the Old Testament is replete with accounts of martial conflict, some positive and some negative. On the one hand the student of Scripture must concede that conflict and war ultimately results from a cursed human state. Yet God commanded and led Israel to war and called upon the Jews to be courageous in battle. Often God Himself destroyed the enemies with spectacular signs, yet more frequently He commanded godly men to fight for Him, whether it be defending His people or punishing His enemies.
The student of Scripture, then, must acknowledge that throughout history godly men often had to resort to force to perform God’s will. Yet what about Chinese martial arts, the specific focus of this paper? Do Chinese martial arts differ from biblical arts due to pagan influence and unbiblical philosophy? In order to answer that question, one must examine the history of kung fu and the Chinese arts in general.
The History of Chinese Martial Arts
Like martial arts in the rest of the world, the origins of Chinese martial arts are somewhat difficult. Pastor Mike McClure correctly notes,
The precise moment in history wherein systematized fighting was first brought into China is impossible to identify. This is largely due to two major factors: 1. Early masters of Chinese Boxing chose not to write d own their techniques. They would transmit their knowledge from one generation to the next through systematized exercises which have come, in more modern times, to be known as kuen or forms. 2. The Chinese people have always been and still are, on the whole, very private people . . . the fighting arts of China were for many generations closely guarded secrets.9
Unfortunately, the common misconception regarding Chinese martial arts is that they originated as a result of exercises taught by one Bodhidharma, a Buddhist monk. Most current scholars shy away from this fable, however. While it is true that Bodhidharma developed a certain form of martial arts, he did not originate Kung Fu or Chinese martial arts as a whole.10 Jane Hallander, a secular author, states bluntly, "Historians who think that Bodhiddarma brought kung fu to China are wrong. China had kung fu long before Bodhidharma came . . .Buddhism is a non-violent religion, so it seems unlikely that the monks would allow the practice of fighting within their temples and monasteries."11
According to David Chow and Richard Spangler, certain elements of kung fu can actually be seen over four thousand years ago: "The earliest form of martial arts appears in the story in which the legendary Yellow Emperor, Huang Ti, fought and defeated his enemy, Chi You, by using classical Chinese wrestling methods. This incident occurred in the first half of the third millennium B. C."12
Much of the origins of Chinese martial arts before the birth of Christ remains clouded in legend and myth, and scholars are uncertain to what extent martial arts developed from Huan Ti’s techniques. This is complicated by the fact that no official martial arts schools existed before the "Era of the Six Dynasties" (A. D. 264-581).13 Yet mention of martial arts techniques themselves does exist. In the classic Book of Odes, some three hundred poems written around 700 BC, boxing (Ch’uan p’o) is mentioned in at least one line—"Without the fist, there is no bravery." Furthermore, Ssu-ma Ch’ien (145-c. 89 BC) records in his Records of the Grand Historian that a distinctive fighting class had developed in ancient times—"knights-errant" who were skilled in martial skills, especially swordsmanship, and who wandered the countryside offering services to various feudal lords. Interestingly enough, these knights were drawn from the common people: "stricken peasants, unemployed artisans and merchants, along with many former warriors." Chow notes, "From this piece of information it can be determined that fighting arts were widely practiced by the common people, especially those who were or wished to become knight-errants."14 Hallander agrees: "Then came the period of the ‘Warring States’ (300 BC) . . .Many of the lone adventurers became famous as escorts for the nobility and rich traveling through the countryside. Because there was violence everywhere, these escorts had to be good fighters. Martial arts among the civilian population of China began to gain importance."15
What, then, is the significance of this data? Not only were martial arts practiced, apart from religious connotation, before the birth of Christ, they were also practiced by the common people, not necessarily soldiers in a professional military. The times being turbulent, many common peasants and farmers in China developed fighting skills with which to defend their families or offer their services to a warlord and thus feed their children. Early Chinese martial arts, then, was not the realm of the religious mystic or the Buddhist; in fact, martial arts was practiced in China hundreds of years before either Buddhism or Taoism corrupted the Chinese mind, and this author has yet to see any evidence inexorably linking any form of pagan religion with early Chinese martial arts. Those who automatically equate Chinese martial arts with either Taoism or Buddhism betray their lack of historical knowledge.
Some ambiguity exists concerning the origins of Kung Fu itself, but it seems to have stemmed from the chang chuan (long fist) style of fighting which developed during the reign of the first emperor of the Sung dynasty, Tai Tzu. "A picturesque, wide-open style of kung-fu, chang chuan is characterized by the courageous, bold, and free spirit of the Sung dynasty. It rapidly gained popularity with the farmers of Northern China, who, after working hard all year to harvest their crops, needed something physical to practice to keep fit during the long winter months."16 From there Kung Fu, like other styles of fighting, evolved and expanded; furthermore, Kung Fu did not exist as a solitary style, but consisted (and still consists) of hundreds of styles. Kung fu progressed with "many Chinese masters adding their own favorite nuances of movement. In addition, different families originated, adapted and revised literally hundreds of styles from all over China. Fathers passed their knowledge discreetly, mostly in secret, to selected members of their clan."17 Both Buddhism and Taoism later added their own elements to some forms of kung fu; yet this hardly characterized (or currently characterizes) kung fu as a whole. Claiming that kung fu (or any other martial art) is replete with pagan ideology is analogous to saying that American music is holistically evil because of the influence of ungodly rock-and-roll artists. Are the works of Aaron Copeland, the godly hymns of Fanny Crosby, or the compositions of Ira Sankey to be discarded or reviled as "ungodly" because a portion (be it large or small) of America’s musical heritage contains lyrics and music that glorifies an ungodly lifestyle (or worse, contains satanic or pagan elements)? In the same way, one should not accuse Chinese martial arts, including kung fu, of intrinsically possessing pagan elements.
Certain elements of Chinese martial arts do possess philosophies that are contrary to God’s word, just as some music of the United States does; yet one should not categorically condemn Chinese martial arts any more than one would categorically condemn music written in the United States. The essence of kung fu is not yin and yang, Taoism, or Buddhist mantras, but rather "training that teaches the kung fu student to respect his teacher and his teacher’s advice; to be respectful toward other kung fu styles . . .and, perhaps most importantly, to only use his kung fu skill in a morally correct manner."18
Having established that kung fu did not historically stem from pagan philosophies, one must next examine key scripture passages to see whether or not a Christian may practice martial arts to God’s glory.
Examining Martial Arts in Light of Scripture
Every practice of a Christian, be it as mundane as eating or drinking, must be said to glorify God (I Corinthians 10:31). Consequently the Christian martial artist must examine Scripture to see whether or not martial arts may do so. Many detractors of the martial arts object that such "violent" practices are at odds with Christ’s and the apostles’ teachings concerning the Christian Life. As a Fundamental Baptist, this author strongly asserts that Scripture is internally consistent; any "problem passages," then, must be interpreted in light of context and the rest of Scripture. This author will first examine Scripture passages which positively portray "force" and then discuss Christ’s admonition to "turn the other cheek" in Matthew 5:39.
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