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I remember sitting across from a young man a few years ago, a guy who had been raised in church and considered himself a Christian, who solemnly told me he didn’t need church anymore because he had yoga. 

And he actually didn’t mean this in a spiritual sense, even though I’m sure some have made that argument. 

He meant it in a communal sense.

He told me, quite abruptly, that his yoga friends offered him far more community than churches, including the one he grew up in, ever had.

Now, I don’t even pretend to begrudgingly admit that churches can be cold, cliquish, non-inviting, homogeneous groups of people. I’ve seen, heard of, and experienced such.

However, I wanted to think more about this young man’s insinuation.

Is it possible that we can “find community” around yoga groups more than church because in yoga groups we find people who are just like us?

And what does the even say about how we primarily define ourselves, even as admitted “Christians”?

I’d say a couple of things.

1. “Community” is perhaps hardest in the church for some people because it means aligning yourself, towards a common vision of the Go(o)d life, with people you would never commune with apart from the barrier-breaking-down love of Christ. Simply put, church will cause you to rub shoulders and seek community with people that yoga class never will.

2. I would dare say that the aforementioned scenario gives great insight into the cultural problem we face: though we call ourselves “Christian,” a denotation that at its very essence demands our primary allegiance, we are in fact more defined by external activities and careers such as yoga or being a lawyer. 

And therefore we don’t, at the moment we are yoga-ing or lawyer-ing or whatever-ing, want anything more out of life than the other yogis or lawyers or what have you. We allow our primary identity as Christ-followers, Christians, or “little-Christs,” to be compromised.  

I want you to know that I sympathize with those who have found churches difficult places to belong. In fact, “belonging” as a part of the Christian life is a high value of mine.

But I also want you to know that belonging to the Body of Christ is a much more difficult journey than belonging to a yoga class. 

People will act, think, smell, eat, live, spend and love in different ways than you. The question is whether or not you are enveloped in the life of Christ and therefore allow yourself to get past the superficiality and love others the way Jesus has loved you?