The short answer is yes, Christians are permitted to practice Tai Chi if they want to so long as that Tai Chi adheres to Christian principles and guidelines.
There is no scripture to be found anywhere in the bible preventing the practice of Tai Chi as a set of breathing, stretching and martial arts exercises. Similarly, there is no scripture preventing anyone from practising any martial art.
Since there is no scripture preventing the practice of Tai Chi or any other martial art, anyone who claims anything different must therefore be basing their argument on their own interpretation of the bible or a belief system that is not explicitly biblical in nature. Such an interpretation is not necessarily “wrong”. But the point is that whatever their option is, it cannot be biblically justified and is therefore open to interpretation and is a matter of opinion.
That said, here is an example of reasonable principles and guidelines on the subject of whether Christians can practice Tai Chi or not:
Is Tai Chi Compatible with Catholicism?
“Tai Chi as a form of physical discipline or exercise is fine, as is learning martial arts to defend oneself or others. However, mixing in religious ideas, such as believing we have an energy (chi) within ourselves that we can harness and control is not compatible with Catholicism.”
Ask God yourself
One of the wonderful things about being a Christian is that you have full access to God directly all of the time. All you need to do is ask Him about whether He wants you to practice Tai Chi or not.
If you feel that God is encouraging you to practice Tai Chi, ask Him to lead you to a school that will teach you Tai Chi in a way that honours Him and is appropriate for you.
If you feel that the answer is no, and that God does not want you to practice Tai Chi at this time, then it’s important to be obedient to His will. In the Lord’s prayer, Christ teaches “Thy will be done”. Consequently, it’s better to allow God’s will to unfold His way and in His time before you – not to always try and control the outcome yourself.
If there is a school that is attractive and appealing to you, but you feel that God does not want you to train there – have faith in His wisdom. If God wants you to train in Tai Chi, He will point you to the place that is right for you, exactly when it’s right for you.
What is TCFC Tai Chi for Christians?
Tai Chi for Christians (TCFC) is the world’s first online Christian Tai Chi training course and community that provides the movement, stretching, breathing and health benefits of Tai Chi in a way that both honours and actively seeks to listen to the will of Christ.
At TCFC, we believe that God wants to use Tai Chi as a gentle way to introduce Himself to those who find aggressive Christian evangelism distasteful. We also believe that God wants to use Tai Chi for His own good purposes which include the development of a deeper and more personal relationship with Him.
TCFC is for anyone from any denomination or even another faith system who wants to improve their overall physical health and is interested in establishing or deepening their relationship with Christ.
What about other Tai Chi?
From our perspective as a martial arts school, Tai Chi is a fully functional martial art that teaches a complete set of fighting skills from striking, kicking and grappling through to joint, arm and leg locks.
We do not believe in “chi” as an energy within ourselves that can be harnessed or controlled. Instead, we believe in the presence of the Holy Spirit as the third component of the Trinity alongside the Father and the Son.
Some Christians outright reject the idea that anything good can come out of other philosophies and faith systems. From this perspective, all other philosophies, faith systems, traditions, arts and activities are “bad actors” at their core. To this way of thinking, only biblical stories, biblical principles and biblical teachings are relevant for living an abundant life.
Other Christians, especially those who have been led towards more contemplative Christian traditions, will see their faith and the will of God in a wider spectrum of colours. These Christians are capable of holding up Christ as the ultimate Truth while still being able to recognise pockets of truth in other philosophies including science, history, psychology and sometimes the ability to recognise glimmers of the truth of Christ within other faith systems.
More contemplative Christian traditions also point to the concept of the Universal Christ, Divine Presence or the Transcendent Cosmic Christ:
Divine Presence: The Universal Christ emphasises the presence of the divine in all creation, suggesting that Christ’s consciousness is not limited to one particular individual (Jesus), but is present throughout the universe.
Transcendent Christ: Some interpretations of the Transcendent Christ emphasise a cosmic understanding, viewing Christ as the underlying principle or consciousness that permeates all of creation.
“I believe that a Christian is simply one who has learned to see Christ everywhere. Understanding the Universal or Cosmic Christ can change the way we relate to creation, to other religions, to other people, to ourselves, and to God.
Knowing and experiencing this Christ can bring about a major shift in consciousness. Like Saul’s experience on the road to Damascus (see Acts 9), we won’t be the same after encountering the Risen Christ.” cac.org
From this vantage point, contemplative Christians may recognise the striking similarities between the Taoist concept of “chi” and the work of the Holy Spirit in the Christian tradition.
For example, the Taoist concept of “chi” as defined as a “vital energy or life force that is believed to flow through the body and the universe” may sound remarkably similar to some Christian descriptions of the Holy Spirit.
In the book of Genesis the Holy Spirit of God is active right at the start of creation: “Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.” Genesis 1:2
To the contemplative Christian, Christ was there right at the beginning of creation, just as He is here today working in our lives and in all creation around us.
Is Taoism part of the occult?
Some Christian commentators point to the roots of Tai Chi being in the Taoist philosophical tradition and therefore pagan and evil by nature. The primary accusation is the claim that Taoism teaches that “there is no personal God and that we therefore somehow are God”.
Essentially this accuses the philosophy of Taoism as being satanic without outright saying that it’s satanic.
This is because the core of all occultic belief systems, and apparently quite a few personality disorders, point to the same Luciferian philosophy – that you can be your own god.
In reality, there is no evidence to suggest that Taoism teaches such occultic principles.
Here is an unbiased definition of the Taoist philosophy:
“In Taoist thought, humans are considered part of the natural world, subject to the same principles that govern the universe. While there may be teachings about the interconnectedness of all things and the potential for individuals to realise their unity with the Tao, this is not equivalent to saying that individuals are God.
“Taoism tends to focus more on living in harmony with the natural order, cultivating virtues such as simplicity, humility and compassion, rather than on notions of divine identity or worship. While interpretations and beliefs within Taoism can vary, the idea of individual divinity in the same sense as God is not a central tenet of the tradition.” OpenAI. (2024). ChatGPT (3.5) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com
Moreover, this subject is extensively explored in the book Christ the Eternal Tao by Eastern Orthodox monk, Hieromonk Damascene. In good faith, I’ve sourced and provided a copy to this book for anyone wanting an extensive source on the similarities between Christ, the Greek concept of the Logos and the Tao.
Of particular interest for many may be a reprinting of The Gospel of John, Chapter 1 as translated from a Canton edition of the New Testament, published in China in 1911 by the American Bible Society.
“In the beginning was the Tao,
Extract from The Gospel of John, Chapter 1
And the Tao was with God,
And the Tao was God.”
There do appear to be striking similarities between the concept of the Tao in Taoism and the Logos in Greek philosophy, which is accepted by the apostle John as the Trinity incarnate in Jesus Christ.
Even so, there are quite possibly and even likely that there are certain practices within the Taoist tradition or different Taoist sects that are irreconcilable with Christianity. Such practices would include, but are not necessarily limited to, the worshipping of idols, astrology, tarot card readings and any kind of fortune-telling or spirituality that consults the dead.
Should you practice Tai Chi?
While there are no specific biblical reasons not to practice a version of Tai Chi that teaches breathing, stretching and real practical martial arts exercises, it’s important to be aware that there are no shortage of “Tai Chi” schools and practitioners that have warped, distorted or self-developed alternative, new age and occultic versions of Tai Chi.
Such schools and practitioners tend to lack the depth and understanding of Tai Chi’s original martial art principles and actual combat applications and often tend to focus on strange esoteric mumbo jumbo. These schools and practitioners invariably fail miserably in an actual contest of martial art skills such as in a ring such as Sanda or another sport-based competition.
In essence, it’s not so important as to whether a Christian should practice Tai Chi as opposed to how such Tai Chi is practised.
“Any cup can hold poison”
If you are still unsure about whether it’s okay to practice Tai Chi as a Christian, don’t be disheartened. I’ve spent many hours praying to God on this matter in my own life. For me, not only have I felt that Tai Chi is acceptable to Him, but that His spirit rejoices in moving meditation that honours Him. It has become clear to me that God wants to use Tai Chi for His own benefit and in a way that will bring people into a deeper relationship with Him and His will.
One of the early answered prayers was this seemingly strange response: “Any cup can hold poison”. On reflection, the message became clear that what He was saying was that almost any system, philosophy or practice can be used for either good or evil. It’s what’s in the cup that’s important. So Tai Chi can be used for good, but it can also be used for evil. A church can be used for good too, but it can also be used for evil. It’s the spirit of the message that determines the benefit.
“I can clean your shirt”
The second answer to prayer on Tai Chi was a seemingly cryptic: “I can clean your shirt”.
Again, with more reflection, it was understood that what God was saying was that a cultural practice can be cleaned by the blood of Christ. So even if something has been tainted at some point, God has the ability to wipe it clean and make it fit for His purpose.
The broader message is that when you come to Him as a Christian, you often don’t need to reject all your heritage and culture like some Christians insist that you do. Rather, allow Him to wash your culture clean through the power of His blood and allow Him to use your heritage and your culture for His good purposes.
If this idea is hard to swallow, consider that the origin of exchanging wedding rings, an integral part of Christian marriage and culture today, is entirely rooted in paganism. Even the Christian festival of Christmas has pagan roots. Named after pagan Roman gods, should we abandon the days of the week?
It’s similarly not hard to comprehend that early humans would have worshipped a fire god. Should we now abandon fire because of its supposed pagan roots?
Of course not!
Everything belongs to God and He can use anything He wants to for his own good purposes. Who are we to attempt to put Him in a box and limit His ability to use whatever He chooses to achieve His ends?
Ultimately, the only real answer to the question of “Should Christians practice Tai Chi?” is to ask Him yourself. Depending on how that Tai Chi is to be practised, you may just be encouraged by the answer.
Comments
This is a brilliant response, not only for Tai Chi, but for the myriad of other things that Christians are told they cannot do, even if their hearts are longing to please God by their actions. Even God grew weary of offerings that He originally commanded, but were done with hearts in the wrong place. It is what is in our hearts that matters. Thank you so much for this article!!