National & International

90.3 WBHM | Birmingham -- Six oclock on a Tuesday evening. The lobby of the Metropolitan Church of God, just off Acton road. John Bucky Kennedy is putting a half-dozen sweating students through their paces. Welcome to ground zero in the Christian martial arts movement. This isnt Mr. Miyagis dojo -- you arent going to find any Buddhist metaphors or Taoist philosophy here. Instead, the organization tries to teach a Christian lifestyle using Eastern arts. Its a strange mix all the way around.

John Kennedy: "We always open with prayer, and we close with prayer In here, well do Bible readings periodically, I give handouts periodically that deal with Christianity and the martial arts. So its a little bit of in-class ministry and its a little bit of out-of-class ministry."

Kennedy's school is one of a growing number of martial arts classes based on Christian philosophy. A quick search turns up numerous organizations with names like Lion of Judah Martial Arts, Grace Martial Arts Fellowship, and faith fighters for christ. Each its own school, with its own method for marrying Sermons to sparring.

Joseph Lumpkin: "Shinsei jujitsu, which is our in-house style, actually has Scripture verses built into its curriculum. So were doing three things giving discipline, seeking perfection in physical form, seeking elevation in Christian philosophy, religion."

Karate for Christ's logo Thats Joseph Lumpkin, the president of one of the largest Christian martial arts organizations Karate for Christ. Hes a soft-spoken man with a powerful grip. Talk with him long enough about the martial arts, and hell happily start demonstrating techniques for you, or on you. And go ahead, make the jokes, hes heard them all.

Lumpkin:Karate for Christ... Kickin' for Jesus, Kicking for Christ, Jumping for Jesus..."

Running an organization with the initials K-F-C takes of a sense of humor. But with a 400 page curriculum available on their website, Karate for Christ is a fully developed teaching system. In some ways, it sounds a lot like martial arts Bible study.

Lumpkin: At the adult black belt level, they must defend their Christian beliefs against the basic heresies. The last black belt test we had was over 5 hours long. We dont demand that theres blood and guts on the mat, but we do demand that they show us what theyve learned. And in the middle of all that, there are questions being thrown and we will say, what does this do to your religion, what does this do to Christianity if you do not do not believe in the Virgin birth, or if you do not believe in the blood sacrifice?

Joseph Lumpkin Church rec rooms full of sweaty people screaming out Bible verses? Martial arts have come a long way from monks practicing in Buddhist temples. But according to Lumpkin, Karate for Christ is actually restoring to American martial arts some of the meaning theyve lost as their popularity has grown. He speaks harshly of what he calls the McDonalds of martial arts for-profit schools where the focus is on promotion, not personal growth.

Lumpkin: In those secular fast-food karate studios, you are not taught a philosophy. You may see, when you walk in courage, respect, tenacity something like that, but its seldom articulated in class. What you have are a year and a half of calisthenics, at the end of the which you are rewarded, for all of your money, with a black belt, deserving or not.

Lumpkin is trying to give his students something less tangible, but more enduring. He hopes the combination of physical discipline and Christian philosophy will reach at-risk kids who might otherwise shun the church. And in this, the mission is more important than the medium.

Training camp Lumpkin: The martial arts in form alone have nothing to do with religion. Truth be known, you could do the same thing with Basketball for Christ, Football for Christ.

One might expect martial arts practitioners -- especially non-Christian ones -- to comlain that their arts are being hijacked by religion. But all of the the secular martial arts teachers we spoke with have no real objection to karate for christ. lumpkin is using martial arts to bring kids to Christianity. But that also means that many Christians are finding martial arts who wouldnt otherwise. And thats something most secular martial artists approve of. Karate for Christ has taken root, and taken off, here in Alabama and across the country producing a new generation of martial artists who know their gospels, as well as their roundhouse kicks.

You can find out more about the organization at:

Karate for Christ

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