Outreach, Websites

Mixed Martial Arts Ministries?

85 Comments

The great Phil Kidd has a new ministry: Mixed Martial Arts Camp! Jesus may love you…but we’ll ground and pound you until you cry like a sinner on Tribulation Night at a prophecy conference.

During your stay you will be instructed in MMA fighting techniques…It is the mission of this camp to instill self confidence, discipline development, respect, and defense against confrontation…You will be given daily instructions in techniques by Mr. Tom Seigler. You will have plenty of time for practice on the mat and great Bible preaching in the evening by Dr. Kidd.

To be honest, I think I’d rather go head to head with Frankie Edgar than have to sit through Kidd’s preaching. What confuses me about this site, though, is that the video at the bottom contains both music with drums AND a woman clad in karate britches. Phil is slipping badly.

85 thoughts on “Mixed Martial Arts Ministries?”

  2. i have finished my course, i have kept the faith, heretofore, there is laid up for me a FIRST on SFL

  3. When I was a kid, I couldn’t do any sort of martial arts because of the pagan influences. Although, now that I think about it, I might have gotten away with Krav Maga, had I know about it. You know, we supported Israel in absolutely everything else… 😀

  5. >word failure in central processor
    >unable to formulate response
    >error in line 4
    >Dr associated with Phil Kidd is creates logic error
    >error
    >error
    >error
    >end

    1. george’s processor went down line 4 should read:
      >Dr associated with Phil Kidd creates logic error

      1. I made the mistake of clicking through to his home page (hadn’t been there in awhile.) Both are now listed as “Drs. Phil and Leslie Kidd”.

        So Leslie Kidd now has a P(suedo)hD? Is she ordained?? (gasp!)

        1. If he can get a Dr. without doing a doctorate, I can get a Rev. by receiving an internet ordination from Universal Life Church.

  6. Years ago my home church called a new pastor who was into karate and tae kwon do. He organized a weekly class for the local kids. Despite his being a committed evangelical, one of the parishioners was all upset about it because she thought it was tied into Far Eastern paganism. She was quite vocal. It was probably the beginning of the end of his pastorate, which didn’t last long.

      1. Around here, there was a place that put up a big sign that said “CHRISTIAN KARATE.” My daddy called it, “Beating the hell out of people.” 😀

    2. I don’t think I would describe Buddhism or Confucianism as paganism. Shinto does seem to be a kind of animism. All 3 religions are quite old.

      1. Regardless, the line of reasoning doesn’t work. What’s next, no ballet because Russians are Marxist?

        1. Oh, the IFBers I knew didn’t need to go that far. Ballet is dance; dance is forbidden; end of argument. (Also they wear indecent costumes.)

    3. Yet, somehow it’s okay for Christian to coop European pagan traditions. I bet this woman made Easter Eggs

  7. This seems to be more of a megachurch thing. Done by Evangelicals with too much time on their hands. I saw a report on Nightline once about church league Mixed Martial Arts. I kind of assumed that something so dangerous wouldn’t have an amateur league.

    I also assume that mixed martial arts is macho enough, because it seems to be some kind of survey course on fighting techniques, leaving behind much less in terms of (that intellectual, feminine) yoga, meditation and Eastern philosophy. Which probably makes it kosher for the Fundie meathead.

    This just needs to be completed with some kind of “Christian Branded” co-opting of Ed Hardy t-shirts, which I’m absolutely certain exists for Fundie and Evangelical megachurch meatheads.

    1. You know it. On a recent car trip, I saw “Christian” knock-offs of Ed Hardy T-shirts for sale at a truck stop.

  8. Girls are not allowed, therefore there will be no dinner served on Mon. cause there is no one to do the cookin’.

  9. Never mind the problem with the woman in karate britches. The fact that she’s there at all goes against most Fundy logic. Is this video only meant to be seen by other women and possibly young boys? I didn’t think they would allow a woman to instruct a man.

    I agree, Phil seems to be slipping.

  10. Not only are there drums and a woman in britches but there is the problem of MMA itself. “Dr” Kidd is well-known for preaching against homosexuality but he teaches a sport that centers on two nearly naked, sweaty guys rolling around on the floor together?

  11. I doubt there is much value in an MMA class run by a church that is so over-the-top addicted to macho. Sounds like more rampant wannabe-ism from the fundies.

  13. The English teacher in me is cringing at the lack of parallelism in this list: “instill self confidence, discipline development, respect, and defense against confrontation.”

  14. Finally, a Fundy “ministry” that admits that what it wants to do is kick the stuffing out of you.

  17. Lol. “Relevant” fundies…how cute.
    fwiw, I have trained in real MMA and let me tell you that there is no such thing as MMA for “fitness” and “self confidence” – unless of course, you are the kind of person who builds self-confidence by putting someone in a rear naked choke and nearly killing them…

    1. In fact, a decade ago, when I was training for my fourth degree black belt in taekwon do, I supplemented my self defense with a coach from MMA. He had learned and taught Escrima at his own school and had grown up boxing in Durham NC; I had a black belt in TKD and first brown in Shotokan, and just about everybody I met had a black belt in at least one other style. And you’re right: we were all physically fit. MMA back then was for people who were already martial artists and wanted to round out what they were missing. There was a lot to it, a lot of expertise required. In fact, I narrowed my own training to floor fighting, exclusively: shrimping out, learning the timing of letting the assailant do most of the work and then using explosive movement to get him off, and learning to get a guy off me and trap him in a choke or arm bar. It was a terrific learning experience. But I frankly doubt that anybody at that church is really qualified to teach MMA.

      2. I just earned my 1st degree BB in taekwondo last summer, working on my 2nd degree now. This is so cool. We should have our own SFL martial arts demo team!

      3. I have to ask you and the others, was there ever a time when you had to use your training in self defense? Not in demonstration to impress people?

        1. Not so far. I actually didn’t really start it for that reason. I was just looking for a way to stay fit after a couple of years of working out at home, trying to stay motivated. Our daughter got into it and they did such a good job with her that I wanted to join too. The rest is history.

        4. No, no stories of fighting prowess. It brings out the worst in the hardcore fundies who lurk. I wrote my TKD memoirs several years ago. If you like martial arts war stories, you might like them. I have no idea where they are. But they’re out on the web somewhere.

  18. As someone who just recently started taking karate and is learning about martial arts culture, I find these kinds of things to be very gimmicky. I noticed that BJU has its own martial arts evangelistic type team thing where they do demonstrations for kids and such and then follow it up with preaching or a challenge. It’s just weird to me and seems like such a desperate stretch. I think you can have more effective evangelism by joining a dojo/gym and having a meaningful relationship with the people there. Well, that can also apply to work, school, etc. . . .

    3. I have made a ton of friends at my dojo, and I actually see more of them than I do my friends at church. I used to feel guilty about that. Not so much any more.

      1. I once went around and around with somebody who just would not accept that meditation is a tool, like a plow or a spoon, that has been used in many cultures and religions including ours. It just had to be some kind of New Agey thing. Yes, all those monks who meditated on the name of Jesus for all those centuries were smoking dope and listening to sitar music . . .

        1. Hadn’t thought of meditation, etc. as a tools, thanks, you just answered a question I’ve been contemplating.

        2. Odd how they’ve completely missed those passages in Scripture that talk about meditating on God’s Word.

        3. @grace2live: Exactly.

          I am so glad that growing up Lutheran eliminated this stumbling block for me. I used to hang out with somebody whose husband was anti-theist. She gave me a ride to my old church to drop something off. The anti-theist strolled into the sanctuary, put on his best trollish grin, and pointed out the Babylonian squared circle on the altar cloth. He looked like a wet cat when I said cheerfully, “Yep! Our church picked it because it symbolizes eternity. And we repeat the symbolism in the Celtic knots on the pastor’s surplice, and we use purple for Lent because the ancient Romans used purple as the royal color and that ties into the whole story of Jesus’ last days in Jerusalem, and . . . ”

          He was actually pouting when he slouched out. 😆

      1. “I finally forced him into saying the sinner’s prayer just as he took his last breath! I thought that he was going to say it when I applied the arm-bar but he threw-up when his arm snapped and I had to start over with him.”

        Yeah, spreading the gospel with power and not the wimpy way Stephen did, or Paul and Silas. Good thing that Peter and John didn’t answer the begger with, “Silver and Gold have I none but such as I have, give I thee.” **swift boot to the head**

        Yeah I’ll bet ol Doc Kidd would have shown that Phillipian jailer a thing or two about beatings hungh?

  21. I followed the links to Dr. Phil Kidd whom I had not heard of before. I checked out his guestbook and discovered a lot of paranoia and several conspiracy theories. What a great way to begin my day.

  22. I would have loved to do this when I was in youth group. Unfortunately we were always told if you can’t do it in cullottes it isn’t appropriate for a girl to do.
    Ah freedom 🙂 I now do yoga and still have relationship with God. Go figure you can do both.

    1. No, you can’t. The only way to have a relationship with God is through the Managawd, and Managawd don’t wantcha wearing pants while practicing paganism, you wretched little woman!

      Oh…that was sarcasm 😀

      1. :mrgreen:

        I have Fibromyalgia and yoga was the first thing my Dr recommended. It keeps me off strong pain pills.

    2. “Lisa, if the Bible has taught us nothing else, and it hasn’t, its that girls should stick to girls’ sports, such as hot oil wrestling, foxy boxing, and such and such.”

  23. Wait..weren’t these the guys Ralph Macchio fought against in the Karate Kid movies???

    Wow. Just……….wow.

    🙁

    My brother is a Tae Kwon Do instructor and I have taken a few classes in it and kickboxing (Stopped at green belt) and I cannot imagine mixing them with Christianiy in such a setting.

    “How to be a better bully” by Sensai Phil Kidd

  24. A friend of mine at BJU wanted to take a martial arts class in town but was not allowed because it involves touching men.

    1. I took TKD while I was on staff at BJU. Contact with men wasn’t a problem, but walking to and from my car in pants prompted them to say they would prefer it if I wore a skirt to class and changed there. I politely ignored the request.

      1. Which is so weird because now you wouldn’t have to. Pants have been sanctioned anywhere in town!

        🙄

        1. Really? BJU girls can wear pants? I assume PCC will still never let women wear pants anywhere for any reason. I’m shocked BJU allows that. They still suck, but that’s refreshingly reasonable. Your comment reads like they still can’t wear pants on campus but can off campus? That seems like an odd distinction, but I’m sure they are perfectly capable of doing it just so they can say they have a no pants rule of some sort…

      2. I took judo from Miss Jury at BJU. Poor lady, she never had a worse student.

        1. @RobM yes, you read it right. Girls can wear pants off campus in town. School dress code applies for class and in all buildings such as library, dining common etc. But after class and off campus, it’s pants..pants…pants.. I think it is an odd distinction/refreshing also.

        3. Me too! That was the only gym class in my life that I actually excelled in!

        4. Hated judo. It wasn’t Miss Jury’s fault, it was that I hadn’t realized ahead of time that we would be practicing on_each_other!!

        5. @PresbyGirl, That definitely is refreshing. I guess no point in calling it inconsistent or totally bizarre trying to come up w/ a Biblical reason why pants are OK someplaces/sometimes, and not other places other times, but I guess take what you can get, and just keep waiting for them to go out of “business”.

    2. Normal sparring in taekwondo does not involve “touching”, just punching and kicking. But it’s a good thing they’ve never seen one of our groundfighting classes!!!!

  25. If it weren’t Phil Kidd (whom I know nothing about other than comments & a few posts here have been more than enough to know that he’s nothing but trouble), I’d think, what’s the harm, they’re having fun. When it’s Phil involved I feel like child endangerment or emotional abuse charges should be filed.

  26. Nothing says “fruit of the spirit” like angry preaching and learning how to beat t’crap outta someone. 😈

  27. The video, which I gather has absolutely no connection to this ministry, was actually quite well done.

  29. I went to a small A.C.E. school where all the kids did Tae Kwon Do instead of traditional gym class… we were crazy non-denom evangelicals of the Oral Roberts stripe, though.

    We also had the POWER TEAM perform at our church several times!! RIPPIN’ PHONE BOOKS 4 JEBUSSSSSSSSSSS! YAAAAAA

      1. the best part about that is that ripping phonebooks is a lie-an old carny strongman trick. I’m a 125 pound weakling with a half-metal right arm and even I can shred phonebooks left and right. Funny to use trickery and falsehood for ministry 😉

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