Stoicism, Christianity, and the Power of Action

Rustic Still Life with Open Book and Yellow Flowers by Hello Aesthe, March 25, 2025

Recently, I was reviewing Seneca’s writings on Stoicism on the blog Daily Stoic. I was caught off guard by how much we can still learn from the foundational insights of Marcus Aurelius and Seneca. In the Christian community, some might be quick to point out the faults of Stoic practices—some even argue they contradict the teachings of Christ. However, I believe there are many aspects of the Stoic way of life that align with Jesus’ way of living.

The potential pitfall of Stoicism is that, for some, it can feel like nihilism. Its emphasis on impermanence may seem like a negation of meaning. Yet, there is a distinct difference between these two philosophical approaches.

Nihilism is the belief that life lacks inherent meaning, purpose, or value. It asserts that existence is fundamentally meaningless. When life is viewed this way, it can open the door to apathy or even justify harmful actions.

In contrast, Stoicism encourages emotional distance from our desires and attachments. It teaches that by embracing the impermanence of the world, we can focus more intentionally on how we engage with it. The goal of this detachment is not self-denial for its own sake, but to better pursue what is good and meaningful. Stoicism, when rightly practiced, shifts the focus from self-interest to communal benefit. I wonder if Paul of Tarsus, the great evangelist, had Stoic ideals in mind when he wrote, “I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20b, CEB). 

Stoicism, at its best, is about getting the self out of the way to be fully present for the needs of the world.

The Daily Stoic blog post outlines 12 rules from Seneca’s writings. Some of them include:

• Own the morning

• Focus on what’s in your control (think of the Prayer of Saint Francis, John Wesley’s Covenant Prayer, or the Prayer of Thomas Merton)

• Don’t suffer imagined troubles (consider Matthew 6:34 with its birds and lilies)

• Treat success and failure the same

• Do one thing every day (perhaps a quick read of Ephesians 2:10)

• Make beautiful choices

• Constantly ask, “Is this necessary?”

• Love your fate

• Turn obstacles upside down

• Be strict with yourself and tolerant with others

That last one is especially important today.

Too often, we are lenient with ourselves and harsh with others. We’re quick to point out others’ flaws but slow to recognize our own. While negative self-talk is common—and often unhelpful or even harmful—I believe we live in a culture addicted to complaints. We complain about how others do things, convinced we could do better. We complain when things don’t meet our expectations. Complaints flow easily.

Spend time with someone in the service industry, and you’ll hear how difficult people’s complaints can be. Even when things are done to the best of someone’s ability, critiques still come. The problem with centering our lives around critique and complaint is twofold: it assumes we’re qualified to judge (often we’re not), and it’s simply too easy—it’s lazy.

Complaining requires nothing. No study, no action, no follow-up—just a feeling of discomfort. It’s usually a gut reaction, not a thoughtful response. Advocacy, on the other hand, is different. Advocacy involves recognizing injustice or harm and taking action to address it. It requires effort, courage, and commitment.

Complaints become difficult only when we feel emotionally connected to what’s being challenged. This is the trap of leadership. We begin to believe that complaints are about us personally—but they’re not. They’re about the issue at hand and the person raising it. Complaints often reflect the complainer’s own needs.

Complaining is easy because it’s cheap. It costs nothing. It can be said and unsaid with little consequence.

Decisions and actions, however, are hard. They carry weight. They require energy, vulnerability, and time. They demand clarity of purpose and the courage to follow through. Especially in leadership, the real work lies not in complaining but in deciding and doing. Every decision brings both benefits and challenges. Every action means choosing one path and letting go of another.

In the church, we move from a “me”-centered relationship with God and others to a “we”-centered one. This shift requires us to take ownership of our actions while remaining open to the needs of others. Churches that fail to act do not thrive. If all we do is complain about what should be done, or endlessly discuss possibilities without ever implementing them, we’re doing the easy work and avoiding the hard stuff.

I hope that, as a church, we can step into the hard work together. Let’s make clear decisions and take meaningful actions that bring good into the world. This will require diligence, discipline, and a deep focus on our shared purpose.