In 2022, Christian bodybuilder Hunter Sprague saw something he didn’t like in the culture of Christian men. “I was tired of seeing my brothers and myself getting driven into the ground from anxiety, depression, chronic health problems, burn out, stress, low testosterone, apathy, and many other issues,” he wrote on his Instagram. “The Church needs to talk about fitness and health and wellness, and I figured I could help start the conversation.” Sprague started the Monolith Movement in response to the trouble he was seeing. “At this point I’ve talked to HUNDREDS of Christian men. And I see a generation of guys that know a lot of theology, but practically live as broken, lost, zeal-less, and passion-less boys. We talk to ourselves like unbelievers. We functionally act like we don’t have the Spirit. We hate our bodies in reality. We live un-embodied, un-integrated, uninspired lives,” he wrote.

Speaking to Fox News Digital, Sprague shared his hope for his ministry. He likened physical fitness to a form of spiritual stewardship. He referred to 1 Corinthians 6:19, which states that “your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you.” “This is primarily a matter of stewardship,” he said. “How are you stewarding the fact that you have a functioning body? How are you stewarding the fact that you’ve been given all of these tools and resources and abilities?”

“Our bodies matter, our physical material world matters — it was created,” said Sprague, fighting against the idea of Gnosticism, a 1^st and 2^nd century belief that said material entities like the body didn’t matter. “That is the natural created order — if the Lord didn’t desire for you to have a body, you wouldn’t have one. I think the Lord kind of used fitness to illuminate a lot of this to me,” he said. “I can’t just live a mental faith — there has to be some experiential power that goes along with it.” And while Sprague wants Christian to find ways to increase their activity and weight train, he also acknowledges that physical fitness isn’t the answer to happiness. “It’s hard to be satisfied, it’s hard to get to a place where you’re like, ‘I’m done, I made it.’ There’s always going to be this sense of, ‘There’s more to go, there’s more to do,’” he said.  “My identity, my worth, my value, isn’t wrapped up in what I achieve physically — rather, this process is just a joy in itself.” As a person sees gains, he added, it’s important to thank God. “It’s a means of grace that the Lord designed endorphins for you — he designed dopamine for you,” he noted. “He designed the feeling of accomplishment you get when you lift something or run a little bit farther or have a really good day with your food — that’s not inconsequential.”