"Have Mercy on Me, a Zynner" Is Soft. Here’s the Real Word: Quit Crying and Pick Up Dort.
Luke Simon just published a piece in Christianity Today titled “Have Mercy on Me, a Zynner” where he takes his personal struggle with nicotine pouches and stretches it into a moral framework for the rest of the church.
But worse than that, he binds the conscience of the Christian and twists what is lawful into what sounds holy, turning personal weakness into moral authority. What God never condemned, Luke turns into law. What Scripture leaves to wisdom, he labels idolatry.
This isn’t conviction. It’s confusion.
This isn’t holiness. It’s soft legalism disguised as discipleship.
He’s not calling men to the cross. He’s calling them to cower in guilt over a product they could simply choose to stop using.
Let’s set the record straight.
1. Zyn Didn’t Steal Your Soul. You Handed It Over
Nicotine is a tool. You can use it for clarity, focus, and drive. Or you can hide behind it because you’ve got no spine, no structure, and no spiritual weight behind your name.
Luke calls Zyn a “soul-sucking leech.” No. Idolatry is the leech. You can turn anything into one: your phone, your pre-workout, your sermon podcast, even your wife. Zyn didn’t numb your emotions. You numbed them by refusing to confront your own apathy.
If your prayer life collapses over a pouch, the real problem isn’t in your lip. It’s in your heart.
And let’s be honest. This article reads like it was printed on recycled copies of Russell Moore’s blog, passed through a French press, and approved with a soft Palpatine smile from his corner office throne. He may not run the Empire outright, but you can bet he’s whispering "good... good..." every time Christianity Today publishes another theology lite takedown on masculinity, nicotine, or anything with grit.
2. Christians Need Discipline, Not Detox Plans
The early church baptized men under the threat of execution. Today, a man uses a nicotine pouch and writes a spiritual memoir about how it crushed his soul.
This is what happens when we trade grit for guilt.
You want to quit? Then quit. Throw the can out and move on. But don’t elevate your struggle into doctrine and expect the rest of the church to adopt your conviction as if it were command.
Your experience is valid. But it’s not binding. That’s the difference between testimony and truth.
3. The Church Doesn’t Need More Rules Masquerading as Holiness
When Christianity becomes a list of things to avoid instead of a kingdom to advance, it turns into a hollow, performative religion.
Luke’s argument sounds spiritual. It’s not. It’s just soft moralism dressed up in poetic language. It offers guilt without grace. Conviction without cross. Burden without brotherhood.
The gospel gives liberty where the law gives weight. If Christ doesn’t condemn a thing, neither should we. That’s not compromise. That’s biblical fidelity.
4. Christianity Today Isn’t Helping Men Get Stronger
This isn’t the first time Christianity Today has platformed emotional fragility as if it’s spiritual insight. Their discipleship model sounds more like therapy than transformation.
Instead of calling men to take dominion, lead their homes, and fight sin, they hand them journal prompts and teach them to cry about coping mechanisms.
This doesn’t sharpen men. It sedates them.
5. Final Word: We Don’t Need More Zyn Confessions. We Need Soldiers.
Jesus isn’t calling men to apologize for being focused, composed, or driven. He’s calling them to die to sin, live with fire, and walk in freedom.
You can use a nicotine pouch and still love your wife, raise your kids, plant a church, and storm the gates of hell. You can also throw it away if it becomes a crutch. Either way, grow up. Take responsibility. Move on.
Stop making your weakness the standard for everyone else.
And for the love of all that is masculine, this isn’t June buddy.
We’re in a war. Act like it.
Postscript: If You Still Want Nicotine Without Compromise, Choose Better
If you're looking for clarity, not confusion… performance, not panic…
If you want a clean, no-nonsense product without guilt trips or additives
Pick up DORT at DortPouches.com
No shame. No baggage. No apology.
Signed,
Your favorite tobacconist,
Chance Summers
Excellent article brother!