Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?”  Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.
Matthew 18:21-22

It’s inevitable…as different cultures and peoples come together we’re going to have to deal with conflict.  It’s especially important in the church that we deal with conflict. 

I’m talking about those things those conversations we avoid and turn into tolerance.  And tolerance is NOT unity.  And tolerance is NOT acceptance. 

I believe tolerance is not where we want to be because it’s supposed to be very objective, but it somehow takes away the heart element that we need and want.

To be perfectly honest I tolerated black people for a long time.  Why?  I grew being taught to be afraid of black people.  It’s true. 

Maybe it was because of the news reports we would see, which doesn’t report good news.  Maybe something happened to my parents, while growing up in Chicago, which made them feel this way.  (Things are different now with my parents just so you know.)

It wasn’t until June of 2009 that the number of black friends I had dramatically went up.  I was finally ready to accept people, specifically black people,  for who they are instead of what I was taught to believe about them. 

And those friendships have really enriched my life.  Alisa, she’s really given me insight into the pain that the black community is still holding onto.  Nikki, well, is a combination of someone who’s very outgoing and a great listener.  This means I can ask her all the questions I’ve been wondering about the black community and she’s really gracious to answer them.

And there’s my friend Jelani who seems to know everything about everything…in a good way.  He’s really helped me think outside the box because he’s so creative.

The multicultural church cannot be a place where we tolerate one another’s difference or feel like it’s some sort of privilege to be tolerant.  The multicultural church needs to create those safe environments where we can ask questions, be honest, be vulnerable, forgive sins, confess sins, cry, and come together in Christ.

Share your story and your life…

Sincerely,
Peter Park
Blogger/Worship Leader/Speaker
peterpark@redemptionboulevard.com
(800) 453-3284