Redemption Boulevard A Multicultural Worship Ministry

I want to take some time this morning to explain this past Tuesday’s blog post, Privilege and Resistance, where I quote Martin Luther King, Jr.:

…no one gives up his privileges without strong resistance.

This was said in the summer of 1957 where negotiations were started after a boycott of the buses had begun.  City commissioners and leaders were greatly opposing any sort of compromise because they felt it will violate city laws.

Rumors were even being spread about Martin Luther King Jr. that he was not the right man for the job in leading the way in these negotiations.  In fact, other rumors were spread that he was buying expensive vehicles for his own family.

This situation in many ways reminds me of Paul in Philippians 3:8-9…

Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith.

Paul expresses that he had confidence in his own human efforts because of his ethnicity and strict upbringing.  But he now knows that compared to knowing Christ that is not as important.

I think we can fall into that trap as well.  We can begin to think to our ways, our ethnicity, our church traditions are the best way.  And we’ll do everything we can to protect that.

But if we’re going to move forward together, believers from every nation, we need to ask the Holy Spirit to examine those things in humility.  Every tradition in a person’s culture shouldn’t be passed onto the next generation.

For example, I am not taking part in the Korean tradition of drinking alcohol with my older relatives.  This can be a sign of respect and bonding.  But, as my own son is imitating and repeating this tradition.

I want him, of course, to understand the tradition and why it has been important.  And he’ll have to make a decision in the future whether this is something he wants to embrace.  But, for now, I need him to understand that he shouldn’t be drinking alcohol.

Questions for you

1. What traditions have caused you to resistant change?

2. What are some things about the tradition that are good?

3. What are some things about the tradition that are bad?

4. Could it be time to give up a tradition for the sake of Christ and of unity?

Blog post by Peter Kihyun Park

© 2011, Peter Park. All rights reserved.