Tag: multi ethnic church

Philippines Update#2-October 2011 Trip

Well friends, this is finally getting up. I had a busy schedule upon my return. Some more video will be added soon and some pictures. We have many. More will be posted at ourwebsite. I will update you.

We did two conferences, one in Davao City and one in Cagayan De Oro and I taught at two of our church plants – Davao and Cagayan (Opol). I also had the opportunity to teach the Police Academy Cadets, again this year in Davo. Pastor Bobby broadcast that meeting on his radio program.  I also did his Saturday night  program and he broadcast our final conference meeting in Davao.

Our conferences focused on Biblical Theology and New Covenant Theology as hermeneutical standards. It produced, by God’s grace, some very interesting results, which are mentioned in the video. The video is too long – 30 min.- to post here, so follow the link UPDATE.

This week we have a carpenter building a home for  Pastor Ambin at our mountain church property in Pamuhatan, so his commute to the church and the work  further in the mountains in Buhanginan among the Bogobo, is more easily travelled to each week. I will add some pictures by tomorrow.

 

 

 

Philippines Update

I am returning to Davao City and Cagayan De Oro in October. I will be there from October 13-November 1.  We will do two pastor’s conferences, one at Hope Mountain in Davao and one at Word of Life Camp in Cagyan De Oro, the locations are the same as last year. We are adding two church conferences, one each at our church plants in Davao and Cagayan De Oro/Opal. We have a third church in Pamuhatan and you can read about all of  them in previous blogs or at www.fbceny.org

Ernie , our lead elder, is  scheduled for surgery for a cyst removal from his inner nose. Funds to pay for this were made available to us ands I sent them via Western Union.

We are currently raising funds for our work in October. Airfare has already been paid in advance, by faith. I usually pay my own way, but this year the airfare was $650.00 more for the international flight and the church decided that they desire to raise at least half of my airfare. The in-country airfare has been covered.  A more detailed accounting will be included in a link once I post the video.

I am preparing a video newsletter that will be posted here and at our website. I hope to have it finished by the end of this week.

Philippines Update:New Location in Davao

Ernie and family have moved to a new location in Davao City. This accomplishes three things:

1. They are living with his sister in law. This will be much more affordable

2. There is property adjacent to the house that will be developed for a meeting place

3. More of our brethren attending the church are from that side of DavaoCity, so transportation will be cheaper and a shorter distance travelled.

We will need about $1200.00 to level the land and build a basic structure.Presently the church meets in the house, although it is small, so all are not yet able to attend at one time. We are praying through alternatives for this until the structure can be built.

Two new disciples study groups are continuing and a bible study at the largest mall in Mindanao in Davao City has begun.

We have 14 baptisms planned in Pamuhatan and our work in Cagayan De Oro is growing out of the present building.

New Covenant Goings On-Davao Philippines

Below is a  brief conversation I had with Ernie this morning as he returned from Pamuhatan from building the new building and is back in Davao to teach Bible  study  tonight. Then he is back to Pamuhatan tomorrow for more work on the building. The church there continues to grow. Pastor Bosay is doing home visitations in the mountains. I also met the Morales sisters.

Brother Joe,

Dorcas and I arrived from Cagayan last May 8, (NOTE:this is our newest work, 4 hours south of Davao, as documented in earlier posts. It is growing. Please pray with us for a man to work there with us. We had someone considering it but he has taken a position in Canada. We need someone full time at about $30+ per month support at least to start. ) this week and next week we are busy for the construction of Pamuhatan church building. I am here in Buhangin now because we have a Bible study this evening at 7 p.m. and we will go back to Pamuhatan tomorrow.

Anyway, here is the possible expenses of each  high school scholars for the whole year: Tuition fee-1,930; Uniform-2,870; School supplies-1,282; Transportation-940. Last year’s budget to each scholar was 4,000 each students. We have 5 students prospects this year. The 2 of the 5 students are now with us living in our house. ( this allows for ongoing tutoring and disicipleship) Namely; Christianne Morales and Marianne Morales, they are sisters. (Note: the cost for complete scholarship for a high school student is $89.00 per year. Last year it was on we were able to help 2 students via two families taking on support. Public school is not free in the city proper. In the mountain areas like Pamuhatan it is free. Australia and  Japan  partner in this venture with the Philippine government.)

We praise and thank God because the churches in Pamuhatan, Cagayan and Buhangin are growing in number as well as spiritual. Let us pray for their spiritual growth as they continue to learn about the truth in the word of God.

I was not able to look for a venue for our coming conference in September (Note: I will be there from Sept 13-Oct 1) because I am busy. But the schedule is already done, I will finalize it next week and I will let you know.

Another consideration for prayer.

Ernie will have to move out of his present home/church building.

His landlord, who provided the facility rent free for the past two years, works in Dubai but is getting married in June and wants his wife to live there.

We are working through various ideas of finding a temporary/permanent location for the church in Davao and housing for Ernie. They may be separate locations at this time. The church can afford about $66.00/month for rent, which is not adequate enough for a location.

We have considered splitting the congregation into three locations in homes in Davao and having three meetings on Sundays. However, most of the homes may not be large enough to do so. We area also considering the possibility of approaching the manager of the government housing in the Buhangin district to see if there is some facility we could lease.

Our resources are very limited as you know.

We ask for your prayers concerning God’s provision.

You can contact me via our website or posting a comment.

https://www.ncbf.us/NewCovenantBaptistFellowshipEvansNY/AboutUs.html

New Covenant Church in Davao

Here are pictures of the roof repair of our church plant meeting place in Pamuhatan and pictures of the pastors from Pamuhatan who attended the mini-conference at Ernie’s home/church building. The conference focused on aspects of understanding New Covenant Theology and was based on a conference I taught on Samal Island last April.You will notice a small home with an extension to the front in one picture. That was the original meeting area for the church meetings. The new structure needing repair is on a neighbor’s property which was given to us for the church to put up a larger structure. We secured the property with a gift to the family. They did not want to sell it. [new covenant theology]

New Covenant Thoughts on Social Justice/Olympics

olympics_free_logo

Mr. President, forget the Olympics!

I recently posted a comment about our President and social justice in this country on Facebook after watching a video on CNN about our homeless people in many cities.This issue has been skirted for years.

Tent cities similar to those during the great depression are growing in a number of communities.

Christians have an obligation to be at the forefront of social justice issues. I don’t mean this in a political sense or that if we are truly bible believing Christians that we mimic the “liberal” brand of Christianity and preach a social gospel rather than one that makes the idea of sin, repentance, God’s wrath and God’s forgiveness through the Gospel of Jesus Christ very clear.

Books can be, have been and are being written on this subject.

It needs to be in the forefront of a truly Christian witness.

When mega-churches are spending thousands to provide Starbucks like coffee bars in their lounges and multi-media experience centers in their sanctuaries and false evangelists, TV or otherwise, are raking in millions of dollars and spending it on planes, mansions and other assets, some smaller churches with little resources are attempting to do more for the poor and the hurting.

The government should not take the place of the church and we should not be advocating a theocracy but both the government and the church have an obligation to be engaged in the issue.

Let’s look at an often misused verse of Scripture that for some, advocates a Christian Theocracy in the US.

Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people. Proverbs 14:34

While v. 34 makes righteousness the key to a nation’s greatness, a recipe that has nowhere been majoritively evidenced, its converse (34b) has often been proven. For such a society, mercy and justice would be an ideal foundation, Legal justice will also be of key importance to it if you read 14:25).

Leaders are only as significant as their people; v 28 points to the pressures on leadership in society. That explains something of the high stakes involved in working for them and the need to know how to handle the relationship wisely.

In a multitude of people is the glory of a king, but without people a prince is ruined. Prov. 14:28

America is not a Christian nation. What a misnomer. It never was. Yes, Christianity’s influence was a strong one but we were never a Christocentric Theocracy nor will we ever be.

That is not the goal established for us by Christ in the Gospel.

I am not embarking on a lengthy tome about the Sermon on The Mount, and the Kingdom of God ( I do have a series on it on our website in the Sermons section and we addressed some aspects at our think tank this year, also on our website on the Conferences page) but I would like to point out a few ideas about righteousness and what I believe it means in regards to this issue of social justice from a biblical view.

Proverbs was written during the Golden Age of Israel under Solomon’s reign.

Proverbs must be understood in the context of creation, the fall and redemption. The creation narratives in Genesis 1–2 depict Adam and Eve’s being addressed by God, whose word sets the boundaries of their existence (Gen. 1:28–30). Being created in the image of God and having dominion over the rest of the creation implies the use of rational faculties, as does the task of naming the animals (Gen. 2:19). The serpent tempts the couple to reject the authority of God’s word and thus to dismiss his interpretation of reality. Human rationality and intelligence are misused when humans interpret the world of experience apart from the revelation of God. The result is a different and erroneous view which may work well at the mundane and pragmatic level of human wisdom but which is ultimately self-destructive.

Proverbs points to the redemptive revelation of God to which humans must respond with ‘fear’, i.e. awe, reverence and faith. Within this framework of revelation they are able to learn from experience about the good life. When Solomon the wise forsook the fear of the Lord, the ultimate result of his apostasy was the destruction of the nation, Jerusalem and the temple. During the period of decline the prophets predicted another son of David who would be filled with wisdom. The vocabulary associated with wisdom in Proverbs 1:1–7 and 8:12–15 is similar to that used in Isaiah 11:1–5. In Israel wisdom was limited; in the new Israel it is established fully by the one who is greater than Solomon. Luke sees Proverbs 3:4 as being fulfilled in the boy Jesus (Luke 2:52). As an adult, Jesus uses the wisdom forms of proverb and parable for much of his teaching. He is not only the truly wise man, but he is the wisdom of God itself. The framework for true human empirical wisdom is the revealed wisdom of God in the gospel (1 Cor. 1:18–2:7). The fear of the Lord now includes faith in and intellectual apprehension of the gospel.

Proverbs, and the wisdom literature in general, counter the idea that being spiritual means handing all decisions over to the “leading” of the Lord. The opposite is true. Proverbs reveals that God does not make all people’s decisions for them, but rather expects them to use his gift of reason to interpret the circumstances and events of life within the framework of revelation that he has given. Yet when they have exercised their responsibility in decision-making, they can look back and see that the sovereign God has guided. Ultimately, to learn wisdom is to choose life, while a life of folly is a deliberate choice of destruction.

So how does righteousness exalt a nation?

All through the Scriptures, especially in the Old Testament, righteousness has embedded in it’s meaning the ideas of mercy and justice.

Any nation will be exalted when these two attributes are predominant.

Why?

Righteousness is ultimately a revealing of the very nature of God and it can as a shared attribute of Creation be expressed in those whom He has created.

As God gave man dominion over the earth, this is expected of man, regardless of the fall into sin. God sets up and brings down nations as He so wills. He has demands that are to be met because in the non-spiritual aspect they can be.

For the New Covenant Church this takes on an added dimension.

Jesus said if you want to be his disciple then your righteousness must exceed that of the Pharisees, the religious hypocrites, and any others who are engaged in the theater of piety. In our natural state of sin this is impossible. The only way it can be accomplished is in Christ for we are the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ, we represent the mercy and justice of God in all of its aspects because we are salt and light according to Jesus’ own words.

What we should and can do should exceed what the government can do at least in principle, with honest effort.

So Mr. President, as I wrote on my Facebook wall, forget the Olympics and put some resources towards social justice and mercy. Regardless of what you say your “faith” view is, as the leader of a nation you can urge others with  proverbial wisdom and practical decisions to care for the poor.

(Note: It looks like I will have to write a bit more……)

[new covenant theology]

New Covenant Goings On In Davao City, Philippines

Here is a photo update on the September 5th joint service celebrating the 1 year anniversary of New Covenant Baptist Fellowship Davao and the new church plant that was formed in April following our visit to Pamuhatan including the baptism service.

We are committed to the Doctrines of Grace and are committed to pursuing a better understanding of New Covenant Theology.

New Covenant People: The Life of an Alien – Part 2

aliens

Living as aliens in the world is the only pathway to heaven. If you choose to be at home in the world and love the things of the world, you will perish with the world. John said, “The world is passing away and its desires, but the one who does the will of God abides for ever” (1 John 2:17).
So the question of how to keep our alien identity is not an idle question. It is utterly important. Our eternal destiny hangs on it.
Paul wrote in  2Ti 2:12 If we endure, we will also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He also will deny us;

There is no way that we are true believers if we do not endure to the end. To believe less is to deny the purpose of God for His adopted ones in Christ. He who began a good work in you is faithful to complete it. All of the promises in Him are yea and Amen.
God has purposed it for us to be aliens. As such we see our sufficiency in him. The world is not sufficient for us. The world and all of its wisdom, power and deceit will be put under the feet of Christ and in essence already is. He is the king of kings and Lord of Lords. Men just do not acknowledge it yet. But they will even unto their own condemnation.
Yet, there are many who are forsaking the way of the alien to be popular.
Today we have the Purpose Driven Church and the Emerging Church both of which are sacrificing the gospel and preaching messages that are focused on felt needs and problem solving in practical terms without applying biblical doctrine.
Dr. D. A Carson writes about the Emerging church and says,
“At the heart of the Emergent Church movement—or as some of its leaders prefer to call it, the “conversation”—lies the conviction that changes in the culture signal that a new church is “emerging.” Christian leaders must therefore adapt to this emerging church. Those who fail to do so are blind to the cultural accretions that hide the gospel behind forms of thought and modes of expression that no longer communicate with the new generation, the emerging generation. One reason why the movement has mushroomed so quickly is that it is bringing to focus a lot of hazy perceptions already widely circulating in the culture. It is articulating crisply and polemically what many pastors and others were already beginning to think, even though they did not enjoy—until the leaders of this movement came along—any champions who put their amorphous malaise into perspective.”

Here are eight points from a book on missions from an Emerging Church believer’s book on missions: Transforming Mission: Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission. His name is David Bosch.
“1. Accept co-existence with different faiths gladly, not begrudgingly. It is not their fault if they are alive. 2. Dialogue presupposes commitment to one’s position, so it is surely not a bad thing to listen well. Dialogue should be congruent with confidence in the gospel. 3. We assume that the dialogue takes place in the presence of God, the unseen Presence. In such dialogue we may learn things, as Peter does in Acts 10–11. Similarly, Jesus learns from his interchange with the Syrophoenician woman. 4. Missional dialogue requires humility and vulnerability. But that should not frighten us, for when we are weak, we are strong. It is surely right, for instance, to acknowledge earlier atrocities committed by Christians, even as we remain careful not to disparage those earlier Christians. 5. Each religion operates in its own world and therefore demands different responses from Christians. 6. Christian witness does not preclude dialogue. 7. The “old, old story” may not be the true, true story, for we continue to grow, and even our discussion and dialogues contribute to such growth. In other words, the questions raised by postmodernism help us to grow. 8. Live with the paradox: we know no way of salvation apart from Jesus Christ, but we do not prejudge what God may do with others. We must simply live with the tension.”

Let me define post modernism for you.
It is a worldview that emphasizes the existence of different worldviews and concepts of reality, rather than one “correct or true” one. (ie. the absolutes of Christianity for example are meaningless) Whereas modernism the predecessor of postmodernism emphasized a trust in the empirical scientific method, and a distrust and lack of faith in ideologies and religious beliefs that could not be tested using scientific methods; postmodernism emphasizes that a particular reality is a social construction by a particular group, community, or class of persons. (In other words whatever you or a group want to believe about anything is the truth. The bible calls that each man being right in his own eyes and we know what that led to.
Now I want to ask Mr. Bosch what did Jesus learn from the Syrophoenecian woman?
What different response am I to give to a Muslim, a Hindu, a Mormon, a Jehovah’s witness, a Catholic, a Jew, a Buddhist and so on concerning the absolute truth of Jesus Christ and that He is the way the truth and the life.
Yes, I may use a little different tactic with each to get them to where they need to think about sin and a personal redeemer but in the end it is the same absolute truth that is found in Christ and Christ alone.

Now you may ask why bother with all this intellectual nonsense.
Brethren we are to have a Christian worldview and it must stand the test of the times in which we live. Christians are to be thinkers. Biblical doctrine requires sound reasoning with the help of the Holy Spirit to lead us into truth. We must work at understanding the Scripture. We are to labor at it otherwise we do come off like mean spirited, narrow-minded bigots.
To be an alien in the land does not mean to be ignorant of the land and those who inhabit it. Post-modernism is the mainstream philosophy against which we fight the good fight of faith in the secular realm. This is the thinking of the newer generation and those who have leapt from one philosophy to another just to be relevant to the times.
It is all in the name of tolerance and cultural pluralism.
There are those who have called themselves Christians who now believe in Universalism, meaning that as long as a man in some way proves to love God, he will go to heaven.
Sadly we have those who call themselves Christians who are not living like aliens but are living like the world around them and accomodating the world in Christ’s church.
If we are truly aliens we should be longing for the consummation of the kingdom in the return of Christ. There are many things in this world that should make us uncomfortable.
We should not forget that once we were alienated from God, without help and without hope. But by His grace we have been helped and we have the greatest hope even as Peter later writes, “we are born again unto a living hope.”
As aliens we are sanctified unto obedience. This is the will of God for us. This is the purpose for us. Our lives are to show a desire for Christ above all other things.
We are to be seeking the beauty of our New Covenant as it is found in the person of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ and savor every moment that we can in the joy of Christ and Christ alone.
We are the elect of God for no other reason than the fact that He loved us so that we could love Him. By His grace and who we are in Christ Jesus we are no longer God haters but we have become incurable lovers of God who can obey the commands of God because they are not burdensome.
We have our rest in Christ and no matter what trials will come our way as aliens in a strange land we will endure by the grace of God unto the glory of God if we are truly Christ’s.

A Multi-ethnic Galaxy

cast_live.jpgHave you ever noticed the ethnic reconciliation that exists in the future world of Star Trek.(remember this series began in the late sixties, so think metaphors and allegories in a turbulent time of our history) All sorts of strange, exotic and unique humanoids live together in harmony that is usually disrupted only by an outside alien force or rebels within the utopian, discovered and civilized galaxy.
There are marriages between Vulcans and humans that produce Mr. Spocks and the struggles of deciding how to live between two worlds.
The original essental crew is comprised of an African (and a woman at that) named Uhura, a Russian named Chekov, a Japanese American named Sulu, a Vulcan named Spock, a southerner named Bones and a midwesterner named Kirk (whose character is loosely based on Horatio Hornblower)
There are still some Klingoncentrics and Romulancentrics who see humans as a lower species of the evolved orders who at best should only be occasionally tolerated because of their inferiority.
However, with this unity in diversity, there is one thing that is absent: any sense of absolutes that govern morals or ethics with the exceptions of murder, rape and pillage.
So, if mating, for example, is an instinct that carries little or no responsibility with it because all the offspring are turned over to eunuchs and professional mothers, one may think it odd, but that is their culture.
If the singular goal of the Federation of Planets is to bring peace to the galaxy and let each culture live in Utopian bliss., then there is no need for truth as an absolute. The only truth is the need for each culture to promote this peace for the well being of one another and ultimate success as living organisms that can reason and act accordingly.
Everything comes to fulfilment through negotiation and compromise based on reason, logic and as a common goal a peaceful co-existence with galactic neighbors. Cultural exchange and free market enterprise are the tools for galactic peace and harmony. An integrated hierarchy of rule and an integrated force of military/explorers and scientists can accomplish anything. Higher and lower life forms can interact to defend and save the galaxy from intruders and rebels because everyone acknowledges that Utopia, although demanding, is desirable and attainable and does not require absolutes.
This is wonderful in the context of a fantasy world, but it is not the reality of a world bound in sin, which results in ethnic hatred and racial prejudice. Sadly, even the greatest vehicle by which true reconciliation is granted to the human race, the Body of Christ, is a tragic failure.
We have been asked to address how we can improve the state of the church in relation to racial reconciliation.
Obviously, the first step is to recognize that the church has problems with deliberate segregation and prejudice.
Once this is recognized there is hope for working our way through a number of solutions and bringing true reconciliation, ethnically, within the body of Christ.
Let me ask you a question. During the O. J. Simpson debacle (it was which ever side was right or wrong) how did you respond to the deliberate politics of racism.
Was he guilty because he was rich and black? Was he innocent because he was black and had overcome the gangs and the hood and was very talented? Guilty because he was married to a white woman and in the end they both got what they deserved? Guilty but got off because of his wealth? Guilty but had to be let loose or once again America might burn.
What was the significance of seeing OJ with a Bible in his hands? Was black America being emasculated once again through the trial of a successful black? Were whites getting even because of all the “reverse discrimination” that was on the increase?
Or was the OJ thing nothing but another indicator of how deeply ingrained racism is in the American conscience: corporately, institutionally, in families, in our neighborhoods and let’s not forget the church.
Use the OJ thing as a barometer of your own failings in the matter of racial reconciliation. How well did you hold up, biblically, during the whole series of events? What glasses did you view it through?
How many cross cultural relationships have you attempted to build since then?
The first step in building an honest relationship across ethnic lines is to make acquaintance with someone. (Big revelation right?). This needs to be done intentionally.
You may have to go out of your comfort zone because you may sense that you have nothing in common with someone who is not of your ethnic origin.
But we all have many things in common.
First of all, we are all created in the image of God and are marred and scarred by sin. We are common in our sinfulness and imperfection. Second, death is common to all men and all men are made common in death. Third, many women and men are wives and husbands, mothers and fathers. Some due to various circumstances are single parents. Others are not married. Professional people have something in common with their peers just as construction workers share in a number of common experiences. Everybody wants some sense of meaning for their lives, although many are living in despair and are overcome by their circumstances
If we are truly saved, we have the same Saviour and Sovereign God.
Yet, there are some differences that could keep us apart, even as Christians, especially if we do not know what it means to develop a Christian mindset in a pagan world, which is essential for reconciliation.
If I have a Euro-centric mindset, I may believe that all of the greatest achievements in history came from the mind of Western Europeans. But don’t forget, that’s where the (racist) Crusades and two world wars began.
If I have an Afro-centric mindset, I may celebrate the heritage and amazing feats and incredible knowledge of the Egyptian Dynasties. But don’t forget that they were a slavemaster nation, one of the worst of antiquity and God crushed Pharaoh.
All of us will have some kind of baggage to bring to the relationship table.
It may be bias or prejudice, but in Christ each can be overcome because in Him we are one new people.

The Dream That Remains A Dream

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In March of 1963 on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, Dr.Martin Luther King gave his I Have a Dream speech. The eloquence of his oratory matched the conviction of his heart.His words were the revelations of a visionary leader of a movement that would neither ultimately succeed nor ultimately fail.
Peter Marshall, late Chaplain of the US Senate said, “I would rather fail in a cause that will ultimately succeed than succeed in a cause that will ultimately fail.”
The speech was filled with imagery that stirred the imagination and kindled the fires of emotion in Americans who were exhorted to take responsible, peaceful action toward the elimination of racism in America. In contrast to the voice of pacifism and non-violence, there were the voices that advocated violence and were opposed to the mainstream message and methods of the movement.
These voices devastated the hopes for a true coalition of black leadership.The message of rage and racism within the Black Power Movement was articulated by Malcom X, Stokely Carmichael, Huey Newton, Eldridge Cleaver, Angela Davis and lesser known indiviuals. They represented The Nation of Islam, SNCC, The Black Panthers and other groups. More voices of opposition added to the turmoil. George Lincoln Rockwell spewed forth his Aryan rhetoric through the American Nazi Party and of course there was the ever present K.K.K.
These were the days of white faced mobs, springing up like hedges along the Civil Rights Marchers pathways, faces snarled with hatred and spitting venemous words of scorn at them.
These were the days of the famous and the infamous proving, once again, that the Bible accurately describes humanity as being depraved, wicked and sinful, (Mt. 15:18-20).
But, these were also the days of seeing the gift of a moral conscience because we are created in the image of God, yet marred by sin. A conscience that can still respond to the inequities in our society that are the result of our common sinfulness (Rom.3:23).
From Selma to Memphis, the consequences of the fall of man in the Garden of Eden were repeatedly illustrated and seared into the memories of a generation.
But Dr.King had a dream.
Curiously, there was one voice that was ambivalent and strangely silent. Barely a whisper came from this voice although it had a presence in every urban center, suburb and rural area of America. Generally, the voice of the “evangelical” white church was not heard.
Jews, Catholics and Christians from the mainline and liberal churches were in the mix. Some were killed – black, white, Jew and Gentile. But where was the evangelical church, white or otherwise.
This brings us to the essential factor as to why the Civil Rights Movement did not ultimately succeed nor can it succeed as men might hope it will. The underlying theological presuppositions upon which the movement was based were not biblical. The presuppositions of the universal fatherhood of God and the universal brotherhood of man are contrary to our biblical understanding of man.
The key theological presupposition in the I Have A Dream speech is evident:
“And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every tenement and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children (author’s emphasis), black men and whitemen, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will beable to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, Free at last, free at last. Thank God Almighty, we are free at last.”
The freedom and brotherhood that Dr. King so earnestly desired cannot become a reality when we honestly and biblically assess human nature. Human nature is bound as a slave to sin (Rom.6:17). Without the Gospel and the reconciliation of God and man first, there can be no true reconciliation between men (Eph.2:14-17).
God is the Creator of all and the Father only of those who believe in Christ and repent of their sin.
To be free at last can only be accomplished through the cross and Christ’s resurrection.
Without Christ, the dream is a humanistic desire for a Camelot that man can never create. There was no happy everaftering for King Arthur, nor is there for us, unless Christ is our King and Sovereign Lord.
Many of the leaders in the movement were also trained in Eastern Mysticism meditation techniques and they embraced the philosophy of Mahatmas Ghandi which only obscured the truth of Scripture. Hindus and Brahmans and other Eastern religions believe in the universal fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man and that many roads lead to heaven. This is anti-Christian.
Why were these ministers of the gospel so eager to embrace teachings that are so far removed from the truth of the Bible?
Although I do not agree with the theology of either Dr. King or Billy Graham, can you imagine what might have been if Billy Graham and Dr. King held a joint evangelistic crusade in Selma, Birmingham, Atlanta or Memphis?
Can you imagine addressing racial prejudice by preaching the gospel and being ministers of reconciliation in our multicultural societies today or tomorrow?
Would Dr. King envision that the body of Christ, at least as he understood it, with it’s many hues, continues to and may even take the lead in promoting segregation in America forty-four years after saying, I have a dream...
A more in depth article is available at www.fbceny.org/articles/king1.pdf