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Importance Of The Confucian Culture

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Tackling the Confucian culture
Culture is something that we cannot build or demolish in one day. It takes a long time to change our Confucian culture into a Christian culture. If it is difficult to establish the system for the lay ministry in one day, it is even more difficult to change the Confucian culture. It is a problem that has to be resolved by time. Culture comes from the viewpoint of value that asks “What is good?” We must establish a value system in the church with a Christian viewpoint, which obviously is better that that of Confucianism. Now, among the Confucian teachings, respecting authority is a good value. This is a Christian value as well. It certainly is a problem when someone loves exercising his authority. Yet we …show more content…
Jesus’ viewpoint of value transcends the Confucian culture. As I mentioned in the ‘Way of a Servant,’ worldly rulers love to be in charge and exercise their authority as they please. Such authoritarian mindset has sneaked into the church, becoming a big hindrance to the lay ministry. We, however, must establish the mindset that authority comes from serving others, while respecting authority. Especially, those who are entrusted with authority must first become servants and slaves of others. This should be established as the most important value of values in the church. This is the Christian perspective on authority. When the leaders become examples of serving with such a perspective, over time a sound lay ministry will take root in the ground (Matt 20:26-28). Therefore it takes a long time for culture …show more content…
Of course, faith in Jesus brings blessings in this world as well. Through faith in Jesus people become more honest and faithful. An honest person can become successful in the world as well. A faithful person will be praised by many. A faithful person makes better living than others that are not. However, we do not believe in Jesus in order to become strong, high, and rich. Pursuing the blessing of the world will bring down one’s soul eventually. Instead, we should enjoy true peace and happiness that can only be experienced through the way of the cross, the way of the martyr, and the way of the disciple. The way of the cross is the only way of life. Indeed, God gave up his own life because He so loved the world. Thus, even through death, Jesus became the Savior of humanity and through him we have become alive. There is no Christianity without sacrifice. There is no life of faith without the cross as

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