Comments on: Let 100 Flowers Blossom

By: BrianK

BrianK — Fri, 18 Sep 2015 16:56:58 +0000

Yea, news flash: we don’t all agree here!

While there may be some general consensus on some topics, we disagree on many things. But that’s ok. We have to live with people who disagree with each other.

The Confucian ideal of a harmonious society simply will never exist on this earth.

One thing that makes this website community work is that no one is controlling the narrative. Some speak louder than others but anyone could speak up.

Case in point: I published Mr Rhee’s article when I thought he was a real person. I thought: finally we can examine and react to the real thoughts of a Korean ubf missionary. And he even promised to answer questions! But alas Mr Rhee is fake. I wish he were real.

Speaking of Mr Rhee, he sent in another article. Does anyone want to see it?

By: Ben Toh

Ben Toh — Fri, 18 Sep 2015 16:14:27 +0000

“Some share for healing, some seek empathy, some seek vindication, some seek justice, some seek entertainment.” – See more at: http://www.ubfriends.org/2015/09/16/let-100-flowers-blossom/#comment-19454

Perhaps, in many instances, it is simply to be heard, which perhaps may not happen in some churches and/or ubf chapters, which in my opinion, is rather sad and unfortunate.

The refusal to hear what one has to say comes perhaps from the need to control the chapter, control people, and control the narrative, which ultimately is a sad misrepresentation of our God who wants to hear us with all of our sins and warts and all (Isaiah 1:18).

By: MJ Peace

MJ Peace — Fri, 18 Sep 2015 15:41:09 +0000

Guy Kawaski sounds amazing. I’m going to watch his Ted talk. I agree with this article. Once you create art it is not yours any more. Other people take it and run with it. I like how you said that Guy’s advice helps you “embrace what ubfriends has become instead of trying to control it.” It’s ironic how things rarely pan out the way we want. Ubfriends is different for each person. Each person has a different motive as to why they post/comment and as we learned from “honest rhee” you don’t really know what that motive is unless they explicitly explain it (and even then it might not be honest.) Some share for healing, some seek empathy, some seek vindication, some seek justice, some seek entertainment. I personally like ubfriends because its not black and white. This is something I find so rarely in Christian circles, but without it I feel like I’m suffocating in propositional debates over minutiae of systematic theology. Here I feel like questions that would be forbidden on other Christian forums, can be asked. Also I like to hear what you and Ben and Joe have to say, even though I dont agree with everything and that’s ok, hence ubfriends.

By: BrianK

BrianK — Thu, 17 Sep 2015 21:45:30 +0000

Thanks Ben, I updated the page. In Toledo ubf we were pressured to calculate what the tithe would be for each paycheck and divide it up into a weekly sum. That way, regardless of if you got paid monthly or bi-weekly or whatever, you always had an offering to give. To not give offering was akin to spiritual death.

The nominal shepherds gave a 10% tithe. The great shepherds with great shepherd-heart faith gave the double-tithe (20%). This one-fifth amount was from an OT passage and deemed more spiritual and exemplary.

By: Ben Toh

Ben Toh — Wed, 16 Sep 2015 15:23:27 +0000

Hi Brian, in your link of ubf abuses, you state: “In addition to extreme pressure to tithe weekly, there are UBF members who have taken out high dollar loans to make special offerings.”

I think it should be “tithe monthly” rather than weekly.