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J.S. Park

@jsparkblog

27 Jul

If you tell me “just follow the Bible & not worldly things” but you ignore justice issues of race, mental health, climate, & corruption, it is clear to me you have cut Christ in half & have fallen for a worldly version of the Gospel that relies on western moralism.

If the Great Commission to you is enforcing memorization of a pamphlet & mandatory attendance to a building, you’ve departed from Christ by falling for a western model of sales pitch that’s only a few decades old. It is persuasive transmission of information but not living faith.

If you only teach Christian activity within the church & call it “discipleship,” then the church is a pyramid scheme recruitment center. Christians exist in workplaces, in crisis & grief & trauma & headlines. You cannot open your Bible while closing your eyes to the real world.

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J.S. Park

@jsparkblog

3 Mar

A philosophical breakdown.
When I watch a sermon or seminar with titles like “Achieve Your Best” & “Healthy Habits” & “How to Succeed at Everything,” I suspect they only work for a certain group of people. Those who have. Those who can. Those with no obstacles in their path. 1/

This “believe to achieve / you attract your energy” mentality assumes an up-and-up trajectory with no variables and a perfectly contained environment where one unit of input equals ten units of output. It doesn’t consider systemic failures or baked-in environmental pitfalls. 2/

Hustle Culture is like those physics formulas where you shoot a cannon ball & you calculate vertex (height) & parabola (curve). It never considers the wind or weather or slight imperfections in the cannon. Those sort of inspirational advice-laced speeches only work in a vacuum.3/

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J.S. Park

@jsparkblog

3 Mar

Someone needs to hear this. Your value cannot rest on your usefulness. No one must prove to be a cornerstone of their community, a pillar of their people, a positive net worth, to be a whole person or to be treated as one. You have value apart from what you do. #ableism

Those who contribute are pouring out of given resources in an environment they did not choose by generational accomplishments they did not earn. They’re to be applauded, but not inherently worth more than others & not to be rewarded for passing on the blessing they received.

We are not tethered to our gifts, our purpose, our utility. We are called to do good, but not because it makes us good. Not to earn a point value. The good we do is an extension of the grace we were gifted. To do good is simply good in itself, just as you are too.

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J.S. Park

@jsparkblog

15 Feb

For those saying “I can still appreciate Ravi Zacharias’ teaching”—I disagree. The “good” he did is only cruelty & hypocrisy to his victims. But was his teaching actually any good? As a former Ravi fan & ex-atheist, here’s a breakdown of why it was not. 1/

I first heard Ravi when I was 19, still an atheist & learning about religion. I was impressed by his delivery & argumentation. I became a fan. I read two of his books, saw him live twice, listened to 100s of hours of his sermons. But I noticed a pattern. 2/

I noticed Ravi would raise an incredibly interesting question, bring in Philosophy 101, then describe a time he stumped someone in an argument (or stumped a person seeking faith), and tie it up with a sentimental eloquent illustration. He did this over & over. The thing is, 3/

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J.S. Park

@jsparkblog

28 Dec 20

I have to be honest. This year I nearly lost my faith again. Like many of us, I was in a bad place. I turned to the church for hope. Online & off, I asked how to deal with the isolation, the loss of George Floyd, & hate crimes against Asian-Americans because of “China virus.” 1/

I was angry & afraid. I needed something, anything, to speak to my anxiety. But it seemed the church did not hear my worries. It turned these events into a culture war that I barely understood. The answer for our suffering was apparently self-righteous politics & posture. 2/

I know many churches, including mine, have done good things in this time. Yes, I still love the church, always. But my inbox, comments, & interactions told one story: too many Christians were more offended by my grief rather than listening to it. They couldn’t wait to argue. 3/

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J.S. Park

@jsparkblog

6 Oct 20

Culture breakdown.
There’s a philosophical principle in South Korea called Hongik-Ingan (홍익인간): the devotion to benefit all of humanity. Basically many Koreans are told if they don’t make a surplus, they should take their own lives. Always contribute, never consume: or die.

The upside is that Koreans (and easterners) have a remarkable work ethic. We work crazy hard. We love to work. Of this, I’m proud. But the downside: if any of us encounter failure, disaster, or imperfection in our performance, we immediately fall into an abyss of worthlessness.

I’m convinced Hongik-Ingan (홍익인간), this relentless desire to contribute good with our lives, is at least one of the reasons why South Korea has the tenth highest suicide rate in the world.

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