From the Principal’s Desk
Dear Parents,
Yesterday was a national holiday, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. This day is widely recognized as a day to commemorate civil rights. An unfortunate part of American history is that a segment of our country has treated people groups unjustly due to their lineage. The Bible does not condone racism or prejudice; in fact, it goes the opposite direction. Galatians 3:28 says that in the church no one, in his natural essence, is elevated above another or better than another because of race, gender, or socio-economic status. Consider the words of Paul:
“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ.”
This passage does not undo roles for men and women, neither does it remove qualifications for leadership; but it does say that the salvation Christ gives is the same, regardless of who the person is or from where he hails. And it says that there is to be a unity of Biblical worship between people groups in a church because of the positional unity of salvation found in Christ. The Christ-honoring church is the place where true unity can be experienced because that is the place where saved people gather and where worship is to take place. Outside of the church there is no guarantee of unity.
However, at Bethel we want to teach our students to love people, regardless of their skin color, their education level, or their financial status. We want them to love people because God loves people (cf. John 3:16). We want them to reach out to be a blessing to their fellow man because all are made in the image of God (cf. Genesis 1:26). We want them ultimately to be used of God to preach the gospel to every creature, regardless of race, regardless of gender, and regardless of social status (cf. Matthew 28:19-20). You see, God wants all people to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth (cf. I Timothy 2:4).
We also want our students to understand the history behind the difficulties people faced to due to race and how things improved; while, at the same time, not elevating race, but elevating Christ. As a result, this week we will take some time to talk about the civil rights movement and benefits that came as a result of men like Martin Luther King, Jr.
Sincerely,
Pastor Sutton
Dear Parents,
Yesterday was a national holiday, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. This day is widely recognized as a day to commemorate civil rights. An unfortunate part of American history is that a segment of our country has treated people groups unjustly due to their lineage. The Bible does not condone racism or prejudice; in fact, it goes the opposite direction. Galatians 3:28 says that in the church no one, in his natural essence, is elevated above another or better than another because of race, gender, or socio-economic status. Consider the words of Paul:
“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ.”
This passage does not undo roles for men and women, neither does it remove qualifications for leadership; but it does say that the salvation Christ gives is the same, regardless of who the person is or from where he hails. And it says that there is to be a unity of Biblical worship between people groups in a church because of the positional unity of salvation found in Christ. The Christ-honoring church is the place where true unity can be experienced because that is the place where saved people gather and where worship is to take place. Outside of the church there is no guarantee of unity.
However, at Bethel we want to teach our students to love people, regardless of their skin color, their education level, or their financial status. We want them to love people because God loves people (cf. John 3:16). We want them to reach out to be a blessing to their fellow man because all are made in the image of God (cf. Genesis 1:26). We want them ultimately to be used of God to preach the gospel to every creature, regardless of race, regardless of gender, and regardless of social status (cf. Matthew 28:19-20). You see, God wants all people to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth (cf. I Timothy 2:4).
We also want our students to understand the history behind the difficulties people faced to due to race and how things improved; while, at the same time, not elevating race, but elevating Christ. As a result, this week we will take some time to talk about the civil rights movement and benefits that came as a result of men like Martin Luther King, Jr.
Sincerely,
Pastor Sutton
