Heritage is something that is passed down from preceding generations; a tradition. In light of history, it is the enduring fruit that is widely cherished and practiced in the community. In the church history, heritage is used to establish orthodox. Unfortunately, some are condemned as a heresy mainly because his practice is far off certain heritage that is later obsolete. So heritage is good or bad.
For example, Abraham in Genesis underwent circumcision according to God's command. It became the hallmark of the covenant people Israel. It helped them to remember God's promise. The circumcision became the requirement in the Old Testament. The circumcision, however, became optional in the New Testament. The heritage was reviewed and checked against the new way of salvation by God (Galatians). In practice, it has been abolished in Christianity. Another example is sacraments. The Catholic church established 7 sacraments over a millennium. The Protestant church reduced them to 2 sacraments: communion and baptism.
As the body of Jesus Christ (Eph. 4:4), we cherish and practice Christian heritage. This site, however, is not intended to cover everything on Christian heritage. Rather we address the heritage that characterizes us distinctly from other churches or shapes our main activities as we function as part of the body of Jesus Christ. It is worth reviewing our heritage in light of God's words. We may not always know what is right or wrong. Yet it is important to be aware of our heritage and have open discussion about it for the better practice or make changes if necessary. In the process God will help us to take a right path.
During the last half-century UBF has built its own heritage. It is well summarized by our mottoes - known as Samuel Lee's Spiritual Legacy. For example, writing and sharing testimony have been unique to our church, since no other churches practice it as much as we do. When Samuel Lee ministered students, he helped them to write what they have learned from the Bible and his manuscripts on the Bible, and share it with others. It took time for them to pray, meditate and write testimonies, but they grew spiritually through writing and sharing testimonies. Many of us not only have witnessed its power, but also practiced it.
As time passes, we face new challenges in passing our heritage to next generation. For example, some do not view the testimony as effective and useful as before. What is worse, some view it as a means to oppress their life and suppress their critical and creative thoughts. It is quite the opposite to its original intention - to nurture their spiritual life, shape their thought world godly, and lead them to enjoy true freedom in Christ. In resolving unwanted conflicts, some prefer to use the word "reflection" to restore the original purpose and spur its practice. So it is worthwhile to have open discussion on its purpose and method.
We have accumulated wonderful heritage. But making it useful and effective in our ministry requires sometimes fresh thought and critical review. We would like to collect materials related our heritage and share them through our web site so that they are useful in guarding our heritage.