Mike Edmisten Follower of Jesus. Husband of Nicki. Father of Ryan & Brock. Communicator of the Word.

Tradition vs. Getting It Right

If you've been watching postseason baseball, then you know that the umpires have missed more calls than a teenager with their cell phone turned off. (I owe that line to Hal McCoy.)

Major League umpires are usually amazing. They see a play in real time and get the call right…most of the time. But I've seen several calls in this year's playoffs that were wrong, and you could make a case that these bad calls changed the momentum, and therefore the outcome, of the games.

I think it's time for Major League Baseball to begin using instant replay. This is a very controversial issue in baseball.  People on both sides of the issue are passionate about their position.

But for me, it's simple.  The most important thing is to get it right. We now have technology that will be a huge help in making the correct call on close plays.

A lot of traditionalists object. Reds manager, Dusty Baker, is one of them.  He argues that it takes the human element out of the game.  I would argue that getting it right is more important.

This same debate arose when ballparks started installing lights for night games.  "Baseball was meant to be played during the day" was the mantra.  Look at where we are now.  The vast majority of games are played at night, and the game is better for it.

In my mind, this really comes down to tradition vs. getting it right. And in the end, it's more important to get it right.

This is indicative of discussions (or in some cases, arguments, battles, and all out war) in churches all over the world.  The church has been around for over 2,000 years, so we've had time to develop more than a few traditions. And not all of those traditions are bad.

But many times, churches have to decide whether they will hang onto tradition or if they will get it right. If God is leading the church to give up a tradition in order to reach more people with the gospel, the decision should be easy. But most of the time, it's not.

I'm not suggesting that change is easy. It's very difficult.  But it's also very necessary.  No tradition is sacred. No tradition should stand in the way of the Great Commission.

Do we want tradition?  Or do we want to get it right?  In some cases, we can have both.  In many cases, though, we have to choose.

Jesus told the Pharisees, "You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men." (Mark 7:8, NIV)

I'm afraid he is saying the same thing to many of His churches.

Let's choose to get it right.