The Influence of the Donghak on the Emergence and Task of Minjung Theology

성공회대학교 신학연구소 한국민중신학회 2010 Madang: Journal of Contextual Theology Vol.0 No.14

Minjung1 theology is “a contextual theology of the suffering people in Korea.”2 It attempts to contextualize the Christian message to the Korean context. Thus, minjung theologians consider Korean history as an important dimension in its theological reflection. Nam Dong Suh says, “Korean history is one of the paradigms of Korean minjung theology.”3 Those who have studied Korean history are familiar with its oppression, poverty, and affliction imposed upon the Korean people due to frequent invasions by foreign powers, as well as the political oppression under tyrannical rulers. In history, Korea had experienced brief periods of peace and autonomy. According to Sok Hon Ham, throughout the history, there were foreign invasions every thirty years. One of the reasons for this is that geopolitically, the Korean peninsula occupies an important strategic position in northeast Asia and is surrounded by three major powers: China, Russia, and Japan. Because of this strategic position, the Korean peninsula has served as a battleground for its powerful neighbors in times of war. The general experience of the Korean people in this whole process has been that of the “Queen of Suffering.”1 This experience of suffering has given rise to a unique Korean feeling referred to as “han.”

Creating a Culture of Reconciliation and Life through Hanpuri and Hanmaji

성공회대학교 신학연구소 성공회대학교 신학연구소 2009 Madang: Journal of Contextual Theology Vol.0 No.11

During the earliest period of its history in Korea, when the Gospel of Christ was being propagated, the Korean church was the quintessence of salvation bringing liberation to the baekjeong1, slaves, peasants, and powerless women who had been living a repressed and Han-full life under the patriarchal tradition of Confucian feudalism and caste structures. However, as the church gradually became institutionalised and authoritarian it began to take on the characteristics of a patriarchal hierarchy and the Gospel, which had liberated the poor, became distorted into a Gospel for the powerful. During the Japanese colonial period the autocratic leaders of the church acquiesced to the unjust power of the colonial overlords and merely sought to further their positions, and preserve their livelihood. Many continued to distort the Truth of Christ by blindly adhering to the logic of ideology that sought to legitimate the division of the Korean people in order to preserve their dictatorial power over the people.

An Alternative Biblical Reading on Luke13:1-9

성공회대학교 신학연구소 성공회대학교 신학연구소 2009 Madang: Journal of Contextual Theology Vol.0 No.11

The issue of nationalism is an important postcolonial concern and as such it is strongly linked to imperialism. The most significant questions posed by postcolonial discourse are: How should we consider the colonial history (which is influenced by imperialism), and how should we reread and reconstruct our past histories, cultures and texts? In this regard, I would like to investigate the issue of nationalism by means of postcolonial discourse. The term ‘nationalism’ is intimately connected to the terms ‘identity’, ‘belonging’ and ‘solidarity.’ Nationalism is part of national identity and is a cultural and political discourse which works differently in each society. There is no general and universal meaning of nationalism for whole nations. We need to point out that the term ‘nationalism’ contains ambiguous aspects.

Protestant Spirit in Korean Mind: Korean Non-Church Christian Principles of Localizing the Universal Gospel

성공회대학교 신학연구소 성공회대학교 신학연구소 2009 Madang: Journal of Contextual Theology Vol.0 No.11

One of the keywords that represent our contemporary world would be “globalization,” which includes an intensively growing consciousness of the one world in which worldwide mutual interdependences are required. Rapid technological developments in communication and transportation have surely produced the world as a unified system. In the early period of globalization, especially along with the collapse of communist-socialist system, considerable numbers of scholars, represented by Francis Fukuyama, Global Context Our experiences in globalization, however, have also shown different aspects: reactions from locals, more than often accompanying violence, rather than a harmonious and homogeneous world order and life styles. Scholars who see such a complex reality have developed concepts that could explain different aspects of globalization. John Tomlinson, an expert in culture and communication theories, for example, suggests the concept of “complex connectivity” of globalization which made loose the connection of the locality and its local culture and increase the speed and density of mutual connectivity and dependency. anticipated globalization as a homogenous unification of the world, which they mostly meant the Western: politically liberal, economically capitalist, and culturally Euro-American world. In some aspects, it is empirically true that the Western/American culture travels on global scale, making tremendous influences on local cultures.

Jesus and the Passover: A Narrative-Ideological Reading in John 6

성공회대학교 신학연구소 성공회대학교 신학연구소 2009 Madang: Journal of Contextual Theology Vol.0 No.11

Jesus replaces old feasts: Jesus himself supersedes the Passover. Replacement claims are the central theme running through the entire chapter 6. The issue of replacement is demonstrated (6:1-21) and explained (6:22-71) in its integral unity and consistent narrative plot-line in John 6. John 6 is basically marked inclusio in its beginning and in its ending composed of two adverbial Johannine formula of transition, meta; tau`ta (6:1; 7:1). In John the discourse of the bread of life (6:22‐71) has two miracle signs as an introduction. John 6 has its integral unity and consistent narrative plot‐line and thought throughout the whole gospel of John. Among the two signs demonstrated as the issue of faith, in the feeding the multitude has the problem directly proposed to them after the introductory setting (6:1‐4): The resources of the disciples cannot be equal to the need of the multitude. How can the disciples solve the problem? First it tested the personal reactions of the disciples. Later it also tested the response of the multitude. Having misunderstood the feeding sign, the huge crowd responded inappropriately and Jesus withdrew first into the mountains and then to the other side of the sea of Galilee. Then, the walking on the water is presented (6:16‐21). The problem is stated: how can the disciples overcome their fear on the stormy sea? The reactions to Jesus’ identity and mission are stressed in the two miracle episodes. The feeding and walking signs center on misunderstanding which is the response of the disciples and the crowd. The response of belief and disbelief toward Jesus’ signs in the two miracles is stretched out in a more complex plot‐line in Jesus’ discourse (6:22‐71).

Reconstruction of Korean-Christian Experience in Post-Colonial Era

성공회대학교 신학연구소 성공회대학교 신학연구소 2009 Madang: Journal of Contextual Theology Vol.0 No.11

Theological research has a tendency focus on western Christianity in attempting to understand Korean Christians. Because this traditional method has concentrated on abstract ‘Christianity,’ Korean particularity becomes the secondary element given the postulation of western theological implications. This presupposes a monolithic interpretation of Christianity and alienates Koreanness from Christianity. In this thesis, I would argue that “Orientalism” is the basis of the distortion, and illustrate the method to get away from it. I will discuss on Edward Said’s Orientalism and the problem of understanding Korean-Christian ‘self.’ In the second part of this thesis, I will introduce Lee Jung Young’s theological methodology of ‘marginality.’ Lee earned the fame for his bold interpretation of Christian theology through I Ching or the Book of Change. Constructing his theology, he uses the idea of ‘change’ in I Ching, and suggests Asian way of doing theology from “creative core,” the place of in-between and in-both. I will Illustrate this idea as a possible way of overcoming Orientalism.

2010 Declaration of Faith for Life and Peace

성공회대학교 신학연구소 성공회대학교 신학연구소 2010 Madang: Journal of Contextual Theology Vol.0 No.13

2010 is a remarkable year. It is the 100th anniversary of Kyongsul, the year of national shame when Japan annexed the Korean peninsula in 1910; the 60th anniversary of the national tragedy of the Korean War; the 50th anniversary of the April 19th Revolution and the 30th anniversary of the May 18th Gwangju Democratic Movement, both marking people s victories in the fight for democracy; and finally the 10th anniversary of the June 15th North-South Joint Declaration, a critical turning point in inter-Korean relations. Accordingly, what lies before us is the task of realizing a new revitalization based on the wisdom we have collected from the critical junctures of our history. On this Easter day in the year 2010, as Korean Christians who believe in the Cross and the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, we declare a faith that seeks life and peace for the church, the people, and the world.

Life, Ecology, and Theo-tao:

성공회대학교 신학연구소 성공회대학교 신학연구소 2009 Madang: Journal of Contextual Theology Vol.0 No.11

Ecological crisis was a great koan (an evocative question) for contemporary Christian theology. A scholar worried, “If current trends continue, we will not.”1 Thomas Berry raised a serious question, “Is the human viable species on an endangered planet?” Furthermore, Lynn White criticized that, emphasizing divine transcendence and endorsing human “domination” over nature, Christianity has offered the “historical root” of the ecological crisis. Despite his defective knowledge of Christian theology, White made an important observation: “What people do about their ecology depends on what they think about themselves in relation to things around them. Human ecology is deeply conditioned by beliefs about our nature and destiny—that is, by religion.”2 Liberation (social justice), dialogue (world religions), and ecology (life) are regarded as the three most significant themes for Christian theology in the twentieth century. In fact, this statement of a scientist evoked scholars and theologians to reexamine Christian traditions and seek alternative resources in other religions. 3 Various liberation, political, feminist/womanist, black, third-world, minjung theologies argued that liberation and orthopraxis are primary but neglected motives for Christian theology owing to the White, male, middle-class privatization of Christianity on the pretext of orthodoxy. Having realized values of world religions, Western theologians began to appreciate the wisdom of ‘other’ religions by means of interreligious dialogue, theology of religions, comparative theology, or religious pluralism. Nonetheless, late twentieth century contextual and constructive theologies lingered on in the division of these two major camps, the theology of religions (inculturationist) and liberation theology (liberationist), failing to surmount the inherited Greek dualism between logos (theory) and praxis (practice).4

Knowing by unknowing:

성공회대학교 신학연구소 성공회대학교 신학연구소 2007 Madang: Journal of Contextual Theology Vol.7 No.-

An Ecumenical Faith Stance Against Global Empire For A Liberated Earth Community

성공회대학교 신학연구소 성공회대학교 신학연구소 2006 Madang: Journal of Contextual Theology Vol.6 No.-