The Tradition of Chongshin Theology

Kim, Ezra Kilsung Presbyterian General Assembly Theological Seminary 2012 CHONGSHIN THEOLOGICAL JOURNAL Vol.16 No.1

The Tradition of Chongshin Theology goes back to that of the Old Princeton Theology, taught by Princeton Seminary professors during 1812-1929, in which year the seminary was reorganized. Princeton maintained its Old School theological heritage to the very eve of its reorganization. Unlike other seminaries that repudiated their historic orthodox position after a long decline from within, Princeton’s fall was largely precipitated by powerful forces from without the institution. Princeton Seminary remained basically an Old School institution within a broadening church until its reorganization in 1929. Pyungyang Theological Seminary, which was the predecessor of Chongshin Theological Seminary, was established in Pyungyang in 1901 by the four Presbyterian mission boards, and the Prebyterian Theological Quarterly, which has been the magazine representing the seminary, was first published in 1918. Dr. Samuel A. Moffett from the Northern Presbyterian Church was President of the seminary. But Dr. W. D. Reynolds and Dr. Hyung Nong Park were key figures in the area of Systematic Theology during the nascent times of the magazine. Reynolds, who was a professor of the seminary and a missionary from the Southern Presbyterian Church, contributed 57 articles to the Presbyterian Theological Quarterly through 1918 to 1937. Dr. Hyung Nong Park contributed 70 articles, beginning from 1928 and carrying on to 1940, and from the time when the PTQ began to be republished by Prebyterian General Assembly Theological Seminary (Also called Chongshin Theological Seminary) in Seoul in 1954, he contributed 64 articles to the magazine until 1971, and in that year he left the seminary and died in 1978. The Tradition of Chongshin Theology 55 The theological heritage of the Presbyterian Church in Korea is Puritan Reformed Presbyterianism. It is a Presbyterianism that adds the Calvinistic Reformed theology of the European Continent to a British-American Puritan character. From the beginning of our Church and Seminary, We have cherished the historical Reformed, orthodox Calvinistic, and Puritan Presbyterian theology through the teachings and literary works of the professors of Chongshin Theological Seminary and devoted pastors of our Church.

A Study on the Theological Liberalization of the Presbyterian Church in America

Shim, Chang Sup Presbyterian General Assembly Theological Seminary 2012 CHONGSHIN THEOLOGICAL JOURNAL Vol.16 No.1

The Presbyterian churches in America were divided in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The reason for the divisions lay in the theological controversy that occurred between liberalism and fundamentalism. The problem was not simply thelogical, but had multiple reasons. Consequently, in this thesis, the social, political, and cultural backgrounds, along with the theological context, are studied and analyzed. Examples include the development of evolutionary theories in Europe and America, the intellectual changes within rationalism, enlightenment, and deism, and the Great Awakening in America and its relation to Walter Raushenbush’s Social Gospel movement. The scientific and intellectual changes deeply affected the American Presbyterian Church’s liberal society. Furthermore, Germany’s modern theology played a large role in the theological liberalization of American Presbyterian Churches. This is a key example of how theology scholars, such as Friedrick Shuleiemacher and Adolf von Harnack, affected American churches with their modern liberalism ideals. The blending of Yale’s liberalism, Harvard’s unitarianism, and theology of Anglican Churches into the Presbyterian church system created opportunities for theological liberalism. Stemming from these changes, professor Charles A. Briggs of the Union Theological Seminary denied the traditional biblical views and attacked traditional conservative theologies. The development of this controversy was started by pastor Harry Emerson Fosdick in 1922. Fosdick attacked fundamentalism and declared his position for theological liberalism. This trend also sparked debate and controversy within Princeton Theological Seminary. Within Princeton, Ross Stevenson, a A Study on the Theological Liberalization of the Presbyterian Church in America 99 man who favored church association over theological orthodoxy, was named dean, and a debate between modernism and fundamentalism started. The long faught battle between the two ended in favor of modernism. J. Gresham Machen, a man against this change, left and founded the Westminster Theological Seminary near Philadelphia in 1929 with other conservative activists. As a result, Princeton Seminary developed an ever more liberal atmosphere for its education.

J. P. Gabler’s Distinction between Biblical Theology and Dogmatic Theology : An Evaluation from Reformed Perspective

Hee Suk Kim Presbyterian General Assembly Theological Seminary 2014 CHONGSHIN THEOLOGICAL JOURNAL Vol.19 No.1

J. P. Gabler’s proposal is a good example of scholarship which attempted to work for the church in engaging with the issues of his own era. He was influenced by neologians such as J. Semler, but at the same time he was concerned with ecclesiastical goal of which influence can be attributed to his conservative predecessors like G. T. Zacharia. Gabler’s proposal, unlike the wide-spread understanding of it as being historial-critical oriented, was set to defend the usefulness of Scripture for dogmatic theology, and unfortunately was heavily attacked by Immanuel Kant’s separation of theology from philosophy which lead biblical scholarship into the way of purely historicalcritical investigations of the text. Therefore, in one sense, Gabler can be called the father of biblical theology when considering that his distinction between the two eventually was of help for the establishment of biblical theology as an independent area of theological studies. In another sense, to Gabler is also possible to attribute a different name, defender of dogmatic theology. Gabler wanted to maintain both of these aspects, but the history of criticism did not allow him to do so. His ecclesiastical concern was abandoned by scholarship and only his influence on the historical-critical aspect remains remembered. This sheds significant light upon what reformed scholars need to pursue in the current situation. In spite of the fact that biblical theology and dogmatic theology are now two different areas in theology, they constitute one theological entity and are ultimately interconnected and dependent upon each other. To take a good care of our ecclesiastical concerns in the Korean context today, biblical theologians should delve into not only particular subject matters of biblical theology per se but also the universal, theological questions that the current contexts ask us to answer. Then biblical theology and dogmatic theology will be able to function in proper and fruitful directions.

Changes in Protestant Attitudes toward the Council of Trent

정원래 Presbyterian General Assembly Theological Seminary 2022 CHONGSHIN THEOLOGICAL JOURNAL Vol.27 No.-

The council of Trent was considered a very impotent Ecumenical Council of Roman Catholicism held in Trent, northern Italy, from 1545 to 1563. There had been a vigorous debate about the necessity of holding it for about two decades, but it was “little or not prepared”. This council of Trent was expected as a forum of discussion for reforming the church and correcting doctrines at the time, but rather resulted in the catechesis of Catholicism. The reaction of Protestants in the preparation and sessions of the council of Trent had different results from the expectation of the Roman Catholics. In conclusion, the result of the council of Trent 450 years ago was different from what many had hoped at the beginning. The unity of the divided Christians was not reached. On the contrary- separation was cemented in Trent. The Reformers petitioned for a general council in the 1520s, hoping that church reform would be possible through a council. The discussion of the council succeeded in systematizing Protestant theology through the process of preparing the council in the 1530s. The Protestants were doubtful of the religious colloquies that happened in the early 1540s. In the 1550’s Protestants had the opportunity to attend councils, but were frustrated, and after the Peace of Augsburg in 1555 showed indifference. However, the general council for the church-reform failed, and although the attitude of Protestants toward the general council soured, the preparation of the universal council provided an opportunity for Protestants to clearly establish their theology.

The Theology of Karl Rahner

Suh, Chul-Won Presbyterian General Assembly Theological Seminary 2004 CHONGSHIN THEOLOGICAL JOURNAL Vol.9 No.1-2

Karl Rahner(1904-1984) is said to be the representative theologian of Roman Catholicism in our tine, providing the theological basis for the Second Vatican Council(1962-65). He is credited with the merit of having completely modernized traditional Roman Catholic theology. Rahner reduced the Creator God to being itself and Christ to the union of the self-transcendence of a human being and the communication of the divine being, though he was a mere man. Jesus is called to be the absolute savior because of the union of the self-transcendence of man and the self-communication of God. We will survey his theology presented in his book "the Foundations of Christian Faith." Rahner is a voluminous writer, who spreads his theology over various volumes. But he presented his theology in summarized form in the above mentioned book.

A Study of the Controversy about Revision of the Westminster Confession of Faith in the Nineteenth-Century Presbyterian Church in U.S.A.

Yosep Kim Presbyterian General Assembly Theological Seminary 2015 CHONGSHIN THEOLOGICAL JOURNAL Vol.20 No.1

The American Presbyterian Church had upheld the authority of the Westminster Confession of Faith as the confessional standard until it faced a serious challenge of revision in the nineteenth-century. This challenge came from the motives of modern theological ideas and the rational worldview of that time. This study aims to manifest the theological motives of the revision of the Westminster Confession by analyzing Charles A. Briggs’ arguments which is based on the theological liberalism concerning some doctrines in the Confession. The response and results of the Briggs’ demand for revision will be reviewed from the perspective of reformed theology. The purpose of this examination is to evaluate the theological motives of those who called for revision of the Westminster Confession. It will be argued that although the confessional standards can be changed and revised in diverse historical situations, the Reformed Church cannot make a sound development with the beneficial heritage of the Reformed tradition without a careful and biblical consideration of the purpose of revision.

Asian Evangelical Theological Trends : Reflections from Church History

Yong Kyu Park Presbyterian General Assembly Theological Seminary 2018 CHONGSHIN THEOLOGICAL JOURNAL Vol.23 No.-

Over the past three decades various Asian theologies based on religiouspolitical- cultural pluralism, especially theologies developed by Asian theologians sponsored by the World Council of Churches ecumenical movement, have received much attention. Though Asia’s theological course has, so far, been dominated by Western theology, current developments in Asian theology challenge all theologians, Western and non-Western alike, to pay close attention to it. In comparison to liberal Asian theology, evangelical theology in Asia seems, if evaluated superficially, to lack noteworthy development. But a closer look shows that it is in Asia that the churches of the world evangelical movement have been growing and that evangelical theology has been flourishing there. In this article I examine the background, tasks, trends, and future direction of Asian evangelical theology from the perspective of church history. After presenting the background and trends apparent in contemporary Asian theologies more broadly, I look specifically at evangelical theology in Asia. I find that theological discussions among Asian evangelical theologians of subjects such as missiology, systematic theology, Christian ethics, and church history are at times intertwined with each other, which presents challenges to the historian as well as the systematician. Evangelical identity, even at the level of bedrock principles in Asia, has been faced with serious challenges. The hallmarks of historic Christianity such as the authority of the Bible and the uniqueness of Christianity, therefore, should continue to serve as crucial signposts in deciding Asian evangelical theology’s path in the future. Keywords: Asian church, Asian Christianity, Asian evangelical theology, Evangelicalism in Asia, Asian contextual theology, Liberal Asian theology

An Orthodox Calvinist or a Deviant Calvinist? A Study on B. B. Warfield and Herman Bavinck’s Evaluations of Jonathan Edwards

이상웅 Presbyterian General Assembly Theological Seminary 2022 CHONGSHIN THEOLOGICAL JOURNAL Vol.27 No.-

This year (2021) marks the centennial anniversary of the death of Reformed theologians Benjamin B. Warfield and Herman Bavinck. In this paper, it is examined how the two theologians evaluated Jonathan Edwards’ theology. One of the motives for writing this paper is the controversy that has been constantly raised in recent years over Edwards’ theological legitimacy. First, we examined how Warfield of Princeton Seminary evaluated Edwards (section 2). The Old Princetonians positively evaluated and followed the piety and theology of Jonathan Edwards, who was the president of the New Jersey College. In line with this tradition, Warfield was confirmed to be very positive about Edwards ’ theology. In an encyclopedia article, “Edwards and New England Theology”(1912), Warfield introduced the main contents of Edwards’ life, ministry, and theology. In it, Warfield strongly upheld that the content of Edwards’ teaching is“ a standard’ Calvinism in its complete form.” Of course, Warfield did not deny some elements in Edwards’ expression that would be difficult for future generations to understand, but Edwards ’ theology in all aspects is evaluated as orthodox Calvinistic theology. Next, we examined Herman Bavinck’s evaluation of Edwards, expressed in his Reformed Dogmatics (section 3). While acknowledging Edwards’ theological contributions on some doctrines, he strongly criticized Edwards for weakening ortho-dox Calvinism in his main doctrines. That is, Edwards’ theory of imputation of sin, evaluated as the theory of the mediate imputation, and also as evoked a Pelagian tendency in another point. These simple and clear criticisms of Bavinck were fully reflected in the doctoral dissertation of his disciple Jan Ridderbos. Looking into the conflicting evaluations of Edwards from Warfield and Bavinck, we realize that the work of evaluating Edwards’s theology is not easy, concluding that it is necessary to carefully read and study Edwards’ original writings and to grasp and understand well the background of the time.

Restoration of Israel and Gentile Mission in Romans(9-15)

Lee, Han-Soo Presbyterian General Assembly Theological Seminary 2007 CHONGSHIN THEOLOGICAL JOURNAL Vol.13 No.1

It is Paul the Apostle that systematically dealt with the legitimacy of the Gentile mission from the perspective of his Jewish theology. He was called as an apostle to the Gentiles on the Damascus road and afterwards devoted himself to the realization of this calling throughout his whole life. Yet he was still the one whose heart was "filled with bitter sorrow and unending grief" (Rom 9:3) for his fellow Israelites who refused to receive the gospel. Thus we have to consider both aspects of Paul's career in understanding his theology: one is Paul's self-awareness as an apostle to the Gentiles, which came into being with his own calling, and the other his self-Jewishness as a Jew. These two dimensions are woven together in the whole unfolding process of his theology, but sometimes cause tension. In the early part of Romans Paul attempted to include Gentile Christians within Abraham's legitimate offspring by reinterpreting his Genesis story in the light of justification by faith. If, however, this reasoning is pressed to the extreme end, it may lead to nullifying the ethnical aspect of Abraham's offspring and making Israel's history void,' for the gospel of justification by faith breaks down the wall between Jews and Gentiles, and envisages them all as made captive "under sin" (Rom 3:9; Gal 3:22), namely, as a part of this worldly existence needing God's same remedy, thereby serving to demonstrate the fact that they are all able to become Abraham's true descendents on the same ground of faith. What place, then, do Jews have in salvation history, and in what way does their restoration lead to Gentile mission? The aim of this article is to answer the questions above, by investigating the legitimacy of Gentile mission in the framework of Paul's theology of Israel's restoration. We shall explore it especially in chapters 9-11, and 15 of Romans, proceeding first to find out how Gentile mission is legitimatized by Paul's defense of God's faithfulness (9-11), and then to see the way in which Israel's restoration leads to Gentile mission, with Paul's journey from Jerusalem to Illyricum as an evidence of the latter (15:17-29).

Doctrine of Grace in Reformed Tradition

Yungsil Park Presbyterian General Assembly Theological Seminary 2011 CHONGSHIN THEOLOGICAL JOURNAL Vol.16 No.1

Grace is the fundamental expression in Christian faith. Therefore tracing the theology of grace with core line of reformed theologians, Paul, Augustine, and Calvin is worthy to endeavor. From the origin of the word, “cariv”,” this paper discusses how the concept of grace had been formatted. Then how personal conversion experiences of Paul and Augustine influenced their doctrine of grace will be dealt. Paul’s conversion was a “hermeneutical paradigm shift” and influenced Paul’s doctrine of grace which was absolutely Christ centered. Paul insisted in original sin and solidarity and his doctrine of grace is closely related to predestination. The salvation of human kind stands not on any meritorious achievement or any good deed but God’s grace. Augustine who was converted after reading Romans 13:13-14, succeeded Paul’s theology. His doctrine of grace was developed and sophisticated through the debates with Pelagians. With his personal conversion experience and in depth perception of sinful human nature, he objected Pelagians argument of that man could maintain good life without God’s grace. Calvin advocated the doctrine of grace clearly and strongly which had been less importantly treated until Reformation. There are some debates about continuity between Calvin’s double predestination and Augustine’s. However, it should be understood that Calvin mentioned more clearly than Augustine who explained predestination allusively.