Korean systematic theologians have shown their academic interests in Missiology by connecting their research endeavors with the theological issues of contextualization, religious pluralism or religious dialogues. It seems, however, that their approach...
Korean systematic theologians have shown their academic interests in Missiology by connecting their research endeavors with the theological issues of contextualization, religious pluralism or religious dialogues. It seems, however, that their approaches to Missiology begin with their assumption that Gospel is something that always comes into a local culture and a local culture should be reacted by the outer impact of Gospel. The present paper aims to argue that Korean systematic theologians should pay keen attention to missiological issues which have been reporting from mission fields. The rises of "Global Christianity" and "Southern Christianity" from the beginning of the 21st century call the necessity of re-configuration and re-evaluation of subjects and methodologies in the Western tradition of systematic theology. As a mission historian, I present the historical case of Francisco de Vitotia, a Salamanca Dominican theologian, who re-evaluated the traditional Thomistic understanding of human beings after contemplating upon mission reports from Latin America during the early 16th century. Vitoria regards the Indians of New World as "human beings" who have the sufficient knowledge of God with "Prima Praecepta". From this theological contemplation upon the humanity of the newlydiscovered Indians, Vitoria re-configured traditional Thomistic understanding of humanity. His "Second Thomism" is a lucid example how systematic theologians should react to the missiological issues. From the historical case of Francisco de Vitoria of the 16th century, we may have a lesson that systematic theologians should not only interpret the religious dynamics of "Southern Christianity" but also re-evaluate the subjects and methodologies in the traditional systematic frameworks of Western theology, as Francisco de Vitoria had accomplished about 500 years ago.