Suffering and Dr. Yonggi Cho’s Theology of the Cross

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This paper examines Dr. Cho’s concept of the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ with reference to suffering of people, especially Christians. It shows that Dr. Yonggi Cho’s message of the cross develops from the backdrop of Pentecostals’ preaching about the cross.
Pentecostals believe that miracles, healing and deliverance from afflictions are part of the biblical faith, practised by the Lord Jesus and the early church. Christians are, therefore, to continue with these; yet Christianity during the Enlightenment resorted to scientific solutions, neglecting almost completely prayer for divine intervention. The emergence of the Pentecostal movement in the 20th century, of which Yonggi Cho emerged,changed the trend.
It is shown that Dr. Cho identifies himself with the suffering that came along with the Japanese occupation and the Korean War. In his early days, he experienced suffering in the forms of poverty and sickness. What took him out of poverty and suffering, he asserts, was the acknowledgement of Jesus Christ into his life as Lord and saviour.
Cho believes that the crux of the Christian message-the gospel-is the cross. For him, all the answers to life’s problems can be found in the cross of Christ. However, as he says,believers must appropriate prosperity and deliverance by faith.
The paper also briefly touches on Cho’s emphasis on faith which has been criticised by some scholars. It further demonstrates the balance that Cho brings to bear in his writings,as he shows that in his church the bothersome problem of some being healed and others not, occur. The paper ends by pointing to Cho’s paradoxical preaching of the cross, which must be understood in the context of the place of suffering within the biblical concept of the fall.

참고문헌 (Reference)

1 Cho, David Yonggi, "Use Your Faith Energy" Seoul Logos Co 2004

2 Cho, David Yonggi, "The Story of the Railway Worker: A Collection of Thoughts Shared with My Pastoral Staff" Seoul logos Co 2002

3 Hunt, Dave, "The Seduction of Christianity: Spiritual Discernment in the Last Days" Harvest House 1985

4 Cho, Gwisam, "The Missional Contextualization of Bok (Blessing) in Korean Religious Mentality Based on Cases of Yoido Full Gospel Church in Dr. Yonggi Cho’s Ministry and Theology 1" Hansei University Logos 216-234, 2008

5 Bavel, Van Johannes, "The Meaning of Suffering and Attempts at Interpretation” in God and Human Suffering" Peeters Press 121-136, 1989

6 Kim, Dongsoo, "The Healing of Han in Korean Pentecostalism" 15 : 1999

7 Warrington, Keith, "The Fourth Dimension, the Word and the Spirit" 64-119, 2010

8 Cho, David Yonggi, "The Fourth Dimension, Third Edition" Seoul Logos 1979

9 Moltmann Jürgen, "The Crucified God: The Cross of Christ as the Foundation and Criticism of Christian Theology" SCM Press Ltd 1974

10 Anderson, Allan., "The Contextual Pentecostal Theology in Dr. Yonggi Cho’s Ministry & Theology 11" Hansei University Logos 2008

11 Owens, Robert, "The Azusa Street Revival: Thee Pentecostal Movement Begins in America, In The Century of the Holy Spirit: 100 Years of Pentecostal and Charismatic Renewal" Thomas Nelson 39-68, 2001

12 Grudem,Wayne, "Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine" Zondervan Publishing House 1994

13 Onyinah, Opoku, "Spiritual Warfare: A Fresh Insight into the Nature of the Warfare, Identification of Strongholds, and Exposition on the Weapons" Advocate 2008

14 Cho, David Yonggi, "Solving Life’s problems" Seoul Logos Co 1980

15 Sponheim, R. Paul, "Sin and Evil, in Christian Dogmatics, Vol. One" Fortress Press 433-434, 1990

16 Cho, David Yonggi, "Salvation, Healing & Prosperity: Our Threefold Blessing in Christ" Creation House 1987

17 Vinson Synan, "Roots of Yonggi Cho’s Theology of Healing, in Dr. Yonggi Cho’s Ministry and Theology 1" Hansei University logos 263-284, 2008

18 Cho, David Yonggi, "Praying with Jesus" Creation House 1987

19 Matthew K. Thomson, "Oral Roberts and David Yonggi Cho, in Dr. Yonggi Cho’s Ministry and Theology 1" Hansei University logos 287-310, 2008

20 Cho, David Yonggi, "My Church Growth Stories" Seoul Logos Co 2006

21 Onyinah, Opoku, "Matthew Speaks to Ghanaian Healing Situations" 10 (10): 120-143, 2001

22 Henry, Matthew, "Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Bible, electronic edition" Hendrickson Publishers 1997

23 Trueman, Carl R, "Luther’s Theology of the Cross"

24 Kolb, Robert, "Luther on the Theology of the Cross" XVI : 442-465, 2002

25 Brown, Michael L, "Israel’s Divine Healer" Paternoster Press 1995

26 Cho, David Yonggi, "How to Pray: Pattern of Prayer" Seoul Logos Co., INC 1997

27 Cho, David Yonggi, "How can 1be Healed" Seoul logos Co., INC 1999

28 Bartmann, Peter, "Health, Healing and Spirituality: The Future of the Church’s Ministry of Healing. A German position paper offering ecumenical, diaconal, and missiological perspectives on a holistic understanding of Christian witness for healing in western societies, at the German Institute for Medical Mission (DIFAEM), Tübingen, available"

29 Cho, David Yonggi, "Great Businessmen" Seoul Logos Co., INC 1995

30 Onyinah, Opoku, "God’s Grace, Healing and Suffering" 95 (95): 117-127, 2006

31 Fee, Gordon, "God’s Empowering Presence: The Holy Spirit in the Letters of Paul" Paternoster 1994

32 Hall, John T. Douglas, "God and Human Suffering: God & An Exercise in the Theology of the Cross" Augsburg Publishing House 1986

33 Onyinah, Opoku, "Faith, Healing and Mission: Perspective from the Bible, In Christianity, Missions, Ecumenism in Ghana: Essays in Honour of Robert K. Aboagye-Mensah" Asempa Publishers 213-223, 2009

34 Dickinson,Robert, "Does God Heal Today: Pastoral Principles and Practice of Faith-Healing" Paternoster Press 1995

35 Neuman, H. Terris, "Cultic Origin of Word-Faith Theology within the Charismatic Movement" 12 (12): 32-55, 1990

36 Cho, David Yonggi, "Born to be Blessed" Seoul Logos Co., INC 1993

37 Kalu, Ogbu, "African Pentecostalism" Oxford University Press 2008

38 Onyinah, Opoku, "African Healing Communities, In Pentecostal Ecclesiology" CPL 202-222, 2010

39 Anderson, Allan, "A Time to Share Love’: Global Pentecostalism and Social Ministry of David Yonggi Cho" 14-48, 2009