This is the study of the identity and direction of the mission theology. So far, mission has been understood as one of the church activities, hence mission theology also has been treated as a part of the Practical theology. However, such definition an...
This is the study of the identity and direction of the mission theology. So far, mission has been understood as one of the church activities, hence mission theology also has been treated as a part of the Practical theology. However, such definition and role of the mission theology is too limited and infelicitous concerning the situation the world christianity is facing these days.The biggest change is the movement to see the history of Christianity with Global Perspective while it used to be understood as 'the history of expansion' of western christianity. Having risen its head with Post-modernism and Post-colonialism, this new view can be the ground for understanding the difference between 'Christendom' idea and 'World Christianity' concept.So this study has been worked with the view that the local christianity has found its position, developing its own particular characters with interchange, contrary to the view to see the history of mission as the expansion of western christianity since Constantine''s official approval in C. E. 313(the edict of Milan).Now it is required to understand the mission as something expanded with the creative and contingent movement by the gospel-receiver, being new subject rather than one-sided expansion from western to non-western. With the acknowledge of the problem above, critical examination for today''s Korean mission theology has been worked with three part of logical current as below.First, This study has noticed the rapid growth of christian population centered in Southern continents such as Latin America and Africa, introducing the statistics of it. This phenomenon couldn''t be analyzed with the limited pattern of consideration the western intellectual had.Second, the necessity of understanding for the mission history of christianity with new movement of christian population is suggested. It points out the need for reconstruction of historical view based on the concept of mission as ''translation'' with partnership and ''serial'' progress, arising a basic question about the western-centered understanding of mission history.Third, reflecting upon two questions above with the discussion over 'orientalism' of Edward W. Said, it brings up the cognitive violence with reconstruction of others(non-western convert) by the western subject(western christianity). Also, it suggests the needs for new construction of christian mission from the Christendom in which political area and Christendom are unified and a christianity as a composition of meta narrative mixed with knowledge and power to the World Christianity and Global Perspective.This study has tried the 'critical reflection' over the object and methodology, requiring the need of complete reconsideration of theological methodology including the new understanding of mission history. Through this critical reflection of the Christendom, it questions the identity and direction of today''s mission theology and tries the general reflection upon the text of Korean mission theology as the answer for it.