KJC Korea
Journal Central

How should the church participate in the public sphere and express her opinions publicly in the constitutional order of secular state? This article attempts to answer to this complicated question as following. First, this study analyzes the process in which the secular state has replaced the Christian state based on the hegemonic alliance of church and state. Second, this research investigates how the public sphere operates in the constitutional order of the secular state under the principle of neutrality to world-views. Third, in order to present plausible reasons why the Church should express her opinions publicly regarding political and social problems, this article analyzes Martin Luther’s concept on the role of the church as watchman for the state and the world, and also his model of summon on laws which he used as public discourse in the framework of two government doctrine. Lastly, the public opinion work of the Protestant Church in Germany (Evangelische Kirche in Deutschland = EKD) is analyzed to grasp that situation analyses and theological-ethical arguments in EKD's public opinion work are not connected in a sufficiently persuasive art. In regard to church’s public opinion work in the constitutional order of the secular state, this research suggests that the church should be equipped with discourse ability to secure legitimacy of her public opinions through open and critical argumentation.

This research aims to understand how to accept and develop the doctrine of ‘justification’ which is the core doctrine of the Reformation, in the East Asian culture during the early of 20th century as it commemorates the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. In particular, this study concentrates on the theology of love of K.H. Ting, a representative theologian out of Chinese theologians, as it delves into the process of transformation from ‘justification by faith’ to ‘justification by love.’ This is the main agenda of Chinese Christianity at that period. During the Reformation period, Luther supported human justification that he was saved by faith, not by law against the idea of salvation by human merits by the medieval Roman Catholic church. As Christianity expanded into the world, however, the distinction between faith and unbelief was strengthened, and the emphasis on individual salvation made the character of social salvation lessened. With this condition, this research demonstrates how K.H. Ting developed his theology of love, especially the idea of ‘justification by love.’ as he was pursuing the unity of Christianity and communism during the period of 1930’s when Chinese Christians joined into the anti-Japanese movement as they tried to be in solidarity with the materialists. This theology of love suggests a way of salvation that overcomes the theology that emphasizes only individual salvation, and that saves the whole nation and the world through love, that is, the way of the social salvation. Thus, this research examines what attitude Christianity should have in this contemporary world in terms of the doctrine of justification.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze Byeong-Mu Ahn’s reunification theory based on his minjung theory. Minjung theology emerged in the 1970s from the experience of Korean Christians in the struggle for the restoration of the rights of minjung. Ahn regarded ‘minjung’(民衆, ὄχλος) as the people who are scorned and oppressed by the powerful military dictator and dictatorship. On the basis of minjung theology, he urged that minjung should initiate the practice to overcome the division of South and North Korea and to accomplish the reunification. He thought that a unified Korea is a essential component of Korean national identity. This study is conducted to investigate Ahn’s reunification theory through his Korean National Movement and Reunification and to analyze the basic outline of the main ideas such as the awakening of national reunification(step1), overcoming trends of anti-reunification(step2), reunification by minjung(step3), the practice of the way of peace based on minjung theory(step4), and so on. The meaningful points Ahn left behind us on the basis of his reunification theory could be summarized as follows: the theological reflection on reunification theory, new paradigm for peaceful reunification, peaceful reunification strategy and practice of peace, withdrawal of ethnic conflict, the emphasis on spirit of national reunification, and the activity of reunification education.

In this paper, the Christian social welfare practice is approached from the viewpoint of basic income, and the spirit of the Reformation. First, this research argues that the direction of social welfare practice in accordance with the changes of modern society is inevitably accompanied by basic income, and examined how basic income and social welfare practice are related. In addition, this paper examines the concept of universal priesthood and occupation calling in the spirit of the Reformation in connection with the concept of basic income when the spirit of religious reform was newly illuminated through the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. The purpose of this study is to establish the theoretical foundation of modern Christian social welfare practice.

One of the most serious social challenges that Korean society faces today would be what values and how they should be pursued. In other words, it is much needed to identify, introduce, create, and implement shared values, considering that Korean society grows more divided, socially, economically, and ideologically. First, this paper will examine the notion of social capital that is deemed to help to restore and establish trust in Korean society. Then we will explore the limitation of social capital and as a way to deal with it come up with the concept of creating shared value(CSV). This will be followed by the discussion about a theological ethical relevance to the concept of creating shared value. The discussion about a theological ethical relevance can show whether or not there will be a possibility that it can increase the applicability of CSV and theological ethic can contribute to this matter. In order to investigate the possibility that theological ethic can contribute, this paper attempts to reinterpret the theological ethical concepts such as missional church, the image of God, and covenant.

This essay investigates the discourse of Korean Christian ethical thoughts published in the journal of「The Mustard, Gejasi」during the year of 1933 and 1934 and attempts to expand the ideological horizon of Korean Christian ethics by reflecting on a possibility of a new interpretation. What was the ethical thematic consciousness that was most important in Korean churches and Christian communities during the colonial period? The authors in「The Mustard, Gejasi」asked questions on how to confirm the monotheism of Christianity and the Christian faith, and emphasized the spirit of martyrdom, prior to the issue of good and evil and of action and agent which are taken for granted in the viewpoint of contemporary Christian ethical thoughts. It is evaluated that the publication of the journal that may be regarded as a sort of discussions of collective intelligence cooperated by groups of theological students, college students, and pastors introduces the teachings from the Bible and the western theological literatures to uphold Christian faith and defeat various idolatry under circumstances that idolatry was forced and the human rights were violated, and develops the ethical responsibility of the individuals and the church communities persuasively. In particular, the typography and dissemination of the mission of the times itself under difficult environments for publication could be regarded as a meaningful cultural and ethical practice of the formation of discourse.

Charles Taylor maintains that the Reformers such as Luther and Calvin contributed to a positive interpretation of ‘everyday life’ in theological terms. In discussing divine self-disclosure and faith communities where divine self-revelation and acceptance of the revelation take place, the Reformers’ teachings have been conducive to overcoming religious exclusiveness and reinforcing the possibility of embracing God’s revelation and presence in the spheres of ordinary life. Taylor insists that Luther and Calvin offered a theological foundation where believers can regard their historical existence in the secular as the everyday basis of holiness. Endorsing Taylor’s thesis basically, I aim to explore theological and ethical foundations for affirming the value of ‘everyday life.’ My inquires in this paper are two-fold. First, I attempt to offer a systematic description of theological, philosophical and ethical foundations for such affirmation that are traced in the thoughts of Luther and Taylor. Major themes I will discuss include Taylor’s fundamental understanding of the affirmation of everyday life, a form of belief stressing individual persons as the subjects of everyday life, a positive evaluation of the meaning of everyday life in terms of the doctrine of creation and reason-centeredness, family and labor as key spheres for the affirmation of everyday life, and theological justification of the secular realm. Second, I will make some theological and ethical suggestions, hoping that they contribute to honoring the sacred and the secular comprehensively and strengthening Korean churches’ and their members’ responsible practice and engagement in the sphere of everyday life.

In this study, I examine classical economic thinkers, Adam Smith and Karl Marx. They questioned how we can create a moral society that serves the common good when people as economic agents are self-interested. By exploring these writers’ social thoughts, I show that social values work as the major role in building the moral base of economic life. Economic order is inevitably related to ethical values. However, many scholars in social sciences too often fail to connect socio-moral values and economic life. This study deals with significant elements that lead to a better understanding of the relation between economic order and social values. I will also seek alternatives to capitalist globalization from current social thinkers. I conclude that the important and rich relation of socio-moral values to economic problems must be reconsidered today.