KJC Korea
Journal Central

The purpose of this study is to examine the Christian ethical meaning and the practice of ‘aging’ in the Christian social welfare field. Social discourse and ethical support for aging in aged society are necessary. Whether longevity and aging society is a blessing or disaster depends on how individuals and society view aging and old age. At present, our society has a strong negative perception toward aging, so-called ‘anti-aging’. As a result, in the social welfare field, programs for the elderly mainly focus on preventing or overcoming aging rather than successfully aging. Such negative attitudes as anxiety, fear of aging and death may amplify the sense of loss for the present life and cause moral problems by creating distortions and attachments to life. Whereas, the Bible describes the process of aging as a process in the providence of creation order, and the old age is seen as a blessing, not as decline or loss, but as a time when God’s grace is given. Based on the biblical understanding of aging, this study aims to provide a viewpoint to overcome the old stereotypes and misinformation about aging while respecting the culture and trends of modern society. Furthermore, this study discussed ways to promote positive generational exchanges. Based on the results of the research, we presented a practical alternative to Christian social welfare for the elderly and church service.

The aim of this paper is to describe the theological and ethical claims that reside in competing assessments of the issue of Physician-assisted Suicide(PAS), focusing on the interpretation of autonomy, and to provide some constructive suggestions with an aim to mitigate the conflict and provide mutual enrichment. First, this research analyzes each of the ethical arguments for and against PAS in terms of the interpretation of autonomy. Generally speaking, the proponents of PAS emphasize the autonomous freedom of a competent individual to make a request for aid-in-dying, while opponents stress the social aspect of human existence and the responsibility of society as a whole for those who are suffering, including those who are in an incurable illness and dying. Second, this paper explores theological responses to the issue of PAS from Catholic, Lutheran, and Reformed perspectives. This research highlights a communal understanding of human freedom and autonomy (Catholic), a notion of autonomy in the dialectic of radical sin and radical grace (Lutheran), and an emphasis on the paradoxical relationship between freedom and bondage (Reformed). Lastly, this paper concludes with some suggestions which could play a constructive role in both proponents and opponents of PAS, particularly so that the former’s emphasis on individual rights, privacy, and self-determination will be balanced by and reconciled with the latter’s commitment to the social aspects of human existence and the public responsibility of society.

This study aims to investigate the theological and pastoral tasks of Korean Churches in the challenges of the risk society resulting from compressed economic growth during modernization. Disasters and its unavoidable sufferings in the risk society ask us to think critically about God from its traditional concepts— omnipotence, good, and justice. Those disasters and sufferings claim our theological transition: from the anti-social and immoral apocalyptic eschatology into the transformative eschatology of the real world based upon the Kingdom of God. The pastoral tasks of the churches can be summarized into two: priestly ministry and prophetic ministry. First, the priestly ministry is relevant to activities of healing the social trauma and recovering its victims. Second, the prophetic ministry is to criticize the materialism which sets a high value on the material rather than on human life and safety. And the churches have to seek the way for reformation of unjust social structure such as the “risk outsourcing” which shifts the dangers on to the weaker. The churches have to strive to build the local community which can promote social safety as well as individual inner peace. Lastly, churches’ remembering and mourning for the victims should go into the socio- political activities, beyond personal emotional dimension, by which fundamental causes of disasters would be removed.

This article deals with the relationship between nationalism and Christianity in the 1920s. When Korea became a Japanese colony in 1910, The Korean national movement is divided into two groups: Sillyeogyangseonglon(실력양성론) and Mujangtujaenglon(무장투쟁론)During the 1920’s, the former was to develop into ‘the right-wing of bourgeois nationalist movement’ that claims to Products encouraging movement, Educational movement by founding school in various levels, and Self-government movement. The latter was developed as ‘the left-wing of bourgeois nationalist movement’ that proclaims to Political struggles and absolute independence based on the People. During the 1920’s, the right-wing of nationalist experienced the division of the forces through the culture governing policy of the Japanese imperialism. In the course of this division, the right-wing of nationalist movement wanted to explore each of the theory of the state construction through mutual solidarity and interconnectedness. In this process, Christian nationalists have adopted the principle of democracy based on political justice and humanitarianism after the 3.1 movement as the basic principle of national movement, as they adopted Protestant capitalist economic ethics, socially pursued social transformation ethics based on Social remodeling and social gospel.

With an intensive concern on the ‘young-feminists’ who have rapidly grown as a protesting group against the existing patriarchal culture, this article analyzes their rising as a social phenomenon emerged in the late modern neoliberal Korean contexts. The young-feminists are women, for the first time in the history of modern Korea, who have strong self consciousness at massive scale, while they belong to the generation which has experienced harsh and competitive economic environments of the 21st century neoliberal Korea. Witnessing the ‘elective hybridity’ in the ‘mirroring strategy’ of the young-feminists, the combination of the feminist actions and the selective acceptance of profitable resources from the present patriarchal institutions and cultural presuppositions, however, this article worries about the possibility of reinforcing current neoliberal orders as the results of ‘elective hybridity’strategy. As an alternative feminist strategy for imaging and practicing a new group interaction, which would result in the advent of a gender- equal society, as a concluding remark, this article examines the concept of “the porosity of being,” the ontological ground of communicating with each other while retaining the boundary of an individual/an identity group.

Gyeong-Ok Jeong was born in Jindo in 1903 and died in 1945 at the age of 42. He took the charge of the various roles as great Methodist minister, systematic theologian, Christian author, theology professor, preacher under a colonial policy of Japan. The purpose of this study is to analyze Gyeong-Ok Jeong’s pragmatic theology, focusing on the piety and sanctification. First, in order to achieve this objective, this research focuses on ‘the view of the Bible and Methodist doctrine in pragmatism’ and ‘pragmatism line.’ In particular, analyzing Jeong’s confession and pragmatic theological thoughts, this paper clarifies what is his main theological line and perspectives on the nature of Christianity. Second, this research analyzes the main aspects of his inner confession and pragmatic theology such as ‘the pragmatic view of the Bible’, ‘anti-dogmatism’, ‘the pragmatic understanding of Methodist doctrine’, and so forth. Third, this paper concentrates on his pragmatism line such as ‘history and experience’, ‘indigenous theology’, ‘the historicity of theology’, ‘the view of Christian morality’, and so on.’

This research delves into Calvin’s Theology of Diakonia in order to discuss the socio-ceonomic issues in terms of inequality, economic polarization and economic ethics. What does Calvin’s Diakonia speak of toward the unequal society and the unfair world? In Calvin’s theology, it is the unfair world, where Diakonia begins and where to do Diakonia. This research discusses Diakonia in Calvin 's economic ethics with three broad themes. First of all, looking over the teachings of God’s absolute sovereignty and self-denial, which are the theological background of Calvin’s economic ethics. Second, presenting Calvin’s view of Diakonia about various themes related to socio-economic ethics. Lastly, this paper examines what Calvin’s social, economic and ethical theology of Diakonia means to us and how it guides us to live today.

“Lee Ban” has a unique position in Korean contemporary drama. He is a writer who has contributed to the quality of truly Christian drama produced in Korea. Lee learned directly from the pioneers of the ‘western religious drama movement’ and this strongly influenced his playwriting. His goals were to inform Christian religious plays in Korea. He crafted Western religious drama into reality. This article will discuss the drama “Ah, Jaemlee!”, which deals with the Jaemlee Church event, a most notable incident in Korean and Japanese history. By using the philosophical principles from Emmanuel Levinas, the author will analyze and critique examples of ‘understanding the other’ when the act of forgiveness is viewed as a responsibility. Ultimately, this work has a Christian message that does not ignore the other, but intentionally and responsibly seeks to understand the suffering of others in order to achieve real, lasting peace. Playwriting done with Christian-ethics as a premise can be applied directly to the relationship between Korea and Japan, as well as to various kinds of conflicts taking place all over the world.