KJC Korea
Journal Central

This paper tries to reread G. Engel’s “St. Augustine”, which is the first foreign writing related to Korean acceptance of Augustine. It is estimated that Engel’s paper which titled “St. Augustine” partly contributed to bringing the spirituality of conversion to the Korean church. In other words, Engel introduced Augustine’s story and emphasized the Christian significance of conversion. Moreover, Engel’s paper has some factors which could be evaluated as a metamorphosis that transforms the Koreans’ emotions of repentance to Christian spirituality of conversion. However, critical reading is needed for overcoming the tendency to regard Augustine’s conversion as a dramatic and one-time event or a touching testimony. In particular, (1)understanding from Augustine’s basic question is needed and (2)concern on Augustine’s whole process of conversion including intellectual conversion and moral conversion is required. Based on this critical reading, Korean church have to pursue the social spirituality.

This article aims to find traces of transformation of Korean Christian ethics, focusing on narrative and ethics in the church, a community of Christians, in which the metamorphosis of culture is well represented in the Korean modern transformation space. What we pay attention to here is Pastor In-seo Song, one of the first seven pastors of the Presbyterian Church in Korea, and the text that he left behind. Chilgeukbobogam projected the life of Pastor Song In-seo, who lived in the modern transition space, raises the question whether this is simply a Korean version of the translation of Pantoja’s Chilgeuk(七克, The Seven Victories) or is one of the narratives of the Korean Christian community. In answering this question, he attempts to establish “Chicheukbogam” as a narrative ethical text and reveals its validity. Thus, this paper traces of transformation of Korean Christian ethics in narrative ethics as the basic text of Seohak(西學) ethics, Chilgeuk, was translated and translated by Song In-seo.

This paper examines the introduction of Christian Sunday School’s child-centered education for Christian ethics education in the Western era. This article demonstrates who, what channel, and what contents were mainly included in the teaching materials for Sunday School teacher training. Based on the research results, this paper deals with the first translation of W.G. Cram, published in 1909 to cultivate Sunday School teachers in 1909, regarding Legion of Honor, Teacher Training Lessions (교사량성 쥬일학당교과셔). Also, this research studies the translations of Nam Gung-hyeok, published in 1922, Primary Method in the Church School (최신 유년쥬일학교교수법), and Han Seok-won’s interpretation, The Church School (최근 쥬일학교론), and Hong Byeong-sun’s Sunday School Teaching Method of Early Modern Period (근셰 쥬일학교교수법). This research clarifies what the content of child-centered educational research emphasized in these books. Thus, this article introduces child-centered education in the field of Christian ethics during the modern transition period.

Research on social enterprise as a means of solving the capitalist problem of market failure and government failure is increasing. However, research on Christian social enterprises is insufficient. Therefore, this research examined the principles and models of Christian social enterprises demonstrated in the Story of Ruth. To begin with, this study analyzes the current status of Christian social enterprises, and it delves into the Story of Ruth as well as the stories of Hesed and Go’el, with the perspective of agape care and the social safety net of the community. This study suggests seven principles and eight models of Christian social enterprise. Additionally, the research advances the notion that there exists not only the social value of neighborly love but also the unique value of God’s love. Thus, this research has done an interdisciplinarity study with a new perspective on the principles and models of Christian social enterprises by biblical stories as it searches Christian social enterprises systematically and comprehensively from the perspective of Christian values.

‘The new normal’ situation, caused by the pandemic of ‘the Covid-19’, poses many challenges not only to the way of life but also to political, economic and socio-cultural areas. South Korea has received positive reviews for its exemplary defense to ‘the Covid-19’ but now Korean society has a task of public consensus on ‘the new normal’ based on the value of ‘the Common Good.’ This article argues that for Korean Churches it is more important to take part in the process of establishing ‘the new normal’ in society after ‘covid-19.’ Public theology would be a foundation in public sphere for discussing the ‘the new normal’ not only in a local but also on a global level. Thus, this study argues that the public role of religion on a global level is being discussed by non-theologians such as Jürgen Habermas and Hannah Arendt, and for Churches it means a request to contribute to drive ‘the new normal’ to pursue ‘the Common Good.’ And introducing the public theology of Miroslav Volf and Partick Riodan, the study argues all human being’s flourishing should be the key of ‘the new normal’ and Korean Churches should participate in public discussion and produce a value of ‘the Common Good’ to support all people’s flourishing in Korean civil society after ‘the Covid-19’.

This study explores the identity of the unified Korean Peninsula, focusing on friendship, a symbol of hospitality. Until the end of the 80s, unification was discussed only at the political level. Since then, as the Cold War system collapsed, the core of the unification debate has quickly shifted from a political level to an economic perspective. In this process, introspection on human metaphysical desires, friendship and hospitality, was very limited. Unification discussions without ethical introspection will eventually make us overlook the essential meaning of love and justice. Therefore, unification must be reconstructed in terms of ‘hospitality and friendship’ as the basis of love and justice. Levinas and Derrida are representative thinkers of the 20th century who have deepened the discussion of friendship (philia) and hospitality (hospitium). I would like to secure the justification for unification by borrowing their reasons.

This study studies theological realism of Reinhold Niebuhr. This study provides an opportunity to think more broadly about the traditional ‘realist ethics’ used in Christian political theology. The Korean meaning of ‘realism’ or ‘reality’ can be interpreted in a variety of ways like ‘exist,’ ‘realism,’ ‘fact,’ ‘straightforward,’ ‘status,’ ‘situation,’ ‘temporary,’ ‘phenomenon,’ ‘misery’ and even ‘reality of the kingdom of God,’ which is given in grace beyond all conditions of reality. From this point of view, Niebuhr’s theological realism opens the horizon for human existentialism, which allows us to interpret the present problems in the world in greater depth. This paper holds the meaning of the word ‘reality,’ expanding the horizon of meaning to suit the context of the context. Therefore, this paper presents a way for the concept of ‘theological realism’ or ‘reality’ understood by Niebuhr to go beyond the problem of political reality, to help build the theory of responsible self through the theory of existence associated with God, and, above all, public theology in this post-Corna19 era.

In the process of translating Western thought, it would be impossible from the beginning to reveal the original representation itself. In many cases, the transitions in our society do not reveal the representations of the original language at all. Hence, this research examines this issue of translation and representation based on the translation of ‘psyche’ and ‘pneuma.’ The Greek ‘psyche’, which translates into the soul, and the ‘pneuma’, which translates into the spirit(/Geist) are example for this problem. In our language, these words are overwhelmingly religious and mysterious, whereas in the West they are used in secular ways too. In Europe, soul is no longer understood as mystic or religious entity, but as psychological subject. The translation of pneuma is more problematic. In religion, it is translated into ‘yong’, and in academia into ‘jeongsin’. However, our representation of these two words are completely different. This paper examines the problem of translation and representation of these words in the Bible.

The biblical passage from Romans 13:1-7 and the principle of the Separation of Church and State cannot be legitimately invoked to justify Christian political indifference and passivity or to make them normative. Nor do the passage and the principle prohibit Christian political engagement with religious sensibilities and authority in the matters of moral and justice issues that are not specifically religious in nature but applicable to everyone. To support this argument the Romans passage is discussed for its interpretation that does justice to the biblical text and fits best for our political context. And then several important U.S. Supreme Court cases involving the Separation of Church and State are discussed to show that Christian political involvement should not be prompted by matters that are strictly political or purely religious but it should be made for the matters of universal moral values like justice.