KJC Korea
Journal Central

This study is a qualitative approach to identify the practical difficulties faced by Korean missionaries in the Islamic areas and suggest effective ways to care them on the part of mission agencies and sending churches. The total number of research participants (interviewees) is 14 people who are either field missionaries who have served in the Islamic areas over 10 years or member care staffers in mission agencies and churches. The results of analyzing the interview data are as follows. First, missionaries who worked in an Islamic area on a long-term basis tend to have spiritual, psychological, physical burnout symptoms increasingly over time due to the chronic stress mainly caused by spiritual oppression, worries about expulsion, and tensions related to security issues, which indicate the need for a holistic approach to member care. Second, many problems in the field can only be resolved with the help of nationals and fellow missionaries, thus preparing missionaries with proper knowledge about the Islamic culture and skills for intercultural relationship building is necessary in the pre-field training programs. Third, many missionaries requested mission agencies to establish systems for periodical caring service on a preventive measure. Fourth, many missionaries want time for rest and restoration that also facilitates talking relaxedly with people who understand them well. Fifth, mission agencies need to play a mediating role between missionaries and the sending churches so that the churches understand the hard realities of the mission field and not to expect fruits of ministry too soon. The research findings above mentioned highlighted the locus of real needs for member care that need to be reflected in the policies of member care in mission agencies and sending churches specially focusing on those missionaries working in the Islamic world.

In this article, I would like to consider how Protestants was formed in Indonesia after the Japanese occupation in 1942, how it has grown after the independence, and through what process the Islamic conflict has intensified. In addition, I would like to examine the Pentecostal movement, which is vitalizing the growth of Christianity in Indonesia. Japan's occupation of Indonesia was only three years, but Indonesian Protestant leadership was transferred to the locals and foreign missionaries who had played an absolute role began to be pushed around. And the Protestant Indonesian ethnic group began to respond to the request of a new era of church unity. Christianity was able to reveal the colors of Christianity in a situation where, after independence, various races had to be embraced, where religion had not yet been fully established, and even in areas where certain religions existed. In addition, the Indonesian government ordered all citizens to choose one of the six religions and list their religion in their IDs in order to break the communist bonds. So, after 1945, there was a massive conversion from Indonesia to Christianity. However, this trend of growth marks a new phase in the time of President Suharto. By decree No. 70, since 1978, officials from Indonesia have been unable to missionary to Muslims and other religious groups. Muslims continued to increase the Christian population due to illegal missionary activity that violated the law, and the constant conversion to Christianity was accepted as a threat to the Muslim community. The reason for paying attention to the Pentecostal Church is that the Pentecostal movement plays an important role in growing Christianity in a serious conflict with Islam through the old and new order. After President Soekarno's resignation, Western evangelicals and Pentecostals focused on reviving Christianity in Indonesia. Consequently, the Pentecostal Church in Indonesia has grown the third since the main Protestant denominations and Roman Catholics since 1970.

On 11 March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pedemic, pointing to the significantly increasing positive cases of the virus around the world and the sustained risk of its further global spread. Along with these developments of the outbreak all over the world, the international community has experienced new challenges and problems to date, and it continues to undergo such evolving situations, with far reaching repercussions. Some scholars say that this situation may constitute a paradigm shift in terms of its overall impact to the global society. This indicates that the pandemic is not only causing serious challenges for medical treatment of the virus itself but also generating unprecedented circumstances in international community together with its overarching political, social and economic issues such as a wave of social dislocation and panic, economic depression as well as discrimination and xenophobia in the repugnant nature of racism around the world. It appears that the similar situation goes for the Islamic countries. In addition to its particular chaotic implications in political, social and economic life, Islamic society is also facing considerable difficulties which may require inevitable adjustments of its longstanding religious custom that has followed for more than around 1400 years. As such, with growing global concerns of this pedemic, a chaotic situation also continues in the Islamic world and, in turn, it affects Christian missionary works among the Islamic world with more challenges and issues that need to be addressed. That being so, for Christian, in particular, who have been carrying out missionary studies and tasks for a long time, as part of its duty and responsibility for Christianity in the Muslim world, it is imperative to consider how the Gospel of Christ will be able to be evangelized continuously and in a more effective and secure manner in these challenging situations. Indeed, the current situations would require deeper and more earnest contemplation for a variety of missionary works so as to deal with such chaotic circumstances in the course of Christian missionary works in the Muslim world. Furthermore, going forward, it emphasizes that Christian should take actions more resolutely yet carefully to the very demands of the Gospel in response to these specifically challenging circumstances.

Mission is shaped by the life and experience of the church, both past and present, and this in turn is the function of both the work of the Spirit of God and the interaction of the people of God with their contexts. In line with this position, we highlight some elements of the global context of mission, trends in world Christianity and mission and, then, examine, as a historical case, the reported evidence of the work of the Spirit of God among Muslims. In exploring the evidence of the Spirit’s operation among Muslims, the paper reviews a selection of missionary sources, an autobiography of an illustrious Muslim convert and a selection of relatively recent secondary works. The underlying argument is that crises often lead to a search for new meaning and purpose; though not all of these may necessarily lead to outward conversion and belonging. This should not discourage us but rather be a source of rejoicing and a step towards partnership with God in his mission and ministry.

Jews, Muslims, and Christians have become estranged, because of historical barriers and conflicts, misperceptions, and ignorance of each other’s belief systems. The implications of Jewish Yom Kippur, Muslim Eid Al-Adha, and Christians' atoning sacrifice can enrich each other’s tradition and promote a greater understanding of each other’s faith. Abrahamic tradition can be complementary rather than competitive to appreciating their versions of faith and cultures. In Islam, Muslims offer animal sacrifice at Eid Al-Adha following their annual pilgrimage, Hajj, and Jews start a new year with Rosh-Hashanah from which they find their identity and origins of Abraham. In the four Gospels, the perfect model of sacrifice on the cross is described as the equivalent propitiation for all humankind's sin that substituted men's offering of animal sacrifices. The divergences and convergences between sacrificial offerings and Jesus’ sacrifice can reveal the crossroad of interfaith dialogue between three traditions. Hence, by comparing the understanding of ‘the son of Abraham's sacrifice’ within each religion, this paper explores the origin of 'Kaparah' in different religious contexts and finds its relation to the suffering servant.