KJCKorea
Journal Central

This study explores the potential contributions of Korean Protestant ethics to the humanities through Schleiermacher’s pneumatological ethics in the post- humanist era. Schleiermacher emphasizes individuality through the diverse manifestations of the Holy Spirit and argues for the necessity of dismantling centralism based on this idea. The church community, where mutual communication about individual understandings of the Holy Spirit occurs, serves as an alternative community in relation to society. Recognizing the universally operative Holy Spirit, the church engages in a solidaristic relationship that acknowledges the own ethical functions of the family and state while complementing their limitations to contribute to the realization of kingdom of God. Korean Protestant ethics can critically adopt Schleiermacher’s pneumatological ethics to: 1) advocate for the restoration of the marginalized, 2) promote democratic reform within the church, and 3) develop a more solidary relationship between the church and society, thereby presenting new visions of humanity and community that align with the demands of the posthumanist era.

In examining various philosophical critiques of modernity, this paper analyzes how John Milbank’s reinterpretation of Augustine’s Two Cities can be developed into a theological pathological analysis and a therapeutic discourse that critiques and overcomes the limitations and problems of modern secular reason. Therapeutic theology analyzes the pathological symptoms of individual and social values, judgments, desires, emotions, and affections, while promising its own vision of therapy. In our contemporary context, therapeutic theology must engage with a number of critical discourses of modernity. Alasdair MacIntyre, Michelle Foucault, and Axel Honneth respectively critique the pathologies of pluralistic liberalism, power and governmentality, and capitalism with different emphases, and offer alternatives of tradition-dependent rationality, the care of the self, and the actualization of reason through conflicts. Against contemporary pluralistic liberalism, its political and economic systems and their positive domination, and the dialectics of historical liberation and progress, John Milbank proposes a counter-ontology of divine giftedness and non-violent, non-competitive self-giving; a counter-ethic of freedom, equality, and a sense of community; and a counter-history embodying a divine redemptive history. This antithetical framework, if complemented by the ambiguity and inter-mixture of the Two Cities, can capture the dynamics of the therapeutic process of values, desires, emotions, and affections in the lives of Christians living amidst contemporary secularity.

This paper examines the relevance and contextual application of Bonhoeffer’s ethics in light of the contemporary emergence of the climate justice issue, with a specific focus on the concept of “Prayer and in doing Justice” as articulated by Bonhoeffer. The study seeks to explore the implications of this concept for the Korean Church as it navigates the challenges of the climate justice era from two distinct perspectives. Firstly, under the recognition that Prayer and in doing Justice are deeply interconnected, this paper emphasizes that the Church should move beyond self-interest or self-serving objectives and confront systems of injustice and inequality with proactive action. It asserts that the Church must overcome apathy or silence in response to the suffering and inequities of the world by raising its voice and engaging in action to promote climate justice. Secondly, the paper highlights the necessity of integrating sustainable development and the issue of responsibility for climate change with human rights, particularly by prioritizing the rights of marginalized groups, vulnerable populations, and future generations. It argues that this perspective provides critical insight into addressing the climate crisis and fostering solutions to these complex challenges.