2006, Vol., No.12

The Korean Journal of Chiristian Social Ethics 2023 KCI Impact Factor : 0.58

pISSN : 1229-8387 / eISSN : 2713-749X
https://journal.kci.go.kr/csethics

Studies on the essence and mission of church is main subject of theology. Specially, study on mission and vision of Korean Church is very important for tomorrow of church. The purpose of this paper is to study the ethical task for desirable image of the future of Korean church. Many Christians in Korea eager to revive the glorious honor and joyfulness of Pyeong-yang Great Revival in 1907. Christians in Korea think that the method of revival is to gather so many people through a mammoth events. But the reality is not so good. Nowadays, church of Korea stopped to growing and faced at social criticism. The causes of these problems would be various. This paper empathize the factor of morality of Christian in Korea. Church and Christians are situated at anti-Christian tendency. Many people blame Christians and church because of some moral problems of church leaders. There would be meaningful criticism for reflection and be one-sided blame to Christianity also.Now, this paper focused on two points; (1) the main factor of crisis is ethical problems of Christian and Church in Korea. (2) the genuine method of overcoming of crisis is to 'let church be church'. As S. Hauerwas says, church is social ethics itself. And church must recover its moral uniqueness in this libertarian society. Also Church must be an alternative in morally confused age and recover the tradition of Gospel-narrative for peace-making in the age of war and violence. And the practical task of revival is to make church and Christian to be an ethically mature Christian. The most important thing to practice is to do morally in many areas of Christian life. Especially ministrial ethics and ethical ministry must be realized by moral ministers. Through various moral practices church of Korea could be revived. In this meaning, the most urgent task is not gathering mammoth events but reviving the ethical authority of church.

This study aims to investigate the historical background of the anticommunistic position of the Korean Church. Now anticommunism is no more considered to be as a taboo in the Korean society. The Korean Church, however, is regarded as the most vehement anticommunist group among the institutions of the Korean society, and this will be an obstacles for the integration of society as well as for the future of reunification of Korea. By 1920s, there were no conflicts between the socialists and the church leaders in Korea, because they had a common goal, namely liberation from the Japanese colonialism. In the 1930s, the Korean Church had an inclination to keep individualistic and mystical faith, and the socialists began to criticize her and persecuted Christians living in the district of Manchuria in China. This made a gap between the socialists and the Christians. The Korean war left the psychological scar to the Christians and strengthened the anticommunistic position of churches. To the Christians, the communists were regarded as the Satan or Anti-Christ to fight against, not to be reconciled with. The anticommunism played a core role not only in the split of the Korean society, but also in the Korean Church. In the 1950s and 1960s, the theological fundamentalists condemned the liberalists or moderatists as anticommunists and justified their separatistic attitude. Today, this anticommunistic position of the Korean Church are expressing more openly in a way of a mass demonstration with the so-called prayer times for the nation. However, the gospel that Christians should love the enemy challenges the anticommunistic position of the Korean Church to reflect their ideological position to cope with the coming post-ideological age and the new tasks of the reunification of nation.

This study focuses on the importance of marriage's roles in early Korean church and Annie L. Baird's Two Short Stories(고영규젼, 부부의 모본). Annie L. Baird's Two Short Stories emphasized self-identity and marriage. This narratives based on christian ethics. During the 1890's~1910's Korean-christian faced on problems of marriage. There ware long-standing custom of early marriage and concubinage in this country. Korean Churches's leaders had set themeselves to solve these problems. But it was not easy.For that reason Annie L. Baird attempted to solve it. It is the very narratives that she wrote Two Short Stories. In that place she had bring up the subject of marriage in Korea and Korean Church. And she said to ideal husband and wife. This is that Korean Church's leaders define one’s position about marriage. This study aims to investigate the possibility of Narrative Ethics as examining that Annie L. Baird's Two Short Stories.