@article{ART003240373},
author={Sangduck Kim},
title={Public Theology and the Crisis of Publicity in the Korean Church: Refections toward a Community of Empathy and Hospitality},
journal={The Korean Journal of Chiristian Social Ethics},
issn={1229-8387},
year={2025},
number={62},
pages={263-292}
TY - JOUR
AU - Sangduck Kim
TI - Public Theology and the Crisis of Publicity in the Korean Church: Refections toward a Community of Empathy and Hospitality
JO - The Korean Journal of Chiristian Social Ethics
PY - 2025
VL - null
IS - 62
PB - The Society Of Korean Christian Social Ethics
SP - 263
EP - 292
SN - 1229-8387
AB - This study examines the crisis of publicity in the Korean Protestant church through the lens of public theology, arguing that the erosion of the church’s public credibility stems not from a lack of theological resources but from a fundamental misapprehension of public theology’s ethos. While public theology calls for open dialogue, mutual respect, and a commitment to the common good, the Korean church has often manifested exclusionary, ideologically rigid, and confrontational practices in the public sphere. This misalignment is traced to a defensive overemphasis on religious identity, akin to the cultural warfare posture observed in segments of American evangelicalism. The paper contends that recovering publicity requires not moral certainty but a theological posture that embraces ambiguity, humility, and a willingness to engage constructively in pluralistic discourse.
Further, drawing on neuro-humanities, the paper explores how tribalistic instincts and a narrowed “radius of empathy” contribute to the church’s propensity for othering and exclusion. This dynamic is shown to underlie discriminatory attitudes toward minorities and social outsiders, often cloaked in theological or moral justification. In response, the paper calls for a reorientation of Christian identity toward the inclusive ideals of human dignity, rights, and global solidarity— values congruent with the biblical vision of all persons created in the image of God. The study concludes by urging the Korean church to move beyond defensive posturing and toward becoming a community of hospitality that welcomes difference and cultivates peace in a pluralistic society.
KW - Korean churches;far-right politics;empathy and hospitality;public theology;Christian liberal arts
DO -
UR -
ER -
Sangduck Kim. (2025). Public Theology and the Crisis of Publicity in the Korean Church: Refections toward a Community of Empathy and Hospitality. The Korean Journal of Chiristian Social Ethics, 62, 263-292.
Sangduck Kim. 2025, "Public Theology and the Crisis of Publicity in the Korean Church: Refections toward a Community of Empathy and Hospitality", The Korean Journal of Chiristian Social Ethics, no.62, pp.263-292.
Sangduck Kim "Public Theology and the Crisis of Publicity in the Korean Church: Refections toward a Community of Empathy and Hospitality" The Korean Journal of Chiristian Social Ethics 62 pp.263-292 (2025) : 263.
Sangduck Kim. Public Theology and the Crisis of Publicity in the Korean Church: Refections toward a Community of Empathy and Hospitality. 2025; 62 : 263-292.
Sangduck Kim. "Public Theology and the Crisis of Publicity in the Korean Church: Refections toward a Community of Empathy and Hospitality" The Korean Journal of Chiristian Social Ethics no.62(2025) : 263-292.
Sangduck Kim. Public Theology and the Crisis of Publicity in the Korean Church: Refections toward a Community of Empathy and Hospitality. The Korean Journal of Chiristian Social Ethics, 62, 263-292.
Sangduck Kim. Public Theology and the Crisis of Publicity in the Korean Church: Refections toward a Community of Empathy and Hospitality. The Korean Journal of Chiristian Social Ethics. 2025; 62 263-292.
Sangduck Kim. Public Theology and the Crisis of Publicity in the Korean Church: Refections toward a Community of Empathy and Hospitality. 2025; 62 : 263-292.
Sangduck Kim. "Public Theology and the Crisis of Publicity in the Korean Church: Refections toward a Community of Empathy and Hospitality" The Korean Journal of Chiristian Social Ethics no.62(2025) : 263-292.
