The Viewpoints of Church History and the Concept of ‘New Religion’ in Korea Chongsuh Kim (Seoul National University) Contents: 1. The Concept of ‘New Religion’

Slides:



Advertisements
Similar presentations
Vision, Mission, Identity and Branding David Schoen Congregational Vitality and Discipleship Ministry.
Advertisements

Should we teach Islam as a religion or as a civilisation? Robert Gleave (University of Exeter)
News from Apocalypse: Religious Fundamentalism in the Contemporary World.
Research Methods in Crime and Justice
What is Social Theory?. Theory Harrington 2005: 1-3 Greek word theōria, opp. of praxis contemplation / reflection Reflection on the value and meaning.
Robert Bernasconi, “ Krimskrams: Hegel and the Current Controversy about the Beginnings of Philosophy ” A Presentation for PHIL 317 by John Doe.
Survey of Bible Doctrine Doctrine of the Bible Stephen E. LaFleur, ThD.
Religion Review (Part deux) Pgs 24-27: Divine Revelation and The Church’s Book.
THE MISSION-DRIVEN PARISH AND DIOCESE Spirituality and Practice – the How of Mission.
Child Theologies: Introduction, Child Theology Movement, Diverse Approaches Marcia J. Bunge, Ph.D. Professor of Theology and Humanities Christ College,
William James ( )  Considered by many to be one of the top psychologists of all time  Principles of Psychology (1890)  Classic work in psychology.
Sociology of Religion Religious universals Religious universals –Churches, Sects and Cults Religion in the world today Religion in the world today –Why.
Form-critical approach. “Pitfall” of the Gunkel Approach  Gunkel and other “form critics” try to find the early form of the text and identify its development.
OUTLINE u Introduction u The Church-Sect Typology u Cults u Secularization and Cult Formation u Social Networks and Recruitment to Cults and Sects: Two.
Lecturer: H. Cindy Lee Creating Interculturality.
Teaching English as an International Language: An Intercultural Dimension Gateway 3 Cindy Lee.
Exemplary Youth Ministry in Congregations Outcomes: Evidence of Mature Christian Faith in Youth.
Knowledge: Problems and Varieties N. T. Wright BISHOP OF DURHAM.
Types of Truth in the Bible
Religious Influences on the Early colonies. Chapter Three The Establishment of the English 13 Colonies These are the four main points: I.Colonization.
Writing level 3 essays An initial guide. Key principles The key principles of essay writing still apply: Understanding the topic Plan your response Structure.
BIOETHICS CHRISTIAN ETHICS.
CT_4: Protestant Modern Beliefs and Major Churches Comparative Theology.
Elements of Fiction & Non-fiction
Researching Your Ancestors in Religious Archives TSLA Genealogy Workshop 2 May 2009.
God Gradually Reveals His Mystery in Sacred Scripture “In the sacred books, the Father who is in heaven came lovingly to meet his children, and talks with.
Eternal Lord; Changing World Part III: Our Future Ministry (Baptized for this moment) Part III: Our Future Ministry (Baptized for this moment)
Mission Seminar in Acts Overcoming barriers with the Spirit.
Using the course blog: Joining blog Must first go to blogs.uoregon.edu and login for first time. Then.
Chapter 17, Religion Key Terms.
The Church and Culture.  Understand how the deepest level of cultural reality, worldview, is the backbone of religious systems.  Integrate concepts.
Comparing tv news programmes A framework for analysis.
Christianity and Liberalism J. Gresham Machen. Order of business... ● I. Introduction ● II. Doctrine ● III. God and Man ● IV. The Bible ● V. Christ ●
Asking the Hard Questions Teaching RE in the Catholic School Loreto Schools January 2015.
Cults or Christ? Colossians 2:16-3:4. Who Belongs to Cults? WWeird people? WWould our children?
The Byzantine Empire and Emerging Europe A.D In your bell ringer journal, silently write where was the Byzantine Territory located? In which.
Didactical Elements. Didactic TriangleI/didactical System Teacher Student Subject.
1 Theoretical Paradigms. 2 Theoretical Orientation  Also called paradigms and approaches  A paradigm is a “loose collection of logically related assumptions,
Critical Theory Historical Criticism and New Historicism Historical Criticism and New Historicism.
New Religious Movements Or Cults and Sects. Sects  A sect:  demands greater conformity of its members than a church  is exclusive in membership  distances.
Wisdom and Knowledge Gnostic thought. Understanding Faith through Philosophy Due to persecution, Christian communities scattered around the Mediterranean.
The Pentateuch 4 Traditions of Authorship. Genesis 1-11 Genesis was initially passed on through oral tradition. These stories were told from generation.
MAY 11, 1959 Modern Theology and Biblical Criticism Joel D. Heck.
Religion Review (Part deux) Pgs 24-27: Divine Revelation and The Church’s Book.
Critical Theories A Matter of Perspective. History of Literary Criticism  Biographical/ Historical Approach  Used in late 19thC  Seeks to understand.
LECTURE III Social structure and social institutions.
“Do You Have Any Moon Units” By Jim Park, PhD An adaptation of a presentation delivered at the 17 th Annual AIIAS Theological Forum November 1, 2014.
Frames of Analysis of Heritage Tourism Critical Discourse Analysis.
Religion – Key Question #1 What is religion, and what role does it play in culture?
Do Now: Grab today’s Agenda (2:3) from your Out Box. MartinMartin Luther Luther MartinLutherWas a threat to the Catholic Church? Why or why not?
Visual Understanding. Purpose of Visual Understanding Understand what you see and communicate that to an audience. Understand the rhetorical purposes.
British Culture Review: Western Religion Review by Ruth Anderson.
Early Christendom. The Foundation The foundation of the early Christian Church was based on beliefs in the Resurrection (the rising of Christ from the.
INDIGENOUS HEALING GUIDELINES
Powerpoint Jeopardy VocabCouncil of NiceaChapter 2Chapter 3Misc
AFRICAN LITERATURE: Courage in Rising above all challenges
Critical Theory Historical Criticism and New Historicism Historical Criticism and New Historicism.
TRUE MOTHER AND TRUE FATHER MEET FOR THE FIRST TIME By: Jasmine :D.
1 Book Panels and Papers Dr. Ann T. Orlando 6 April 2016.
REL 134 cart Expect Success/rel134cartdotcom FOR MORE CLASSES VISIT
Department of Ethnic Studies & Asian American Studies Program California State University, Sacramento ETHN 14: Introduction to Asian American Studies Professor.
Mega-Size Protestant Churches
4 Traditions of Authorship
What is a cult? small group that wants to secede from its social origins disciples of heretical leader gather around leader or ideology, for religious.
Introduction to critical theory: Organizations, power, and rhetoric, pt. 1 Why Critical Theory? Eventually, we are going to examine and analyze communication.
Teaching English as an International Language: An Intercultural Dimension Gateway 3 Cindy Lee.
INDIGENOUS HEALING GUIDELINES
Keeping Services Faithful
2.2 Sacred Stories and Scriptures
Glossary Glossary.
Presentation transcript:

The Viewpoints of Church History and the Concept of ‘New Religion’ in Korea Chongsuh Kim (Seoul National University) Contents: 1. The Concept of ‘New Religion’ in the Typology of Religious Organization 2. The Korean Development of the ‘Viewpoints of Church History’ 3. The Conceptual Changes of ‘New Religion’ in accordance with the Changing Viewpoints of Church History 4. A Typological Reflection of Religious Organization from the Korean Viewpoints of Church History

1-2 In Korea, it can be specially said that the concepts of Christian oriented new religions have been very closely related to the Viewpoints of Church History. In other words, the negativity, pluralistic legitimacy and alien aspects of most Christian oriented new religions can be said to be changed according to the Viewpoints of Church History in Korea.

2. The Korean Development of the ‘Viewpoints of Church History’ The roles of western missionaries were thought to be the most important in the early Protestant Church histories in Korea and the early histories of Korean Protestant Churches were mainly written from the ‘Viewpoint of Mission History’. It was in this context that L. George Paik’s The History of Protestant Mission in Korea, (Han-guk gaeshin-gyosa) was known as the first representative work in the field.

L. George Paik & The History of Protestant Mission in Korea,

2-2 Above all, it is important that the existing Korean church histories were written from a Korean national perspective after the Viewpoint of Mission History. It is little doubt that Kyeongbae Min’s A History of Korean Christian Churches (Han- guk gidokgyohoesa) in the 1970s first started to seriously embrace the Korean national perspective in writing Korean Church histories. Then, there have appeared many Protestant Church history books emphasizing the Viewpoint of National Church History.

Kyeongbae Min & A History of Korean Christian Churches

2-3 It is true that many of the existing Korean Church histories, which often had background affiliations with certain denominations, have occasionally tended to distort the historical facts to suit particular agendas. In this regard, the “Holistic Viewpoint of History” of A History of Christianity in Korea I, II, III should be laudable. Taking all available historical sources and viewpoints into account would seem to offer the only way to maintain a semblance of objectivity. As a result, many alienated sectarian and cultic histories could come to the discourses of mainline Church events.

A History of Christianity in Korea I, II, III

3. The Conceptual Changes of ‘New Religion’ in accordance with the Changing Viewpoints of Church History Most viewpoints of the Korean Church History have expanded the width of their perspectives: In the early times, the category of Korean Church history was quite narrow and many liberal churches were regarded just as a heretical cult. However, it is very important that such churches have been changed from a cult to a sect or a part of established denomination as the Viewpoints of the Church History have been expanded in Korea. Indeed, some early leaders of the Korean Churches such as Yongdo Lee who is respected as one of ‘the real fathers’ of the Korean Protestant Churches today were excluded as members of heretical sects or alien cults by mainline churches at that times.

3-2 Yongdo Lee who was regarded as a heresy by the mainline churches advocating the Viewpoint of Mission History has been affirmatively described as a leading minister of the national churches in Kyeongbae Min’s A History of Korean Christian Churches. Yongdo Lee’s Jesus Church is no longer a heretical cult in Kyeongbae Min’s A History of Korean Christian Churches.

Yongdo Lee

3-3 However, Sun Myung Moon’s Unification Church and Tae Sun Park’s Olive Tree Movement are still considered as a heretical sect or an anti-Christian cult in Kyeongbae Min’s A History of Korean Christian Churches, despite the partial recognition of their Korean contribution to the world salvation histories.

Sun Myung Moon

Tae Sun Park

3-4 A History of Christianity in Korea I, II, III published by the Institute of Korean Church History Studies has advocated the Holistic Viewpoint of History and thus it might be said to have focused on the scientific explanation of objective facts rather than the theological dogmas or subjective ideologies. In this context, there seems to be no clear borderline to speak of between the early mystic leaders like Yongdo Lee and the recent new religious leaders such as Sun Myung Moon and Tae Sun Park. It just reports the positions or the disciplinary actions of the orders without its own judgments. It depends upon the reader’s judgment whether a described order is a cult or a sect and belongs to the mainline church. It means that the concept of cult (or New Religion) is more open.

4. A Typological Reflection of Religious Organization from the Korean Viewpoints of Church History It is usually said that people tend to create New Religions from what is around them. Thus, religious ferment reflects the change of the religious worldview that can be called as the new transformation of the leading religious view in the culture. It might mean the change of the Viewpoints of Church History in the above mentioned Korean case.

4-2 In Korea called as “a country of morning calm,” Christianity appeared as a strong shock for Korean people in the beginning with a lot of western missionaries. There was no room for other religious group like a sect or a cult at that time. In the meantime, it was natural that Church history has been written from the standpoint of mission. However, as Christianity has been gradually indigenized in Korea, new perspectives to see it from traditional religious legacy come to prevail. It was in the context that the Viewpoint of Mission History was replaced with the Viewpoint of National Church History in order to reveal the subjective meaning of changed people’s life in Korea.

4-3 We might think that the Holistic (and Scientific) Viewpoint is an attempt to overcome ideology-laden perspective to narrate the story of Korean Church as it is. In this regard, many of the previous heretical Christian new religions are recognized as a sect or even one of the main Christian denominations. At least, their previous pejorative meanings come to be futile.

4-4 We might suggest that the concept of the cults and sects have been relative in Korean context from time to time and that the Viewpoints of the Church History could be one of the critical elements in the conceptual formation of Christian cult in Korea.