사이버 공간의 인간과 선교

Abstract

The cyberspace is expanding and being utilized in increasingly various ways through the development and globalization of internet technology and e-commerce. The cyberspace created by the internet is conducive to effective human contact, and therefore is a highway in spreading the good news, As a medium of mission, the cyberspace enables humans to meet and relate to each other on an equal and horizontal basis. Contacts in cyberspace can expand beyond the limits of social structures. This means the Contact Point of mission has been expandedThe cyberspace enables people to connect with anyone anywhere without being limited to one’s residential region. The cyberspace changes the spatial concept in mission. There is a paradigm shift away from missions that was limited by space. Using this particular characteristic, certain shortcomings of regional missions can be supplemented, various obstacles to mission can be overcome in nations that limit mission activity, and the gospel can be spread more effectively. For the contemporaries, internet is not simply a matter of choice. Especially for the younger generation, it is a necessity. Therefore the cyberspace is the very space of encounter. The cyberspace of the internet has now become a mission field.But the cyberspace is not a ‘real’ or embodied space, so humans do not encounter each other bodily, but as cyberselves. Mission concerns with human beings, so the necessary precondition is to illuminate the humanity of the cyberselves. A cyberself itself cannot be a whole person; but it is connected to the individual and embodied self, and may be considered an individual person. So as long as the cyberself is connected to the physical body of the primary-self, it can be considered a person and a responsible agent. That is why delivering the gospel to the cyberself affects the primary-self. It follows that mission through contact and dialogue in the cyberspace affects mission in the physical world, and mission conducted in the physical world also affects mission in the cyberspace. Ultimately, because the cyberself is a part of the primary-self, life in the cyberspace must be connected to the embodied world. Mission in the cyberspace is never something separate from mission in the physical and embodied world, but an expansion of it. The self that has been inspired by the Holy Spirit to encounter Jesus Christ within the cyberspace must be invited to fellowship in a church community within the embodied world. The Holy Spirit is one whose works transcend time and space. The Holy Spirit who had called Paul in his vision on the road to Macedonia (Acts 16:9) also calls us to the new mission field of cyberspace. Through the Holy Spirit who dwells in the cyberspace, we must mark this space as a mission field. The cyberspace is a God-given space for mutual understanding, harmony, and dialogue for Christians living in the 21st century. If we regard God-given knowledge and civilization with open hearts, we may discover the will of God in using such tools to fulfill God’s work.