A Study of Preaching of Donald Owens, the First Missionary of the Church of the Nazarene, in the Postwar Society of South Korea(1954-1965)

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to understand the preaching theory and theology of Donald Owens, the first missionary of the Church of the Nazarene in Korea. Before coming to Korea as a missionary, Owens graduated from Bethany-Peniel Nazarene College in the Midwest area of the United States, and was sent to Korea as a missionary while serving in Nebraska. Owens, who first set foot on Korean soil in May 1954, served as a missionary in Korea until the spring of 1965 before returning to the United States for his second sabbatical. Owens' work as the founder of the Nazarene Theological Institute in Korea, the first Korean missionary, pastor and administrator is an important part of understanding the early history of the Church of the Nazarene in Korea. In particular, Owens' preaching ministry and preaching teaching are essential for understanding the early sermons of the Korean Church of the Nazarene and the preaching ministry of the first generation pastors of the Nazarene Church in Korea. Owens' sermon emphasized inner holiness and the experience of the grace of the Holy Spirit based on American revivalism and Wesley's holiness theology. Because of this, the preaching theology of the Church of the Nazarene in Korea emphasized Wesley's holiness theology and the spiritual revival movement. While studying Owens' preaching theology, the conviction that the researcher has is that the preaching on spiritual awakening and Christian holiness based on Wesley's holiness theology should be more emphasized in the 21st century Korean church today. For this, more research on the theology of preaching in the 21st century is needed, and while inheriting and developing the legacy of the past, it is necessary to develop a more evangelical and creative Christian preaching theology for the new era.