An Assessment ofTogether towards Life: Korean Responses

Abstract

Seven theological variables from 1982 to 2012 The new ecumenical mission affirmation of the Commission on World Mission and Evangelism (CWME), Together Towards Life: Mission and Evangelism in Changing Landscapes (TTL), deals with the changing landscape of world Christianity over the last thirty years. In this article, we will examine seven theological changes that have taken place, even though they have not all necessarily been mentioned in TTL. 1. The appearance of creation and as a theological theme Since the World Council of Churches' (WCC) Vancouver assembly in 1983 and the Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) Seoul Conference in 1990, of has become a major theological issue in the framework of integrity of creation. This is why the WCC Canberra assembly in 1991 chose for its theme Come, Holy Spirit--Renew the Whole Creation. The issue of life is theologically and ecologically inseparable from that of and peace. It finally appears as the theme of the Busan assembly, God of life, lead us to justice and peace. 2. Marginalization of church and theology in the globalized neo-liberal market economy Through of the neo-liberal market economy, many people have become marginalized, the gap between the rich and the poor has increased, and the natural environment has been more severely damaged. Churches and Christian theology have been pushed from the public domain into the private sphere. In the meantime, the ecumenical movement continues to respond to the challenges of the neo-liberal market economy. The documents Christian Faith and the World Economy Today: A Study Document from the World Council of Churches (1992), Mission and Evangelism in Unity Today (1998), Harare WCC Assembly Report (1998), the AGAPE Document (2006), and Mission and Evangelism in Unity Today (1) all point to globalization and post-modernism as new contexts of mission. 3. Postmodernism and multinational, multicultural, and multi-religious situations The neo-liberal economy is accelerating the global apartheid among multi-ethnic, multicultural, and multi-religious people. Since the Vancouver assembly, ecumenical theology has begun to emphasize both the importance of local cultures and the identities of people and koinonia of humankind of diverse cultural communities. The model of church as in diversity could be a good analogy for unity in multicultural societies. The report from the 1996 Salvador world mission conference (2) was an official response of the WCC mission theology for a postmodern culture. This report presented in its new ecumenical agenda one gospel and eschatological hope as the axis of unity and cultural expressions of the Christian faith as the axis of diversity. It emphasized that the gospel illuminates and transforms cultures, while cultures incarnate the gospel. 4. Global changes of Christian landscapes and the revival of Pentecostalism Pentecostal churches and charismatic forms of Christianity show their missionary enthusiasm in the global South and the East, and extend their hands to the poor. As a result, the Christian grassroots mass movement taking place has brought about a reversal of the Christian population between the northern and southern hemispheres. This can create a variety of world Christianity. 5. Theological transformation from Christology-centred universalism to trinitarian universalism The Vancouver assembly of the WCC (1983) saw a significant theological paradigm shift from Christology-centred universalism to trinitarian universalism. Since then, the concept of Trinity has provided a framework to synthesize various theologies in a variety of situations. The trinitarian concept stresses the importance of dialogue for the future oikoumene in multi-ethnic, multicultural, multi-religious contexts. Traditionally, the relationship between pneumatology and Christology had been expressed through filioqui' debates, but since the 1990s this has shifted to the discourse of perichoresis The Canberra Assembly in 1991 emphasized trinitarian pneumatology. …