An Exploratory Study on Threefold Contextual Theological Tasks of the Twenty-First Century Korean Church

Abstract

Korean Church is facing the following three challenges at intra-ecclesial, inter-religious and inter-Korean levels. First, how can she regain her healthy growth momentum amidst her downward trend? Second, how can she engage in effective witness to Buddhists amidst her strained relations with Buddhism? Third, how can she preemptively prepare for its evangelization of North Korea amidst national division? Paying attention to the church’s role as the hermeneutical community, this paper approaches the threefold challenges as contextual theological tasks. As a result of the research, Korean Church is expected to create such holistic contextual theologies that take seriously the social involvement of minjung theology, the interfaith dialogue of whetong model and the national cohesion of Dahngoon thought.