VISION for MISSION: Korean and South African Churches Together
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VISION FOR MISSION: Korean and South African churches together facing the challenges of globalisation KIM, DAE-YOONG vision for mission: Korean and South African churches together facing the challenges of globalisation by Kim, Dae-Yoong Submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF THEOLOGY in the subject Missiology at the UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA PROMOTER: Prof. Williem Saayman OCTOBER 2001 I declare that " vision for mission: Korean and South African churches together facing the challenges of globalisation " is my own work and that all the sources that I have used or quoted have been indicated and acknowledged by means of complete reference. ____( t_~_zL~ 1 Kim, Dae-Yoong Date Summary As the century and millennium draw to a close, radical changes affect all areas of human life. Such changes challenge the church to respond to new developments in the secular world. One such development (a long time in the making) is that the everyday life of every human being on the planet is being affected more and more profoundly by a kind of generic capitalism that prefers to remain faceless and anonymous but which prosecutes it interests with a brutality and ruthlessness that take no account of human beings who are themselves neither powerful nor influential - but who may reside on land replete with the kind of natural resources which constitute the essential raw materials necessary for capitalist expansion. It is not only human life that suffers in this rapidly changing world: forms of planetary life suffer. In the context of what we have said about global market dynamics, we are compelled to ask ourselves searching questions about the relationship between God and humans, humans and other human beings, and hnmans and other forms of planetary life. This will partly be an historical investigation into what Korean churches and South Africau churches might share with each other on the basis of experiences of suffering caused by past structures and systems. By understanding the past, historians hope to be able to understand the present and to make predictions and preparations for the future of suffering people. Solidarity is one of the most effective weapons in the struggle against the oppression of the poor. Suffering creates an absolute necessity for solidarity. By examining what the Korean church and the South Africa church did and said in their struggle against military dictatorship and racial discrimination, we shall find the basis for solidarity as a political, social and spiritual weapon. Key Words Globalisation, Capitalism, Global Markets, Suffering, Minjung Theology, Han(i:&), Black Consciousness, South Africa Black Theology, Apartheid, Solidarity, Sharing , Oikoumene, Konvivenz, Missio Dei, Constructive Living Together. ii GLOSSARY AI Cs African Independent Churches ANC African National Congress. BAWU Black Allied Workers Union BCP Black Community Programmes. BPC Black People's Convention. CODESRIA Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Afirca. CO SA TU Congress of South Africa Trade Union. CWM Council for World Mission. IDAF SA International Defense and Aid Fund for Southern Africa. ID AMA SA Interdenominational African Ministers Association. KTSI The Korea Theological Study Institute IMF International Monetary Fund. ISPC Indian Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge. JTSA Journal of Theology for South Africa. KNCC The National Council of Churches in Korea. NCCI National Council of Churches in India. MCPA Minjung Church Pastors Association. PAC Pan Africanist Congress. PCK Presbyterian Church of Korea. RDP Reconstruction and Development Programme. SACC South African Council of Churches. SACP South African Communist Party. UCM University of Christian Movement. UDP United Democratic Front. UIM Urban Industrial Mission. UPC SA Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa. YDP-UIM Young Dung Po Urban Industrial Mission. zcc Zionist Christian Church iii Table of contents SUMMARY AND KEY WORDS ................................................ i GLOSSARY ....................................... ········· .................. Ill Chapter 1 1. Introduction 1.1 Why are economic questions also questions about faith? .••.••..•••• 1 1.2 The crisis occasioned by globalization ...••••......••••.•..•....•.•.•..••• 4 1.3 Signs of the times .....•.....•.....•..•......••.•.••.........••.....••..•.•.... 6 1.3.1 The global market .......••••.......•......•••...••..•••.••.••...•• 6 1.3.2 The information era .....•....•...••••.•.....•••••......•.•..•..... 16 1.3.3 The dilemma of scientific progress •.....•...•.••••..•...•.•••.. 20 1.3.4 Conflicts ............................................................. 21 1.4 The suffering of the poor .•••..•.•.•••...•...•.••••.•.••••.•••..•.••••.••••••. 22 1.4.1 Towards solidarity with the poor .•••••...••••.•.•••••••.•••••.•.•••.•• 22 1.5 Economy and globalization in a missiological perspective •••••••..•.• 23 1.6 Methodology .................................................................. 24 1. 7 Vision for mission: Constructive Living Together•••••••.•....•...••.••• 29 1.8 Source ............................................................................ 32 Chapter2 2 The historical experience of Minjung in the Korean context ••••..... 34 2.1 The period of colonial occupation in Korea history:1910-1945 •..•.. 36 iv 2.1.1 Economic mobilization and preparation for World War II ••••• 38 2.1.2 Forced assimilation ...................................................... 40 2.1.3 The Shinto Shrine Controversy and Japanese oppression .•••••• .43 2.1.4 Korean churches' role during the period of the Japanese occupation .............. .............. .......... ... ... ..... 49 2.2 The struggle against dictatorship in the 1970s and 1980s ••..•.•.•......•• 53 2.2.1 The Yushin('Revitalization') of the 1970s •••....•.••...••.••..••.•...•• 53 2.2.2 The Kwang-ju uprising of the 1980s ••..••••••••••.••••••.•••....••..••.. 55 2.2.3 The church and its development of Minjung Theology in 1970s and 1980s .•••••••.•••••••. .. .•. .••.•. .•.•. 58 2.3 The economic crisis which began in 1997 •.•••........••••••..•••••.•......•• 61 2.3.1 The background to the economic crisis ..•••••......•••...••..•...•.•..•.• 61 2.3.2 The currency crisis in 1997 ..•......•••.•••.•.••••....••.•..••.••••...••..... 62 2.3.3 The suffering of Minjung ....••...•.•.•..••••••••...••.....•.••.•.•....•...•.. 68 2.3.4 The role of IMF in Korea since 1997 •.••.••.••.••••....•..••.•••.•......•. 69 2.3.5 The missiological task of the Korean church in the IMF era .................................................................. 70 Chapter3 3 Minjung Theology 3.1 The socio-economic and political background of Minj ung Theology . .. •• . .• . •. • . •• • .• . •. • •• ••• . •. ••••••• .• . •• . •. .• 77 3.1.1 Christian involvement with Minjung in the struggle against human right abuses ••..•••••••.•••.••.•.••. 80 3.1.2 The development of Minjung Theology in practical and theological ways ..••.••••••••••.••.•..•.•..•••••••.. 81 3.2 Theology of Minjung ............................................................ 84 3.2.1 Minjung as the people of God .......................................... 84 3.2.2 Jesus and the God ofMinjung .......................................... 87 3.2.3 ' Han(m:) .....................................................................89 3.3 The similarities and differences between Minjung Theology and other theologies ............................................................ 94 v Chapter4 4. South Africa: in historical perspective 4.1 Weapons for oppression ....................................................... 101 4.1.1 Segreation and inequality ................................................ 105 4.1.2 Diving the land ............................................................ 110 4.1.3 The homelands policy ..................................................... 112 4.1.4 Group Area ................................................................. 117 4.1.5 The Pass Laws .............................................................. 120 4.2 Control by means of repressive laws ........................................ 124 4.2.1 The Suppression of Communism Act of 1950 ......................... 127 4.2.2 The Unlawful Organizations Act of 1960 ............................ 128 4.2.3 The Terrorism Act of 1967 ................................................ 129 4.2.4 The Internal Security Act of 1982 ....................................... 130 4.3 Resistance and the liberation struggle ..... ... ...... ...... ............... 132 4.3.1 Definance campaigns against unjust laws ......................... 134 4.3.2 The campaign against Bantu Education . ..... .... ................. 134 4.3.3 Resistance to the imposition of Bantustan authorities ...... .... 135 4.3.4 Campaigns against the pass laws ..... ..... ... .. ... ... ... ...... .... 135 4.4 The legacy of Apartheid .... ......... ... .. ... ... ......... ............ ..... 136 4.5 Conclusion; Korea and South Africa ..................................... 140 Chapter 5 5. Black Theology ...... ... ... ... .. ... ... ... ... ... ...... ... ... ... ..... 141 5.1 Black Consciousness ..................................................... 142 5.2 The relationship between Black Consciousness and Black Theology ..... .. ...... .......... .............. ...... ............. 143 5.3 Characteristics of South Africa Black Theology...................... 146 5.3.1 Blackness .......... ....... .. .... .. .... .. .......... .. ........ ... .... .. .... 147 5.3.2