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Student’s signature ______________________________ Haemin Lee 1 International Development and Public Religion: Changing Dynamics of Christian Mission in South Korea By Haemin Lee Doctor of Philosophy Graduate Division of Religion Person, Community, and Religious Life ___________________________ Emmanuel Lartey, Ph.D. Advisor ___________________________ Arun Jones, Ph.D. Committee Member ___________________________ Steven Tipton, Ph.D. Committee Member Accepted: ___________________________ Lisa A. Tedesco, Ph.D. Dean of the Graduate School ___________________________ Date 2 International Development and Public Religion: Changing Dynamics of Christian Mission in South Korea By Haemin Lee B.A., Yonsei University, 2002 M.Div., Harvard Divinity School, 2006 Th.M., Candler School of Theology, Emory University, 2007 Advisor: Emmanuel Lartey, Ph.D An Abstract of A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the James T. Laney School of Graduate Studies of Emory University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate Division of Religion Person, Community, and Religious Life 2013 3 Abstract International Development and Public Religion: Changing Dynamics of Christian Mission in South Korea By Haemin Lee Since the mid to late twentieth century, Christianity in the Third World has grown exponentially in size and influence, becoming increasingly polycentric – with many centers around the globe. In this process, the rise of faith-based, humanitarian, international, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) has become one of the most phenomenal trends. By probing into the development practices of two major Korean organizations, Korea Food for the Hungry International (KFHI) and Good Neighbors (GN), the role that religion plays in encountering secular society is explored from various angles, drawing upon discourses in mission studies, sociology of religion, and anthropology of development. Overall, this study investigates the following hypothesis: in terms of its emerging form, humanitarian care through international development NGOs appears to be the growing interest of Korean Christian mission and this shows a new direction of Korean Christianity as public religion. However, on closer examination, a more complex reality emerges in which diverse theological and developmental ideals motivate the Korean NGOs’ humanitarian efforts. This research suggests that Korean Christians’ involvement in humanitarian mission has become prominent since the early 1990s spurred by changing socio-cultural, political, and economic climates in and out of Korea. As a result, the goal of Christian mission has shifted from being unidirectional to multidirectional, which now includes humanitarian enterprises that challenge global problems including poverty, disease, and illiteracy. It reveals the diversifying theological and developmental trends of Korean Christian humanitarian mission. In terms of its mission theology, KFHI represents the holistic evangelical theology that underscores both proclamation of the gospel and serving those in need. This differs from GN’s humanitarian approach that highlights the universal love of God, which inspires Christians to serve others without ulterior motives. With regard to the diversifying trends in developmental approach, KFHI undertakes its development operations by mobilizing Korean Christian churches around the world, thus being strongly ecclesial, whereas GN takes an inclusive approach that embraces development partners regardless of faith tradition. KFHI and GN thus illustrate some of the reasons why it is important to consider international development as a crucial part of Korean Christian mission. 4 International Development and Public Religion: Changing Dynamics of Christian Mission in South Korea By Haemin Lee B.A., Yonsei University, 2002 M.Div., Harvard Divinity School, 2006 Th.M., Candler School of Theology, Emory University, 2007 Advisor: Emmanuel Lartey, Ph.D A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the James T. Laney School of Graduate Studies of Emory University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate Division of Religion Person, Community, and Religious Life 2013 5 CONTENTS Introduction (Outline of the Dissertation) Motivations behind this Project.……………………………………………………………...7 Methodological Approaches………………………………………………………………...13 Key Terminology Used in the Dissertation………………………………………………….15 Dissertation Structure………………………………………………………………………..17 One: A Brief Historical Summary of Korean Christianity………………………….....27 Two: Introducing Three Korean Organizations: Global Mission Society (GMS), Korea Food for the Hungry International (KFHI) and Good Neighbors (GN)……..…………..49 Three: History of Mission with a Special Focus on the History of the Humanitarian Dimension of Christian Mission with respect to South Korea I. A Brief Survey of Protestant Humanitarian Mission……………………………...................59 II. A Historical Survey of the Humanitarian Dimension of Christian Mission to and of Korea..63 III. The Historical Development in the Diversifying of the Theology of Mission within Korean Christianity………………………………………………………………………….68 Four: Theology of Mission and Practical Theology I. The Diversifying Public Mission Theology of Korean Christian Humanitarian NGOs…….79 II. The Influence of Holistic Evangelical, Mainline Protestant, and Catholic Theologies of Mission on Korean Christian Humanitarian NGOs…………………………………………84 III. Intercultural and Interfaith Dimensions of Korean Christian Humanitarian NGOs………104 Five: The Rise of Korean Christian Humanitarian NGOs and its Implications in Sociology of Religion and International Development I. The Growth of Korean Christian Humanitarian NGOs and its Socio-Religious Implications………………………………………………………………………………...121 II. Religion and its Role in International Aid and Development……………………………...136 III. Similarities and Differences Between Korean Christian Humanitarian NGOs and their American Counterparts………………………………………………………………………151 IV. Comprehensive Community Development of Korean NGO Missionaries: A Case Study of KFHI’s Mission in Kumi, Uganda…………………………………………………………..162 Six: From ‘Development or Mission’ To ‘Development as Mission’?…………………..170 Bibliography…………………………………………………………………………………...184 6 Introduction Motivations behind this Project There are several theoretical and practical reasons why I decided to explore the dynamics of Korean Christians’ global humanitarian mission through my doctoral dissertation. The first theoretical influence on me is derived from Philip Jenkins’ work on global Christianity. Jenkins’ book, The Next Christendom: the Coming of Global Christianity, has become essential reading for many students and scholars of sociology of religion and mission studies. The shift of centers of gravity is one of the major concepts that Jenkins has sensationalized. Its premise is that over the past century the center of gravity of Christianity has turned southward, to Africa, Asia, and Latin America.1 In other words, Christianity is rapidly growing in numbers in the global South whereas it is barely surviving in the global North. Thus, Jenkins believes that the center of gravity of the Christian world has already shifted to the Southern Hemisphere. Furthermore, Jenkins shows that the churches that have grown most rapidly in Africa, Asia, and Latin America tend to be more “conservative, supernatural, and apocalyptic” compared to their northern counterparts, which have become “secular, rational, and tolerant.”2 In this, Jenkins predicts that unless the countries in the global South undergo similar types of secularization and modernization that Western countries have encountered – thus becoming more liberal and formal – the current religious trend could potentially lead to a 1 Philip Jenkins, The Next Christendom: The Coming of Global Christianity (Oxford University Press, 2002), 2. Jenkins, throughout his book, uses the terms “South” and “North” in order to distinguish Christians and “younger churches” in predominantly developing countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America from their economically developed counterparts, which are mostly located in Europe and North America. 2 Ibid., 8, 78, 107, and 162. Jenkins adds that some of the concepts – mysticism, prophecy, faith- healing, exorcism, and dream-visions – stand strong in the newer churches in the Southern Hemisphere whereas most liberal Western churches have replaced these concepts with progressive political and social ideologies. 7 catastrophic warfare between Christianity and Islam.3 Jenkins also provides historical reasons why Christianity in Korea has become successful. In doing this, he mostly relies upon the historical