• Journal of Christian Education in Korea
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• v.64
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• pp.81-107
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• 2020

Church education in Korean churches is facing a very serious crisis. This crisis is a negative perception of the church as viewed by the present society. The negative perception of the church has led to children, adolescents, young adults, and even adults leaving the church. There have been countless studies on the problem of Christian education and its alternatives. However, those problems still remain a matter of church education. The alternatives do not become viable and remain a problem. To solve these problems, a paradigm shift is required, and in order to overcome the crisis of the church, it is necessary to study alternatives and its method factors and find application points. Today's church education is absolutely influenced by postmodernism and informationalization. However, church education is education for Christian identity that transmits Christian faith. This Christian education is facing challenges and crises against its religious and academic identity. Christian education has a responsibility to be aware of this reality and to present alternatives to overcome various crises facing church education. Therefore, it is the task of church education to establish standards so that we can live a life where the Bible becomes the standard. In other words, it is to give them biblical faith. Furthermore, it is necessary to point out and understand Christian faith in the Korean church, which has been evaluated as insufficient. In addition, establishing a Christian worldview and realizing the Kingdom of God that practice justice and love in society are tasks that can be accomplished efficiently through Christian education. Therefore, the Korean church should actively seek ways to support the practice of Christian education as well as church education in forming ideal Christians which is the goal of Christian education.

• Journal of Christian Education in Korea
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• v.66
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• pp.243-272
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• 2021

Corona 19 brought about a major shift in the Korean church's pastoral style. Contact and non-contact ministry styles using the Internet and media devices are being held together. The elderly, who have been classified as digital vulnerable, need to see whether they are properly adapting to these changes and they have any difficulties in their religious lives. This study is to organize the current status of Corona 19 related to Korean churches, look at the current state of church programs for Christian elderly people, look at how important the religious life is to their lives, and to suggest educational pastoral methods for their religious lives based on the theory of Maria Harris' educational ministry. First, in terms of Koinonia, it was suggested that the heritage, beliefs, values and ways of life held by the Christian elderly be shared with people inside and outside the church in order to entertain and embrace everyone without alienation. Second, from the perspective of Leiturgia, educational ministry was proposed to expand prayer life from a personal area to a public area to become a life of practicing prayer and justice by providing public prayer content with media that can be used by the elderly to perform spirituality. Third, it was suggested that in terms of Didache, it should be required that the elderly should be educated to be familiar with the changing technologies, that teaching environment should be extended from church to online, and that the educational content of tradition and new forms should be dealt with extensively. Fourth, from the perspective of Kerigma, Christian elderly people who have suffered in various life environments, both personally and socially, should listen to the words again and gain the power to overcome the corona crisis through the God's words, so that they can be melted into the curriculum of koinonia, leiturgia, didache, and diakonia. Fifth, it was suggested that senior citizens should switch their consciousness to become subjects of service, not objects of service, and that digital literacy education should be provided individually at eye level to narrow the digital gap for Diakonia curriculum.

• Journal of Christian Education in Korea
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• v.63
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• pp.13-37
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• 2020

The World Health Organisation(WHO), paying attention to the spread and fatality of the coronavirus(COVID-19), which first occurred in Wuhan, China, declared a global emergency. Although many countries implement strict measures to slow down the spread, WHO officially declared a pandemic. COVID-19 has sparked fears of an impending economic crisis and recession. Due to the economic crisis caused by social distancing, self-isolation and travel restrictions, the collapse of the world economic system centered on free trade and the decline of globalization are mentioned. Political leadership that has not responded properly to the pandemic is challenged, and nearly all of society is rapidly changing to a non-contact and immobile culture. COVID-19 has seriously affected all levels of the education system, from preschool to tertiary education. The so-called old concept of deschooling is realizing in the field of education through digital media paradoxically. Church education is facing a serious crisis as well. Churches are seeking now a new normal that includes theological reflection on the pandemic, online worship, education, and non-face-to-face ministry to overcome the worst unexpected crisis. In the post-corona era, church education must actively seek alternatives in response to rapidly changing surrounding conditions and reconstruct educational philosophy(theology) that focuses on Christian values. In addition, it is necessary to start operating a mobile(or online) church school that combines offline and online. It is necessary to introduce 'Blended Learning' method that combines non-face-to-face and face-to-face learning, and by combining church school and homeschooling, churches and families need to share the responsibility of education in faith.

• Journal of Christian Education in Korea
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• v.62
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• pp.313-334
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• 2020

As an element of education, the educational space cannot be separated from the purpose of education. The place of education is not only the passage to deliver actual curriculum, but also the purpose itself that can be accomplished through educational content. That is because the purpose of education cannot be achieved only with instructors, students, curriculum, and methods, but requires a change in the perception of the educational space that represents the goal and the place where it all can be implemented. Nevertheless, the problem that lies with educational space is easy to be overlooked and it has been rather considered as an issue related to the finances or scale of the church. The church educational space gives birth to faith and growth, where spiritual development and experience may occur. However, the reality follows the drawbacks of conventional school classroom arrangements and structures. In addition, even if the church educational space can be arranged according to the needs of its students, it cannot deviate much from the standard uniform format. In particular, the basic environment of church educational space is similar to that of standard school system in terms of arrangement of furniture such as chairs, desks, and its physical structure. As the school system was originally designed and tailored for the purpose of delivering knowledge and standardization, the space for church education must stay away from it. Humans are born and die in a space, where encounter with God also happens. Also, communication with God causes spacial conversion to humans, changing the place of their visitation. So the church educational space must be more meticulously designed and comprehensive than that of school which pursues physical, educational, psychological, social, and artistic purposes because the church educational space pursues the liturgical elements, as well. Therefore, the Christian learning environmental arrangements must seek liturgical elements, which is the major Christian value, by placing Christian artwork or symbols for church visitors. So in this research, I want to stress the role of Christian educational space for spiritual growth and pursue intrinsic and extrinsic changes in learning environment, leading to a greater awareness of the Christian educational space.

• Journal of Christian Education in Korea
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• v.66
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• pp.273-307
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• 2021

The purpose of this study is to explore the inner perceptions and dilemmas of young people about the church. To achieve the purpose of the study, this study sampled the research subjects, and conducted in-depth interviews and FGI. The sample in this study was 21 young adults who met the study criteria. Some of these people are not currently attending church or have thought of moving to another church. In this study, research was conducted based on the analysis procedure of Riessman (1993). Focusing on the procedures of 'telling,' 'recording,' and 'analyzing,' the experience and life situation of the study participants are to be grasped. Through this process, we analyzed the situation and context of why young people leave the church. It consisted of 5 areas and 15 sub-themes. Based on the research results, it was found that young adults need a church and are looking for a church. The church is a mystical space, but from an pedagogical point of view, the church is a space for teaching and learning faith. As experts in theology and education, the minister must create a space so that the church can become a space of transcendence, a space of intimacy, a space of understanding, a space of change, a space of service, and a space of reflection.

• Journal of Christian Education in Korea
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• v.71
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• pp.121-154
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• 2022

This study is to summarize the relationship between youth in terms of developmental psychology, university education, faith, and spirituality in order to form and improve relationships, which are major developmental tasks of youth, and to suggest Christian youth education by the elements of education. Relationships are formed when you are connected to another person and community, feel interested in each other, feel a sense of bond and belonging, and maintain a stable and satisfactory relationship. This is not skill or technology, but is related to life attitude and value, and continuous learning and training are required. Various developmental tasks in youth have something in common with relationships. Relationships positively affect the lives of young people, such as satisfaction with college life in the early stages of youth, adaptation to college life, personality, and career decision. Relationships are also very important in faith because human existence and faith are defined and formed through relationships. The relationship between the community and others plays an important role in spiritual development for the meaning of life and inner growth. In the aspects of learners and educational environment, it was suggested to understand learners with desire for relationships, the generation they live in, and the educational environment in which the relationship between young people occurs. In terms of teachers, teachers have to try to change their roles such as facilitators, guides, managers, and mentors. For the educational purpose and content, it was suggested that relationships should be the ultimate purpose and the educational content for this was presented in three different types of relationships and each main contents to be dealt with. In terms of educational method, it was proposed to select a learner-centered group learning method that induces communication and active participation of learners to cause interaction by considering other elements of education according to the content of the relationship in the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral dimensions. In the aspects of educational results and evaluation, it was proposed to confirm that what was considered during the educational planning stage was effectively carried out in actual education, to evaluate various evaluation methods, various aspects, and to summarize the evaluation results for the specific application.

• Journal of Christian Education in Korea
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• v.65
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• pp.55-80
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• 2021

This study attempted to find a Christian religious alternative to the seriousness of the problem of low birth rate which has become a national and social problem, and its alternative. Korea is a low birth rate country. The phenomenon of low birth rate and childbirth avoidance is a reality that not only are national problems but also Korean churches are experiencing serious problems, and will continue to affect them. It will affect the church in four major ways. First, is a sharp decline in the number of members. Second, is the decline of Sunday schools. Third, various family problems and generational conflicts will arise. And it brings problems such as a crisis of faith among members. Young people living today have an unconventional attitude toward marriage, childbirth, and parenting. But for Christians, childbirth is a way of living in that God blessed us to "be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth." In other words, childbirth must be recognized as a blessing from God, not a human decision. Therefore, we must know how precious the fetus is in front of God and that it is a precious life. Thus, we should be interested in how to nurture the life God has given. To do so the church's role is education is to shape the value of life from a biblical perspective. Therefore the church needs to see how the Christian faith of young and married couples who are about to marry, give birth, and raise children, affects the childbirth and rearing of children. And it is necessary to study what the role of church and Christian education is to solve the problem of low birth rate and to suggest alternatives. For this study, we will first identify the factors of low birth rate. Then we will confirm childbirth and the blessing of God through the Bible. Finally, the role of the church in low birth rate and educational alternatives will be presented.

• Journal of Christian Education in Korea
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• v.71
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• pp.371-399
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• 2022

The era we are living in is an era of hyperconnectivity where boundaries and limitations of each field and domain disappear and organically converge and share with each other. Christians living in the age of hyperconnectivity are losing their direction of life due to various divisions and severances, such as holiness and secularity, church and world, soul and body, faith and life, and humans and nature. However, in a hyperconnected society, it is necessary to break free from division and conflict caused by disconnection, and realize the kingdom of God through connection and solidarity between humans, nature, and the world. In order to explore the direction of Christian education for this purpose, this study examined the characteristics of the era of hyperconnectivity and the principle of solidarity, which is the core of hyperconnectivity. The theological meaning of solidarity was examined in terms of humans, nature, and the world, and based on this understanding, the direction of Christian education in the era of hyperconnectivity was sought. It can be summarized as having a religious understanding of human beings of Homoconnectus with a pericoretic mode of existence. Third, education on the kingdom of justice and peace where we can live together in a solidarity relationship can be summarized.

• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.333-351
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• 2009

R.W.B. Lewis called Greene's three novels - Brighton Rock, The Power and the Glory and The Heart of the Matter - Greene's 'trilogy'. Greene was paid full attention by many readers and many critics after publishing these Catholic novels. The themes and plots of his Catholic novels are unique and beyond those of traditional Catholicism. Greene is always willing to stand on the edge of reality. He always conflicts with the reality and eagerly searches for a higher, more spiritual dimension. If we view Greene's protagonists from an open-minded viewpoint, Pinkie of Brighton Rock will be saved at the mercy and grace of God in spite of being evil. Whiskey Priest of The Power and the Glory is worthy of being called a saint in spite of his drunkenness and adultery. Scobie of The Heart of the Matter will be within God's grace in spite of his suicide. The reason all protagonists are saint-like is clear and simple because they all have faith and sacrifice themselves to obey God's first commandment, to love others. To summarize the theme of Greene's 'trilogy', we can say that love is the most valuable in the world. God has mercy for all human beings. The protagonists love God and they love others. In fact, Greene's faith is found in his love of human beings and God.

• Journal of Christian Education in Korea
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• v.72
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• pp.25-48
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• 2022

This essay is a critical study of the three models of practical theology that emerged in the second half of the 20th century: the critical correlational model (Sherrill, Browning), the hermeneutical model (Groome, Gerkin), and the faith community formation model (Westerhoff, Campbell). This essay first explores the central ideas of practical theologians who adhere to each of the three models and focuses on Christian education, pastoral counseling, and homiletics. This essay then critically evaluates the three models in accordance to the following four themes: how practical theology has 1) responded to the challenges of postmodernity, 2) engaged in dialogue with different types of theology, 3) participated in interdisciplinary dialogue, and 4) understood Christian practice. In conclusion, this essay suggests that the essential tasks of contemporary Christian education as practical theology include: 1) providing an active response to many challenges of postmodern, postsecular, postdigital, and posthuman era, 2) engaging in interactive dialogue with diverse forms of theology, and 3) facilitating interdisciplinary dialogue based on transversal rationality, and 4) establishing of the concept of Christian practice at the individual, ecclesial, social, public, ecological, and digital levels.