• Journal of Christian Education in Korea
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• v.79
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• pp.7-31
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• 2024

Purpose of Study : The purpose of this essay is to explore the tasks for Christian education as a posthuman practical theology, with a focus on the discussions surrounding transhumanism, posthumanism, and critical posthumanism. Research Content and Method : To achieve this purpose, this essay performs a literature-based, interdisciplinary conversation that focuses on transhumanism and posthumanism discourses. It also examines these posthuman theories from a transversal disciplinary dialogue between posthumasnism and theology with a focus on technology and ecology. This essay employs roughly methodology of practical theology to propose tasks for Christian education. Conclusions and Suggestions : In conclusion, the tasks for Christian education as a posthuman practical theology include: first, research and interpretation of posthuman contexts with a descriptive-empirical approach; second, posing biblical and theological norms for posthuman telos; third, inter-subjectivity and faith formation through the networking entanglement and becoming; fourth, establishing a theory-practice relationship based on theopoiesis; fifth, forming the church as a symbiotic educational community; and sixth, reconfiguring public paideia toward the zoe of the Kingdom of God as the common good.

• 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.

• Journal of Christian Education in Korea
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• v.77
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• pp.63-84
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• 2024

Research Objective : The study aimed to investigate the satisfaction with the operation of theological university curricula from the perspective of learners experiencing the theological education curriculum in the field. The goal is to provide a basis for reflective introspection on the current theological education curriculum and for restructuring it to have influential impacts within the church and society. Content and Methodology : A survey was conducted with 80 learners currently enrolled in undergraduate, graduate, master's, and doctoral programs at a theological university to analyze satisfaction with current theological education programs. To interpret the survey results progressively, in-depth interviews were conducted with a randomly selected group of 6 participants. Survey Results : First, the satisfaction with the current theological education programs was found to be 60%, indicating a high level of satisfaction. Second, while 77.5% recognized the need for practical pastoral education, only 45.5% reported that practical pastoral education is currently provided in theological education programs, indicating a lower percentage than the perceived need. Third, 73.7% responded negatively regarding whether the current theological education programs can enhance pastoral competence for future society. Lastly, the areas identified as urgently requiring change for the restructuring of theological education programs were theological education content, methodology, and objectives, in that order. Conclusion and Recommendations : In an era of great transformation, our society is changing rapidly. In the face of this wave of change, the theological education curriculum also requires adaptation to suit the new era. Traditional theological education courses have primarily focused on imparting theory-centered knowledge. However, theological education in the new era necessitates a curriculum that enhances the pastoral capacity of churches and pastors to dynamically navigate through this era of significant transition. To achieve this, it is imperative to restructure the curriculum to one that is more closely related to the pastoral field. This involves offering a variety of constructivist-based, learner-centered teaching and learning methods within a theory-centered curriculum and methodology. Additionally, it entails establishing a practice-oriented theological school that can actively address the evolving pastoral landscape in this era of great transition. Restructuring of the process is essential to meet these goals.

• Journal of Christian Education in Korea
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• v.70
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• pp.11-35
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• 2022

The purpose of this article is to suggest nine types of educational ministry based on the practical theology in Christian Education. For the purpose this article emphasizes an individual dimension including church, society dimensions. An individual dimension is based on the spirit of post digital era within sociocultural area in different with personal-existential area of the philosophical and theological perspective and life cycle theology area of the developmental psychological perspective. Post digital era means the humanization of digital, digital friendly, and emotional digital cultural characteristics. Post digital generation means child, youth, young adults those who are accustomed with post digital cultural of the post digital era. The educational ministry for the post digital generations categorized into nine types according to correlation with individual, church, and society as a field of ministry and critical scientific method, critical confessional method, and critical correlational method as an interdisciplinary which are composed of Christian tradition and contemporary science. Representative key competencies of nine types in the educational ministry are media literacy, relational identity, communication, high touch, discipleship, making and using media, integrative vocation, collaboration abilities, and home, school, and social resilience in relation with multicultural generations.

• Journal of Christian Education in Korea
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• v.77
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• pp.7-27
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• 2024

This study addresses the crucial role of Christian Religious Education (CRE) amidst civic polarization, moral disimagination, and learned helplessness. It begins her personal background as a 1.5-generation Vietnamese American and her academic engagement in immigrant faith and the challenges of teaching faith in violent contexts. The work underscores the public dimension and impact of religious education, highlighting its potential for fostering critical capacities for public engagement. However, that study observes a prevalent disconnection between congregational culture and the aim of public engagement, leading to a form of learned helplessness among students and communities. The researcher draws on Paulo Freire's concepts of "critical hope" and the need for a curriculum that transcends mere content delivery to foster transformative engagement with societal issues. The document critiques the disimigination machine that undermines critical thinking and collective resistance, as articulated by Henry Giroux, and explores the concepts of "learned helplessness" as a barrier to environmental and social activism. The researcher advocates for a theopoetic and theopolitical approach to education that nurtures hope and practical engagement with the world's injustice. She emphasizes small acts of theopoetic and theopolitical hope as transformative practices, using an example from Ferguson, Missouri, to illustrate how public liturgy and protest can mediate hope and justice. The document concludes with a call for a life-long, life-wide, and life-deep curriculum of enchantment towards responsible participation in societal repair, rooted in Christian hope.

• Journal of Christian Education in Korea
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• v.65
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• pp.133-161
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• 2021

This study focuses on the vulnerability of our society and environment under the Covid-19 pandemic. The medical descriptions about severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus disease 2019 provide the serious manifestation of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and a new resilient hope of its vaccination. Moreover, with the perspective of feminist practical theology, the author explores a resilient possibility to reconstitute an ecological relationship between our society and environment. In addition, many people's depression in the time of Covid-19 is understood in the meaningful narrative of the relationship between integrity and despair to be stressed by Erikson in the perspective of Loder. Especially, this study focuses on the main stream of designing the convergence curriculum of medicine and theology to move toward the life wellbeing of community members, overcoming their difficult circumstances such as Covid-19.

• Journal of Christian Education in Korea
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• v.66
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• pp.75-112
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• 2021

This study is purposed to prepare students in theological universities so that they contribute to their faith community as well as the broader social community in future through developing a practical course model for education of character formation. Facing the challenge of a high-tech revolution being progressed globally in this period, theological seminaries as the Christian-affiliated institute of higher education see the necessity to nurture their learners' competency of holistic personality comprehending cognitive, affective, behavioral, and more spiritual maturity as well as specialty in each subject matter. The holistic character capability of seminarians is closely related not only to their own self-realization, but also social community's well-being. This research had the following content and results. Chapter 1 brought up a subject to educational needs of the holistic character formation in the theological seminaries to meet the rapidly changing times. Chapter 2 considered the importance of character formation in the curriculum of the universities and theological seminaries in the times of high-tech revolution through the literature reviews related to. Chapter 3 clarified the elements of character education to be placed emphasis on theological seminaries and established the way of course planning. Chapter 4, using a course of Christian social education for illustration, described in order the whole process of course planning comprehending the need of planning, description of course concept, establishment and definition of learning outcomes, organization of learning experience(course content), teaching-learning activities, evaluation of learning outcome, and course improvement, which was visualized with the chart of the process of course design. Also, it provided a practical illustration of the conceptual map, an outline of content and an organization of units, and scope-sequence chart. Finally, chapter 5 gave an syllabus example in an integrative and digestive form as the course plan to be distributed to the students, which is the final result produced through the whole process of course planning. This research is intended not to present a overall curriculum planning of the university-level in the theological seminaries, but to develop a course-level curriculum focused on the formation of character. The author hope that this study would be used as a guideline in developing a course model to nurture the capability of the learners' holistic character.

• Journal of Christian Education in Korea
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• v.73
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• pp.39-54
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• 2023

In this study I want to explore faith formation through the framework of practice. First, I will describe discipleship as a lifelong process of identity formation, defining Christian religious education as a faith community's intentional work of equipping people to walk in the way of Jesus through apprenticeship in faith practices. I will argue that this process is more about the teaching of practices and engaging in theological reflection on practices than it is about dispensing correct information. This idea is not original with me, but has been expounded by many others particularly in the past decade in the U.S., as part of a larger movement within theological discourse emphasizing the centrality of practice. Second, I will describe some resources from educational theorists that can help us to understand what it means to educate through practices toward an identity as Christians. And finally, I will suggest that in our complex, broken and wounded world, as Christian religious educators we especially have a calling to equip disciples in two urgent faith practices: earth-care, and dealing with conflict.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.20 no.9
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• pp.638-647
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• 2020

This study reflects on suffering, a theme of anthropology, from a Christian theological point of hope. It suggests that suffering is not a negative experience, rather a medium of hope that can be a positive driving force in life and an opportunity to reach personal maturity. It aims to deepen the content of anthropology regarding the meaning of suffering by discovering a new harmony within the relationship between pain and hope. The book of Job denies the theodicical concept that justifies suffering as punishment for human sins and opens a new horizon of understanding the suffering as a space of hope, where men can experience the Love of God in the relationship with God. In his theology of suffering, Moltmann broadens and deepens the horizon of understanding as the book of Job discovered. First, he interprets the history in the hope of an eschatological future when the resurrected Jesus Christ will bring the final victory over evil and suffering. Then he invites men to proactively resist the absurdity and suffering revealed through this interpretation. Second, Moltmann reflects on the problem of suffering in the concept of the Trinity of God who endures active suffering with love for men shown in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. He offers another hope that enables men to overcome the suffering in God's love. Therefore, the Christian faith can confess that we can hope in suffering.

• Journal of Christian Education in Korea
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• v.65
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• pp.81-102
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• 2021

In church tradition, cultural misappropriation has often legitimized unjust hierarchy rather than to challenge it. Under the rubric of culturalism, Christian Education has served to justify the oppressive system and maintain status quo as well. A feminist theologian, Rebecca Chopp argues that the contemporary Western culture has intensified narcissistic individualism and self-referentiality and has supported the powerful, while forced the marginalized to be silent. Chopp insists that the role, nature, and mission of Christianity is to provide Word and words of emancipatory transformation. She advocates poststructural feminist theology and aims at renewal of the socio-symbolic order in society by criticizing assumptions underneath language, culture and politics. In this study, we will review the interview with an Asian-American couple and disclose the underlying assumptions and hegemony which have contributed to maintain the male domineering system. I suggest that Christian education for emancipatory transformation should encourage the oppressed women to reflect critically the existing order and to restore their own voice through constructive intervention facilitating "plurivociy" and "problem-posing" dialogue. Proclaimation of transformative Word can empower the marginalized people to revision the world alternatives to monotheistic patriarchal modernism.