• Journal of Christian Education in Korea
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• v.77
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• pp.203-223
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• 2024

This study aims to reflect on how the experiences in the interrelationship between parents and children affect the formation of God's image and how it affects the formation of healthy Christian identity. We will explore the implications of this research on education for the formation of healthy Christian identity for children. Based on the theories of God's image by Erickson, Freud, and Rizzuto, we examine in-depth how the parental image that children acquire in their relationship with their parents is related to the image of God, which is the basis of their lives. Parents are like caregivers, guardians, and absolute beings that enable their children's survival and safety from their birth. The parental image that a child has through interaction with their parents has a close relationship with the image of God. Amid the existential limitations and restrictions faced by children and parents, negative experiences such as oppression, punishment, and anger that children receive from their parents leave various psychological wounds inside the child. What is important here is that the summation of negative experiences inflicted on the child should not exceed the appropriate level that the child can endure. In addition, children should be guided to feel the following in their relationship with their parents. Children need to be nurtured to feel basic trust from their parents. If these important premise is not observed, the distorted parental image will lead to distorted God's image. Unreliable or violent images of parents will pose a serious threat to the formation of constructive faith or healthy Christian identity. Based on this premise, this study claims a substantial shift from oppressive, authoritarian, and one-directional ways of education to those of mutual, liberational, postconventional education. Finally, this study closes its inquiry by providing constructive direction and alternatives for the development of healthy Christian identity for Children.

• Journal of Christian Education in Korea
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• v.62
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• pp.257-283
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• 2020

Our current society is experiencing a mass upheaval through globalization: mobility, hybridity, and cultural diversity are part of this world phenomenon. We can say that these changes are a result of people crossing borders due to international travel, immigration, emigration, studying abroad, labor, international marriages, fast and comfortable transportation, and the Internet. According to 2018 UNPD(Untied Nations Population Division)'s data, the international migrants have exceeded 258 million as of 2017. The increased number of migrants signifies that people with various backgrounds move from their own culture to a drastically different one. Interacting with different cultures can give people the chance to experience abundant lifestyles and improve life qualities. During that process, however, the differences between cultures can cause not only misunderstandings, conflicts, and violent collisions, but also xenophobia or radical nationalism. The current society is confronted with a problem: the people cannot stubbornly cling to a homogenous ethnicity anymore, which makes the coexistence between the citizens and immigrants necessary. Through these circumstances, I aim to suggest an educational model and a practical curriculum from a Christian perspective as the aim of this study. It seeks to encourage Christians to flexibly respond to these conflicts and collisions, and to fulfill their social responsibilities faithfully. For this reason, I will explore and seek sharing practical values through both shalom's communality as a theological approach and postconventionality in mature adults as a social-scientific approach. Consequently, I have few requests for the readers. First, approach with openness, understanding, and respect for other culture. Second, see this study as one step of confronting the global problem for coexistence and coprosperity of all social agents in the earth, a limited space. Third, notice that this study uses the interdisciplinary approach (theological and social scientific view) for a shareable, practical value that consistently leads the curriculum of my thesis, and a scientific method to eliminate bias. Lastly, understand that this study will eventually be used in educational practice, and as a result it prioritizes giving thought to the Christian educational environment. This study begins by exploring the conflicts and collisions between diverse cultures of our current society in international and national cases. Afterwards, I will reflect on how we can manage these conflicts and collisions by exploring the social-scientific view, postconventionality in mature adults, the theological view, and shalom's communality as a complement for the postconventionality's personal dimension. In conclusion, I suggest a curriculum that achieves peace as a practical value based on postventionality and shalom's communality for this study's goal.