• Journal of Christian Education in Korea
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• v.68
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• pp.175-216
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• 2021

This essay aims to seek an alternative model of catechesis, as this form of education faces various challenges from the Korean Church especially during COVID-19 pandemic. For a long time, catechesis in the Korean Church narrowly focused on the act of producing Christians who would be loyal to the local church, rather than focusing on nurturing members loyal to Christ, an issue that has been problematized in recent publications on catechesis. Thus, the loss of social trust in the Korean Church and the decline of its public image exemplify how this type of catechesis as disciple-making for local church's benefit, mostly nurtures a vertical dimension of faith. The current teaching and learning method mostly employs a unilateral transfer of doctrine from the teacher to the learner and emphasizes the memorization of doctrine. This type of instruction renders the catechesis as the most lackluster and outdated form of Christian education. This essay aims to reconceptualize the traditional model of catechesis. This essay first critically evaluates current situations of catechesis and presents several alternative meanings on the concept of doctrine. Then it explores the theories of catechesis through different models posed by Christian educators such as John Westerhoff III and Richard Osmer. The final section is devoted to presenting an alternative form of catechesis that focuses on seeking holistic faith.

• Journal of Christian Education in Korea
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• v.64
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• pp.109-144
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• 2020

In the 21st century, Our Korean churches should be reborn and truly restored in the situation korean churches have been criticized socially and adversely affected Christian missions. In this situation, the researcher analyzed the Zeraim(Agriculture) of the Jewish scripture Talmud as an alternative to solving the problems of the Korean church. In order to achieve the purpose of this research, the background of the emergence of Talmud, the main contents of Talmud Zeraim, and the application of Talmud Zeraim's Christian education were divided and analyzed. Through the Jewish Talmud Zeraim, five possibilities of application were suggested to solve the problems of Korean churches. First, it is a Christian education for a blessed life. Second, it is a Christian education that pursues social justice, life, and integrity of creation. Third, it is Christian education for a life that appreciates God's grace. Fourth, it is a Christian education for realizing the commandments and practicing the teachings. Fifth, it is a Christian education that pursues conventional spirituality. Researchers believe that the mission and direction of Christian education without losing their identity and faith under the numerous hardships in history should be found in the faith and life of Jews who have regained their traditional spirituality centered on the law (Torah) and Talmud which are the God's words. From now on, the Korean church should boldly clear up its mistakes and move on to education that humbly accepts the sounds of social criticism and can make a fresh recovery.

• Journal of Christian Education in Korea
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• v.73
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• pp.55-72
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• 2023

Recently, religious communities have devised multiple practical training programs for spiritual formation and direction. In this study, we define Christian spiritual formation as a lifelong journey of growing, progressing, increasing and strengthening toward wholeness in the image of Christ. In dialogue with J. Edwards' theology of spiritual sense, this essay suggests three major points of holistic spiritual formation in depth: first, spiritual Formation is a process; second, spiritual formation should attend to the balance between God's Initiative and Human Agency; third, holistic spiritual formation is a process to seek God-self. Spiritual formation is not a static status acquired by several techniques, methods or programs. It is a formative process through which one prepares to comprehend divine love and purpose. Spiritual formation is a dynamic process to respond to the One who shapes our life path with increasing faithfulness. Holistic comprehension of Christian spiritual formation will assist postmodern people to find meaning, value, purpose, and identity through deeper experiences with God in the midst of the fragmented and troubled world, so that they could restore wholeness in the image of God.

• Journal of Christian Education in Korea
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• v.63
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• pp.347-376
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• 2020

This study suggests the direction and practice of Christian education through ecological Christian spirituality required in front of the ecological crisis. Environmental destruction and ecosystem problems are recognized as a serious crisis that can threaten human survival. As a result, the development of material civilization, which humanity has taken for granted, has been questioned, and changes in human consciousness and thoughts at the root of the ecological crisis have become inevitable. The crisis of civilization demands a new spirituality, and the spirituality required in front of the ecological crisis must be a life-friendly spirituality. The discourses on the ecological crisis that have emerged since the 1970s provide a fundamental perspective on the ecological crisis. Ecological spirituality such as 'immanence', 'interrelationship', 'community', 'healing and emancipation', and 'sustainability' are concepts that can understand and aggregate the discussions of the various discourses above. Based on this, this paper examines Christian ecological spirituality by dividing it into the areas of God, humans, and body. Through this, the Christian education was proposed as a practical place for self-depreciation for a simple life through the understanding of God, who emptied himself out of the transcendent God who reigns over all things, shared the pain of all things, maintained all things together, and lived in them. There, meditation and hospitality can be a place of practical Christian education where one can enrich one's inner self for a simple life. Christian education was proposed as a place of holistic knowledge through ecological Christian spirituality that emphasizes the spirituality of the body from dichotomous thinking that belittles the body. There, the Holy Communion is important as a place where both holistic education to restore the spirituality of the body and ecological education can be held at the same time. Through this, I hope that Christian education will be a place of education not only for the reason but also for the holistic knowledge of Christ and for learning how to 'together' with the ecosystem and neighbors.

• Journal of Christian Education in Korea
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• v.67
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• pp.301-337
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• 2021

The researcher looked at the differences in views and various controversies surrounding Korean youth sexuality education in the wake of the Nth Room incident, which had a great impact on modern Korean society. Sex education for adolescents in Korea can be divided into public sex education through school sex education and the Youth Sexuality Center, and conservative/traditional Protestant sex education. Public sex education is partly influenced by feminist sexual ethics and comprehensive sex education abroad. Based on gender sensitivity and the right to sexual self-determination, four major projects are prevention of sexual harassment, prostitution, sexual violence, and domestic violence. However, the school sex education standard was criticized for stereotypes of gender roles and gender-discriminatory content, reinforced distorted myths about sexual violence, and exclusion of sexual diversity and various family types. Conservative/traditional Protestantism is based on the normal family ideology such as bisexual marriage, premarital chastity, and sexual ethics recognized only within marital relationships. It is a form of confrontation with public sex education while strongly opposing it. The researcher first analyzed the characteristics of public sex education, conservative/traditional Protestant sexual ethics and sex education, feminist sex ethics and sex education, and overseas youth sex education, respectively, while composing the curriculum for Korean youth sexuality education. And as a more fundamental solution to youth sexuality education, I pointed out that there are limits to asceticism, premarital chastity, gender sensitivity and sexual self-determination education, and found an alternative to the concept of body and sex in feminist theology. The researcher pointed out that it is necessary to reconceptualize the body and sex under the recognition that the most fundamental cause of distorted sexual culture is dualistic sex and understanding the body, centering on the research of various feminist theologians. And this was conceptualized into three concepts: holistic sexuality, mutual solidarity understood in relationships with others, and sexuality as a spirituality that extends to the global community. And with each curriculum, 1) Holistic Sexuality: Breathing, Narrative, Making the Shape of One's Body and Mind 2) mutual solidarity : Feeling the Breath of Others, Media Literacy through Conscientization, Sending a Good Wind 3) Sexuality as a spirituality that extends to global concern: It was proposed to pay attention to nature and to co-cultivate it, to listen to the earth's moans and create a new way of life, and to write a prayer with the earth and fellow living beings.

• Journal of Christian Education in Korea
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• v.67
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• pp.267-299
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• 2021

This study is purposed to discuss attributes and limitations of neo-liberalism and to offer some roles of Christian education corresponding neoliberalism. Neo-liberalism is an econosuperism that entrusts all things to market order, and it regards this market as utopia. It does not remain as just an economical principle, but influences all aspects in human life. Then it shows its religiosity connecting to capitalism. Every human in it is thought of as flexible workforces appropriate to neo-liberalism market. Such being the case neo-liberalsim strenghtens instrumentation in education. Then it distorts freedom and equality, and it weakens traditional values. Because of this, modern people's identity is getting to be lost and their human characters to be floated. This study discusses these things critically, and offers roles of Christian education such as founding a well balanced understanding on the Scripture against this neo-liberalsim market, restoring the essential purpose of education from instrumentation in education, and investigating and applicating a holistic human character on the basis of a Christian anthropology against this new human character of neo-liberalsim.

• Journal of Christian Education in Korea
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• v.70
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• pp.107-140
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• 2022

This study is a review of the role of Christian education in the face of ecological crisis and the task of its recovery from the perspective of Moltmann's creation theory. Mankind has achieved epoch-making industrial development through several industrial revolutions. However, as a result, the ecosystem has suffered severe physical aches and has reached the point of revealing anomalies. In the face of such destruction and suffering of the ecosystem, Christian education needs to approach the ecological sensitivity toward the natural world more holistically and present a practical alternative. Moltmann reminds us that today's growing exploitation of nature by humans stems from a human-centered ecological consciousness that the world belongs to humans. At the same time, it suggests a transition to a God-centered ecological world consciousness. 'A community of creation', 'the fellowship of the Triune God', and 'eschatological new creation through the Sabbath' are key concepts that integrate God-centered ecological world consciousness. Based on Moltmann's creation theory, this article examines the ecological sensibility that Christian education should pursue from the point of view of the sacramental creative community, and reviews the role and practical alternatives of Christian education. Through this, it was derived that the world, including humans, is not owned by humans, but is a sacramental community that is built together toward the end as a part of nature and reveals the glory of God. In addition, it was suggested that Christian education need to be recognized as a suffering subject which mediates humanity and the nature of the mutual fellowship of reconciliation. in the fellowship of God. Sabbath keeping education, which celebrates God's creation and aims for the completion of the eschatological creation, will become a practical area for Christian education to practice for the restoration of the collapsed ecosystem. Moltmann's creation theory is significant in that it provides a meaningful Christian educational insight to restore the ecological environment as well as interest in the ecological environment that has been overlooked or ignored by Christian education.

• Journal of Christian Education in Korea
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• v.73
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• pp.93-115
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• 2023

The purpose of this study is to explore implications for intergenerational Christian education in Korean churches and families that struggle with "generational fragmentations" focusing on the conception of reciprocity and participation. For the faith community in Korea, "generational fragmentations" does not merely mean communication gaps or the disconnection between generations but also the absence of reciprocity and communal participation as a genuine intergenerational community of faith. With this phenomenon in mind, this study explores the concept of "intergenerationality" in education, focusing on reciprocity and participation. Next, this study examines the concepts of reciprocity and participation found in John Dewey's seminal works, Democracy and Education and Experience and Education based on his ideas of democracy and experience in relation to intergenerational Christian education for the Korean church and families. The present paper then attempts to find implications for intergenerational Christian education in the Korean church and family, showing the importance of an intergenerational community of faith with reciprocity and communal participation, and communal spiritual journey with children and adults.

• Journal of Christian Education in Korea
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• v.74
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• pp.81-106
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• 2023

The purpose of this study is to find the implications for the more appropriate educational ministry for the 3040 generation congregation through a critical and holistic understanding of the 3040 generation of Korean churches in the view of the discourse on understanding congregation. To this end, this study studies the biblical, theological, and educational grounds of the discourse on understanding congregation in terms of the connection between congregational theory and educational ministry, describes the characteristics of the 3040 generation congregation through human-developmental, faith-developmental, and socio-cultural approaches, and presents educational implications for the 3040 generation from a congregational point of view. Through this study, This study presents four implications of educational ministry from a congregational perspective by paying attention to the characteristics and intergenerational dynamics of Korean churches in their 30s and 40s: 1) Renewal of family-friendly educational ministry considering various types of families, 2) Reinforcement of life-long discipleship where the Gospel and life issues encounter; 3) Reinforcement of collaborative small groups based on all-line ministry; 4) Presenting the development and practice of creative and evangelical ESG ministry.