한국교회 연합과 ‘가족’ 신학

Abstract

I suggested a theological momentum for the union of Korean church in this paper. It pointed out that the reasons why Korean churches failed to make a union included the ‘closed familism’ in Koreans and the ignorance of making a theological foundation for the church union. The writer suggested an idea of ‘family theology’ as a theological momentum for the church union. First, the theology has a biblical foundation; the Old Testament identifies Israelite people in a family existence, and the New Testament presents a church as a family. Second, it has a theological coherence; family theology sees the Trinity as a community within a character of family so that the paradigm of the family theology can have a strong structure in a theological format. Third, it guarantees its reasonableness in view of sociology. The structure of church in this theological paradigm bears a dynamic ‘system’in relationship, assuming ‘systematism’ which makes the church have a organic union and aims at a relationship under a ‘double-tracked’ causality to share some responsibilities. Furthermore, its characteristic includes (1) unilateral love; as a family remains in a healthy system through parental unilateral love for their children, so churches can be united through their voluntary love and commitment. Family has an existential problem to reform itself because it is a contingent system; in the same way, (2) church makes itself as a subject of a reform so that it gives up some prerogatives sometimes in a big family of Korean church. However, church union is possible only in maintaining a theological substance and recognizing its contingent form to produce a tolerance for others. Family theology makes a theological basis for church union in Korea to give a strength to overcome the ‘closed familism’ that divides churches in a ‘we/they’ structure.