오방 최흥종 목사의 토착적 사회복지선교에 관한 연구

Abstract

Korea currently has a hard time socially and economically. At this time, spiritual awakening is more needed than anything else. The Church has been emphasizing individual salvation rather than social salvation. Obsessed with vertical love from God, The Churchhas not paid much attention to horizontal love of neighbors. Pursuit of evangelization focusing on mission has led to lack of humanization, and human/material resources have been concentrated on the Church. Due to lack of recognition of social service in pastors and believers, the church is oriented toward quantitative growth so that they spend little budget, which leads to loss of public trust in our society.One of the reasons for this may be because social services of church do not go beyond charity level of service centered on institutes. This phenomenon is not new for these days. It is parallel with the mission policy of most missionaries except only a few in the early times when Christianitywas introduced in Korea. Korea has gone through various changes since Christianity was spread out. While Korea is rapidly changing socially and economically as well as politically, the Church is very insensitive to the changes of society. It is the reality of our Church that disregarding reality, our Church closes the door more tightly where it should open more widely than anywhere else to share sufferings and pains with other peoples. Heung-Jong Choi in Honam region presented a new spirituality for the Church in order to be the Church for neighbors and society, not for its own Church bounded to institutions and creeds. In current 21st century in which Christian faith, even its substantiality is threatened by possession of massive externalism, the life of pastor Heung-Jong Choi will be a good stimulant to make the Church and believers look back on their life of faith. It is wished that this study can reconfigure the role of Korean Christianity in society and reestablish pastor’s life so that it helps Korean Christianity develop and grow toward the direction appropriate for this age instead of being stagnated and even retrogressing Church. The life of pastor O-Bang Heung-Jong Choi to follow Jesus’life has great implication for Christians living in these days. Thus, this study intends to look into his life and examineindigenous social welfare mission focusing on pastor O-Bang Heung-Jong Choi. This study adopted literature review as study method. Based on biblical and theological theories, books on social service and indigenization of Korean Christianity, books published by Gwangju YMCA in memory of pastor O-bang Heung-Jong Choi, Honam Church History Studies, other articles, papers, reports, single volume books, bulletins, and so on, this study conducted extensive literature review.