청소년을 위한 세례교육의 갱신 모델 연구

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to transform youth into faithful and authentic Christians through the recovery of the early church’s baptismal education and ceremonies. Also, it aims to help youth belong to the community of faith successfully by offering systematic practices and training. The problem of youth baptism education and ceremony is that it is practiced formally and superficially. Another problem is the church’s closeness and exclusiveness, which runs counter to the current youth culture as characterized by change and diversity. To cope with this problem, a new educational model is suggested in order to update and renew the baptismal education and ceremonies of youth. Adolescence is a time when mutual communication is possible as an opportunity for change, growth and maturity. Moreover, it is possible to participate in public affairs related to people and make moral judgments based on objective truth. It is also a time for them to understand the abstract principles of developmental psychology, to expand the theological thinking that enables logical and concrete manipulation, and to interpret themselves to form their self-identity. For this reason, church leaders and adults are required to focus on intellectual research on doctrine, invitation, fellowship, and care for youth by providing theological and moral customs based on relationships, helping them experience a sense of belonging by honest communication, and critically reflecting on social problems. Above all, youth needs to be encouraged to set the goal of “unlimited love” as a Christian’s calling in the process of reaching adulthood. It is highly likely that baptismal education and ceremony are effective tools within the educational models in that they can offer the chance for youth to learn and realize the necessary values and qualities mentioned above. Therefore, this paper examines baptism from biblical and theological perspectives and analyzes the order and meaning of baptismal education and ceremony within the early church. Finally, it designs the revised and renewed model of baptismal ceremony for youth through the insights gained from various researches. The structure of the model consists of pre-education of baptism, rite of baptism, and post-education of baptism. First, pre-education teaches teenagers worship, learning, prayer, and life style. Second, the rite of baptism is an empirical learning of tradition and doctrine. Last, post-education of baptism is a continuing education that explains the meaning of the baptismal order and conveys norms and practices. In times of career focus and other distractions, renewing baptism is a significant and valuable educational mission for faith formation to youth. Therefore, baptismal education must be prepared and practiced thoroughly and meaningfully.