파편화된 인간성을 통합하는 기독교교육

Abstract

Many Protestant Churches are becoming the laughing stock of Korean society. As demonstrated in a recent survey, they are losing society’s trust. According to Ronald Sider, Evangelical Christians in the States are not fairing any better in many aspects of their life. He asserts that in their failure to obey the teachings of the Word of God, their standard of life is no higher than that of non-believers. He called it a scandal of the evangelical conscience. So called nurturing programs in the church do not seem to equip the believers properly. Rather, these programs only produce “private” Christians who do not fit in the society. What are the causes of this sick phenomenon? Can it simply be attributed to postmodernism? Have Christian educators failed to educate believers in the church? Or, are both assertions partly true? Postmodernism has shaped the general life of modern society. Emotionalism, communalism, subjective epistemologies, the denial of authority, and religious pluralism have all fragmented social identity. Christian education had not done its job properly. Many people had left the church and became anti-Christians in Korea, vowing never to return due to their dismay over the conduct of church leaders and fellow Christians. Churches in Korea have failed to impact the society, and they are losing the trust of the general public. The image of the church is not good with society. This paper proposes to promote a holistic and full humanity that is broken and fragmented, so that these restored believers will impact the society through their life. Humanity is defined according to the characteristics of being kind, generous, patient and altruistic. Fragmentation is the result of being broken, and human beings in this state cannot positively function as a Christian witness in society. This proposed study in the area of human fragmentation and restoration through the lens of Christian education, has begun with ten writings had been analyzed. 1. Margaret Webster has addressed the dichotomy between theory and practice, contending that educators must pay more attention to practitioners and find eclectic approaches. 2. Walter Brueggemann has showed the legitimacy of sectarian hermeneutics, but forced the readers to acquire the language of the public. 3. John Coleman has broadened the perspectives of discipleship and citizenship by stressing the dual importance of the two in the life of believers in relation to the society. 4. Thomas Groome used life experience to assert that a sacramental ideal and its practice in the daily living along with tradition of the church is crucial to form one’s identity as a believer of God. 5. Hyun-Sook Kim has dealt with “post-conventionality” as the state believers must strive to reach. This can be achieved by practicing the three principles: (1) equality, (2) relationship, and (3) openness. 6. Sang-Jin Park tried to unite intellectuality and spirituality so that Christian schools can achieve the goal of being both truly Christian and truly school at the same time. 7. Eun-Ha Cho contended that true spirituality is a spirituality that unites all aspects of life. Therefore Christian knowing and living become one, integrating the cognitive, emotional and practical dimensions of life. 8. Dennis Hollinger observed three main movements in history: the Scholastic, the Charismatic, and the Social Gospel. Each of the three had its place, but somehow each went its own way and drifted from the other two. We all need the three, Hollinger argued, because only together can we be protected from social fragmentation. 9. Seung-Kyung Kim studied the possibility of achieving a holistic education through Christian education, arguing that this will occur only through a team ministry centered on Christian education theory and practice. 10. Finally, Shin-Geun Jang has proposed trinitarian theology as the basis for holistic Christian education. The trinitarian model is the answer for holistic education because of God’s nature as both three and one: diversity that is a single agent. In the last section, four suggestions for integrating fragmented humanity are made: (1) Christian educators must become sailors on the tide of postmodern culture, going beyond being a person who just comprehends the culture; (2) Christian educators need to strive to unite the wholeness of humanity through the assistance of psychology and other disciplines; (3) Christian educators must help believers to be healthy and balanced believing-citizens through being faithful in what they do; (4) Christian educators need to cooperate with practitioners by going through the three ongoing and never-ending processes of: studying-theorizing-practicing. Learning from Alfred N. Whitehead, the aim of Christian education is a repetitive business of duty and awe, which includes service to our fellow creatures and to nature, and the fear and worship of our God without ceasing. Churches in Korea and Christian educators need to reflect on what went wrong in the past and try to reform their head, heart, and hand through and through. Only then, can fragmented humanity be restored and the Protestant churches in Korea earn the respect of society, and function as the respectful and useful compass for the society in the future.