찬란한 악덕(The Vice of Splendor): ‘헛된 영광’에 대한 신학적 분석과 기독교 윤리적 성찰

Abstract

Today, exaggerated lives of people are widely shared through various media such as SNS(social networks). This is why it is taken for granted to live a vanity life to be praised by anonymous people. An explicit vanity society is being promoted. The overall atmosphere of this vanity society is so dam- aging to the believers’ godly life. Traditionally, the Church has seriously recognized the harm of vainglory and has defined it as a deadly sin. Although vainglory was not included in the Church of the Deadly Sins in the twentieth century, it is clearly the most prominent sin that threatens the piety of the believers. For this reason, in the first part, this article analyzed the phenomena, the biblical usage, meaning of vainglory as well as its close ally hypocrisy after analyz- ing sociologically the phenomenon and the culture of vanity prevalent in the Korean society. It also studied the theological meaning and the works of vainglory developed by the desert fathers and the medieval monks such as Evagrius, Great Gregorius and Thomas Aquinas. In the second part, it discussed the similarities and differences between vain- glory and pride, It also examines the danger of vainglory being parasitic in holiness and distorting holiness. Finally, it suggests the necessity of the right recognition of true glory and the praise of God as a way of overcoming vainglory. That is through the face-to-face encounter with God in the closet, which is found in the Lord’s prayer.