한국교회의 아시아 지역 선교역사와 그 추이 - 이슬람 분쟁지역 파키스탄의 선교역사를 중심으로 -

Abstract

This study is an attempt to trace past and current missions of Korean churches in the Islamic conflict area, particularly in Pakistan. This study also asserts that the first cross cultural missions of Korean churches were a result of the influence of the Great Christian Revival at Pyungyang in 1907, and the first mission to the Islamic world was motivated by a challenge deriving from the student revival movement on campus. The early cross cultural missions of Korean churches, however, focused on the Korean Diaspora in countries around the Korean peninsula, including Jeju Island. The first Korean mission to the Islamic world, which was an entirely cross cultural mission, began in 1961 with three students at Ewha Womans University, which had been established by Mary F. Scranton, an American Methodist missionary. Those students were sent and supported by the Student Missionary Society at Ewha. Their missions entailed teaching at Christian schools in Pakistan, which was still undergoing conflict, politically and religiously, and had no official relations with Korea at that time. One of them, Missionary Chun, continued her missions work during the civil war between East and West Pakistan in 1971. It can be termed incarnational missions due to their being with people undergoing suffering. Missions work by Korean churches in Pakistan stopped temporarily after Chun left the country. Sung Kyun Jeung, who moved from Bangladesh, restarted the Pakistan mission in 1980 and died from a fever in 1984. From that time onward many Korean missionaries have come to Pakistan and worked in co-operation with each other. The status of Korean missions to Muslim countries amounts to 24.1% of the 14,905 total missionaries in 2006. Now the Korean Church faces various difficulties in missions to the Islamic conflict area. It is said that the Korean Church is in a missions crisis and should seek to find appropriate approaches for the Muslim world. Therefore, the Korean Church also requires knowledge of Islam and Muslims in this globalized world.