아시아에서 한국 선교사의 역할

아시아에서 한국 선교사의 역할

 
Rev. Dr. Hwa Yong (Theoloji Seminari Malaysia,  말레이시아 신학원 원장)

*화용 박사(Dr Hwa Yong, STM)

이 논고는 21세기에 아시아 선교사역의 실체가 어떻게 되어질 것인가 분석하기 위해서 쓰여졌다. 이러한 고찰은 한국선교사들이 어떻게 사역해야할 지를 살피는데 도움이 될 것이다. 그러나 나의 연구가 매우 짧은 관찰에 의한지라 충분히 다듬어 지지 않았음을 고백한다. 더욱이 한국교회 선교의 깊이를 충분히 파악지 못한 상태에서 이 글이 쓰여짐은 유감이다.
 
이 글은 세 부분으로 나눠 생각할 수 있는데 첫째 성서적 관점에서 선교에 대한 이해, 둘째, 오는 세대의 세계유형의 변혁, 셋째, 이러한 세계 속에 한국선교사의 역할 기대이다.
 
이 글에서 "선교(Mission)"라는 단어는 단수적으로 하나님이 그 교회에 명하신 모든 것을 말하는데 이는 그 아들 그리스도 사역의 연장선에서 이뤄지는 것이다. 그리고 복수로서 "missions"라는 말은 자기 국가 밖 타 문화권 선교사역을 말하는 것으로 이해한다.
 

*선교사들의 그릅 합심기도!

"교회의 선교"정의
 
20세기가 시작되며 보수주의와 자유주의 진영에서 "선교"가 전도와 사회적 참여라는 두 정의를 놓고 논쟁점이 되어왔다. 복음주의진영은 1974년에 "통전적 사역(holistic)"이라는 이해로 점점 이해폭을 넓혔다. 이러한 변화는 "통전적 사역"이란 단어는 쓰지 않겠지만 Lausanne선언문의 "기독교인의 사회적 책임"의 항목에 선언문을 보면 잘 알 수 있다. "통전적 사역"은 그리스도 예수 안에서 구원의 복음 선포와 빈한자와 필요한 자들을 돌보고 하나님의 세계에 그 분의 위대한 공의가 이뤄지도록 하는 기독교인의 정치-사회적 활동을 모두 포함한 것을 말한다.
 
신학적으로 몇 가지 조명이 "선교"를 이해하는 데 도움이 될 것이다. 첫째 하나님의 통치가 개인적으로/단체적으로, 회개, 그리스도에 대한 믿음, 치유, 자비, 공의, 사탄의 묶음에서 놓임을 위한 사역 모두를 포함함을 인식해야 한다.
 
더 나아가, 이제는 구원이란 단어가 복합적이고 다면적인 개념임을 보다 이해하게 되었다. Francis Schaeffer박사는 헬라인의 플라톤적 사유구조로 말미암아 공간-시간 개념의 타락으로 말미암아 "구원"의 개념이 왜곡되었다고 말한다. 그것은 하나님/인간/자연이 서로서로 이탈(seperation)내지 소외(alienation)관계로 비롯되었다. 결국 모든 생명문제에 죄성이 기인함을 볼 수 있다.
 

*선교사들의 세족식-서로 발 씻겨주며 섬김!

기원 2000년과 그 이후 세계
 
선교의 효율성을 생각하면 우리의 내일이 어떻게 될 것인가를 생각해 보자. 여기에 4가지 면을 살펴 보려한다.
 
1. 급격한 변화의 세계
 
pc는 Internet과 함께 오는 세상을 혁명적으로 변화시킨다. 이 변화는 아시아 경제를 급격한 상승으로 이전시키고 있다. 따라서 경제력에만 의존하는 선교사역은 곤란을 겪을 것이고, 또한 이 문명이기는 우리에게 새로운 선교사역 기회를 제공할 것이다. 예로 무슬림권에 Internet으로 다량적으로 단시간적으로 복음을 소개할 수 있다.
 
2. 극단적인 복합적 세계
 
아시아인들은 전현대적, 현대적, 후현대사회를 동시에 경험하고 있다. 서구는 진보에 기초한 현대적 자신감을 상실하고 이제 후현대 사회를 만들어가고 있다.
 
진보는 서구선교사회를 충분히 복잡하게 만들었다. 이것은 이제 아시아에서도 마찬가지이다. 그런데 지금 전현대 아시아사회가 현대사회를 통과하려는 모습을 본다. 그런데 이런 통과가 끝나기도 전에 벌써 후 현대사회가 우리 앞마당에 들어 왔다.
 
이 시점에 Samuel P. Huntington의 "문명의 충돌"개념을 살펴 볼 필요가 있다. 그는 이 시대에 모든 문화의 지성인들이(elites)사이에 자신의 이전 전통과 문화를 기반으로 자신의 정체성을 찾으려는 운동이 확산되고 있다고 말한다. 이것은 국경과 세계 경제 및 기구의 영향력을 넘어선 문명충돌이라는 것이다. 기독교를 서구의 문화의 산물로 본 이슬람교 문명과 유교문명들의 충돌을 예로 들 수 있다.
 
이 논점이 사실이면 아니던 간에 그 속에 교훈점이 있다. 첫째, 내일의 세계문제는 단순치 않다는 것이고, 둘째, 아시아에 전통문화영향이 커질수록 복음의 상황화가 필요하다는 사실이다. 그리고 셋째는 대중이 아니라면 아시아 비기독교적 지성인이 기독교 선교에 적대적이라는 사실이다.
 
3. 인구변화
 
2000년에 세계인구는 63억인데 기독교는 33%(21억)그 나머지 67%는 비기독교인이다. 아시아에서는 단지 7%인구가 기독교인이다. 그리고 아시아의 중국, 인도, 인도네시아, 일본, 방글라데시, 파키스탄은 세계에서 가장 기독교인구가 적은 지역이다. 우리의 복음사역에 도전이 되는 사실이다.
 
동시에 아시아에 세계2/5의 빈곤층이 아시아에 있다. 15억이 의료지원을 받지 못하고 있다. 세계20%가 세계의 재산 83%를 가졌는데, 아시아에서는 빈부차이가 너무 급격히 벌어지고 있다. 복음이 가난한자를 보살피라 하면 오는 세대에는 더 큰 사명이 우리에게 주어질 것이다.
 
4. 서구 기독교 감소와 비 서구기독교 증가
 
1980년대에 기독교축이 서구에서 비서구사회로 옮겨졌다. 비서구지역에 기독교수가 더 많게 된 것이다. 또한 기독교의 복음주의적 오순절-카리스마적 형태의 확산이 비서구권에 이뤄졌다. 따라서 영적 생동력을 서구교회보다 더 갖게 되었다. 이것을 선교에 있어 우리에게 더 큰 책임이 있음을 보여 준 것이다.
 
이러한 운동은 비기독교 세계에 사는 기독인에게 새로운 도전을 주었다. 20세기에 중요신학적 관심은 자유주의 기독인들로부터 일어났다. 이것은 신앙의 근본주의적 교리를 부인하고 성경적 도덕성을 거부하고, 보편적 구원과 종교적 다원주의를 인정하려는 경향을 갖게 했다. 그러나 복음주의적운동의 확산, 아시아적 오순절운동, 그리고 자신감과 영적 생동력이 보다 성서적 신학으로 돌려 놓게 되었다.
 
아직도 대부분 신학서적들이 서구에서 출판된다. 그럼에도 비서구권에서 출판되는 책들이 증가되고 있다. 이러한 책들이 그리스도인의 구원의 경험과 과거의 정체성 가운데 아시아 교회가 발전하고 있음을 밝히는데 공헌키를 바란다.
 
이러한데서 비서구교회가 선교학적인 효율성면에 성숙한 모습을 보일 것이다. 이는 신학적 틀이 보다 토착적이고 선교적, 목회적 관심에 적절하게 이뤄지기 때문이다.
 

*선교사들의 토의!

한국선교역할

 
이러한 아시아 사회와 교회의 변화는 한국교회에 아시아 선교에 있어 적절한 역할을 기대케 한다.
 
1. 우리 앞에 거대한 과제가 놓여있다.
 
이는 한국교회 영적, 인적자원, 재정적이 아시아 교회에 축복이 되어질 것이다. 비서구교회가 Leadership를 발휘해야 할 과제가 주어졌다. 이는 서구교회가 자기생존문제로 에너지를 선교에 쓸 여력이 없어진다. 서구교회는 자신의 과제(이혼, 재혼, 낙태, 동성연대, 자유주의 신학등)과 전쟁하고 있다.
 
서구복음주의 교회들도 자신들의 전도에 에너지를 쏟는다면 남을 여력이 없을 것이다. 서구교회는 지금 활동하는 선교사들을 대체 할 힘이 없다고 하는 고백을 쉽게 들을 수 있다. 따라서 아시아 교회의 leadership, 특히 한국교회의 leadership을 기대한다.
 
2. 나눠줄 수 있는 한국교회의 힘
 
한국개신교 교회는 역경과 고난의 경험 그리고 성장, 기도의 힘, 용기, 주님에 대한 충성과 신실함을 아시아교회에 나눠줄 수 있다. 또한 한국 교회의 높은 교육수준과 신학수준이 우리에게 축복이 될 것이고 더 나아가 한국교회 재력 역시 우리에게 힘이 될 것이다.
 
3. 현지교회와 파트너쉽과 조력
 
서구교회의 인종적 우월 대신에 한국교회는 현지교회와 파트너 역할을 감당함과 한국교회의 네비우스 선교원리를 보여주기 바란다. 재정의 위력을 의지하기 보다 주안에서 겸손한 동역자가 되어주길 바란다.
 
4. 아시아의 참 상황 신학발전
 
네비우스 자치, 자전, 자족의 3원리에 아시아 자체신학을 발전시켜야 한다. 우리는 서구로부터 복음주의적 아니면 자유주의신학, 카리스마스적 아니면 반 카리스마적, 개혁 아니면 카톨릭, 에큐메니칼 아니면 등등 이뤄진 이원론적 신학적 조류를 빌려왔다.
 
그리고 현재 소위 "아시아 신학" 이라는 책들이 진,보 양진영에서 쓰여지지만 여전히 속은 서구 신학적이고 개몽주의 틀에 묶여있다. 복음이 진정 효율적이려면 수용자의 종교문화의 깊이에서 우러나는 질문에 대답할 수 있는 변증학과 성서신학을 우리는 이뤄야 할 것이다. 이는 아시아 토착종교를 파괴 할 수 있는 '영성'과 더불어 또 다른 병기이다.
 
중국에서는 1920년대에 기독교선교기반을 상실했다. 5·4운동 동안에 중국의 현대화와 문화갱신의 중국인의 관심에 기독교 선교는 적절한 대답을 하지 못하였다. 당시 중국은 외부의 모든 영향에 열려 있는 최적상태였다. 그럼에도 중국은 국가의 구원의 방법으로 그리스도 복음을 거절하였다. 이는 중국에 적절한 변증학, 상황신학이 준비되지 못했던 탓이다.
 
만일 헌팅턴의 주장(아시아 엘리트의 전통문화로 되돌아감)이 옳다면 우리는 적절한 상황적 변증학과 신학이 우리를 부르는 모든 선교지에서 차세대를 위해 마련되어야 한다.
 
여기에 한국교회의 공헌을 기대한다. 이를 위해 한국 선교사는 선교지에서 지역교회를 도와야 한다. 이는 한국교회 선교사의 교육적 자질을 믿기 때문이다.
 
더 나아가, 한국선교사의 선교부는 본국교회와 신학교들을 도전하여 국제적인 선교대학을 개발해야 한다. 이 학교는 단지 전도학, 교회 성장학, 역사, 선교신학만을 가르치는 것을 넘어, 보다 문화인류학과 아시아의 폭넓은 종교들과 문화를 가르쳐 아시아에 적절한 변증학과 신학을 개발해야 할 것이다.
 
이것이 한국 교회에게 주신 축복(영성, 경험, 인적자원, 재력)을 아시아 교회에게 나눠 줄 수 있는 한 방법이다.
(요약번역: 황테연 필리핀 선교사)

*  세계한인선교사회 지도력개발회의(Kuala Lumpur. 1999 년 10 월)

(*1999년 10월 쿠알라룸푸르에서 열린 "세계한인선교사회" 선교전략 세미나에서 "Dr. Hwa Yong 학장의 주제 강연입니다.)
------------------------------------------
<Presented at WKMF 1999 Korean Leadership Development Conference in Asia>

THE ROLE OF THE KOREAN MISSIONARY IN ASIA

 
Rev Dr. Hwa Yung
(Principal of Seminari Theoloji Malaysia)
 

* 특강: 화용 박사(1999년10월, KL)

The purpose of this paper is to analyze what the task of missions in Asia will be in the 21st Century from a missiological perspective. In light of this it will then make some suggestions as to how Korean missionaries can be more effective in their work. But before I begin, I need to make two clarifications. First, this paper has been written at very short notice and consequently, there has not been much time to do the necessary research to really make it really adequate or to polish it up. Second, I do not possess an in-depth knowledge of the Korean church or Korean missions, and the paper must be read in that light.
 
I will divide the paper into three sections. First, I will raise the question of what is the biblical understanding of mission. Second, I will briefly look at the shape of the world in the coming generation. Thirdly, in light of the above, I will venture to suggest some thoughts about what role Korean missionaries can play to advance the work of the Kingdom of God.
 
One other clarification needs to be made. In line with the distinction now made in missiological discussions, I use the term, mission, in the singular to refer to all that God commands His church to do, in continuation with the mission of His Son. The term, missions, in the plural is used to refer to cross-cultural missionary work, often outside of one's home country.
 
DEFINING THE MISSION OF THE CHURCH
 
Since the beginning of the 20th century, the debate about whether mission is evangelism or social action has raged between conservatives and liberals. Increasingly, Christians are recognizing that this debate is futile. Since the Lausanne World Congress of Evangelization in 1974, evangelicals have tended more and more to speak of holistic mission. Whilst the Lausanne Covenant does not use this language, nevertheless it states clearly that:
 
Although reconciliation with man is not reconciliation with God, nor is political liberation salvation, nevertheless we affirm that evangelism and socio-political involvement are both part of our Christian duty. For both are necessary ｅxpressions of our doctrines of God and man, our love for our neighbor and our obedience to Jesus Christ. (Lausanne Covenant [1974]: Para. on 'Christian Social Responsibility')
 
This clearly implies that the Christian's responsibility in this world includes both the work of proclaiming the Good News of salvation in Jesus Christ and socio-political action to care for the poor and needy, and to work for greater justice in God's world.
 
Theologically, this understanding of mission is supported by various lines of argument. First, we need to recognize that the theme of the Kingdom of God was central in Jesus' teaching and ministry. It concerns that kingly rule of God in all of life, both individual and corporate. This involves both individual repentance and faith in Christ on the one hand, and works of healing, mercy and justice, and also the deliverance of men and women from the power of Satan through exorcism on the other. (See for example, Rene Padilla, Mission Between the Times--Essays on the Kingdom [Grand Rapids, MI:Eerdmans, 1985]:188f.)
 
Further, it is now increasingly recognized that salvation is a comprehensive and multi-dimensional concept. Among evangelical Christians, perhaps this has been most clearly stated by the late Francis Schaeffer. Noting that our understanding of salvation has been corrupted by Greek thinking, he writes:
 
Much ... of what passes for Christianity does have the ring of Platonic thinking. Platonism says that the body is bad and is to be despised. The only thing that matters is the soul. But the Bible says God made the whole man, the whole man is to know salvation ... From the Christian point of view, all alienations ...that we find in man have come because of man's historic space-time fall. First, of all, man is separated from God; second, he is separated from himself, thus the psychological problems of life; third, he is separated from other men, thus the sociopolitical problems of life; fourth, he is separated from nature and thus the problems of living in the world, for example, the ecological problems. All these need healing.' (Death in the City [London:IVP, 1969]:74-76)
 
If the above reflects correctly the teaching of Scripture, then mission is multi-dimensional. It includes evangelism, the healing and deliverance ministries, and socio-political action. Within this understanding, evangelism has a theological priority over other aspects of mission because ultimately it is sin that lies at the heart of all of life's problem. Nevertheless, in practice, we need to follow the example of Jesus. He did not always begin with preaching the gospel. Rather, He met every person at his or her point of need--whether spiritual or emotional or social or physical. But He never stops there. Instead, beginning with their immediate needs as the points of contact, He invariably points them to their greatest need, which is to know God Himself! I believe this is what holistic mission is all about!
 

*이병호(주 말레이시사 대사)와 세계 한인 선교사회 임원들!

THE WORLD IN AD2000 AND BEYOND
 
Before we can properly answer the question of how we can be more effective in missions, we need to understand what the world of tomorrow would be like. I suggest that there are at least four trends that we must recognize.
 
1. A World of Rapid Changes
 
All of us recognize that things are moving very fast in our world today. I still remember the computer that I used to help me write my graduation thesis at university almost 30 years ago. It was a huge machine occupying a whole room, and had to be operated by specially trained technicians through a complex process using cards. Today, anyone of the new notebook computers that we have can do far more and much faster than that old junk. And even our children can operate them! It is clear that the PC together with the Internet has revolutionized our lives, and will continue to do so in a way that we still do not yet fully grasp!
 
Another example is the rapid pace at which economic growth has taken place in many parts of Asia. This growth has been partly fueled by the IT revolution that we have just mentioned, and also in part the result of the globalization process. This has meant that some places like Hong Kong and Singapore have leapfrogged from being developing societies to developed societies in about one generation, with present GNP higher than that of Britain, their previous colonial ruler. But globalization also has its side effects, as the recent economic down-turn in East Asia has so clearly demonstrated. Countries including both South Korea and Malaysia have been hit badly and are still struggling to emerge out of it.
 
Such rapid changes require us to have much wisdom to make the necessary paradigm shifts in our thinking to exploit the opportunities and avoid the pitfalls in the work of missions. For example, if our work has been built on pumping large sums of money into certain missions projects, the present economic down-turn would have caused serious set-backs. Or, if we are slow, we would miss out on the opportunities afforded by the Internet for spreading the Good News amongst Muslims, because it is very difficult to censor information on the Internet.
 
2. A World of Extreme Complexities
 
Western sociologists are wrestling increasingly with the transition of westerns societies from what is called modernity to post-modernity. Modernity is the intellectual and sociological framework produced by the Enlightenment, together with the progressive secularization of society, the technological and industrial development, the economic growth and consequent urbanization that have transformed western societies in the last 150 years. Postmodernity refers to the progressive loss of confidence in modernity in the west.
 
If the process is complicated enough in the western world, it is much more so in Asia. Here we have many societies that are still trying to emerge out of premodern world into the modern. But even before that transition is complete, they are already hit by the brave new world of postmodernity. A very simple example is found in the lives of many people from tribal background (premodern) who are living in big cities with their younger offsprings and watching television (modern), following programmes like Star Wars (with clearly postmodern features). Asian societies are sociologically very complex ones today.
 
As if this is not enough, we have Samuel P. Huntington, a Harvard professor, warning us about a coming clash of civilizations! (See his book The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order [New York:Simon & Schuster, 1996]). The gist of his book is that although the masses are increasingly westernized today, the elites in every culture have move increasingly back to define their identity in terms of their own past traditions and cultures. The result is that increasingly there will be clashes between the great civilizations of the world over territory and dominance in world economy and institutions. In particular the clash will be between the Western (Christian), Islamic and the Confucian civilizations.
 
Whether one agrees in total with Huntington's thesis, there are enough things happening in the world today to show that there are major elements of truth in it. What it does say to us concerning Christian missions is that, first, there will be no simple answers in the world of tomorrow. Secondly, because elites are increasingly going back to their cultural origins, the challenge to properly contextualize of the gospel will be intensify. Thirdly, there will be increasing hostility to Christian missions among the elites, if not the masses.
 

*김정웅, 노종해 부부, 신홍식 부부, 김유식 선교사!

3. Demographic Shifts
 
Some very important demographic changes are taking place today. First, by AD2000, the total population of the world will be about 6.3 billion. Christians will form about 2.1 billion (33%), and the rest of 4.2 billion (67%) will be non-Christians. Within Asia itself, Christians constitute about 7% of the total population. Further, the six countries (China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Bangladesh and Pakistan) in the world with the highest number of non-Christians are all found in Asia. The simple implication of these figures is that the task of evanglization is huge and far from over.
 
Countries like Korea and Malaysia are relatively wealthy country. We often do not realize what poverty means for many. But some facts may help. One in five people live in such poverty that their survival is at stake. Two in five are under‑nourished. 1.5 Billion do not have even minimal health care. 20% of the world's richest possess 83% of the world's wealth, with the rich getting richer and the poor poorer. If Christian mission includes sharing the love of Christ with the poor and needy, then again the task before us is immense.
 
4. The Decline of Western and the Growth of Non-Western Churches
 
The past fifty years have witnessed the phenomenon growth of the church in the non-western world, parallel by a steady decline in the west. Sometime in the 1980s, the center of gravity of the Christian world moved out of the western world into the non-western world, with the absolute number of Christians in the latter exceeding that of the former for the first time in modern history. Side by side with this, we have witnessed a resurgence of evangelical and pentecostal-charismatic forms (i.e. those that place a strong emphasis on the empowering of the Holy Spirit and his gifts) of Christianity worldwide, especially in the non-western world. The result is that often churches in Asia, Africa and Latin America display a much great spiritual vitality than many in the west. This can only mean that increasingly the responsibility for world missions will fall on the shoulders of the non-western churches.
 
But this trend carries another challenge which is slowly but surely being taken up by Christians in the non-western world. During much of this century, the agendas that have dominated theological discussions--even if we have not agreed with them--have often come from liberal Christianity. These include the denial of the fundamental doctrines of faith, the rejection of biblical morality, and the increasing tendency to affirm universal salvation and religious pluralism. With the resurgence of evangelicalism worldwide and the increasing impact of the pentecostal and charismatic movements worldwide, together with the surge in the confidence and spiritual vitality of non-western churches, increasingly we are seeing a return to a more biblical theology.
 
Admittedly, most of the writings are still coming out from the churches in the west. But at the same time there is a growing evangelical theological literature that is coming out from the non-western world. Most of these are much more contextually relevant to the churches in the non-western world. Hopefully this trend will intensify as the churches grow in confidence in their own identity and experience of salvation in Christ. As this happens more and more, the non-western churches will also increase in their missiological effectiveness. Because they will then be operating out of a theological framework that is truly indigenous, and hence much more relevant to their missiological and pastoral concerns. We will return to this important issue below.
 

* 세계한인선교사회 지도력개발회의 특강 후(중앙-화용 박사, 1999년10월, KL)

THE ROLE OF THE KOREAN MISSIONARY
 
The above are four important trends that we need to pay attention to as we think about the work of missions in Asia in the coming generation. In light of these, I would like now to suggest a few thoughts on what role the Korean missionary can play in missions in Asia.
 
1. There is Still a Huge Task Before Us
 
The first is that the facts above indicate that there is still a huge missionary task before us in Asia, as well as in the rest of the world. The Korean church possess much spiritual, human and material resources which can be a real blessing to other churches in Asia.
 
I believe it is time for the churches in Asia and other parts of the non-western world to increasingly take on the leadership in the worldwide mission of the church. Earlier we noted that there is within the church in the west a gradual decline. Further, because of the pressures of modernity and postmodernity in western societies, the churches there will more and more find themselves fighting for their integrity and survival in the coming days. Notice the battle they face on morals issues like divorce and remarriage, abortion and homosexuality, and their continuing battle with liberal theology in their churches. Even if the evangelical and pentecostal-charismatic churches do win those battles in the future (which is not at all certain in light of the existing state of affairs), their energies will be so drained that they will increasingly have little left for effective missions elsewhere. Finally, for these and other reasons, fewer and fewer western Christians are offering themselves for missionary service. One senior American missionary leader informed me that American missionary societies are facing a crisis because they are getting less and less recruits nowadays.
 
Thus, if non-western churches fail to exercise leadership in the days ahead, the worldwide missionary task will be in serious danger. Thankfully, over the past generation, more and more non-western churches are sending out cross-cultural missionaries into the field. We must pray that this trend will grow more and more, and that we will see many more Korean missionaries (as well as others) being sent forth in the future.
 
2. Korean Christians Have Much to Share
 
The Korean church is the strongest Protestant church in Asia today. As a church, it has gone through much difficulty and suffering in the first half of this century. Yet God has been gracious to the Korean church, and has enabled it to grow and mature through faithfulness, courage and much prayer. The experiences that the church has gone through are invaluable. Among the lessons that the Korean church can share with others are: faithfulness of in the midst of persecution, the life of prayer, lessons in church growth, and a genuine concern for world missions.
 
Again, because of the longer history of the Korean church and the higher national educational standards, many Korean missionaries have a more advanced theological training than local church leaders. Thus another area in which the Korean missionary can share is to use his or her theological training to help local Christians grow in their understanding of God's truth. Further, because God has blessed the Korean church so much materially, I am sure that He desires that the Korean church will use her material wealth as a blessing to the churches and peoples of other lands.
 

*선교대회 임원들!

3. True Partnership with and Strengthening National Churches
 
In the past, one of the fundamental mistakes that western missions made was that they tended to be ethnocentric and take a very patronizing attitude towards the people they were working amongst in the non-western world. They imposed their own worldviews and theology upon those in the mission field. They used money and their educational superiority to control the local churches. The result was that many churches in the mission field took a long time to grow towards genuine independence, because mature leaders took far too long to emerge.
 
The 19th century missionary statesman, Henry Venn, was the first to propound the idea that indigenous churches must be 'self-supporting, self-governing, and self-extending.' In this he was far ahead of his time. This has now become standard missionary principles in working in a cross-cultural setting. But it is far from clear that missionaries, both western and non-western, have taken this principle to heart in their actual practice of missions.
 
I have seen for myself many western missionaries in the past in this country who have actually failed to live this out in their lives and ministries. They still come behaving like 'fathers' and 'mothers' who know better, rather than as 'brothers' and 'sisters' who treat the local Christians as equals. Many missionaries find it difficult to have a servant's heart. I must also say that I have been to countries in Asia where Korean missionaries are working, and sometimes I have heard similar stories of insensitivity. This includes the practice of some missionaries who use money as a means of winning influence among the local Christians.
 
The goal of missions is to develop mature and independent indigenous churches in the mission field. This can only come when we desire to work in real partnership with the local Christians. This concern for a real partnership often requires us to have the humility to be a true servant to the local church, and to avoid using money or our superior education to assert control over the people we work among. To do this as Christ want us to will always be the greatest challenge to all of us who are missionaries.
 
4. Developing Genuine Contextual Theologies in Asia
 
For a church to become mature and independent, it must not only be 'self-supporting, self-governing, and self-extending.' It must also be 'self-theologizing' so that it can express its own sense of identity in Christ with a genuine indigenous or contextual theology. Much of the theologies that float around in the Asian church have been borrowed directly from the west--whether evangelical or liberal, charismatic or anti-charismatic, reformed, catholic, ecumenical, or so forth. Even many of the so-called Asian theologies that have been written in Asia, both conservative or ecumenical, as still basically western theologies at heart, conditioned by the Enlightenment worldview. (See Hwa Yung, Mangoes or Bananas--The Quest for an Authentic Asian Christian Theology [Oxford:Regnum, 1997]).
 
But if the church is going to be really effective in reaching out to the local people, it must have an apologetic and a biblical theology that address the questions that are asked from within the religio-cultural matrix of the people it is trying to reach. Such an apologetic theology will take seriously the traditional worldviews, cultures and religions of the peoples of Asia, and demonstrate clearly how and why Christ is relevant to the most perplexing questions that these pose. Further, it will also take the whole spiritual realm and the ministry of 'signs and wonders' much more seriously, because it will not be held captive to a western Enlightenment worldview which denies the the world of spirits and the miraculous. The failure to do develop such truly indigenous theologies in earlier years may well be one of the key reasons why we have yet to see a major breakthrough in reaching Hindus, Muslims and the peoples of Japan and many parts of China.
 
This appears to illustrated by the failure of Christian missions in China in the 1920s. During the May 4th Movement of that period, Christianity was severely attacked and strongly rejected by the intelligentsia because it did not seem to have any adequate answers to China's concern for modernization and cultural rejuvenation. The church simply lacked an effective apologetic to commend the gospel to the nation as a whole. Thus at a time, when China for the first time in her long history, open herself to and welcomed all sorts of foreign influence--intellectual and educational, scientific and technological--in her search for national salvation, she rejected the gospel of Christ. (See Lam Wing-Hung, Chinese Theology in Construction [Pasadena, CA:William Carey Library, 1983]) Without an effective apologetic, it was simply not possible to have an adequate contextual theology for the church to effectively penetrate Chinese soil and go very far in evangelizing the world's largest mission field.
 
If this is the case, and if Huntington is right that increasingly elites are moving back towards greater religio-cultural indigenization, then one of the main challenge to missions in the coming generation is the development of an adequate contextual apologetic and theology in every individual field to which we are called. This is another area where I believe Korean missionaries and missions can make a vital contribution in the future. In practice, it means that wherever we are, we must strive to help the local church to develop a proper contextual apologetic and theology. And with the theological training and often stronger educational background that many Korean missionaries have, they are in position to do much to help here.
 
Moreover, I believe Korean missionary societies should challenge the Korean churches and seminaries back in Korea to develop world-class missiological schools. These schools will study subjects like evangelism, church growth, and history and theology of missions in depth. They will also focus on cultural anthropology, and the broad range of Asian religions (Buddhism, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam, etc.) and cultures, as a means of helping the Asian church to develop effective contextual apologetics and theologies so that the gospel can be proclaimed in a way that the local people can understand. Finally, because of our concern for wholistic mission, they will also look at the relationship between revival, evangelism and changed values on the one hand, and issues of poverty, economic growth, political justice and changed societies on the other. This I believe is one area that the Korean churches can do much to advance the cause of missions in Asia, because of the large amount of human, financial, theological and spiritual resources which the Korean church possess.*

*세계 한인 선교사, 특강 후 커피타임!