A Reflection on Korean Christian Legacies and Christian Mission

A Reflection on Korean Christian Legacies and Christian Mission Sungmoon Lee Introduction When missionaries introduce Christianity employing resources of the recipient peoples’ context, the recipients often show two different attitudes towards their own cultures: they either embrace some or all of the religious resources from their own culture, or they reject their culture’s religious resources in order to more fully adopt the Christian faith which the missionaries introduce to them. In the case of Korea, where Scripture is highlighted as the only criterion of Christian faith, resources used in the process of establishing Korean Christianity have rarely come from the Korean context. Korean Christians (especially the first generation of Korean Christians) have generally followed the missionaries’ interpretation of Scripture as the reliable criterion of their faith, and this without consideration of Korea’s own contributions to the conversation. Today’s Korean churches are indebted to the first Korean Christians who defended Christianity by renouncing faiths such as Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, and Korean traditional religions. Even though Korean Christians’ general attitude toward these traditional faiths is negative, it does not mean these faiths have had no effect on Christianity in Korea. However, many contemporary Korean churches follow Christian mission models introduced from extra-cultural missions (i.e. mega-churches from the United States and Korea) with little consideration of the missional resources native to Korea. Such neglect to the recipient culture has historically resulted in transmitting a hegemonic Christianity of the colonizer to other contexts; the history of many Asian churches offer harsh reminders of such insensitive missions. At the same time, these same churches can use their unique Christian legacies to develop an alternative approach to Christian mission in which missionaries support the recipients as they develop a contextualized Christianity using the cultural resources of the receiving people. The Korean Christian experience is but one example. I shall proceed by exploring the contributions of the first complete Korean translation of the Bible to Korean society and Christian mission in the 1900’s. This translation allowed Korean Christians to transmit the Gospel in their own tongue and to a greater number of people. Alongside the role of this Scripture in Korean Christian mission, I suggest an alternative contextual mission approach: mission as sharing. To this end, I introduce Rev. Kyoung Ok Jung’s account of his meeting with Se Jong Lee. Their encounter offers new insights for Christian missions serving people in different contexts who are already exposed to the Korean Christian Scripture. The importance of compassion as a distinctive character of Christianity is then drawn out in the clear distinction between interreligious dialogue and sharing narratives so important in mission work. Tracking the History: Contributions of the First Korean-language Bible The key to broader access of the Christian faith to the common Korean people was the ability to share narratives in the vernacular, whether those of Scripture or of one’s personal experience in the faith. A complete Korean-language translation of the Bible was not available until 1911. Around the turn of the 20th century, three different written languages were used in Korea: Chinese, pure Korean (Un-mun), and a mixed script. . James S. Gale, Korea in Transition, (Nashville, TN: Publishing House of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, 1909), 136. The Chinese language was regarded as the language of the elite, whereas pure Korean considered the language of the common people, disvalued because of its simplicity. As such, the Chinese Bible was accessible only to the elite of society. By the collaboration between western missionaries and Korean translators, the Korean Bible was born, becoming a tool for communicating a foreign culture and religion to the common people. . Deok-Joo Rhie, “Indigenization of the Gospel by ‘the first generation Korean Bible’: Historico-theological meaning of the centennial year of the first translation of the whole Bible in Korea” in Canon & Culture Vol. 4 No. 1, (2010): 106-8. Translated into English by Sungmoon Lee. The Christian Scripture was now available to the common people. Rev. James Gale, a Presbyterian missionary from Canada, reported the excellence of pure Korean (Un-mun) and its usefulness in Christian mission: Korea’s native script is surely the simplest language in the world. Invented in 1445 A.D., it has come quietly down the dusty ages. Never used, it was looked on with contempt as being so easy. Why, even women could learn it in a month or little more; of what use could such a cheap script be? By one of those mysterious providences it was made ready and kept waiting for the New Testament and other Christian literature... They [the elite] call it Un-mun, the ‘dirty language,’ because it is so simple and easy as compared with proud Chinese picture writing. God surely loves the humble things of life. Tied in the belts of the women are New Testaments in common Korean; in the pack of the mountaineers on their brisk journeying; in the wall-box of the hamlet home; piled up on the shelf of the living room are these books in Un-mun telling of Yesu (Jesus), mighty to save. . James S. Gale, Korea in Transition, 137-8. Since pure Korean (Un-mun) was not a recognized language around the early 1900s as were Chinese or mixed script, the first Korean Bible’s advent played a significant role in establishing the value of the Korean language. The earlier so-called “Korean Bible” was actually a version written in Chinese characters, and thus, only accessible to the intelligentsia. The common Koreans who could only speak pure Korean had to accept what the elite explained of Scripture. They remained passive receivers of the Gospel. Missionaries working in Korea saw the importance of pure Korean to their mission work. Some proposals written at the conclusion of the annual meeting of the Presbyterian missionaries in Korea (1893) represented their aim at mission work in Korea: The Word of God converts where people are without resources; therefore, it is most important that we make every effort to place a clear translation of the Bible before the people as soon as possible. In all literary work, a pure Korean, free from cynicisms, should be our aim. . C. C. Vinton, “Presbyterian Mission Work in Korea” in The Missionary Review of the World, (1983): 671. Kwang Soo Lee, a progenitor of Korean modern literature, wrote: It is Christianity that makes Koreans reconsider that Korean [Un-mun] is a language. As the precious Old and New Testaments and Christian hymnals are translated into Korean, the Korean language now gains authority as a language. There are the explanatory literatures of the Chinese books; however, they are not distributed [to many Koreans] and did not deserve to be called as translation... Although the Korean Bible is not a perfect translation yet, it is revolutionary as the first literature to contain noble philosophy and thoughts through the pure Korean language. . Deok-Joo Rhie, “Indigenization of the Gospel by ‘the first generation Korean Bible’”, 109. Requoted from Kwang Soo Lee, (1917) “The Blessings of Jesus Religion [Christianity] to Joseon Dynasty” (耶穌敎의 朝鮮에 준 恩惠) in Chong chon (靑春) Vol. 9. Translated into English by Sungmoon Lee. As a committee member who participated in translating the Bible into the Korean language, James S. Gale noted that the Korean-language Bible was the longest piece of Korean literature since the language’s invention in 1444. This Bible proved to the elite that pure Korean was able to express complicated and noble thoughts without any loss of dignity to Scripture. In short, the first Korean-language Bible contributed to the rediscovery of the usefulness of Un-mun to the common Korean. . Ibid, 114-5. In terms of Christian mission, the Korean-language Bible became a valuable tool for increasing the accessibility of the Scriptures to all the Korean people. Context-familiar Alternatives: The Report of Rev. Kyoung Ok Jung With access to the Korean-language Scripture, the necessity of articulating the Christian faith in dialogue was raised by many Korean Christians. In the 1930s, Rev. Kyoung Ok Jung was appointed as a professor at the Methodist Theological Seminary in Seoul after finishing his Bachelor of Divinity (what is now Master of Divinity) at Garrett Biblical Institute (now Garrett–Evangelical Theological Seminary) and his Master of Theology (Th.M) at Northwestern University in 1931. Jung taught at Methodist Theological Seminary in Seoul from 1931 until 1945. His passion and intelligence made him known among students and faculty members as an outstanding scholar and professor. Jung seriously considered the importance of reflecting contextual characteristics in theology, which he articulated in his book, Introduction to Christian Theology: It is required to construct theology by respecting the distinctive traditions of Christianity and discerning Christian truth. At the same time, it is equally important to be attentive to the necessity of our society through a careful discernment and observation when [theologians] constructing our theology… Christianity belongs to the whole world. Therefore, the mission of doing theology in this era is to construct a contextualized Christianity by reflecting on the scheme of our culture and society. . Deok-Joo Rhie, “The Korean Inculturalized Theology and Spirituality in the Early Period of Korea: Exploring the Theology and Spirituality of Rev. Byeong Heon Choi and Rev. Kyoung Ok Jung” in Theology and the World Vol. 53, (2005): 204-5. Requoted from Kyoung Ok Jung, The Introduction to Christian Theology, (Seoul, Methodist Theological Seminary, 1939), 17. Translated into English by Sungmoon Lee. After six years as a professor, Jung suddenly resigned from his post in 1937 because teaching students for the sake of academic discipline had become routine. He decided to leave the seminary and went to his hometown not for financial, political, or physical reasons, but for his spiritual revitalization. For him, it was meaningless to teach theology without the connection to the spiritual life in the actual world. He did not return to the university for two years. . Ibid, 206-8. While Jung lived in the countryside, he met Se Jong Lee, a former farmer. Lee had obtained a Korean Bible from a peddler, began reading it, and discovered the truth of Christianity as he interpreted it. As Jung introduced western theological concepts and saints who emulated the life of Jesus Christ during their conversations, Lee would answer with his own theology based on his personal understanding of Scripture. Jung, an expert in Christian theology, was astonished by his conversations with Se Jong Lee, who was living a spiritual life through the Bible. Jung would write a book, Saints in Joseon Dynasty: Finding Hidden Saints, based upon the conversations he shared with Lee. Jung related that he felt the depth of Lee’s spirituality because of his absolute obedience and purity. Lee does not have any access to theological education nor does he refer to bible commentaries by any prominent theologians. But he interprets the Bible in his way and receives the Holy Spirit in contemplation… Lee can memorize almost all [the] Scriptures. Although Lee’s Bible interpretation tends to show somehow abstract and symbolic aspects, he accepts the Bible in a literal sense. No one can deny his extraordinary spirituality, because Lee possesses strong will to practice spirituality in actual life. Living according to the Bible seems [to be] the top priority of his life. . Jung, The Introduction to Christian Theology, 37. Translated into English by Sungmoon Lee. Kyoung Ok Jung was inspired by Lee’s Korean ascetic practice in imitation of Jesus Christ. Even though Jung decided to spend time recharging his own spirit, sharing narratives about imitating the life of Jesus with Se Jong Lee taught him that searching for the truth of Christianity cannot only be found outwardly in formal study, but is also found inwardly, spiritually, in the imitation of Jesus. Here we see Kyoung Ok Jung’s openness to accepting the possibility of contextualized Christianity from a non-academic indigenous person, and he continued to investigate and reveal the Gospel in the Korean context through his conversations with Lee. In his book, He Lives Like This, Jung describes Lee as one of pilgrims who inculturated Jesus Christ in Korea. . Deok-Joo Rhie, “Indigenization of the Gospel by ‘the first generation Korean Bible’”, 214-7. Mission as Sharing From the perspective of Christian mission, we can say that Kyoung Ok Jung is a transmitter of Christianity; Lee is a recipient of Christianity by his having accepted the Korean Bible. At the first glance, Lee may be classified as an immature Christian insofar as he does not confess his Christian faith as other Korean Christians do. Even though both Jung and Lee lived in the same Korean context, their different religious backgrounds both contributed to Christian mission in Korea by demonstrating how the recipient culture’s insight into Scripture can be used to develop a contextual Christianity. We also see in Jung’s and Lee’s interactions that missionaries do not have to presuppose that recipients have no previous exposure to Christianity, simply because they do not fit their own definition of an “authentic Christian.” As a formally trained theologian, Jung and Lee embodied two very different types of Christian understanding and living. Wilbert R. Shenk writes: “The missionary’s role is to bear witness to what it means to be ‘in Christ’ and live within the new order of the kingdom of God. Christological openness toward culture does not begin with judgment but with relationship.” . Wilbert R. Shenk, “Recasting Theology of Mission” in Landmark Essays in Mission and World Christianity, edited by Robert L. Gallagher and Paul Hertig, (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2009), 123. Emphasis mine. In the alternative Christian mission model that I propose, the story of Jesus Christ should be the primary narrative missionaries should share with others. But how should missionaries share the narrative of Jesus Christ? The report of Rev. Kyoung Ok Jung offers a direction. Rather than asking, “What would Jesus do in this context?”, as missionaries have done in the past, I argue that the question should be, “What is Jesus doing in this context?”. Even though there are some people unfamiliar with Christianity, we need to be careful about labeling the people living in a mission field as non-Christians, as those who do not fit our definition of “authentic Christians.” The question, “What would Jesus do in this context?” can imply the imposition of the transmitters’ interpretation of Christianity. On the contrary, approaching mission with the question, “What is Jesus doing in this context?”, reduces this danger. Looking back at the conversations between Kyoung Ok Jung and Se Jong Lee which were based on the Scriptural narrative of Jesus Christ and their own spiritual narratives of Jesus working in their lives, we see that these two figures were able to share their own narratives and learn from the other. Here opens the opportunity to see how “conversion to Jesus Christ means embracing a new identity.” . Wibert R. Shenk, “Recasting Theology of Mission”, 119. Their narrative sharing also sheds a light on the differences between mission and interreligious dialogue. Stephen B. Bevans and Roger P. Schroeder argue that “each [interreligious] dialogue partner needs to be a person of full conviction in her or his faith.” . Stephen B. Bevans and Roger P. Schroeder, Prophetic Dialogue: Reflections on Christian Mission Today, (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2004), 151. Emphasis mine. Interreligious dialogue is meaningful in terms of learning a new perspective when searching for the truth, but there is no active pursuit of conversion of the other. When we consider Shenk’s argument on the role of the missionary, it would seem a mission model more in line with interreligious dialogue would not provide enough space to share the different narratives of Jesus Christ as experienced by each individual; no sharing would take place. If the result of such intra-religious dialogue stays at the level of simply acknowledging the diversity in shared faith (like interreligious dialogue), there will be no forward motion in developing a contextualized Christianity, which remains the goal of missiological work. A Possible Worry About Syncretism As an alternative mission approach, I value the mission of sharing model because it allows the recipients to participate in the biblical narrative and appreciate Christianity spontaneously. In the process of contextualizing Christianity in a certain culture, some recipients may decide to renounce their traditional religious practices, while others may create a new form of Christianity. Some transmitters of the Gospel, though, may be worried about such “syncretism that saps the vitality of Christian life.” . Wilbert R. Shenk, “Recasting Theology of Mission”, 119. What characteristic of Christianity might protect the faith from such a vitality-sapping syncretism? I submit compassion as a criterion to distinguish a contextualized Christianity from outright religious syncretism. When it comes to sharing the biblical narratives with recipients of the Gospel, both missionaries and recipients must cooperate to imitate Jesus Christ in their lives. If someone wields the biblical narrative to nurture personal spirituality that is not directed towards his or her neighbor, it cannot be regarded as an effort to construct a contextualized Christianity. If a person engages in sharing the biblical narrative and does truly show compassion towards their neighbor, we can say that he or she is a Christian in her/ his context. It can be difficult for an equal relationship between missionaries and recipients to grow when missionaries assume superiority by taking advantage of the cultural background of the mission field. However, if the missionary acts with compassion in the different missiological context as they share the narrative of Jesus Christ, they will be less likely to take advantage of their position in Christian mission. Conclusion There is an old Korean saying: “Reviewing the old and learning the new.” It indicates that learning something new can be done not only by receiving new ideas from outside, but also by rediscovering valuable resources from the past. In this vein, I found a positive contribution to Christian mission in the first pure Korean translation of the Bible because it allowed the common people of Korea to access to the Christian Scriptures in a language that was characteristically Korean. Rev. Kyoung Ok Jung’s effort to search for spontaneous Christian spirituality also allowed me to suggest an alternative Christian mission model less prone to slipping into syncretism: mission as sharing. The mission as sharing model requires a solid foundation to communicate with receptors of Christianity. Although extended time is helpful for missionaries to create circumstances in which to share Christianity with the receptors, short-term Christian mission from churches is often the case in a cross-cultural Christian mission. Instead of preparing some programs or events, it is effective to provide chances for the receptors to find similar aspects with Christian faith from these resources. Since the receptors have better knowledge about these resources than the missionaries, receptors have less danger of losing initiative in establishing Christianity within their context. As Korean churches start engaging in their own transmission of Christianity to other countries, they should look to their own Christian mission legacy. As we have seen, many problems regarding the establishment of Christianity in the recipients’ context can occur when the transmitters of Christianity believe that their particular Christian faith is the authentic way. It is necessary to investigate a genuine meaning of Scripture through studying biblical context, but it is likewise necessary to consider contemporary missiological contexts in which Scripture is read. If there are indigenous Christian resources, they should be equally valued as tools of constructing new forms of Christianity in an act of compassion through sharing. I hope that a mission as sharing model contributes to the Christian mission of Korean churches and churches in other countries. BIBLIOGRAPHY English Resources Bevans, Stephen B. and Schroeder, Roger P. Prophetic Dialogue: Reflections on Christian Mission Today. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2004. Cardoza-Orlandi, Carlos F. Mission as Essential Guide. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2002. Vinton, C. C. “Presbyterian Mission Work in Korea.” The Missionary Review of the World, (1983): 665-71. Gale, James S. Korea in Transition. Nashville, TN: Publishing House of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, 1909. Costas, Orlando E. “Captivity and Liberation in the Modern Missionary Movement.” Landmark Essays in Mission and World Christianity. Edited by Robert L. Gallagher and Paul Hertig. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2009. Schreiter, Robert J. “Reconciliation as a Model of Mission.” Landmark Essays in Mission and World Christianity. Edited by Robert L. Gallagher and Paul Hertig, Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2009. Shenk, Wilbert R. “Recasting Theology of Mission.” Landmark Essays in Mission and World Christianity. Edited by Robert L. Gallagher and Paul Hertig. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2009. Korean Resources Jung, Hang-Yeop. “The Characters of Korean Theism and Korean Churches.” Christian Thought Vol. 392, (1991): 124-35. Jung, Kyoung Ok. The Introduction to Christian Theology. Seoul, Methodist Theological Seminary, 1939. Lee, Won-Gue. “Religious Diffusion and Cultural Conflict as related to the Problem of the Christian Mission.” Phenomenon and Recognition Vol. 104, (2008): 59-82. Rhie, Deok-Joo. “The Korean Inculturalized Theology and Spirituality in the Early Period of Korea: Exploring the Theology and Spirituality of Rev. Byeong Heon Choi and Rev. Kyoung Ok Jung.” Theology and the World Vol. 53, (2005): 189-221. Rhie, Deok-Joo. “Indigenization of the Gospel by ‘the first generation Korean Bible’: Historico-theological meaning of the centennial year of the first translation of the whole Bible in Korea.” Canon & Culture Vol. 4 No. 1, (2010): 75-125. 2