All mankind turn to a certain or any possible helps as they face their inabilities in getting their needs. Insofar as mankind are praying beings at any rate, it would not be an overstatement to say that the Christian faith and its teaching about prayer are as much practicing and emphasizing as to overwhelm the teachings of other religions and the practices of menkind in general.
Then the following questions such as to the characteristics of the Christian prayer, the reason to pray, the criterion of true prayer, and what and how the prayer should be done etc. should be legitimately raised. The reason for raising the questions is not merely because the Christian praxis of faith is a matter of faith-practice of what is known (fides quaerens intellectum), but raising the questions is also necessary because we must establish the Christian identity of our prayer through a responsible theological reflection upon the Scriptures so long as we remember the value and purpose of the Christian existence is for the world. In other words, our prayer must truly be the Christian prayer upon which we have to propose the necessity as well as the justification of the Christian prayer to the world. Further, we should also be able to suggest the world that prayer is a very practical matter that is related to the problems of all mankind’s realities.
The author, with regard to such a view of Christian prayer, had studied Karl Barth’s view in advance who had developed the theology of Christian prayer in depth as the most influential Christian theologian in the Western Christendom in 20th century. I have found Barth’s theology of prayer to be a product of theologically deepened insights based upon the Scriptures as well as the Reformers thoughts. Considering Christian prayer, however, is not only a matter of theory but it is also a matter of praxis, I intend to broaden and deepen the horizon of Christians’ views of prayer by comparing the most outstanding theologian Karl Barth with the most distinctive practical minister Youngsan Yonggi Cho.
With regard to such a doctrine of Christian prayer, the thesis author pays attention to the views of Karl Barth and Youngsan in particular. The main reason for comparing Barth and Youngsan is that while Barth as the most influential reformed Christian dogmatician in the 20th century draws out a significant theological discourses upon the Christian prayer, Youngsan who is known as the ‘champion’ of the Christian prayer experiential as the representative of the most practical pastor dismantles a Christian view of prayer, and regards prayer as the most important cause for Church revival and growth.
The manner of thesis approach and development shall be in the following procedures. First, we will analyse the views of both Barth and Youngsan in order. Second, we will deal with the theological issues and their implications that emerge from their concurrences, similarities, and contrarieties. Third, instead of conclusive remarks, we will enhance some critical but constructive questions for future developments of prayer after a few key theological discussions as a result of analyses based upon our estimations of the two views on the Christian prayer.
Acts reports that Ananias and Sapphira died because of the deception of the Holy Spirit. They had a piece of property. They sold a piece of property and contributed to the Christian community. But what they donated was not the full amount of the property, but some that were left behind. Acts states that these acts are deception of the Holy Spirit. This explanation of the book of Acts is contrary to the common messages of the gospel of Jesus. The content of the gospel of Jesus is to call sinners to salvation. Although they hid part of the money, they did offer for the Christian community. This message of Acts is also contrary to the purpose of the book of Acts. Because the book of Acts is about preaching the gospel and gathering people and planting churches. The Holy Spirit helps people to believe and to plant churches where the gospel is preached. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to study again the cause of the death of Ananias Sapphira, which is reported by Acts. The historical approach will be an important tool for this study.
This research has shown that they are not simply selling their possessions and hiding some of them. First, the hiding of some of their property was not entirely united with what the community pursued. Early Christian community members had ideals that were both united economically and faithfully. Their ideal was to share their property. But Ananias and Sapphira did not become one in this early church community.
Second, reports that Sapphira knew what her husband had done meant that they planned the work together. In this point, the sin of Sapphira and Ananias is the same. Therefore, Peter declared that Ananias and Sapphira deceived the Holy Spirit not only by their act of hiding parts of the property. It means that their minds are not fully consistent with the ideals of the early church community. Nevertheless, they came into the church community and acted as if they were a whole heart. This is their sin. The Holy Spirit protects the Church community and keeps the church community holy.
Key Words
초기교회 공동체, 아나니아와 삽비라, 숨김, 성령, 케투바, Early Christian Community, Anania and Sappira, Concealment, Holy Spirit, Kethuba
Toward a Desirable Pentecostal Biblical Hermeneutics 바람직한 오순절적 성경 해석을 향해
Most of so called modern Pentecostal scholars: author centered modern interpreters and reader centered post-modern interpreters, have a common feature that they are reading the Bible through Higher/Historical Criticism. As a result, the written experiences is deprived of the historicity, and they become different from pre-written experiences. And because of the outcome, the basis of Pentecostalism, modern readers should re-experience the experiences written in the Bible, especially the Baptism in the Spirit with speaking in tongues, is being destroyed.
To overcome such problem, a desirable Pentecostal Hermeneutics must be “Consistent Experiences Interpretation which makes the experiences of modern readers consistent with pre-written experiences and written experiences(of the Bible), anti-Enlightenmental “Interpretation Performed with Born Again Reason,” “Interpretation Based upon the Biblical World View, and “Continuational-Cannonical-Historical-Grammatical-Theological Interpretation.
Both Higher Criticism/Historical Criticism and Cessationism are similar with the towel covered the face of Moses (2 Cor. 3:13-18). They are between the Bible and modern readers, and cover up the eyes of readers like the towel which covered the Old Testament. Pentecostals who are in the Spirit have to take away Historical Criticism and Cessationism as Paul took away Moses’ towel and as earl Pentecostalist, such as Parham, rejected Higher-historical Criticism. In doing so, Classical Petecostalists have to develop peculiar Hermeneutics which can overcome cessational Fundamentalism, Modern Liberalism rejecting supernatural things, Neo-Orthodox/Neo-Evangelism mixing modern historical criticism with revelation, and Postmodernism rejecting the absolute, and can protect cannonical orthodoxy Pentecostal theology and experiences and make them abundant.
This paper is a preliminary research project to understand what the theological mission of the Pentecostal movement in the 21st century and modern Pentecostal theology should aim at and where the theological research theme is located. In the current period of long-term church stagnation, this academic task first seeks the validity of the study, from the re-interpretation of the historical context of the faith movement to newly illuminating the history of the dynamic spiritual experience in the collective suffering of the nation. The origin of this research theme is that the Holy Spirit movement in Korean Christianity was not a history of subjective faith developed in the religious and individual realm. Re-evaluation of the history of the Holy Spirit movement is not merely reaffirming the faith movement that occurred in the past history, but it has a creative research purpose to find out what the future movement of the Holy Spirit and the Pentecostal theology should go through.
In this sense, this study suggests a theoretical model of practical faith movement centered on the direction of faith and theology of Pentecostal church ultimately, social and ethical responsibility consciousness. The task of the theology that should strive for the social public-ness and the common good of the civil society is the need to establish social ecclesiology based on public responsibility. In this study, I will present a research alternative through the analysis of Bonhoeffer’s sociological theories of churches and discuss the possibility of the exercise of equal experience of faith from below, that is, the possibility of laity community theology.
Key Words
공적 책임성, 한국 성령운동, 오순절 신학, 윤리적 책임의식, 종교개혁 신학, 사회적 공공성, 사회학적 교회론, Public Responsibility, Korean Holy Spirit Movement, Pentecostal Theology, Ethical Responsibility, Reformed Theology, Social Publicity, Sociological Ecclesiology
A Study of the Five-Sense Multi-Therapy as a Christian Natural Healing 기독교 자연치유로서 오감 멀티테라피에 대한 연구
Korean churches have experienced “supernatural healing” and “inner healing” ministries. The former refers to healing through prayers, whereas the latter refers to healing within unconscious inner wounds by the Holy Spirit. Recently, healing through harnessing the nature, natural healing, has shed a new light on incurable and chronic illnesses. Western medicine has shown its weaknesses and the public started to take a interest in natural healing.
Under these circumstances, the author examined the possibility of Christian natural healing based on the biblical outlook. Could Christian natural healing settle down as a part of the church’s healing ministry? Could Jesus Christ take His lordship in the area of natural healing?
To answer above questions, this article studies a couple of potentialities within natural healing for the following reasons. First, the Bible itself acknowledges natural healing as well as the supernatural healing. Second, recent natural healing studies suggest “five-sense multi-therapy”. The five-sense therapy has theorized that humans can experience great healing through accepting healing forces in the nature. The Creator granted the power of recovery to his creations. Energy for healing exist in the nature. Therefore, embracing it through five senses could lead to healing. The five-sense multi-therapy is categorized into distinct areas with each practice focusing on a particular sensory organ: “colortherapy”, “aromatherapy”, “soundtherapy”, “foodtherapy”, and “meridiantherapy.”
On the basis of research, the author suggests that contemporary church could carry healing ministry through Christian natural healing in the form of five-sense multi-therapy. Furthermore, the author expects his study to legitimize the biblical validity of natural healing ministry to those who practice natural healing with uncertain foundation.
Rev. Younghoon Lee, a Senior Pastor of Yoido Full Gospel Church, has established an integrative unification theology that combines his diverse theological background and ministerial experiences. The core of his Pentecostal unification theology is Christ’s salvific grace of the cross and thus it follows the traditional doctrine of evangelical theology, while calling for the practice of Christian love and emphasizing the help of the Holy Spirit. In spite of the division and conflict between South and North Korea, Rev. Lee emphasizes that South Korean churches must seek the unification of the Korean Peninsula by consistent dedication of love, which is based on the faith of an absolutely positive attitude and thanksgiving. Rev. Lee argues that unification theology should be applied in all directions to realize the unification of South and North Korea, including communication, social welfare, churches, culture, politics, and education. Thus, his unification theology is equipped with a balance between theory and practice and therefore is connected to the practice of diverse activities, such as Mission for North Korea, NGO Good People, Civic College, Eirene Mission, the unification fund raising campaign, and the unification sharing fund. The Pentecostal unification theology of Rev. Lee is unfolded by the harmony of the examination of object reality and the consistent practice of Christian love. Hence, it plays a role in public theology that unites South and North Korea by integrating the Text and the Context.
Key Words
이영훈 목사, 오순절 신학, 통일 신학, 한국교회, 남북통일, Reverend Younghoon Lee, Pentecostal Theology, Unification Theology, Korean Churches, the Unification of South and North Korea
The Transformation and Application of ‘Godly Play’ as ‘the Play with the Holy Spirit’ in the Full Gospel Church School 순복음 교회학교에서‘성령과 함께하는 놀이’ 로서‘Godly Play’의 변형과 적용
The Transformation and Application of ‘Godly Play’ as ‘the Play with the Holy Spirit’ in the Full Gospel Church School 순복음 교회학교에서‘성령과 함께하는 놀이’ 로서‘Godly Play’의 변형과 적용
This study asserts that Children are spiritual human beings who are able to experience the fullness of the Holy Spirit through the personal relationship with the Holy Spirit even though they are not yet fully grown up. This study reinterprets Berryman’s spiritual curriculum for children, Godly Play, in light of the Pentecostal pneumatology. First, this study examines the relationship between children development and spirituality and the possibility that children can have the personal fellowship with the Holy Spirit. Second, through the reinterpretation of Godly Play with Pentecostal pneumatology, this study defines goal of Godly Play as participating in exclaiming wonder and awe which the Holy Spirit offers, the educational content and method as the Biblical story, parable, liturgy, silence, and the educational environment as playground in which children paly with the Holy Spirit. Third, this study transforms the word, ‘Godly Play’ into ‘Play with the Holy Spirit’ and rebuilds the order of the teaching and learning process like the following: ‘Entering with the Holy Spirit,’ ‘In the Circle of the Holy Spirit,’ ‘The Bible story with whole body,’ ‘Invitation into the Festival,’ ‘Leaving with the Holy Spirit.’
Key Words
성령, 놀이, 아동, 베리맨, 교회학교, Holy Spirit, Godly Play, Children, Berryman, Church School
