KSC Symposium 2023

SCHEDULE

Please note, all times are listed in Pacific Time. All sessions will be translated into English and Korean, except for thematic breakout sessions where noted.

Wednesday, April 19

10:00–11:00 am Fuller Chapel with guest speaker, Rev. Dr. Jeong Kii Min, Chunghyeon Mission Church, Los Angeles

1:10–2:25 pm Plenary Lecture 1: “New Wine into Old Wineskins (Mark 2:22): The Footsteps of the Korean Church’s Spiritual Formation” with Dr. Haeyong You, Mosegol Community Church, South Korea

This thesis aims to study the past, present, and future of the spirituality of the Korean church that has been formed around the Holy Spirit movement for a century and a half, because the Christian spiritual life is not different from the life of the Holy Spirit. The Great Spiritual Awakening movement around 1907 gave birth to a “new wine”-like church––the Korean church––in the same land as the old wineskins. This movement led to the Pentecostal Spirit movement after the liberation from Japanese colonialism and the Korean War. The Korean church that was born in this way has grown into a church that shares the sufferings of all kinds of people. On the other hand, this Pentecostal movement also left a dark side to this church. This thesis attempts to draw conclusions about the life of the Spirit and the spirituality of future generations that the Korean church should open by considering this series of the Holy Spirit movements in a diachronic manner.

2:25–2:40 pm Coffee Break

2:40–3:55 pm Plenary Lecture 2: “The Relationship of Spiritual Health with Mental and Emotional Health: A Biblical Perspective” with Dr. Siang-Yang Tan, Fuller Theological Seminary

The relationship of spiritual health with mental and emotional health will be covered, using the biopsychosocialspiritual model of human functioning that focuses on the physical, mental-emotional, social, and spiritual aspects of human life (cf. Luke 2:52). The six criteria of the mentally healthy individual according to Marie Jahoda (1958) will be compared and contrasted with the eight didactic statements on a Christian perspective on mental health proposed by Vernon Grounds (1976). Spiritual health is not synonymous with mental and emotional health, although they overlap. It is possible to be spiritually mature or healthy in Christ and yet suffer from mental and emotional anguish or problems in this fallen world (e.g., the blessings of mental anguish, and the dark night of the soul). How a local church pastor can facilitate the development of spiritual and mental and emotional health in church members through Christian spiritual formation will also be covered.

3:55–4:10 pm Coffee Break

4:10–5:40 pm Thematic Lectures (Breakout Sessions)

• Theme 1: Bible and Korean Spiritual Formation (Principle/Role of Bible in Korean Spiritual Formation) (English lecture; *Korean translation provided)
  • 4:10–4:40 pm Thematic Lecture 1: Living with the Word:  Biblical Principles for Christian Spirituality – Dr. Tom Schwanda, Wheaton College 

    This presentation is framed by three preliminary principles regarding Scripture: biblical knowledge is never enough to make a Christian, it must be internalized; when properly read the Bible has a transformational nature; and Scripture must always be read in context and interpret other portions of the Bible. Exodus 3:15 and Colossians 3:1–17 will be used as two case studies to illustrate some central biblical principles for Christian spirituality. These include God's revelation for human experience, the importance of noticing and worshiping God, God's desire to be with humanity, creating a proper focus on God, removing the barriers that hinder us from knowing God, attaching the principles that enrich the Christian life, inviting Scripture to dwell deeply within the believer's heart, and gratitude.

  • 4:40–5:10 pm Thematic Lecture 2: The Rule of St. Benedict and Lectio Divina in the Obsessive Korean Context – Dr. Euiwan Cho, Fuller Theological Seminary 

    Faith comes by hearing the Word of God. With careful listening, we can restore our core relationship with God and be sensitive to the voices of ourselves and others. The key to love is listening. However, it becomes increasingly difficult to attend to the culture of narcissism, where all kinds of devices show off the self. In particular, in the spiritual climate of Korean Protestantism, which tends to focus on external activity and church expansion, the discipline of listening to God, who speaks quietly, hardly finds its place. This study argues that Lectio Divina, in the monasticism that has continuously inherited and developed the tradition of listening, especially in Benedictine spirituality, will contribute as an alternative Bible reading pedagogy in an increasingly obsessive social context such as Korea. First, it will demonstrate how Lectio Divina is emphasized in the daily life of the monastery as a practice of reading the Bible in The Rule of St. Benedict, who has been called the father of Western monasticism. Next, the article will examine the elements of Lectio Divina (lectio, meditatio, oratio, contemplatio) and their theological importance in Benedictine Spirituality. Through this, the pedagogy of reading as intellectual satisfaction and reading as prayer (listening) will be compared. Finally, the article will demonstrate how Lectio Divina differs from today’s Bible reading in Korea and suggest a few theological contributions that Lectio Divina can provide to Christians in an obsessive culture.

• • 5:10–5:40 pm Q&A
• Theme 2: Spiritual Formation and Burnout (Korean lecture; no translation provided)
  • 4:10–4:40 pm Thematic Lecture 3: Pastoral Burnout and Spiritual Formation  – Dr. Young Ok Kim, Fuller Theological Seminary
    
    Pastors face numerous demands; their work exacts gargantuan effort, seemingly without end. As a result, pastors’ physical, emotional, spiritual, relational, and mental health can be compromised. A Barna Group survey (2021) found that many pastors are in danger of burnout, with 38 percent of pastors seriously considering leaving full-time ministry. Burnout for church/pastoral leaders is not a new phenomenon in contemporary ministry. Often these concerns are vastly underreported and remain unaddressed in church settings. Thus, addressing burnout warrants examination through theological, psychological, and cultural perspectives by learning more about its causes, symptoms, prevention, and intervention. The biblical example of the prophet Elijah in 1 Kings 19 exhibits specific emotional and behavioral symptoms of burnout. Additionally, when Elijah encounters God at the mountain of Horeb, the passage delineates ways of navigating burnout. In the current presentation, we will discuss relationships between spirituality and burnout, as well as the specific spiritual practices contributing to pastors’ well-being.

• • 4:40–5:10 pm Thematic Lecture 4: Spiritual Formation for the “Canaan Believers”  – Dr. Chae-Yong Chung, Graduate School of Practical Theology, South Korea 

    The term "Canaan believers" has been used in Korean churches for quite a while now. Canaan believers are those who possess the identity of a Christian but who do not attend church, rather they are likely to be involved in searching for a "new" church. They are seen as being the Israelites who wandered in search of Canaan. The term also refers to those who choose not to attend church or those who purposely refuse to join an "established" church. There is a play on words in Korean, as the word "CaNaAn" backwards by syllable is AnNaCa which means "does not attend." These people have left the institutional church because they are disgruntled with it and want to exercise their faith freely, unbound by the framework of an establishment. In that sense, the Canaan phenomenon encompasses the characteristics of a non-institutional church renewal movement.
    The problem is that Canaan believers are not able to maintain their faith as well as those who attend church. According to the research I have done, Canaan believers do maintain their faith to some level, but compared to those who attend church, their faith life is very lacking. In a limited manner and each in their own way, they try to maintain the life of a believer through the Christian disciplines of Bible reading, prayer, and giving offerings. Among this group, those who profess to have the assurance of salvation have been seen to have a greater willingness to attend established worship services, to have better experiences in them, and are able to better maintain their fundamental faith lives. But mostly, the fact that these faith activities are on an individual level–instead of a corporate level–poses a problem to the individual Canaan believer. Faith is maintained and strengthened through community. An even greater problem with this kind of individualized faith is the difficulty of passing anything on to the next generation (though the original believer themself may maintain their faith.) Thus there is a need for a method to bring Canaan believers into a new community, even though that community may not be an established church. Attention must be paid to methods to help their spirituality to be maintained, developed, and trained in that new community.

• • 5:10–5:40 pm Q&A

Thursday, April 20

1:00–2:15 pm Plenary Lecture 3: “Reimagining Spirit” with Dr. Grace Ji-sun Kim, Earlham School of Religion

The Spirit presents itself to many as an enigma. Its existence is mysterious and complex, generating misunderstandings and unawareness of its true purpose. The Spirit’s ambiguous nature opens the opportunity for study to unearth the exciting truths that it holds.

The Spirit is present in our world in various forms. This lecture will examine the Spirit as experienced in light, wind, breath, and vibration to help us uncover some of its aspects that invite us to work for climate justice, racial justice, and gender justice. The Holy Spirit has always been a mover and shaker of ideas and action. The Spirit’s presence moves, stirs, and changes us to become aware of the social ills in our world.

2:15–2:30 pm Coffee Break

2:30–3:45 pm Plenary Lecture 4: “Worn Paths and Fellow Travelers on the Journey to Spiritual Maturity” with Dr. Dennis L. Okholm, Azusa Pacific University

There are theological, ecclesiological, soteriological, and sociological reasons why it is important for the Korean Christian Church to access the historical traditions that have to do with spiritual formation: (1) the immensity of God’s reality requires wisdom that avoids chronocentrism and parochialism, as Paul expressed in Ephesians 3:14–19 (“with all the saints”); (2) we have no right to tell the church where to go if we don’t know where it’s been; (3) salvation is a slow process of sanctification that involves wise guidance from others; and (4) becoming change agents in society requires the church to live an alternative culture that results from cultivation of spiritual life rather than consumptive preoccupation with the latest fads. Beyond resources within the Korean Protestant tradition, the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions, which by 1054 began to emerge out of an undivided Christianity, have much to offer with a sacramental orientation, a communal emphasis over against typical Protestant individualism, an activism moderated by contemplation, and a balance of disciplined human agency enabled by grace (without being Pelagian). Specific examples will be given. Still, to be avoided are occasions of syncretism (e.g., praying to saints with ceremonial ancestor worship in Jesa) and hierarchicalism that might compromise democratic social fabric. In the global context, embracing the chronologically and situationally diverse Christian tradition will enrich and enliven the Korean church as it draws more deeply from riches that go beyond its own boundaries.

3:45–4:00 pm Coffee Break

4:00–5:30 pm Thematic Lectures (Breakout Sessions)

• Theme 3: Spiritual Direction for the Korean Protestants (Korean lecture; no translation provided)
  • 4:00–4:30 pm Thematic Lecture 5: Reflection and Challenges of Spiritual Direction in Korean Context  – Dr. Kang Hak Lee, Torch Trinity Graduate University, South Korea
    
    Formal spiritual direction is a ministry of conversation, in one-to-one or small group settings, which helps a Christian to form an intimate relationship with God by recognizing God's presence and responding to God's calling. The ministry of spiritual direction has been gradually expanded in Korean Protestant churches. This paper explores the history and current situation of spiritual direction in Korean Protestant churches. This paper explores the history and current situation of spiritual direction in Korean Protestant churches, under the three categorizations of seminary, center, and church. Next, this paper probes the limitations and challenges of the ministry of spiritual direction in Korean Protestant churches and presents some of its possibilities. Major issues can be summarized as follows: cultural differences in spiritual direction for Koreans, strategies of applying the ministry of spiritual direction to pastoral settings, possibilities of lay spiritual directions, the relationship between churches and spiritual direction centers, whether spiritual direction is for all Christians, and the possibilities of incorporating spiritual direction into pastoral (or Christian) counseling.

• • 4:30–5:00 pm Q&A
• Theme 4: The Place of Neighbor in the Korean Spiritual Formation (English lecture; *Korean translation provided) 
  • 4:00–4:30 pm Thematic Lecture 7: Spirituality Formation for the Missional Churches – Dr. Enoch Kim, Fuller Theological Seminary 

    In modern society, while the explosion of media and networks causes a deluge of information, people access information selectively depending on the group to which they belong. The inner-group communication is smooth due to their social norm and consensus, but groups with strong social norms filter out and use only a part of the outside information. This information filtration and competitive environment for survival creates neo-unreached groups that exhibit bias and anger toward others outside the barrier. The church’s traditional evangelistic outreach has almost no influence on such a neo-unreached group. This paper explores what spirituality should be in modern society by re-examining the attitude of the Good Samaritan. The spirituality of the Samaritan, who courageously crossed over prejudice and cultural barriers, and showed mercy, will enable today’s Christians to overcome the limitations of traditional ministry and illuminate God’s missionary plans here on earth. In addition, it will disclose the importance of courageous reconciliation and forgiveness in the gospel.

  • 4:30–5:00 pm Thematic Lecture 8: Sabbath God and Kingdom Justice in Korean America – Dr. Daniel Lee, Fuller Theological Seminary 

    The “Model Minority God” occupies Korean America. This idol of White achievement, performance, and status is not only toxic for the personal and communal health of Korean Americans, but also for their love of their neighbors. This paper analyzes the reason why this Model Minority God has such a hold on Korean Americans and their spiritual life, as well as how its malaise manifests within the spiritual life of the Korean American church. Propped up and supported by broader societal forces, as well as by powers within the Korean American community, the worship of this Model Minority God quietly aligns with the status quo for upward mobility and familial gain, while laying aside those who are marginalized and oppressed, even within the Korean American community. The biblical witness to the Sabbath God and the corresponding practices of Sabbath offer a path out toward life and kingdom justice for all.

  • 5:00–5:30 pm Q&A

6:30–8:00 pm Panel Session: Spiritual Formation and the Future of Korean Church

Panelists: Dr. Haeyong You, Dr. Kang Hak Lee, and Rev. Dr. Sang Hyun Shim