DESCRIPTION: This course is intended to provide Korean students with
opportunities to think about ways to link the gospel to the cultural context of
Korea by exploring theological approaches to and evangelistic dimensions of
culture. Thus, it will examine a Christian perspective on culture, models of
culturally relevant evangelism such as Celtic mission, the approaches of C. S.
Lewis and Francis Schaeffer, and the like, and recent trends in Korean culture
so as to form a foundation to make the gospel alive for a new Korean
generation. A special emphasis in this course will be on addressing
contemporary Korean culture and discovering points of contact for the
presentation of the gospel.
COURSE OBJECTIVES/LEARNING OUTCOMES: It is hoped that this course will help
students reach their learning objectives in three ways: (1) to gain an accurate
understanding of how culture interacts with evangelism, (2) to sense the
spiritual aspirations of unchurched people as shown in a variety of cultural
manifestations, and (3) to develop practical strategies to reach specific
audiences with cultural sensitivity via church or para-church ministries.
RELEVANCE FOR MINISTRY: Culture refers to a matrix in which we live, think,
and interact with others. Culture is context-specific, and cultural
understanding, whether consciously or not, is embedded in the manner we present
the gospel. Many of the Western evangelism models have been developed out of
specific cultural settings. Thus, it is necessary to understand the Korean
culture on its own terms so as to explore the relevant ways to reach Korean and
Korean-American communities.
COURSE FORMAT: The class will meet weekly for three-and-a-half-hour sessions
for ten weeks. Class sessions will consist of lecture, interactive class
discussion, media, analysis of materials and case studies, and small group
participation.
REQUIRED READING (all available in Korean):