International Development and Public Religion: Changing Dynamics of Christian Mission in South Korea

by Haemin Lee

Overview

Over the past few decades Christianity in the global South has grown exponentially in size and influence, with many centers emerging around the globe, such as Brazil, South Korea, and Nigeria. One remarkable phenomenon in this process is the rise of faith-based, humanitarian, international, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). While traveling to about seventy different countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, Haemin Lee has witnessed the surge of faith-based NGOs all around the world. This book explores the role that religion plays in encountering secular society from various angles by drawing upon discourses in mission studies, sociology of religion, and anthropology of development. Specifically, it probes the development practices of two major Korean organizations, Korea Food for the Hungry International and Good Neighbors. This book investigates the following hypothesis: humanitarian care through international development NGOs appears to be the growing interest of Korean Christian mission and this shows a new direction of Korean Christianity as public religion. However, on closer examination, a more complex reality emerges in which diverse theological and developmental ideals motivate the Korean NGOs' humanitarian efforts.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781498239905
Publisher:	Wipf & Stock Publishers
Publication date:	02/23/2016
Series:	American Society of Missiology Monograph Series , #27
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	140
File size:	341 KB

About the Author

Haemin Lee is Associate Director at Presbyterian Frontier Fellowship. Originally from South Korea, he holds degrees from Yonsei (BA), Harvard (MDiv), and Emory (ThM; PhD). As an ordained Presbyterian minister, Haemin has served in various ministry areas, including congregational ministry, hospital chaplaincy, global evangelism, and international development. Haemin has traveled to more than seventy different countries in which he oversaw numerous mission programs and taught at Kumi University in Uganda.

Table of Contents

Preface vii

Introduction 1

1 A Brief Historical Summary of Korean Christianity 16

2 Introducing Three Korean Organizations: Global Mission Society (GMS), Korea Food for the Hungry International (KFHI) and Good Neighbors (GN) 32

3 History of Mission with a Special Focus on the History of the Humanitarian Dimension of Christian Mission with Respect to South Korea 39

4 Theology of Mission and Practical Theology 51

5 The Rise of Korean Christian Humanitarian NGOs and its Implications in Sociology of Religion and International Development 82

6 From "Development or Mission" to "Development as Mission"? 115

Bibliography 125