Thesis (S.T.M.)--Dallas Theological Seminary, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves [95-102] ).

Thesis (S.T.M.)--Dallas Theological Seminary, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves [95-102] ).

Korea became a multicultural society through the influx of foreigners: migrant workers, international married couples, foreign students, and naturalized citizens. This social change challenges Korean churches to reflect on their mission styles and theology. The theology of the welcomed stranger is a theological response to the Korean context, requiring a profound understanding of globalization and migration. It focuses mainly on the lives of migrant workers in Korea and suggests a model of settlement for both Koreans and migrant workers for peaceful living while exploring a community of toleration, friendship, and harmony for co-existence and emphasizing social justice for the poor and marginalized. Interfaith dialogue between Korean churches and migrant workers is also an important facet of this theology. The introduction outlines my personal life story in relation to Minjung theology and the theology of the wanderer as preconditions to the theology of the welcomed stranger. Chapter One explains the theological responses to globalization and the context of globalization and migration while researching the role of international economic institutions and international laws for migrant workers and their families. Chapter Two explores the situation of migrant workers in Korea, especially women, while highlighting the work of Korean NGOs working for migrant workers and showing the viewpoints of NGO staff on globalization. Chapter Three reflects on Minjung theology and suggests its new responsibility in the era of globalization. Chapter Four considers the theology of the wanderer, comparing it with Minjung theology. Chapter Five outlines the theology of the welcomed stranger and argues for the virtue of a multicultural society, challenging Korean churches to understand the social reality of migrant workers and accepting them as “welcomed stranger.” Chapter Six emphasizes interfaith dialogue and relations between Korean churches and migrant workers, examining the religious context of Korea and the historical background of the Korean church. This chapter also provides the viewpoints of NGO staff in Korea on interfaith dialogue, supporting Korean churches and migrant workers to work together for the realization of a “basic human community,” which I understand as a response to the idea of the kingdom of God.

As the century and millennium draw to a close, radical changes affect all areas of human life. Such changes challenge the church to respond to new developments in the secular world. One such development (a long time in the making) is that the everyday life of every human being on the planet is being affected more and more profoundly by a kind of generic capitalism that prefers to remain faceless and anonymous but which prosecutes it interests with a brutality and ruthlessness that take no account of human beings who are themselves neither powerful nor influential - but who may reside on land replete with the kind of natural resources which constitute the essential raw materials necessary for capitalist expansion. It is not only human life that suffers in this rapidly changing world: forms of planetary life suffer. In the context of what we have said about global market dynamics, we are compelled to ask ourselves searching questions about the relationship between God and humans, humans and other human beings, and hnmans and other forms of planetary life. This will partly be an historical investigation into what Korean churches and South Africau churches might share with each other on the basis of experiences of suffering caused by past structures and systems. By understanding the past, historians hope to be able to understand the present and to make predictions and preparations for the future of suffering people. Solidarity is one of the most effective weapons in the struggle against the oppression of the poor. Suffering creates an absolute necessity for solidarity. By examining what the Korean church and the South Africa church did and said in their struggle against military dictatorship and racial discrimination, we shall find the basis for solidarity as a political, social and spiritual weapon. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / D. Th. (Missiology)

As the century and millennium draw to a close, radical changes affect all areas of human life. Such changes challenge the church to respond to new developments in the secular world. One such development (a long time in the making) is that the everyday life of every human being on the planet is being affected more and more profoundly by a kind of generic capitalism that prefers to remain faceless and anonymous but which prosecutes it interests with a brutality and ruthlessness that take no account of human beings who are themselves neither powerful nor influential - but who may reside on land replete with the kind of natural resources which constitute the essential raw materials necessary for capitalist expansion. It is not only human life that suffers in this rapidly changing world: forms of planetary life suffer. In the context of what we have said about global market dynamics, we are compelled to ask ourselves searching questions about the relationship between God and humans, humans and other human beings, and hnmans and other forms of planetary life. This will partly be an historical investigation into what Korean churches and South Africau churches might share with each other on the basis of experiences of suffering caused by past structures and systems. By understanding the past, historians hope to be able to understand the present and to make predictions and preparations for the future of suffering people. Solidarity is one of the most effective weapons in the struggle against the oppression of the poor. Suffering creates an absolute necessity for solidarity. By examining what the Korean church and the South Africa church did and said in their struggle against military dictatorship and racial discrimination, we shall find the basis for solidarity as a political, social and spiritual weapon. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / D. Th. (Missiology)