• Journal of Christian Education in Korea
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• v.75
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• pp.127-152
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• 2023

Purpose of study: This study aims to explore 'labyrinth walking,' a lesser-known Christian spiritual practice within the Korean church. Additionally, it intends to propose ways for implementing labyrinth walking through literature reviews encompassing theory and practice. Research content and method: The article begins with its exploration by defining labyrinth walking from a historical perspective. It was a spiritual practice that existed in the Middle Ages, involving the traversal of a labyrinthine shape, typically a single path on the floor, often accompanied by prayer or contemplation. The contemporary spiritual practice of labyrinth walking was recovered and reinterpreted by Christian scholars and spiritual directors during the mid and late twentieth century. Additionally, within Christianity, labyrinth walking, rich with symbolism representing Jesus' suffering and salvation, baptism, pilgrimage, and purification, comprises five essential steps: preparing, walking with prayer or contemplation, remaining in the center, returning, and journaling and sharing. By merging pilgrimage, walking, prayer, and meditation, the practice of walking the labyrinth can enable people to have an opportunity for retreat, to encounter and be accompanied by God, to experience moments of serenity and healing, to reflect on themselves, to create life-transforming resolutions, and to build a sense of community. As a result, many Korean churches should acknowledge the value of and utilize labyrinth walking to nurture faith and spirituality. Conclusions and Suggestions: Accordingly, this paper suggests some practical ways to employ labyrinth walking as a form of prayer, part of a ritual or religious activity, an embodiment of pilgrimage, and a tranquil and nonverbal experience. Furthermore, the study recommends that Korean churches establish proper goals, consider essential principles for labyrinth design and installation, and follow specific guidelines while conducting labyrinth walks.

• Journal of Christian Education in Korea
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• v.72
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• pp.293-316
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• 2022

This paper argues that Christian education for sustainability should be a spiritual education that fosters the spirituality of contentment, poverty, sharing, and justice through a critical review of the concept of "Sustainable Development" (SD), which emerged to overcome today's climate and ecological crisis. To this end, first of all, the efforts and limitations of international cooperation to overcome the deepening environmental problems will be considered. That is, economic interests have been prior to the environmental issues. When it comes to the 'Green Revolution,' there has been a huge gap between the ideal and the reality, so a sustainable society has become distant. Faced with this situation, Christian theology has been trying to build a new theological paradigm, breaking away from the limits of anthropocentric and afterlife-centered theology based on the dichotomy between the physical and the spiritual. Through such theological reflections, Christian education needs to carry out spiritual education focusing on how to deal with the problem of human greed for the restoration of the created world. In this regard, this paper presents the spirituality of contentment, poverty, sharing, and justice. For developing it, this article suggests deep theological reflection and repentance on human greed, listening to the victim's voice, moderation in consumption, investigation of alternative cases, and decisive action to reveal the truth from the victim's point of view.

• Korean Journal of Childcare and Education
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• v.8 no.6
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• pp.77-97
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• 2012

This study aims to analyze the recognition and demands of church school kindergarten teachers enrolled in a kindergarten teacher training program. 278 kindergarten teachers in the Seoul and Gyeonggido area were chosen as the research objects and questionnaires were distributed to and recollected from them. The questions cover 3 areas: the recognition, necessity and contents of the training program for kindergarten teachers. The data from the collected questioners were processed to bring in frequency and percentage by question and an X2 test was employed to see whether there was a difference among background variables. In addition, mean and standard deviation were used for the questions regarding the program contents. The results showed that the teachers had a deep interest in and awareness of the necessity of the program. Among the demographic variables, they turned out statistically different by academic career, education-related career and major. Second, the list of the demands they made for the training contents for kindergarten teachers showed that they wanted, in the order of importance; educating parents, understanding young children, handling techniques of troubled children, effective communication skills with young children, and understanding their traits and teaching methods by trait and spiritual training of teachers.

• Journal of Christian Education in Korea
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• v.74
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• pp.189-208
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• 2023

Spiritual direction is not a product created and developed by an individual, but a historical product that includes the church, believers, society, and the contexts of the times. Among the social changes related to spiritual direction, this study pays attention to monasticism and the Reformation. Focusing on these two social changes, this study analyzes the social dimension of spiritual direction indicated by the occurrence and change of spiritual direction and discusses its meaning. Around the time Christianity was officially recognized by the Roman Empire, monasticism began its long history, and Athanasius spread his ideal of monastic life and at the same time pursued the unity of the church and the monastic movement. Through this process, spiritual disciplines and educational models interacted and changed. During the Reformation period, Protestantism began to form new spiritual education and training. The Catholic Church pursued renewal through new concepts and practices of spiritual direction. Spiritual direction is being formed and recognized as a means of helping the spiritual life of individual Christians. The origin and change of spiritual direction mean that spiritual direction can be understood and applied differently reflecting the contexts and situations due to social interaction. Also, it should not be overlooked that spiritual direction can act as a cause of integration or division of the Korean Protestant churches.

• Journal of Christian Education in Korea
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• v.73
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• pp.139-157
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• 2023

In Korean Protestantism, interest in Christian spirituality has grown significantly since the 1980s. Spirituality is now studied and used as a crucial term and topic in theology and ministry. As research on spirituality expanded to various areas of study and ministry and various topics related to spirituality were dealt with, research on spiritual direction also began. Oe-Shik Kim and Hae-Yong Yoo, who studied in North America, are the early scholars who began to study spiritual direction in Korean Protestantism in the 1990s. Their research has influenced Korean Protestant scholars and pastors to understand spiritual direction and apply it to seminary education and the Korean Protestant churches. Spiritual direction has been practiced in the Korean church in the form and content of faith education, spiritual training, devotional training, discipleship training, small groups, and pastoral counseling. The spiritual direction practiced by Eastern, Western, and monastic traditions throughout Christian history is not shared by Korean Protestants. Because Korean Protestantism has developed a unique spiritual tradition in the Korean context, its contents and forms of spiritual direction reflect the Korean context. Korean Protestants are more familiar with Tongsung Kido, early morning prayer, Bible study or Bible meditation, and small groups than contemplative traditions and individual spiritual direction. Thirty years have passed since research on spiritual direction began. The Korean Protestant academia needs to critically reflect on its research and practice. Spiritual direction is a term and tradition of different Christian cultures around the world and is part of Christian history and tradition. Korean Protestant scholars and church ministers need to accept the concept and application of spiritual direction considering the context and spiritual tradition of Korean Protestant churches, a flexible understanding, perspective, and attitude toward the concept and application of spiritual direction in Korean Protestant churches are needed.

• Journal of Christian Education in Korea
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• v.78
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• pp.21-55
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• 2024

Purpose of study: The purpose of this study is to examine the crisis situation of Christian education experienced by Korean churches and theological education institutions after the COVID-19 pandemic, and to seek new tasks and directions that Korean churches should prepare for the recovery and growth of Christian education. Research Contents and Methods: Before reviewing the current crisis experienced by Korean churches and theological education institutions after the COVID-19 pandemic, the terms and concepts of Christian education are first reflected. In addition, the causes and phenomena of the Korean church and Christian education crisis after the COVID-19 Pandemic are examined through statistics, media, and church field data. The researcher identified the causes of the crisis experienced by Korean churches and theological education institutions as follows: 1. The influence of COVID-19 Pandemic: suspension of faith and educational activities, 2. The age of population cliffs: increase in the elderly vs. decrease in young people, 3. Neoliberalism: marketism, infinite competition, efficiency, winner-take-all, 4. post-religious era: post-Christianity, weakened communitarianism, and reduced number of Christians. The results of this study are four points as follows: 1. Crisis of church education: suspension of operation of Sunday school and feeling of failure, 2. Crisis of faith of young generation: nurturing unstable future church leaders, 3. Faith of adult generation: crisis and hope, 4. The faith of the elderly generation: light and shadow. Conclusion and Recommendations: The new task and direction of Christian education that Korean churches should pursue after the COVID-19 pandemic are as follows: 1. New conversion of Sunday school faith education: From schooling-paradigm education to faith education that integrates family and generation. 2. New conversion of theological education: From knowledge education to spirituality training. 3. Re-ignition of faith education for middle-aged adults: Activation of faith through worship and small groups, 4. New conversion of church elder education: The need to change from caring objects to creative religious life.

• Journal of Christian Education in Korea
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• v.71
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• pp.121-154
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• 2022

This study is to summarize the relationship between youth in terms of developmental psychology, university education, faith, and spirituality in order to form and improve relationships, which are major developmental tasks of youth, and to suggest Christian youth education by the elements of education. Relationships are formed when you are connected to another person and community, feel interested in each other, feel a sense of bond and belonging, and maintain a stable and satisfactory relationship. This is not skill or technology, but is related to life attitude and value, and continuous learning and training are required. Various developmental tasks in youth have something in common with relationships. Relationships positively affect the lives of young people, such as satisfaction with college life in the early stages of youth, adaptation to college life, personality, and career decision. Relationships are also very important in faith because human existence and faith are defined and formed through relationships. The relationship between the community and others plays an important role in spiritual development for the meaning of life and inner growth. In the aspects of learners and educational environment, it was suggested to understand learners with desire for relationships, the generation they live in, and the educational environment in which the relationship between young people occurs. In terms of teachers, teachers have to try to change their roles such as facilitators, guides, managers, and mentors. For the educational purpose and content, it was suggested that relationships should be the ultimate purpose and the educational content for this was presented in three different types of relationships and each main contents to be dealt with. In terms of educational method, it was proposed to select a learner-centered group learning method that induces communication and active participation of learners to cause interaction by considering other elements of education according to the content of the relationship in the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral dimensions. In the aspects of educational results and evaluation, it was proposed to confirm that what was considered during the educational planning stage was effectively carried out in actual education, to evaluate various evaluation methods, various aspects, and to summarize the evaluation results for the specific application.