하나님의 선교(Missio Dei)에 대한 통전적 고찰

A Holistic Approach of Missio Dei

This paper began by recognizing a critical issue that the concept, Missio Dei, has been in controversial debate between ecumenical and evangelical circle since the term was coined by Karl Hartenstein in the 1952 Willingen conference. The aim of this paper is to historically examine the concept of Missio Dei in relation to the development of the concept of mission, to review varied approaches of Missio Dei, and to analyze and evaluate them from a point of missional ecclesiology. The Missio Dei concept has been understood in different approaches. After world war II, the concept of mission which was church-centered has been changed in 1952 WCC Willingen conference. That was a change from church-centered mission to God-centered mission, so-called Missio Dei. This concept embraces God Himself as the subject of mission and the church as the one being sent by the trinitarian God. This was the result of a theological reflection to western colonial mission. And these self-understandings and interpretations brought different revenues to understand mission to ecumenical and evangelical circles. In fact, there have been misunderstandings on Missio Dei concept for both ecumenicals and evangelicals. Karl Hartenstein coined the Latin words, Missio Dei, for the first time. His intension for using this particular words is to insist to mission as the participation in God's mission with the overall purpose for revealing the sovereignty of Jesus Christ who is sent by the Father, affecting every creature. For him, the subject of mission is the trinitarian God and its final purpose is the extension of the kingdom of God. The essence of the church is to participate in God's redemptive plan for salvation of the world. In other word, God accomplishes reconciliation with the world as well as judgement of the world through incarnation, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In this sense, the cross as signs of judgement and reconciliation is a sign of which the church is sent into the world by the trinitarian God. In Missio Dei the mission of the Son continues to be done in the mission of the Holy Spirit, and it concretizes in the mission of disciples in the world. For Hartenstein, the meaning of the church's existence is to participate in God's compassionate activity toward the world. After Willingen conference, Missio Dei has been a central theological concept in ecumenical movement. The leading figure for developing this concept is J. C. Hoekendijk. He has reduced the role of the church as a bystander of God's concern for the world. He has emphasized a direct relationship between God and the world as he more likely ignores the role of the church in the world. People who are proponents of this view developed the concept of mission as humanization and secularization. Responses of the evangelical circle to the Hoekendijk's interpretation of Missio Dei were the criticism to his emphasis on socio-political shalom as humanization or secularization. In Lausanne 1974, John Stott affirmed that mission is the trinitarian God's activity, and the mission of the church is based on God's mission. This view has been developed as holistic approach of mission, that is, rejecting dichotomized view of evangelism and social action. But for evangelical circle many people insist priority of evangelism over social action. For Roman Catholic church Missio Dei has been understood in Lumen Gentim and Ad Gente, which insist the church as God's pilgrim people and that the essence of the church is missionary. Here we can find that mission theology and ecclesiology of Vatican II embrace the concept of Missio Dei and maintain the main content of mission as the essence of the church. Also, Orthodox churches accepted Missio Dei. In analysis and evaluation of the above different views on Missio Dei, we need to carefully examine what Hartenstein wanted to say.