Reconstruction of Korean-Christian Experience in Post-Colonial Era

Theological research has a tendency focus on western Christianity in attempting to understand Korean Christians. Because this traditional method has concentrated on abstract ‘Christianity,’ Korean particularity becomes the secondary element given the postulation of western theological implications. This presupposes a monolithic interpretation of Christianity and alienates Koreanness from Christianity. In this thesis, I would argue that “Orientalism” is the basis of the distortion, and illustrate the method to get away from it. I will discuss on Edward Said’s Orientalism and the problem of understanding Korean-Christian ‘self.’ In the second part of this thesis, I will introduce Lee Jung Young’s theological methodology of ‘marginality.’ Lee earned the fame for his bold interpretation of Christian theology through I Ching or the Book of Change. Constructing his theology, he uses the idea of ‘change’ in I Ching, and suggests Asian way of doing theology from “creative core,” the place of in-between and in-both. I will Illustrate this idea as a possible way of overcoming Orientalism.