Asian Perspectives in Theology of Pyun Sun-Hwan: Reexamination of Non-dualistic Theology of Religions

It was almost seventeen years ago when Professor Pyun Sun-Hwan, who had been the dean of Methodist Theological Seminary back then, passed away. Three years earlier, he was excommunicated by the denomination of Korean Methodist church, During this period of three years, he was very much alone like Jesus with no one that he could rely upon. Seeing his students being punished for having invited him as a preacher to their churches, he could not help giving up any hope for the church. He was brought to a religious trial without being allowed to have a legitimate theological discussion with the church authorities that would die for church growth as their goal, but like Kierkegaard, he did not make a compromise with church politics, and took a martyr’s way for theology.1 It was in the name of religious pluralism that Korean church accused the theologian Pyun Sun-Hwan; but there are many things to reconsider before we conclude that religious It was a tragedy caused by Korean church that was permeated with biblical literalism and dogmatism. Korean church thus rejected Pyun Sun-Hwan, but our neighbors from other religious traditions have up until now remembered him as a good Christian minister. Today’s conference commemorating him here also indicates that his theological claims are still very important for our discussion. Although he is gone, he has left us as his students a burdensome theological task to carry on.