Integrating Different Values

Throughout history, a hierarchical dualism has manifested itself as a dichotomy between literality and orality or narrativity, which reflects the dichotomy between word and image, maleness and femaleness, and reason and emotion to a certain degree. The Reformed Tradition, too, has underscored the written word of God literally and weakened the oral image, creating an imbalance between literality and orality and word and image, among other dualities. In order to find and integrate different values, this article initially explores the idea of Barth’s threefold meaning of the Word of God. Secondly, it deals with the issue of Jesus’s hermeneutics regarding John 7. This article then explains thirdly dichotomy using examples of Korean culture and customs. The aim is to overcome the one-sided hierarchical domination and rediscover the other side of value dialectically; we show that both values can be integrated to understand the Word of God.