다문화 선교를 위한 “ 이주민” 의성경적 이해와 선교적 적용

A Study on the Biblical Understanding of the “Immigrant” for Multicultural Mission and Its Missiological Application

Since the Industrial Revolution, in the 21st century, the movement of goods based on capital has been enjoined by the movement of humans, creating a huge wave of migration, making the world a single “global village.” This global movement of human resources is no exception to Korea, which has been emphasizing a homogeneous culture. Amid this social trend, various policies and countermeasures are being developed by the government, local autonomous bodies and other social organizations. The Christians are also actively pursuing various studies and ministries towards immigrants. Therefore, what is primarily needed for Christians and Christian organizations is a biblical worldview of “immigrants” by understanding the biblical background and principles of immigrants, the key factor in the multi-culture. The immigrants in the Bible are poor and powerless people who are forced to leave their home country due to various difficult circumstances. The type of immigrants in the Bible is mainly comprised of marriage immigrants, labor immigrants, refugee, and religious immigrants, and God gave two great principles for these immigrants. First, by defining Israel as immigrants, He commanded them to love and treat other immigrants who have moved into their communities without any discrimination. In particular, He urged the circumcised immigrants to be treated equally with the Israelis in terms of spiritual and social. Second, if someone refuses to be circumcised and rather worship idols and follow foreign customs, the immigrants must be expelled from the Israeli community. This was to maintain the identity and purity of the Israeli community, which only serves God. Applying this biblical principle to the context of multicultural ministry, Church, Mission organizations, and Christian groups must work to immigrants holistically encompassing both social and spiritual aspects. We must be considerate and helpful to the immigrants who approach us so that they can settle as healthy citizens, and at the same time, the ultimate goal of the ministry should be their spiritual salvation.