week 10 Wednesday – Class Reflection

It’s been inspiring class that helped me think about the whole spectrum of the Imperialism and colonialism that affect the world and cultures. What I want to do more is to apply to my own ministry in terms of any sort of leftovers in either a good or bad way. I appreciate both the professor and the TA for their awesome guidance on the postcolonial studies along with the way of Jesus.

Week 10 Monday – Class Reflection

I like the lecture today. It helped me to think about one of the practices of Yoder’s Body Politics. I guess my church has a serious generational gap between old and young generations due to the several issues of immigrating settle-down from Korea. They do have different language and culture and it makes them not communicate with each other in a healthy way. They often conflicts because of the two different worldviews and Christian cultures. They really needed reconciliation and forgiveness to each other.

Week 9 Wednesday – Class Reflection

Today’s class gave me a chance to consider the attitude of my church toward the youth group. My church is conservative Presbyterian and it does not seem to understand the “transformation of secular realm,” which is one of the aspects of the emerging churches. Once I started hip-hop worship dance and the more than a dozen of nonbelievers came to church for 6 months until the church committee stopped them from dancing in the church. I remember what a book says, “There is nothing so secular that it cannot be sacred.”

Week 9 Monday – Class Reflection

It was awesome to hear a short history of the birth of the “emerging churches” in UK and USA even though I had already read the book “Church Next” and “Emerging Churches.” I am still so into those discourses that are geared toward establishing a sort of kingdom-minded ministry. I am looking forward to seeing what the emerging churches would look like after some decades later. I hope that they would not end up having faded away as some of experimental church models but being influential to all other churches.

Week 8 – Wednesday – Class Reflection

I appreciate today’s class in which the prof clarified the three major ideas that Jesus changed: the people of God, our enemies and family. What struck me the most from this was that Jesus challenged the hierarchical family order. This truth can really be a strong stimulus to my Korean-American church, which is so much embedded with hierarchical system, to rethink the concept of Jesus’ alternative family in God.

Week 8 – Monday – class reflection

What struck me in the class was what Ryan said about the kingdom of God—kingdom of God is there and active, inspiring the church. I agree with it and I think my church, which is Korean Conservative Presbyterian, has to reconsider the first proclamation of Jesus in Matthew, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” It’s been 2,000 years passed ever since, and it’s enough for the kingdom to have been here on earth right now. But then where do I see the kingdom of God in my own church?

Week 7 Wednesday – Class Reflection

Today’s class was really helpful for me to understand what the contents would be in the kingdom-minded ministry. Considering my own church (Korean-American), it seems to be more engaged in the social justice issues such as war and world poverty rather than just focus too much on its own adjustment to American society.

Week 7 Monday – Class Reflection

The video in the class was so helpful for me to understand a little deeper about the context of the Palestine area where Jesus was born and raised. Especially when it comes to the contents of his preaching, it was extremely dangerous in the Roman imperial colony. Some of the major terms of his preaching were same as what was used for the Roman Empire and Caesarea such as kingdom of God and the son of God. On this respect, I suspect that Jesus was aware of what he was doing as well as was going to be killed sooner or later. His death was not accidental or not necessarily to be prophesied because anyone could have been predicted to be killed in doing such things that are politically dangerous with a lot of followers.

week 6 wednesday Class Reflection

The trinitarian view on mission in the class was very influential to understand my own church situation. Some of the contents in the list such as unity, diversity are main points that can be applicable to my Korean American church; being narrowed down, the relation between English speaking and Korean speaking ministry and its diversity.

Week 6 – Monday – Class Reflection

I agree with what the Professor said that it is declining to bring people to church. It’s not effective that much because of the image of the church is not so positive for a lot of people nowadays. Well, we rather have to bring church people to outside and build a small church right at the spot where people are. It makes more sense in terms of the ways of mission Dei. Jesus came to the world to save it in stead of staying at his throne just praying for it.