![[백성호의 현문우답] Bishop Jongmo Yoon “Do not misunderstand’Jesus only’… Jesus is not exclusive”](http://pds.joins.com/news/component/htmlphoto_mmdata/202102/24/835e5eb6-ac09-4bec-a374-3859a4cd4302.jpg "[백성호의 현문우답] Bishop Jongmo Yoon “Do not misunderstand’Jesus only’… Jesus is not exclusive”")
On the 23rd, I met Bishop Yoon Jong-mo (71) of the Anglican Church at a cafe in Mok-dong, Yangcheon-gu, Seoul. He served as the provincial head of the Korean Anglican Church. In Catholic terms, it is about the cardinal or the chairman of the bishop. Bishop Yun’s greatest concern is’Christian Spirituality and Meditation’. Even after retirement, he teaches meditation and is active in lectures.
Bishop Jongmo Yoon’s spirituality and capital are rooted in our daily life. Is that why? “Spirituality and meditation” he refers to is not a floating cloud catcher. It touches our specific life. So I was curious. What is the’future of religion’ he sees? So I asked. “Can religion exist in the future?” “If it exists, what type of religion is it?”
- Is there a direction in human mental culture?
- “of course. Take a look back in history. The mental culture of mankind is developing from chaos (chaos) to cosmos (order). Look at the ancient or medieval period. Misconceptions of society such as weak education, slavery system, status system, and gender discrimination were taken for granted. There was also the confusion and struggle that followed. However, in such a way, we could not form a community (country) and live in a stable and peaceful way.”
- So what did you do.
- “To reconcile this chaos, we have created laws and regulations. Because human mental culture is oriented towards cosmos. Soon, however, these laws and systems became a means of control for the vested interests. A tool for dominating the powerless subclass. Eventually, it fell into a law for law and an institution for institution.”
- If so, how was religion?
- “The same is true of religion. Primitive religion was disorderly, magical, and superstitious. It was unreasonable to reach God’s love, mercy, and spirituality. To achieve that, a Norm was created. That is the precepts, laws, and doctrines of religion. In religion, the law and doctrine were a tool for reaching the cosmos of God. But there was a problem here.”
- “As I emphasized the law and doctrine, the spirit of God’s cosmos disappeared. Eventually, it became a law for the law and a doctrine for doctrine. The result is an exclusive and self-righteous religion.”
- Like medieval Christianity?
- “That’s right. Christianity in the Middle Ages was the result of legalism. Christianity has become not a religion of love and life, but an exclusive, self-righteous and violent religion. It has become a ruthless religion such as witch trials, torture and executions against heresy, and religious wars. If they had different beliefs or ideologies, they sometimes used violence with hatred and hostility. It was different from Jesus’ interest.”
- What was Jesus’ interest?
- “It was a proclamation of the kingdom of God (God). In a word, the kingdom of God that Jesus claimed was’recovery’. It was to restore the life of human beings, to restore the relationship between God and man, and to restore the relationship between man and man. The reason why Jesus criticized the Pharisees so much was that they were into legalism. Because of that, God’s spirituality, love and life, was lost.”
- So how is the Korean church today?
- “There are many contributions the Korean church has made to our society. In particular, they have contributed significantly to the concept of education, medical care, democracy, and equal human rights. On the other hand, there are some disappointing aspects. Each denomination has its own system of doctrine. Most denominations have a legalistic attitude to the doctrine. Because of this attitude, Korean churches are generally very conservative and fundamentalist. In addition to this, the Korean church has a peculiar tendency toward ups and downs and a materialistic faith.”
- For example, what is it?
- “For example, they say that if you give a lot to the church, God will give you many times that blessing. They say that if they attend Sunday worship services, they will succeed in the world, take tests well, and do not get sick. Even if they get sick, they are taught to heal quickly. Ups and downs and materialism are underpinned by this belief. In doing so, he emphasizes’Jesus only.’”
- ‘Jesus only’ is not the key keyword of the Korean church.
- “It is important what we mean by’Jesus only.’ This is also a big problem for conservative Korean churches. What is the essential meaning of’Jesus only’? It contains the meaning of’only love’ and’only truth’. But what if you interpret’Jesus only’ exclusively? Eventually, it becomes exclusive Christianity. But Jesus was not a person who rejected anyone. Jesus was a Jesus of love and of truth.”
Bishop Yun pointed out, “In the West, the number of Christians is declining very rapidly.” He said, “After the Renaissance, human knowledge and intellect developed and evolutionary theory settled in human consciousness, and people left the church as they had doubts about the existence of God.” He pointed out that this is the main reason Christianity is declining in the West.
- What is the current situation of the Korean church?
- “Korea can still be called a’Christian heaven’. There aren’t many countries like Korea that keep pure faith. Of course, it is said that the number of Christians in Korea is also decreasing. However, the Korean church is still full, and the devotion and enthusiasm of the church members is great. However, I think Korea will soon follow Western trends. By that time, the church will decline rapidly.”
- After all, what is the crisis.
- “People say it is the’crisis era of the church.’ I look differently. It is not a crisis of the church, but a crisis of traditional doctrine. That’s the time now.”
- Why do you see it as’the era of crisis of traditional doctrine’?
- “If you go to the West, many people in the church do not believe in traditional doctrine. Many of these people are’Spiritual, But Not Religious’ (SBNR). It means’spiritual but not religious’. “I am a spiritual being, not a religious being.”
- What does that mean.
- “They are not very in tune with the traditional doctrines, beliefs, and religious cultures of religion. Instead, they are interested in a pure spiritual level. They ask: ‘What is the true teaching of Jesus”What is the true teaching of the Buddha’. I am interested in this.”
- What are they looking for after all.
- “They are not very interested in the mythical, narrative and religious institutions that religion has. Instead, the pure teachings of Jesus and the Buddha, the thirst for human existence, the meaning of life, the desire for transcendence. We take these things seriously. We do not link this with the traditional doctrine of religion, we pursue it independently.”
- In fact, a Western theologian once asked a question. I asked a SNBR-oriented congregation who came to the church from abroad.
- “Why do you come to church because you don’t believe in God?”
Their answer was this.
“When I come to church, I can feel a spiritual atmosphere that is different from the world.”
“When I come to church, I can meet more serious people”
Bishop Jongmo Yoon stressed, “These answers are an indicator that can predict the future of the church.”
Anglican Bishop Jongmo Yoon is holding an interview with JoongAng Ilbo on the 23rd. 2021.02.23 Kim Sang-sun
- The era of the 4th industrial revolution has already begun. The development of science and technology such as artificial intelligence is expected to accelerate. Will religion continue to survive in the future? Could the demand for religion continue to be created?
- “There are futurists who predict that religion will lose its place in the future society. Other sociologists say that as the digital material civilization society develops, human emotions become more devastating, and therefore religion will be needed more. I think these words are half correct and half wrong.”
- Why is half right, half wrong?
- The word “religion” is mixed with elements. Every religion has its own unique doctrines, miraculous myths and stories, religious institutions, the quest for the nature of life and death, and existential problems of how to live. Until now, people have not distinguished between spiritual and non-spiritual elements, and have been lumped together to understand them.”
- How do they view the myths and narrative elements of religion?
- “Until now, you can miraculously save the dead, scoop grain out of the jar, and keep the jar filled with grain, walking on the water, and the sea splitting. I was moved by the contents and accepted the whole religion. But in modern times it is different. There is a growing trend of people saying’I’m spiritual but not religious’. They still remain religious, but they are the ones who distinguish between the spiritual and non-spiritual elements of religion.”
The more I kept asking questions in the interview, the more I became curious. What will’the religion of the future’ look like? What on earth is spirituality, and what role will spirituality play in future religions? The question and answer will be included in the second interview.
Written by = Reporter Baek Seong-ho, journalist specialized in religion [email protected], Photo = Reporter Kim Sang-seon
