Page 61 - A Dissertation for Doctor of Philosophy

According to pragmatic ideology, the preacher appropriates the message and method by the

measure “Is it helpful?” for church growth, rather than “Is it true to the text?” 131

Secondly the most serious problem of this type of preaching is its anthropocentricism and

lack of theocentricism or Christocentricism. Theology deals with both God and human beings.

In this sense, Karl Barth is right when he says that theology is always “theo-anthropology.” 132

Still, God comes first in theology; but in this type of preaching the human comes first. Such

preaching serves the creature first rather than God.

Syncretistic Pentecostal Preaching

When the Gospel went out to the Korean, it did not go out in a spiritual vacuum. Korea

has very rich religious heritage. Shamanism, for example, is a traditional religious system in

Korea. 133 The Mudang (Shaman), by the ecstatic technique and trance, 134 becomes a mediator

between a god on the one hand and human on the other. When the shaman exercises the priestly

role, he or she displays spiritual healing, exorcism of evil spirits, and fortune telling. The two

main concern of shamanism are personal protection from the curse of evil spirits and reception of

131 Ibid., 90.

132
Karl Barth, Evangelical Theology (Grand Rapids, IL.: Eerdmans, 1963), 12.
133
The Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics, s.v. “Shamanism.” It is defined as “a
primitive religion of polytheism or poly-demonism with strong roots in nature worship, and
generally certain with a supreme god over all.” For a recent study on shamanism and its effect on
Korean Christianity, see Jong Do Lee, “The Effect of Korean Shamanistic Worldview on the
Belief, Rituals, and Lifestyles of Korean Christianity as Reflected in Hap-Dong Presbyterian
Christians in Seoul,” Ph.D. diss., Trinity International University, 1995, 50. According to him,
Shamanism is the primary contributor in shaping the personality of Korean people since it is
placed in the sub-stratum of Korean culture.

134 Mircea Eliade, Shamanism, trans. William R. Trask (New York: Bollinggen
Foundation, 1964), 4. Eliade points out the ecstatic technique as the indispensable ingredient of
Shamanism.