안병무의 민중신학(民衆神學) 고찰 = A Study on Byung-Mu Ahn`s Minjung Theology

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Minjung theology emerged in the 1970s from the experience of Korean Christians in the struggle for the restoration of the rights of the minjung. It is firmly rooted in Korea`s socio-economic and political situation, and growing out of the struggles of Christians who treasure not only the universal message of emancipation of the Bible but also their own life. It espoused the repressed and exploited life of the people at the hand of the Yushin regime, and made an effort to listen to the lamentation of the oppressed people as if to the lamentation of God. It is therefore the contextual theology of Korea`s socio-economic and political situation during the 1970s.
The purpose of this study is to investigate Byung-Mu Ahn`s minjung theology and to provide the basic outline of the main ideas. It begins with Byung-Mu Ahn who is considered the pioneer of minjung theology. He understood `minjung`(oχλο□,) in the communist sense of the poor and regarded them as the people who are scorned by the powerful dictatorship. He systematized this viewpoint in an academic sense. He therefore placed emphasis on the rights of `minjung`(oχλο□) and propagated emancipation and salvation of the people on the basis of his theological belief.
In June 1975, when the president of Jeong-Hee Park`s regime(the Yushin dictatorship) became more tyrannical, he got booted from Hansin University for his socio-political tendencies. In March 1976, he was arrested for his participation in the political statement, `the March First Declaration`. He was put in jail for one year during which time he decided to devote the rest of his life to helping the poor. In addition, he provided the theological views and opinions for the progressive theology and for the democratization movement. Although he died without attaining the object of his theology, his progressive thoughts and spirit of freedom-loving are still alive among many non-Christians as well as many Christians.
But in the negative, Byung-Mu Ahn`s minjung theology have many theological arguments which are difficult to be accepted in the aspects of conservative theology because he developed his argument logically without the true Christian gospel such as the atonement, the resurrection, the second advent, the last judgment, the eternal kingdom of God and so on. The true Christian gospel is the basis upon which all Christianity stands. As a result of his negative aspects in theology, many conservative church leaders strictly prohibited his ideas to be spread. And many theologians whose theological standard is so conservative could not tolerate his thoughts.
The main messages Byung-Mu Ahn left behind us on the basis of his minjung theology could be summarized as follows:
① new ideas for ochlos(oχλο□) ② emphasis on theology of praxis ③ theology on the basis of life of ochlos(oχλο□) ④ encouragement of democratization movement ⑤ the purpose of the restoration of human rights ⑥ fight for socio-economic and political justice ⑦ attempt to improve indigenity of Korean theology ⑧ sensitive arguments between progressives and conservatives
And Jesus was going about in all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people. And the news about Him went out into all Syria; and they brought to Him all who were ill, taken with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics; and Jerusalem and Judea and from beyond the Jordan.(Matthew 4:23-24)