Date of Award

2021

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Theology

Abstract

Although Asian perspectives and philosophical heritage may carry ecological values, the Korean American Protestant Churches (KAPC) seem uncaring the current global climate crisis. Nor have their theological views on nature been developed adequately. I hypothesize that one of the reasons for the disinterest is KAPC’s anthropocentric views on humans. The Korean American immigrant churches, taught by traditional and conservative theology, recognize humans as disconnected from the rest of creation. Humans are treated and emphasized almost as the telos of God’s whole creation. The worthlessness of humans before God is affirmed, but ironically humans are always seen higher than any other nonhuman nature.Given this context, can we imagine alternative anthropology that is both humble before God and relational with the whole creation? James M. Gustafson’s theocentric perspective provides the possibility. After critically examining KAPC’s two theological heritages – the minjung theology and the Dutch reformed theology – this dissertation argues that we can have a more ecologically adequate perspective when Gustafson’s insight meets with and becomes a critical hermeneutical lens to the Dutch reformed and minjung theology.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.

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