Korean churches must return to the essence of the gospel to recover the trust they have lost, participants at a Protestant forum said.
The Nabuteo Forum, an interdenominational Protestant group, held its 6th forum on the 12th at the Korea Press Center in Seoul's Jung District under the theme "Tracing the Roots of Koreans, Envisioning Korea's Tomorrow." Ryu Young-mo, the forum's representative and pastor emeritus of Hansomang Church, said Korean churches today stand not at the center of society but at the center of conflict. "The church, which should mediate conflict, has become an instigator of conflict, turning ideology into faith and idolizing politics," he said. "At a time like this, what we must ask is not 'what more shall we do' but the fundamental question, 'where did we come from.'" Ryu added that digging into roots does not mean regressing to the past. "If we do not know where we came from, we cannot know where we should go," he said. "I hope this forum becomes an occasion for Korean churches to find the right path and set an example of service within society."
About 100 people attended the forum, including leaders of the Communion of Churches in Korea and other religious figures, theological seminary presidents and experts from various fields. In a keynote lecture, Hahm Chaibong, president of the Korean Academy, traced the intellectual roots of Christianity's contribution to modern Korean history, noting how it helped form modern citizens and self-determining nationals through medicine, education, the spread of the Korean alphabet and the promotion of egalitarian consciousness.
Participants then issued the "6th Nabuteo Forum Declaration," pledging to restore the essence of the gospel and carry on the spirit of the early missionaries. "The way for the church to regain trust where it has lost trust is through service, not power," the declaration said. "We will return to the spirit of the early missionaries, who built schools and hospitals and went to the side of the poor and the sick." It also pledged: "We will become a public church that serves the nation and society, and we will raise a voice of conscience so that politics stands on the side of the people. We will open a path for our society to call one another neighbors again, and an era in which people are an end rather than a means."