Prof. Hak Joon Lee (Fuller Theological Seminary)
The statement that the Korean church is in trouble or that it has become corrupt is not new particularly among Koreans and Korean Americans of the faith. Many questions have been asked as to why this is the case for the churches of the nation that sends the second most missionaries in the world after the United States. In order to find the root cause in the weakening of the Korean church, Christianity Daily has prepared a number of interviews with experts to look for a theological approach to the problem.
The first expert Christianity Daily decided to meet is Professor Hak Joon Lee at Fuller Seminary. He is already a renowned scholar on Martin Luther King Jr. and during his time at New Brunswick Theological Seminary, he was the institute’s only Asian full-time faculty. He is also a renowned Christian author who focuses on the subject of Christian ethics.
In an interview with Christianity Daily, Professor Lee gave his own opinion on what is going on in the Korean church. He used the analogy of Blackberry. Though at one point the company had the largest share in the smartphone market, Blackberry phones are now virtually antiques. He explained that Blackberry is no longer at the top because it failed to maintain its core value – its market value.
Then what is the fundamental value of the church that the Korean ministry seems to be lacking? Professor Lee explained that it is the characteristics of God which a church should be representing. He went on to explain that a church must try to ask deeper questions than being like a fortune teller. A church that does not ask of God’s will or try to seek his commands, is no better than any other superstition. The Korean church, is probably not trying to find out what God truly wants of them.
He also gave his views on what the church must do to solve this fundamental issue. The first step was for the congregation to examine themselves and the community as a whole objectively. In other words, to evaluate a church by how they themselves are doing spiritually other than if the head pastor is a good speaker.
The second step was to be mindful of the members’ hearts. Professor Lee explained in our interview that a church must reflect the voice of its members. For instance, they must be aware of what kind of struggles individual brothers and sisters may be going through and ministers must make the effort to pray for them and counsel them.
