Perspective of the Northeast Asian Mission from the Viewpoint of Pauline Theology: Focused on Christology

Abstract

In the religiously pluralistic society which today’s globalization brings, Christian theology, following the trend of the time, seems to search for a “theology of religions” by a paradigm shift from Christo-centrism to Theo-centrism. According the “Frankfurt Statement” which reflected Karl Barth’s theology and its position, all religions are the attempt of human sin to rob God’s revelation and salvation and are unfaithful as godless, human affairs. Therefore religious pluralists criticize Barthian Christo-centrism. If we consider this, Barth’s Christo-centric revelation idea means that there is an essential self assertion of Christianity, just as other religions have their own doctrines and the self assertions. And the revelation of Christ includes exclusiveness of salvation. However, this understanding has a weak point in that Christianity shows no interest in other religions. In this sense, the problem of exclusiveness and universalism, or that of particularity and generality in Barthian theology in particular and in Christianity in general has to be solved.