‘Korean Women’s Theology’ about to publish its 100th issue… Co-CEO Kang Hyun-mi’s voice for equality
“Discrimination cannot be God’s will… The female priest cooks the rice and the male only eats it.
Church management and decision-making are also men’s responsibility.”
“You’re saying there can’t be female pastors? “Can it be possible that discrimination between men and women is God’s will?”
‘Korean Women’s Theology’, founded in 1990 by the Korean Association of Women Theological Scholars (Co-CEOs Kang Hyeon-mi and Shin Hye-jin), will publish its 100th issue in December. Korean Women’s Theology is the voice of female theologians who have cried out for the improvement of women’s rights in society and the church for over 30 years, even in difficult situations. Korean Women’s Theology, which started as a bimonthly magazine of about 50 pages, is currently published twice a year as a 200-page booklet. Co-CEO Kang Hyun-mi said in an interview at the Credit Union office in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul on the 16th, “In a world where women are receiving stars even in the military, there are still some large domestic denominations that do not ordain women as pastors,” and “The Protestant church that was born through the Reformation is now “It’s unfortunate that there are many areas where awareness lags behind that of the general society,” he said. The following is a Q&A.
―It seems that the church, which should be the most equal, actually discriminates against women more than society.
“A representative example would be the ban on female pastors in some large denominations. People who say that female pastors should not be on the outside seem to be saying, ‘Women should be quiet in church.’ They are not permitted to speak… The reason is Bible passages such as Apostle Paul’s letter that says, ‘It is shameful for a woman to speak in church’ (1 Corinthians 14:34, 35). It’s an excuse. “It is not a correct interpretation of the Bible to just take sentences and use them as evidence without considering the context before and after Paul’s writings or the background and situation at the time.”
-That’s an excuse?
“At that time, the Corinthian church had many reckless enthusiasts due to the influence of Gnosticism. Gnosticism is a mystical idea that one can be saved by possessing supernatural knowledge through revelation and vision, and it infiltrated the early church and seriously threatened the true gospel of the church. Paul’s letter was sent to the people of the Corinthian church who were in such a special situation. I’m not saying that all women in the world shouldn’t speak in church. If we must only act according to the true Bible verses, Isaiah 66:17 says that those who eat pork will perish, so why do we eat pork belly or pork cutlet?”
―It seems that discrimination against women in the church is not limited to the ordination of pastors.
“You can easily see it even inside an ordinary small church. It is the responsibility of female believers to cook meals in the church kitchen on Sundays. Men just come and eat. Just like during the holidays. Most church operations and decision-making are also the responsibility of men. There are probably fewer female elders than female pastors. “Most women are deacons and deacons.”
―60% of believers are women. Shouldn’t we demand improvement?
“After living in a patriarchal church for so long… . There is a way that living obediently like that is considered faith within faith. It has been taken for granted that men are not allowed to do chores, prepare meals, or pray representatively at church, and that men are pastors and women are evangelists. Education to improve this wrong culture should be provided within the church, but many churches do not allow this. “Because it’s uncomfortable.”
―Regardless of religion, we are experiencing a sharp decline in the number of believers, pastors, and monks.
“There may be many reasons, but in the view of today’s young generation, especially young women, would they want to go to a place where discrimination against women is more severe than in general society? Who would want to work for a company that doesn’t promote women? “The church should lead society, but if it is not doing so and has many shortcomings, it would be natural for people to give.”
Reporter Lee Jin-gu sys1201@donga.com