19세기 말 조선에 온 기독교는 그 당시 사회문화변혁에 앞장 선 종교공동체로 뿌리내리고 성장하였는데, 오늘에 와서는 ‘교회 밖 세상’을 뒤 쫓으며, 아니 그 세상질서의 한 부분이 되었다고 우리는 이해하고 있다. ‘초월’에 기대어 당시의 유교질서와 가치를 ‘사람이 만든 것’이라 선포하고 여러 신분제도와 남녀불평등의 타파에 앞섰던 기독교가 이제 와서는 도리어 여성에게 순종을 강요하고 있다는 비판을 받고 있다. 이를테면, 아버지와 남편 그리고 아들을 차례로 선기라는 ‘삼종지도’에서 벗어나게 한 그 기독교에서 (남성) 목사들과 신학자들까지 더하여 ‘사종지도’의 이데올로기 극성을 부리고 여성들을 옥죄고 있다.
이 글은 기독교의 이러한 변화는 성장에 따른 제도화, 그래서 나타난 수직적 리더십의 형성, 이와 더불어 (유교적) 가부장적 문화가 팽배한 종교공동체가 되었다고 우리는 보고 있는 것이다. 그리고 이러한 한국기독교의 변화를 우리 역사에서 기독교와 여성이 어떻게 만나고 뒤엉키게 되었는지를 들여다봄으로 밝히고자 하였다.
Following its arrival in Korea in the late nineteenth century, Protestantism grew rapidly to be a formidable social force, with membership in Protestant denominations consisting of one quarter of the total population in South Korea just one century later. Underlying the remarkable growth of the new religion from the West was a new spirit of reform in Confucian Korea. Relying on transcendence (God), early converts declared that the Confucian establishment and its values were not from God, but were made by men. Thus, they came to abandon such Confuciam systems and teaching as the four class system, the discrimination against women, the samjongjido (three obediences). However, the Protestant church these days is under heavy criticism, because it become a religious community where women should be silent and obedient to men. a scholar calls it a sajongjido (four obediences), obedience to four men including father, husband, son, and noe male clergymen and theologians. What happened to this religious community?This article is designed to see a metamorphosis the religious community underwent in the process of growth, from a community of commoners, the poor, the underprivileged and some reform-minded yangbans to a established religion consisted of many well-to-do Koreans. The church is now a major part of the establishment in South Korea. The women issue is, I believe, a good, if not best, subject to see the metamorphosis the religious community underwent.
Following its arrival in Korea in the late nineteenth century, Protestantism grew rapidly to be a formidable social force, with membership in Protestant denominations consisting of one quarter of the total population in South Korea just one century later. Underlying the remarkable growth of the new religion from the West was a new spirit of reform in Confucian Korea. Relying on transcendence (God), early converts declared that the Confucian establishment and its values were not from God, but were made by men. Thus, they came to abandon such Confuciam systems and teaching as the four class system, the discrimination against women, the samjongjido (three obediences). However, the Protestant church these days is under heavy criticism, because it become a religious community where women should be silent and obedient to men. a scholar calls it a sajongjido (four obediences), obedience to four men including father, husband, son, and noe male clergymen and theologians. What happened to this religious community?This article is designed to see a metamorphosis the religious community underwent in the process of growth, from a community of commoners, the poor, the underprivileged and some reform-minded yangbans to a established religion consisted of many well-to-do Koreans. The church is now a major part of the establishment in South Korea. The women issue is, I believe, a good, if not best, subject to see the metamorphosis the religious community underwent.
