This paper is intended to explore the relationship of korean churches and the shamanism from the missional perspective. July 7, 2007 the very interesting article was reported in ‘The New York Times’. It bears the title, “Shamanism Enjoys Revival in Techno-Savvy South Korea”. According to this report, there are an estimated 300,000 shamans in south-korea. By contrast it is approximately 120,000 protestant pastors in south korea. Until now the shamanism and the mudangs are estimated so negative by reason of their ‘health and wealth gospel’. Specially the korean church took it as the mammonism. But the health and wealth gospel of shamanism aims the worldy centered worth, not the mammonism. By religious ritual named ‘gut’ they will find a solution to one's problem, but will not accumulate wealth. They think that the most problem of human beings arise from the distorted relationship between the divine beings and the livings. So by the gut they try to reconcile the livings with the divine beings. For this, the mudangs serve their gods with all their hearts; they pray every early morning with the lustral water, support their gods with fresh new fruits. This faithful devotion is called ‘chiseong’ in korean, and this could be comepare with the spiritual discipline. By this ‘chiseong’ the mudangs can be recognized as the spiritual psychics. And this will afford an excellent lesson to the korean churches, for the church as a missionary organ have to witness the presence of the living God in this world.

• 이길용(서울신학대학교, 종교학/기독교 문화) | Lee Kil Yong