The term “culturally refracted contexts” means the distorted, twisted, and fixed contexts which have lost the functional roles of the social integration in the specific cultural situations. The author tries to categorize three kinds of the distorted cultural patterns among the culturally refracted contexts of Korean society by using an anthropological method. The first one is related to “distorted nationalism” in a refracted context of the traditional pre-modern culture in Korea. It has been shown up to the society as a phenomenon of worshipping the national forefather Dangun. The second one is to be known as “extremely twisted totalism” in a culturally refracted context of militarism in Korea. It has impacted on the politic, the economy, the religion, and even the education of Korean society. The third one is to be tied with “distorted mammonism” in a culturally refracted context of materialism. It has been rooted and fixed to “extreme ethnocentrism” in Korea. The author, then, argues that Korean churches should have God’s mission to integrate the distorted and twisted society with the gospel of Jesus Christ which brings reconciliation and recovery to the culturally refracted contexts of Korean society. The distorted and twisted contexts of Korean society should be recovered to the grace community of God, the peace community of Jesus Christ, and the mission community of the Holy Spirit. In other words, the “distorted nationalism” in a refracted context of the traditional pre-modern culture in Korea has to be deleted in the society by God’s universal grace. The social oppressed and the weak can be protected and empowered by the grace of God. The “extremely twisted totalism” in a culturally refracted context of militarism in Korea can be nullified by Christ‘s sacrificial peace which brings the culture of resurrection and life. The “distorted mammonism” in a culturally refracted context of materialism in Korea should be transformed into the sharing community to the world by the witness of the Holy Spirit who gives the forgiveness and reconciliation. Korean churches as the community of the Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, and God the Father should have a social and missional role of integration within the refracted Korean contexts of the distorted nationalism, totalism, and materialism with God’s grace, Christ’s peace, and the Holy Spirit’s sharing witness to the world and the society of Korea.

• 노윤식(성결대 교수ㆍ선교신학) | Noh Younsik