THEOLOGY

2023.10.29 22:04

God's Hospitality

조회 수 102 추천 수 0 댓글 0
?

단축키

Prev이전 문서

Next다음 문서

크게 작게 위로 아래로 댓글로 가기 인쇄 첨부
?

단축키

Prev이전 문서

Next다음 문서

크게 작게 위로 아래로 댓글로 가기 인쇄 첨부

239866391_4507711042608364_1171189273708274257_n.jpg

 

 

God's Hospitality

 

Recently, hospitality has become a topic of discussion. Hospitality means to treat others generously and graciously. Hospitality is an essential virtue in humanity, and it has been a recurring theme in literature and philosophy.

 

In ancient literature, works like Homer's "The Odyssey" and Sophocles' "Oedipus Rex" explored the theme of hospitality. Even in the works of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky, hospitality is a central theme.

 

Until the late 20th century, the fields of tourism and business discussed hospitality. It was a management strategy applied in hotels and restaurants. However, the modern philosopher Jacques Derrida introduced hospitality as a topic in international politics and contemporary society.

 

Derrida, a French philosopher of Algerian-Jewish descent, authored "On Hospitality," presented hospitality as a solution to the issues of refugees and immigrants that the world faces.

 

The World Council of Churches (WCC) addresses interreligious dialogue and supports religious pluralism under the theme of hospitality. It asserts that all religions are equal and hold the same values, providing paths to the same divine reality. It declares, "There is no limit to God's saving grace," emphasizing that Christianity is not the only religion offering God's salvation.

 

WCC emphasizes hospitality as it goes beyond the boundaries of Christian truth. It emphasizes hospitality that ignores the truth of God's revelation and denies the uniqueness of salvation through Jesus Christ.

 

Professor Joshua W. Jipp, who teaches New Testament theology at a theological school in the Chicago area, wrote a book titled "Hospitality and Salvation." The book delves into hospitality as God's love extended to humanity. It emphasizes that those who have received God's hospitality should, in turn, extend hospitality to strangers as a duty of God's children.

 

Indeed, the Bible is a book of hospitality. The most fantastic hospitality began with God. God is the ultimate source of hospitality. God's hospitality is evident in actions such as saving Noah and his family, choosing Abraham, seeking out and meeting Moses as a fugitive and making him a leader, and restoring David despite his sins.

 

The Old Testament repeatedly shows God's hospitality toward the people of Israel, and God commands His chosen people to show hospitality to orphans, widows, and foreigners. Hospitality is a divine command.

 

The New Testament emphasizes the message of Jesus' hospitality. Jesus welcomed outcasts, the sick, and foreigners. The parable of the Good Samaritan directly links hospitality with matters of salvation. The parable of the Prodigal Son vividly portrays the hospitality of God the Father.

 

The pinnacle of hospitality in the New Testament is the crucifixion of Golgotha. The cross event embodies the spirit of biblical hospitality, extending beyond one's neighbors to even welcoming one's enemies.

 

Hospitality in the Book of Acts is the key that opens the door to mission. Philip's hospitality to the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts chapter 8 opened the door to evangelism.

 

The disciples in Damascus extended hospitality to the infamous Saul. The reception of Cornelius in Caesarea resulted in his receiving the Holy Spirit. Lydia of Philippi extended hospitality to Paul's team. Jason of Thessalonica and Gaius of Corinth received the missionary teams with hospitality. The book of Acts presents ministers as recipients of hospitality.

 

We hear the voice of justice and compassion in modern churches, emphasizing hospitality. Compared to the early church, the hospitality of the modern church is critically lacking. Christians in the 3rd century, who comprised less than 10% of the Roman population, shook the Roman Empire.

 

Leaders such as Ambrose, Chrysostom, and Augustine recognized hospitality as a central aspect of Christian life. They armed themselves with the spirit of hospitality to serve the world and effect transformation.

 

Hospitality brings about change and maturity. Vibrant mission fields exhibit hospitality, and active churches practice hospitality. The spirit of hospitality mitigates conflicts and heals wounds. Hospitality encompasses acceptance, consideration, and deference. Both the giver and receiver of hospitality find happiness. Hospitality is the Royal Road to Happiness.

 

Christianity is a religion of hospitality. However, Christian Zionists and dispensationalists extend hospitality to Jews but not to Palestinians. While messages call for sending relief funds to Israeli refugees, it is challenging to find missionary organizations advocating sending food, water, and medicine to Palestinian people.

 

Recently, an American Baptist church group provided meals to Jewish refugees targeted by Hamas attacks, but why do they not even offer water to Palestinian refugees in Gaza?

 

Hospitality is due not only to the Israeli people but also to Palestinians who have been crying out after losing their ancestral lands. While violence from Hamas is unwelcome, refugees, the poor, the hungry, strangers, foreigners, and the sick are the focus of Christian hospitality

 

God's hospitality does not discriminate between Israelis and Palestinians. God's hospitality is deserved by those who pray for peace for Israel and Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6), and it also extends to innocent Palestinian people suffering in the occupied territories.

 

When will God invite the people in North Korea who are poor, hungry, and suffering from oppression to the banquet of hospitality? It is not only the Christians in North Korea but the entire populace that is the object of God's hospitality. This preparation is needed right now, not on the day of the North and South reunification.

 

Rev. Doug Choi, Ph.D., President of Peniel Theological Seminary, Busan, Korea

 

 

 


  1. Dialogue as a Continuing Christian Concern

    Dialogue as a Continuing Christian Concern (1971) by Stanley Samartha '1. The basis of inter-religious dialogue is the commitment of all partners to their respective faiths and their openness to the insights of the others. The integrity...
    Date2024.12.07 Views1
    Read More
  2. Lausanne Seoul Statement 2024

    Lausanne Seoul Statement 2024 Preamble The Fourth Lausanne Congress held in Incheon, South Korea, marks the 50th anniversary of the birth of a remarkable movement committed to global mission. The First Lausanne Congress in 1974 brought toge...
    Date2024.09.23 Views170
    Read More
  3. What is the Kingdom of God?

    What is the Kingdom of God? Christians frequently mention the "Kingdom of God." Jesus also taught His disciples to pray, "Your kingdom come." Theologians interpret the Kingdom of God according to their theological traditions. Liberal theolo...
    Date2024.09.07 Views113
    Read More
  4. How Many Books in the King James Version, Original?

    How Many Books in the King James Version, Original? The King James version of the English Bible, published in 1611, included 80 books—39 in the Old Testament, 14 in the Apocrypha, and 27 in the New Testament. The 1611 edition included...
    Date2024.08.27 Views113
    Read More
  5. The Song of Songs in taverns

    The Song of Songs in Taverns Wilfred C. Smith points out that originally the Song of Songs was a secular love song sung in taverns in the first century A.D. How then did it get a place in the Hebrew Scriputure? Rabbi Solomon ben Isaac descr...
    Date2024.08.17 Views527
    Read More
  6. The Philistines in the Bible and Modern Era

    The Philistines in the Bible and Modern Era The Philistines mentioned in the Bible and the modern Palestinians are not directly related by blood. Their relationship is complex due to historical changes and various influences, but they are n...
    Date2024.01.07 Views139
    Read More
  7. Justification by Faith for Wrong Doing?

    Justification by Faith for Wrong Doing? Is the salvation of God valid forever? Do Christians possess eternal salvation regardless of their sins? Christians who confess the doctrine of being 'saved by grace' or 'Justification by ...
    Date2023.12.30 Views154
    Read More
  8. Gresham Machen studied Liberal Theology

    Gresham Machen studied Liberal Theology Professor Gresham Machen, who established Westminster Theological Seminary, studied under the prominent liberal theologian Professor Johann Hermann( 1846-1922) at the University of Marburg in Germany....
    Date2023.12.24 Views142
    Read More
  9. Rethinking the Meaning and Goal of Public Theology

    Rethinking the Meaning and Goal of Public Theology In recent years, there has been a growing interest in Public Theology. Several theologians emphasize Public Theology without recognizing its limitations and the need for supplementation. Th...
    Date2023.12.11 Views142
    Read More
  10. The Theatrical Preaching of George Whitefield, a Calvinist

    The Theatrical Preaching of George Whitefield, a Calvinist George Whitefield(1714-1770) was an England Calvinist who preached the gospel of Jesus Christ faithfully to the biblical doctrines. Whitefield consistently preached about the sinful...
    Date2023.11.15 Views151
    Read More
  11. Korean Churches do not Wecome to LGBTQ+

    Korean Churches do not Wecome to LGBTQ+ The United Methodist Church, USA, has experienced divisions for decades over rules that prohibit the blessing of same-sex marriages for clergy and the ordination of openly LGBTQ+ individuals. The deba...
    Date2023.11.05 Views143
    Read More
  12. How Old is the Universe?

    How Old is the Universe? The Christian Apologetics Conference, with the theme 'The Origin of the Universe and Life,' was held on November 4, 2023, at Chungju Sumun Church, Chungju, Korea. One of the speakers on that day was Professo...
    Date2023.11.04 Views119
    Read More
  13. China, Stop the Repatriation of North Korean Defectors.

    China, Stop the Repatriation of North Korean Defectors. Several organizations in South Korea, along with some Christians and members of parliament, are condemning China's forced repatriation of North Korean defectors. On October 31, 202...
    Date2023.11.01 Views119
    Read More
  14. LEAVE THE WOLRD COUNCIL OF CHURCHES(WCC)

    LEAVE THE WORLD COUNCIL OF CHURCHES (WCC) In South Korean Christianity, the Presbyterian Church of Korea is predominant and vital. The largest Presbyterian group is the Presbyterian Church of Korea, Tonghap, a member of the World Council of...
    Date2023.10.30 Views122
    Read More
  15. God's Hospitality

    God's Hospitality Recently, hospitality has become a topic of discussion. Hospitality means to treat others generously and graciously. Hospitality is an essential virtue in humanity, and it has been a recurring theme in literature and p...
    Date2023.10.29 Views102
    Read More
  16. May We not be Dominated by Hatred and Animosity

    May We not be Dominated by Hatred and Animosity Prayer for the Christians of Gaza. May we not be dominated by hatred and animosity. In Gaza, significant Christians continue demonstrating the image of "praying Christians" even amidst war and...
    Date2023.10.26 Views104
    Read More
  17. The Dignity of Middle-Aged Adults

    The Dignity of Middle-Aged Adults As people enter middle age, their dignity becomes more pronounced, earning them respect. People admire middle-aged individuals who possess refined joy, a calm and stable disposition, and an unwavering chara...
    Date2023.10.24 Views97
    Read More
  18. 예수는 반신화다, 정일권-최덕성

    예수는 반신화다, 정일권-최덕성 박사의 대담 예수는 사생아인가? 성경의 예수 이야기는 디오니시우스 신화와 같은 종류의 허구인가? 정일권 박사는 예수 이야기를 신화로 여기는 자유주의 신학과 비기독교 지성인들을 향하여 외친다. 성경의 예수 이야기는 ...
    Date2019.12.30 Views1118
    Read More
  19. 예수 희생양 부처 희생염소

    예수 희생양/ 부처 희생염소 브레드채플, 20191020, 정일권 박사와 최덕성 박사의 담화 예수 그리스도는 인류 구원 목적의 죄 없는 희생양이이다. 반면 불교의 성불 개념의 부처는 자신도 인지하지 못하는 희생염소(scapegoat)이다. 희생양과 희생염소의 차이...
    Date2019.10.27 Views1201
    Read More
  20. 요단강 세례 양식

    요단강 세례 양식 러시아 정교회 신자들의 요단강 세례 영상이다. 세례 요한이 예수님에게 준 세례의 형태-양식을 짐작하게 한다. 유대교 미끄베와 초대교회 유적지 세례대와 카타콤 벽화 세례 양식 등을 종합하면 세례는 몸을 씻고 물을 붓는 양식으로 이뤄...
    Date2018.12.30 Views2571
    Read More
Board Pagination Prev 1 2 Next
/ 2