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TOWARD A TRANSFORMING MINISTRY:
ANALYSIS OF SERMON FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF GENDER EQUALITY
A Professional Project
presented to
the Faculty of
Claremont School of Theology
In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree
Doctor of Ministry
by
Hyun Kyu Choi
May 2013
©2013
Hyun Kyu Choi
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
This professional project completed by
Hyun Kyu Choi
has been presented to and accepted by the
faculty of Claremont School of Theology in
partial fulfillment of the requirements of the
D octor of M inistry
Faculty Committee
Namsoon Kang, Chairperson
K. Samuel Lee
Dean of the Faculty
Philip Clayton
May 2013
ABSTRACT
Toward a Transforming Ministry:
Analysis of Sermons from the Perspective of Gender Equality
by
Hyun Kyu Choi
The theoretical background of this dissertation is founded in humanism and
feminism, the purpose being to reform the patriarchal structure of ministry. To discuss
the patriarchal nature of the Korean church, the author has defined terms such as
patriarchy, androcentrism, gender equality, oppression, and liberation. In carrying out this
study, the author researched a patriarchal situation of the Korean church where
patriarchal language was used, critiqued the situation from the feminist theological
viewpoint, and analyzed the situation according to seven homiletic standards, which title
selection, form interpretation, parable use, use of patriarchal language, method of sermon
delivery, feminist theological application, and feminist theological criticism. The study
addressed three manuscripts of sermons the author had preached in an actual ministry
environment. Also, as a means of applying reform to the patriarchal ministry structure,
the author presented a gender-equality-promoting sermon, and proposed the need for a
gender equal annual sermon planning and for establishing a women’s Sunday.
SUMMARY
Toward a Transforming Ministry :
Analysis of Sermon from the Perspective of Gender Equality
The purpose of this dissertation is to analyze the androcentric value structure and
situation that is prevalent in the Korean Church, particularly the situation involving the
usage of androcentric (patriarchic) language in the church, and to grasp the reality of such
androcentric language use in the Sunday sermons of my own ministry field at Mokdong
Church. Also, through a feminist-theological self-examination, the author seeks to
reject such patriarchic sermons and proposes a gender-equal sermon. The author’s
research will involve applying a qualitative research method of three sermons that contain
patriarchic overtones, which were written prior to the sermon writer receiving feminist
theological education, in order to critically reflect on the patriarchic elements in the
author’s own ministry structure. After completion of the critique, the author will present a
new sermon from the perspective of feminist theology as a mean, to invigorate change
and healing over the sexist conflict situation in the ministry field through the practice of
preaching in gender equal language.
To do so, the author looked over preceding research, firstly analyzing research
materials that involve studies of researchers and theologians on the patriarchic nature of
the Korean church. Also, the author examined research materials that inspected and
criticized the current usage of patriarchic language in the sermons that are being preached
within the church. Based on these findings the author compared any differences with
the author’s own research. Having looked over preceding research, and in light of the
numbers of graduation dissertations of seminaries and the fact that gender equality is a
demand of the times, the author was able to discern that the amount of research
concerning patriarchic sermons was rather limited. Domestically, there was not even
one doctoral dissertation written on the patriarchic nature of sermons in the Korean
Church. In particular, research carried out using the qualitative research method based on
self-examination and change was rare. Therefore, the author’s paper could be deemed
as unique based solely on the fact that it attempts to apply self-examination and change in
the ministry field, and because it is also an attempt towards gender equality ministry by a
male.
Feminist theology provides the ideological background of this paper. First, the
author introduced several terms used in the dissertation to discuss the patriarchal themes
of the Korean church, such as patriarchy, androcentrism, gender equality, sexism,
oppression, liberation, etc. Next, the author researched and criticized such terms which
promote patriarchy, as well as patriarchal Christian terms from the feminist theologian’s
perspective.
The goal of this paper is to create change based on the self-examination of the
patriarchal elements present in the sermons of the author’s very own ministry field.
Therefore, for data collection the author chose three out of four sermons involving female
figures of holy scripture. The author utilized subjective analysis of the three sermon
texts. Subjective analysis, similar to hermeneutic phenomenological research, comes
into play rather deeply in the researcher's life where the phenomenon of interest occurs,
and applies when one’s self becomes the focus of the research, just as it applies in the
auto-ethnography or feminist, or other descriptive post-structuralism approaches. The
author selected three Sunday sermons preached at Mokdong Church in 2010 and
analyzed/coded the text and title, utilized allegories, application, i.e. terms used in the
sermon based on their masculinity, femininity or gender equality, as well as observing
areas that needed self-reflection or change. While the text having been written by the
author could have led to a rather subjective opinion, the author focused on analyzing the
data as closely as possible according to the feminist approach and language theory.
Summarizing the results of the author’s analyzed data was handled as follows:
first, when analyzing the sermon text, utilizing the feminist theological perspective was
shown to be limiting. While male chauvinistic and patriarchal terms were not
remarkably apparent in the author’s sermons, analysis revealed that the author had
utilized traditional interpretations of the scripture rather than the feminist theological
understanding in all three of the sermons. Since using a such traditional interpretation that
accepts the patriarchal terms in which the bible was written permits only androcentric
interpretations, the result is that the ministry structure continues to uphold the patriarchy.
Therefore, this reveals the need for biblical interpretation that is based on other
perspectives including the feminist theological viewpoint.
Second, to change the structures of patriarchal ministry, which is the goal of this
dissertation, the author examined any changes in the sermons after attending feminist
theological lectures. Concerning the content of the sermons, it was clear that there was
a change in mentality towards gender equality, and yet, after analyzing the text and titles
of sermons of 2011, there was no change in the number of times a passage promoting
gender equality was selected before and after attending the feminist theology class. This
result shows that without consciously or institutionally, specifying in the lectionary
calendar to put into practice preaching sermons of feminist theology, it will be very
difficult to cause change in the ministry structure through messages that promote gender
equality. Therefore, for the renewal of patriarchal ministry structures, the author
expressed the importance of ministerial goals, particularly promoting sermons based on
gender equality once a month.
Third, gender-equal sermons eventually require a change in the speaker’s
thinking, as well as communication with the listening audience. Just because patriarchal
sermon terminology isn’t used does not mean the sermon automatically becomes one
promoting gender equality. Rather, a culture valuing the equality of genders needs to be
present in the lives of the speakers and in their relationships with the congregation. The
women of the author’s church, who comprise 70% of the entire congregation, also
supported usage of feminine language, and proposed that such critical self-examination of
androcentric language, patriarchic management style and policies of the church was much
needed.
As mentioned above, the author’s research focused on achieving a change
towards a more gender equal mentality based on analysis of the author’s personal sermon
terminology, and in the patriarchal ministry structure of the author’s own ministry field.
The author hopes that this research will contribute much to the Korean church, especially
for women who have long been the target of a passive ministry within a sexist culture
supported by patriarchal church policies and sermon terminology, that they will become
free to confidently be active as the main agents of the gospel and create joy-filled
ministry environments.
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