Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: This study analyses the life and leadership of Dr. John Jun (1941– ), the third General Director of the University Bible Fellowship (UBF), in order to examine how Korean Christianity developed from the experience of colonial oppression to the emergence of a global missionary consciousness in the postwar era. Jun was born in the midst of the harsh and prolonged Japanese occupation of Korea and later endured the devastation of the Korean War. His early experiences therefore reflect the struggles of an entire generation who, amid social disruption, poverty, and despair, were compelled to seek faith as a source of meaning and resilience. His conversion, vocational calling, and long-standing leadership demonstrate how Christianity provided both a firm anchor for postwar survival and a visionary impetus for worldwide evangelization. Methodologically, this research employs historical positivism in order to verify sources with critical rigour. Yet the study also draws upon phenomenology, hermeneutics, and biblical theology, recognising that factual accuracy alone is insufficient to interpret the theological and cultural significance of Jun’s life. These combined approaches make it possible to move beyond a simple chronological narrative and to interpret Jun’s biography as a dynamic witness to the ways in which faith, culture, and history intersect. Ultimately, this research argues that Jun’s life story is not merely the record of one individual leader, but a theological and cultural testimony to the transformation of Korean Christianity into a globally engaged movement. His witness embodies both the struggles and aspirations of modern Korean Protestantism in dialogue with world mission.
Source: Pharos Journal of Theology
Authors: Yang-Ho Jo, Jun-Ki Chung
Institution: Kwangshin University
Language: English
Subfield: Religious studies
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $375
OpenAlex ID: W4415735004