The Holy Spirit and Ch'i (Qi)

Synopsis:
This book articulates a contextual pneumatology from a perspective of the Eastern idea of ch'i (ki in Korean). Rather than understanding the Spirit from a Westernized philosophical perspective, this book utilizes East Asian categories rooted in the I Ching and Asian religions in dialogue with such prominent Western theologians as Barth, Pannenberg, Moltmann, and Harvey Cox. The result is an exciting interaction between the Bible, traditions of the West, and experiences of the Spirit rooted in East Asia. Yun argues that the formal dimension of the Spirit (sangjeok) is present and active in all cultures and religions while the material dimension of the Spirit (muljeok) is categorically revealed and embodied through the life of Jesus Christ, the event of Pentecost, and Charisms given to the church. In making his case, he mediates a creative balance between countercultural and exclusivist models on the one hand and pluralistic and anthropocentric models on the other.

Endorsements:

"Koo Dong Yun's work is simply brilliant and beautiful! It is written by an author who accurately knows both Western and Eastern theology and philosophy. I applaud it sincerely."
-Harvey Cox
Hollis Research Professor of Divinity
Harvard University

"Professor Koo D. Yun's constructive 'chiological' pneumatology . . . is a feast of theological, philosophical, and religious insights highlighting the wonderful work of the Holy Spirit through the lens of Ch'i and related Asian ways of conceiving the 'divine spirit/essence.'"
-Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen
Professor of Systematic Theology
Fuller Theological Seminary
"Finally, the contextual, irregular pneumatology rooted in the East Asian soil for which we have been waiting with excitement has emerged in this book."
-Paul S. Chung
Associate Professor of Mission and World Christianity
Luther Seminary

"Professor Yun's book represents a groundbreaking work in the study of pneumatology . . . Written in creative dialogue with best of the Western tradition, this landmark study represents a fresh, constructive, and original contribution to the field of pneumatology." -David S. Nah
Associate Professor of Theology
Bethel Seminary


Author Biography:
Koo Dong Yun is Professor of Systematic Theology at Bethany University in Scotts Valley, California. He is the author of Baptism in the Holy Spirit: An Ecumenical Theology of Spirit Baptism (2003).