“Spirit of Gentleness” and Korean Online Shaming:
Restorative Approaches to Justice Addiction in Korean Evangelicalism through Galatians 6:1-2
Recently there have been many cases in Korea that people (celebrities and normal people) who became the victim of online shaming, committed suicide. Online shaming and its negative impact, particularly within Korean cultures, demands attention. Japanese brain scientist Nobuko Nakano defines the online cancel culture as “justice addiction.” People tend to become addicted to the feeling of superiority by criticizing and humiliating others who involves in public misconducts. Moreover, this phenomenon is not only limited to Korea, but appears prevalently around the globe in different forms, such as “cancel culture.” This paper proposes a solution to “justice addiction,” a phenomenon that is prevalent in Korean evangelical communities, through a pneumatic hermeneutics of Galatians 6:1-2.
First, the paper examines the phenomenon of “justice addiction” in Korean evangelical communities. The paper explores how Korean cultural values contribute to justice addiction, with examples of online shaming cases. It also analyzes the role of anonymity and online disinhibition in fueling this addiction. Within the Korean “honor-shame” culture, this phenomenon takes on a stronger and more critical dimension.
Second, the paper shows the values of Paul’s exhortation toward the Galatian churches, which shared a similar “honor-shame” culture with Korea. In Gal 6:1 Paul emphasizes the role of the Holy Spirit in restoration within a group, through the term “spirit of gentleness” (ἐν πνεύματι πραΰτητος). While most of the commentators take this as referring to an individual spirit or characteristics of the members, this paper argues that this is closely related to the fruit of the Holy Spirit in 5:23. Thus, the whole process of the restoring a failed member in Gal 6:1-5 should be executed with the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Lastly, based on the interpretation of Gal 6:1-2, this paper suggests a restorative approaches in Korea. Moreover, the “justice addiction” phenomenon is not only prevalent in Korea, but around the globe. Thus similar efforts are required in other evangelical communities. The paper will discuss the challenges and propose concrete steps for promoting responsible online behavior. This responsibility should be practiced in the church community setting first” since it is closely related to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
This study will support the application of Paul’s exhortation to the Galatian church to our modern setting, especially in Korean and global evangelical context. The pneumatic approach to the matter of cancel culture and “justice addiction,” has a potential for positive change in global evangelicalism. This study will also shed light on Paul’s understanding and exhortation about the restoration of the community within an “honor-shame” culture. It will suggest an alternative interpretation of the phrase “spirit of gentleness” in Gal 6:1. Instead of falling into a diachronic approach to Paul’s churches and our days, this paper will help us to acknowledge the motivation and responsibilities that lies in the background of all the churches.