The Puberty Ritual in Sri Lanka

The main purpose for Kim (professor of missions, Bethesda Christian U.) in researching this topic is to offer a view on how Sinhalese Christians of Sri Lanka can properly respond to the puberty ritual of the Sinhalese Buddhists (involving sequestration for a week followed by a celebration) in light of their Christian faith. He pursues four key goals in light of this purpose: identifying the nature and outcome of religious-cultural contacts between Christian missions and the Sinhalese people during European colonial periods, comparing and contrasting attitudes of Sinhalese Buddhists and Sinhalese Christians toward the ritual, identifying the implications of the adolescence transition stories of selected biblical characters for the Christian understanding of the puberty ritual, and (based on the previous discussion) presenting a Christian missiological approach for properly responding to the ritual. Annotation c2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Paul Mantae Kim earned his BA in English language and literature from Yonsei University, his M.Div. from the Graduate School of Theology of Hansei University, South Korea, and his Th.M. and PhD in intercultural studies from Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, California. He was a missionary in Sri Lanka and currently serves as Professor of Missions and Chief Academic Officer at Bethesda University, Anaheim, California.