What are the different denominations of Christianity in South Korea?

Sebastian Kim and Kirsteen Kim’s comprehensive and timely history of different Christian denominations in Korea includes surveys of the Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant traditions as well as new church movements. They examine the Korean Christian diaspora and missionary movements from South Korea and also give…

What are the challenges faced by Korean Christians?

This book, the first recent one-volume history and analysis of Korean Christianity in English, highlights the challenges faced by the Christian churches in view of Korea’s distinctive and multireligious cultural heritage, South Korea’s rapid rise in global economic power and the precarious state of North Korea, which threatens global peace.

When did South Korea become an independent country?

ABSTRACT Although Christianity was a new and small religion in Korea at the time, in 1945–48 Christian politicians and church leaders were prominent in establishing an independent South Korea as the… In the mid 19 th century, pre-colonial Korea under the Joseon dynasty was increasingly isolated and lagging behind in its economic development.

What was the Korean independence movement?

The Korean quest for independence from Japanese colonial oppression between 1910 and 1945 occurred simultaneously with a momentous Christian movement spreading throughout East Asia, a movement that was unprecedented in the twentieth century.¹ The independence movement coalesced around Christian enlightenment reforms and sought to create a new type of democracy, especially as Christianity was not necessarily presumed by the late Chos?n monarchy to be a menacing tool of Western imperialism. Enabled by a historically serendipitous partnership between Korean nationalism and Christianity against the threats of foreign colonialism and loss of sovereignty, the rise of democracy and Christianity profoundly transformed the…

What are the two major religions in South Korea?

Buddhism and Christianity are currently the two dominant religions in South Korea, with approximately one-half of the country’s population of forty-five million as their adherents. Of these adherents, approximately one-half are Buddhists and the other half Christians.¹ Under such circumstances, it seems obvious that a dialogical and cooperative relationship between these two religions in Korea is both a prerequisite and an imperative for the peaceful and harmonious future of Korean society.

What is Jane Hunter’s study of women missionaries?

In 1984, the publication of Jane Hunter’s study of women missionaries in China opened a new window of scholarly inquiry about the work and interactions of Western and Chinese Christian women, particularly single women, in the promotion of Christian institutions and opportunities for “native” women.¹ Especially notable is the field of women’s education. Less familiar is the work of evangelistic missionaries and their local counterparts. The contributions and achievements of the “agents and actors” in these areas are not in doubt. However, the practitioners remain objects for study rather than people to identify with, and missionaries—and again this seems…

How does modernization affect religion?

Sociological studies have often found that institutional disorganization and the loss of the social function of religion may occur when society becomes modernized. Peter Berger summed it up thus: “The impact of modernity on religion is commonly seen in terms of the process of secularization, which can be described as one in which religion loses its hold on the level both of institutions and of human consciousness.”¹ Berger’s harsh assessment may well describe the state of the Korean Protestant church today. For the last forty years, a startling wave of modernization accompanied by industrialization, urbanization, and rapid social mobility have…

What did the Victorian missionaries do to the non-Western peoples?

Guided by the idea of the “white man’s burden” to “civilize” the world, Victorian-era missionaries regarded with contempt the cultures and religions of non-Western peoples and imposed upon them not only a new faith, but also a new way of life. Korea was no exception.

How did Park Chung Hee exert his power?

During his tenure as South Korea’s leader (1961–1979), President Park Chung-hee exercised his authority by developing laws and various state apparatuses aimed at controlling all dissident movements. For this end, the Korean military, the national police, and the Korean Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA) became useful coercive structures Park employed to maintain his rule. In addition to these structures of domination, Park also attempted to legitimize and justify his seizure of power as well as his plans to modernize South Korea. These legitimizing discourses revolved around two main themes. Park initially justified his seizure of power as an issue of…

Where did Catholicism originate?

Catholicism began to be disseminated in earnest in East Asia with the arrival of Francis Xavier in Japan in 1549 and especially with the arrival of Matteo Ricci in Beijing in 1601. In Beijing, Catholic missionaries published tracts and other doctrinal literature in Chinese to promote their religion, and these Sinitic writings made their way into Korea via Korean envoys.¹ From these writings, many Koreans discovered a new worldview, one that posed an alternative to the Neo-Confucian orthodoxy of late Chos?n society. And, as is well known, it is through the study of these writings that a group of Koreans…