Search Results (38)

This study examines how South Korea’s 1970s Protestant democratization movement embodied Hans Joas’s concept of the “sacralization of the person” during the authoritarian Yushin regime. Challenging binary narratives of human rights origins as exclusively secular or religious, the research analyzes how Korean Protestant activists created institutions, rituals, and theological frameworks that infused human dignity with sacred character. The study demonstrates how religious actors effectively bridged religious and secular boundaries in human rights advocacy through historical analysis of the National Council of Churches in Korea’s Human Rights Committee, Thursday Prayer Meetings, and the development of Minjung theology. The findings reveal a distinctive process of sacralization that evolved from individual to collective understandings of human dignity, culminating in the radical Minjung Messiah theory. This case study illustrates how Joas’s affirmative genealogy operates in non-Western contexts, showing that sacralization emerges through dynamic interactions between religious conviction, historical events, and cultural transformation rather than through abstract reasoning alone. The Korean experience demonstrates that universal human rights gain moral force when diverse traditions collaborate to uphold human dignity across ideological divides. Full article

This study examines the role of Christian missionary interpreters from the Open Port Period to the Japanese colonial era, highlighting their historical significance and influence. During the Open Port Period, missionaries relied on Korean language teachers to serve as interpreters, translators, evangelists, and preachers. Although their English proficiency was often limited, they played a crucial role in early Christian missions. In the Japanese colonial era, elite intellectuals who had studied abroad increasingly assumed interpretation roles, actively contributing to theological education and social reform. This study analyzes historical records, newspaper articles, and existing research to reconstruct the evolving role and broader impact of Christian interpreters. The findings suggest that missionary interpreters were not merely linguistic mediators but key figures in evangelism and social transformation. Furthermore, the study highlights the historical transition from consecutive interpretation to simultaneous interpretation in Korean churches and underscores the need for systematic training programs. Given the growing linguistic diversity in Korean congregations, churches must recognize the importance of trained interpreters in ensuring effective multilingual worship and uphold the legacy of missionary interpretation. Full article

On the morning of 16 April 2014, the passenger ship Sewol capsized off the coast of Jindo, South Korea. The sinking caused three hundred four deaths, including five missing persons, and one hundred seventy-two survivors. The tragedy triggered tremendous grief and loss for the entire nation. Amid national mourning, the politically and ideologically biased discourses of several church leaders exacerbated the sorrow during this challenging period. This study argues that anti-communism is the primary source of their perspective. This study analyzed the anti-communism perspectives of the two churches with political grief. It concluded that the South Korean church has two distinct perspectives on anti-communism that have been consistently reinforced or challenged within their historical, theological, and socio-political aspects. These differences have influenced the formation of the new assumptive worlds of the two churches. Full article

This study explores the transformative potential of the traditional Korean concept of uri (we) and the Confucian principle of ren (compassion and resistance), integrated with the biblical tradition of lament, as a theological framework for addressing the marginalization of contemporary Korean American Protestant churches and their members. Critiquing the limitations of current theological models focused on marginality, the article reimagines the Korean American self through the lens of uri and ren. This perspective enables compassion and resistance to deconstruct the notion of the marginalized self and reconstruct an authentic identity. The article proposes a pastoral–prophetic homiletical praxis that fosters solidarity among Korean American churches and empowers these churches to claim their prophetic voice within the multicultural American context. This approach has the potential to transform Korean American churches into a space for hope, communal restoration, and resistance amid socioecclesial challenges. Full article

This article features an interdisciplinary analysis of the aborted Korean apostolate plan (1566–1571) described by the Jesuit missionary Gaspar Vilela (c. 1525–1572) in a letter dated 3 November 1571. This analysis’s foundation rests on Jesuit assumptions regarding the conception of an imagined Korea, a construct that Vilela discerned upon with a confidence that emanated from his awareness of the Jesuit order’s political power. The notion of an imagined Korea arguably drew from a creativity implied by the missionary imagination, an idea evidenced in thinking processes of perspective, positive/negative consubstantiality, radical self-assessment, and reduction advocated by anthropologists increasingly willing to engage with theology. Although Vilela’s plan seems far removed from the relativism of today’s more empathetic missionaries, the letter nonetheless emphasized a somewhat flexible mindset that contravened the ideas of more dogmatic Jesuit Europhiles. The 1571 Vilela letter captured the aspirational rhetoric of the Jesuits who dreamed about Korea, but these missionaries had not yet faced the adversities that would ultimately extinguish the missionary order’s already fragile hopes for a Korean ministry. This article focuses on the second half of the 1571 Vilela letter, while a future article will focus on the first half of the same letter. Full article

There is limited research on the factors that impact mental distress among Korean American (KA) church leaders even though their unique social situation can create many barriers to seeking mental health assistance. This study compared factors impacting mental distress and help-seeking behaviors between KA church leaders (CLs) and church members (CMs) in the greater Los Angeles area. The respondents (N = 243) were mostly female, married, educated, first-generation immigrants with a mean age of 47.9 years (SD = 19.7). The Hopkins Symptoms Checklist 10 was used to measure anxiety and depression. Hierarchal linear regressions showed that health status exerted the strongest effect on both anxiety and depression among CLs and CMs. Beyond health status, education (only for depression), informal resource use, and resiliency impacted mental distress scores for CLs. Only resiliency and religious coping predicted depression scores among CMs. To effectively reach this population, community-based organizations and behavioral health specialists should consider collaborating with churches to promote and provide essential mental health support. Our findings also highlight that the needs of church leaders (CLs) and church members (CMs) differ, which should guide the development of culturally tailored interventions that build on the resilience of both groups. Full article

The relationship between natural cycles and human actions in causing climate change and its impacts on society have been a subject of debate. This paper explores the responses of pre-modern Koreans to climate change and natural disasters. The focus of this paper is on the societal reactions to these natural calamities and disasters during the Koryŏ dynasty (936–1392 A.D.) and their influence on Korea afterwards. This paper investigates the reasons behind the retention of primal religious worldviews in the face of ecological crises while other major imported religions were abandoned. The research method involved in this paper is archival research, and the literature sources include ancient records and other ecotheological resources. Through an analysis of the archival research and ecotheological resources, this study sheds light on the interpretation of climatic events in pre-modern Korea. Furthermore, based on the research findings, it presents missional implications for the Korean church in the post-pandemic era. This study underscores the importance of the church’s responses to environmental awareness, collective responsibility, and spiritual support in addressing the challenges of climate change and provides missional implications for the Korean Church in response to the post-COVID-19 era based on the results of the research. Full article

This study explores the ways in which a ban on ancestral rites influenced Korean Christianity. Ancestral rites are religious ceremonies that form the most critical social basis of Joseon, a Confucian society. First, the Korean Catholic Church was the first to oppose ancestral rites. Catholics created a new social and ethical resonance in Joseon society but had to endure tremendous persecution. Second, Protestantism was introduced when Joseon society was the most confused. Protestant missionaries banned ancestral rites, and Korean Protestants accepted them. Gradually, they interpreted it and embodied it in their faith. The ban on ancestral rites contributed to the formation of Korean Christianity. This laid the foundation for Christian social ethics and Hyo (孝, Xiao (Chinese pronunciation), filiality) theology. It has expanded into various fields, such as systematic theology, biblical studies, practical theology, and liturgical practice. Thus, this study examines how the ban on ancestral rites in Korea had a profound impact on the contextualization of Korean Christianity. Full article

In 1996, Helen Lee dubbed the departure of second-generation Asian Americans from the non-English-speaking immigrant churches that they were raised in as the “silent exodus”. This nationwide phenomenon was taking place largely because first-generation churches failed to provide the second generation with culturally relevant care that would enrich their ethnic, national, and spiritual identities. Glory, the church of focus in this study, was founded by and is home to many silent exiles. In hopes of being an enriching church for second-generation Asian Americans, pastoral staff and leaders have created spaces within Glory for racial identity and faith to be in conversation with one another. However, in regard to the music of the church, they were stumped on what could be done to make it uniquely and proudly Asian American. This conundrum inspired a key question in this study: What is distinct about the way that Asian Americans worship God through music? This study argues that the worship music at Glory Church is distinctly Asian American not by what is sonically perceived, but rather by what is physically performed and collectively experienced. The Korean-English, or Konglish, term nunchi bwa-ing (눈치 봐-ing) is utilized as a keyword to describes Christian musicking in a multilingual setting and foregrounds the Korean/Asian American worshiping body. This study concludes by looking forward and arguing that Asian Americans ought to amplify their worship music to the larger Contemporary Worship Music scene as it has the potential to be a powerful site of intergenerational healing. Full article

This essay examines the connectedness between cultural trauma theory and decolonial studies in pastoral theology, demonstrating the denotation of collective trauma in South Korea and Korean Christianity from past colonial and war experiences. Although cultural trauma theory is well established in studying the case of the Holocaust and Western context, it has not yet explored the trauma of the Third World in a fully fledged manner. Rather, it still employs a Western-centered discourse that is unable to explain the disparity of power dynamics based on colonial values. Therefore, a critical analysis is essential to develop a decolonial discourse between cultural trauma theory and pastoral theology. The case of Korean cultural trauma and its relation to Korean Protestantism is a good starting point for addressing decolonial pastoral care in that the Korean church is still complicit in the colonial religious inheritances concerning its colonized ways of thinking and psyche. Throughout this essay, I argue that Korean social identity and Protestantism are reproducing the harmful reaction of in-group exclusion under the impact of cultural trauma. Finally, I provide a pastoral theological analysis of this discussion in order to suggest a new possibility of decolonial pastoral care for the traumatized Korean society and Christianity. Full article

The objective of this article is to restore the credibility of the church within society by reestablishing its public role. Through the study of the lives and activities of women ministers in early Christianity, the research reveals that early Christianity initially granted equal authority to the ministries of diakonia (service to society) and the ministry of the Word, but gradually diminished the role of diakonia while stripping women of their status and authority. Therefore, to fully reinstate the genuine spirit of Christ, it is emphasized that the Korean church must regain the church’s public presence and recover the spirit of Jesus within the scattered congregations that currently exist. Full article

The Woman’s Foreign Missionary Society (WFMS) (1897–1909) and the Woman’s Missionary Council (WMC) (1910–1940) of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South (MECS) worked in Korea from 1897 to 1940. Their work used a distinctive mission philosophy, hermeneutics, and implementation of strategies in their encounters with Korean women. Over the course of their years in Korea, Southern Methodist missionary women initiated the Great Korea Revival, established the first social evangelistic centers, educated the first indigenous female church historian, and ordained women for the first time in Korea. This article argues that, even though the missionary activities of the single female missionaries occurred in the context of “Christian civilization” as a mission theory, their holistic Wesleyan missiology departed from the colonial theory of mission as civilization. The first section of the article offers background information regarding the single female missionaries to help understand them. What motivated these females to venture in foreign lands with the Gospel? What was their preparation? The second section presents the religious, cultural, social, and political background of Korea during the time the missionaries arrived. The third section describes and analyzes the evangelistic and social ministries of the female missionaries in the nascent Korean mission. The final section describes and analyzes the appropriation and reinterpretation of the Bible and Christianity by Korean women, especially the work of Korean Bible women and Methodist female Christians in the quest for independence from Japanese control in the Independence Movement of 1919. Full article

During the COVID-19 crisis, the Korean government’s restrictions on religious freedom have caused several reactions. These can be divided into two categories: first, as several Christian groups have become the center of controversy over exacerbating the spread of COVID-19, the public sentiment towards religious gatherings has lost favorability. Second, there had been an increase in resistance to Christian groups and their right to worship. Regarding these issues, although the resistance from religious groups has not been as prominent as in the West, it is believed by both Korea and the West that the conflict between state power and religious right is at the root of this problem. This study reviews the Korean government’s restrictions on religious activities and the consequent resistance of churches from a legal and institutional angle. In addition, this study compares the Korean approach to that of the United States in terms of governmental measures, the resistance of churches, and judgments issued by the judiciary. After demonstrating stronger restrictions in the case of Korea, this study evaluates this response in terms of legal and religious pluralism, and suggests that more sophisticated legal and institutional supplementation is needed to establish a robust and viable religious governance based on diversity and mutual respect. Full article

Formed alongside the arrival of the first Korean immigrants in Hawaii in 1903, the Korean American Protestant Church has played a significant role in the social, political, and religious lives of Koreans in the United States. However today, membership is declining and the newer generations represent a smaller part of the movement leading the Korean American Protestant Church to review and reform its current respective practices of ministry in terms of language, teaching, preaching, worship, and theological orientation. This article focuses on the critical issues that the Korean American Protestant Church is facing and examines the current common practice of Korean American worship. Additionally, this article proposes theological and liturgical suggestions that could be utilized to help realize the goal of Korean American intergenerational worship. These suggestions are formed against the background of five notable characteristics of the Trinity—flexibility (innovation), communication (sharing and empathy), interconnection, ubiquity, and holistic artistry—which are essential to achieving intergenerational worship and its design. As a sample liturgy, worship combined with a meal invites children and young adults, born and raised in the United States, to participate in leadership roles with first-generation adults, which directly correlates with the aforementioned characteristics. As such, in essence, liturgies like these will lead worshippers to experience the embodied theology of intergenerational worship, based on a practical and theological concept of interdependence and awareness. Full article

Following the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, the Korean government announced restrictions on religious activities such as worship services and small group gatherings. Unlike their Buddhist and Catholic counterparts, who responded relatively pliably to the government’s quarantine guidelines, Protestants were divided in their responses: some churches actively complied with the government’s instructions, while other churches voiced opposition. This study analyzes the cases of two churches that responded differently to the government’s quarantine restrictions. The goal is to analyze the characteristics of changes in Korea’s ‘state-religion’ relationship in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The first characteristic of the changing state-religious relationship is that the state-church relationship can no longer be divided into a progressive or conservative dichotomy like before but rather is individualized for each church. The second is that the state-church relationship differs by issue and that regional variables play a bigger role than before. Local churches, in particular, are more likely to become influenced by their region in their relationship with the government than those in Seoul and other metropolitan areas. This is because these churches are able to exert more influence in the region with their human and material resources. The local church’s response to the COVID-19 quarantine guidelines showed how the church could either bond with or confront the government in dealing with natural and social disasters, as well as local problems. The changes and characteristics of the state-church relationship in the COVID-19 pandemic in Korea provide insight into future analyses of state-religious relations. Full article