Writing for the Diplomat, Dave Hazzan notes that Christianity, persecuted for 75 years, has flourished in Korea, which now sends out the most missionaries of any nation, except for the United States. The article explores this rise and tries to sort out the particulars and the reasons behind these developments.
One factor in the rise seems to be a remarkable lack of negative experiences with early missionaries. Christianity was seen as a protecting force against annexation from Japanese invasion, and acquired a reputation as not only benevolent but helpful.
From the article:
Christianity became a source of resistance, especially to Japanese colonial rule, which began in 1910 and was famously brutal. Though not all churches were anti-Japanese, many were.
“There was no other hope for Koreans at that time,” says Dr. Andrew Park, professor of Theology and Ethics at United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio. “They couldn’t depend on China, Russia, Americans, any other country. There was no help. Only God alone, they were so desperate.”
Grayson says that annexation provided a link between nationalism and Christianity. “The Korean church has never had to answer questions about association with Western imperialism, because imperialism in Korea was Japanese.”
Megachurch membership is popular, too, which Hazzan traces to migration from rural communities to cities, where new arrivals sought out companionship and community, often finding it in increasingly large church families.
Were you familiar with the history he’s shared? Do you see any universal or specific lessons to help grow the faith elsewhere?
Photo: anglicancommunion.org
