Background Reading

    I have now had an opportunity to do some background reading about Korea. This has included: tourist books that recommend sites to see, and give a glimpse of the culture; and two other books produced by the World Council of Churches. One of the books gives a general introduction to Korean society and history, and the other, particularly looks at Protestant Christianity. Thanks to friends who have let me borrow these books.

 Couple of interesting facts regarding Protestant Christianity:

1. Christianity came to South Korea one hundred and thirty years ago.

2.  John Ross a Scottish Missionary to China translated the Bible, with some Korean traders, into the Korean language in 1887.

3. The two major Protestant denominations within South Korea are Presbyterianism & Methodism - and the churches have been highly influenced by American missionaries.

4. The church contributed to class levelling and medical benefits within the country prior to 1945.


Here are some further reflections from my reading.

  After the Korean war in 1953 the government gave a big push to restart the industry, as much of the industry has been destroyed during the war. Churches also had been effected: many had burnt down, and also many church leaders had been killed or imprisoned. Industry boomed within a couple of decades due to a number of factors; low-cost labour force, favourable international political climate (seen in troops being sent to help S. Koreans in the Korean war), technological innovations, and new markets. Close on the heels of this new industrialised economy was the church; strategically planting into these growing urban areas.

  The church offered solidarity and community, which was much needed within a fast paced industrialised society.  People had moved into the cities, which alienated them from their strong family connections, and due to the fast paced culture change; many experienced feelings of anxiety. The booklet suggests that many Korean people turned to religious activities to find a place of solace and peace.

   It will be interesting to see whether this seems to be so in practice within the churches. I guess a question might be: do folk in South Korea see church bringing comfort or challenge to their lives? How does the church help in bringing about places of community and solidarity within the society at large? It seems to me this is a similar question that the UK church faces.

   Since 1995 church attendance has declined. The booklet suggests this could be due to loss of spiritual power, and qualitative growth. I wonder what this might look like in practice? We need to bear in mind here what we mean by decline: South Korea has some of the biggest churches in the world. How do you measure spiritual power of churches? Could there be other reasons for the decline in church attendance?

   Well, some food for thought as I start to prepare for my travels.