Abstract
Understanding Korean Christianity makes a significant contribution toward providing non-Koreans with a rich, insider picture of the character of Korean Christianity. It complements existing approaches that focus more on the message and messengers of the sending churches. By investigating the reception of Christianity in Korea, the book provides a realistic and relevant analysis of the increasing diversification of Korean churches.
The eight chapters of this book deal with particular aspects of Korean Christianity, including its Confucian context, orthodoxy and moral perfection, resilience and persecution, education and salvation, spiritual issues, Bible women, and nationalistic orientation. The introduction lays a solid foundation for the author’s approach of studying Korean Christianity in light of World Christianity, one he terms “terraculturalism.” This approach identifies the local religious, cultural, and sociopolitical contexts that shaped the distinctive response to the introduction of Christianity into Korea. Yu consistently applies this methodology throughout the book. After these chapters on various aspects of Korean churches in Korea, the author has a conclusion focusing mostly on Korean American churches. This conclusion, however, is more an exploration of a new topic than a summing up of the previous chapters.
Yu’s methodology views the Korean receiving church as “a creative participant in the transmission of Christianity” (14). His articulation of the lived experience of Korean churches is more detailed and nuanced than any unidirectional discussion from the perspective of those who brought the gospel. This kind of recipient-oriented approach needs to be combined with sender-oriented approaches, which, by not minimizing the significance of either side, can promote a holistic understanding of World Christianity.
In chapter 5 the author makes an important point about supernatural cosmology, namely, that it involves spiritual warfare against the church and against Christians. His reference to Sung Rak Church and its leader, Ki-dong Kim (160), however, will raise concerns by Korean mainline churches over this church’s questionable doctrine and leadership. In our historiography, can we both describe phenomena and include ontological evaluation and reflection? Integrating insights of systematic theology into our historiography would perhaps allow for balanced, in-depth analysis that properly reflects emic views.