A Theological Analysis of the Non-Church Movement in Korea with a Special Reference to the Formation of Its Spirituality
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A THEOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF THE NON-CHURCH MOVEMENT IN KOREA WITH A SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE FORMATION OF ITS SPIRITUALITY by SUN CHAE HWANG A Thesis Submitted to The University of Birmingham For the Degree of MASTER OF PHILOSOPHY School of Philosophy, Theology and Religion College of Arts and Law The University of Birmingham June 2012 University of Birmingham Research Archive e-theses repository This unpublished thesis/dissertation is copyright of the author and/or third parties. The intellectual property rights of the author or third parties in respect of this work are as defined by The Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 or as modified by any successor legislation. Any use made of information contained in this thesis/dissertation must be in accordance with that legislation and must be properly acknowledged. Further distribution or reproduction in any format is prohibited without the permission of the copyright holder. ABSTRACT This study provides a new theological approach for interpreting the Non- Church Movement (NCM) in Korea. Previous studies have been written from a historical perspective. Therefore, an examination of the spirituality and characteristics of the NCM from a theological standpoint is a new approach. The present study investigates the connection between the NCM and Confucianism. It attempts to highlight the influence of Confucian spirituality on the NCM, in particular the Confucian tradition of learning. It also examines the link between the NCM and Quakerism, in particular the influence of Quaker ecclesiology on the NCM. This too has not been examined in previous studies. The thesis argues that the theological roots of NCM ecclesiology lie in the relatively flat ecclesiology of the Quaker movement in the USA. This research examines the appropriateness of Pete Ward’s concept of “liquid church”. A solid church is congregation-oriented and measures its success in terms of church attendance. In contrast, a liquid church is a communication-oriented community rooted in fellowship. Today, many are leaving the institutional church, while still regarding themselves as Christians. In other words, they no longer belong to the solid church. This study examines the NCM as a model of “liquid church” for Christian believers. i DEDICATION This thesis is dedicated to my beloved mother, Ahn Young Soon, my dear aunt, Ahn Young Joon, my beloved mother-in-law, Lee Eun Soon, and my loving wife, Kim Yoon Hee. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I can never fully acknowledge my indebtedness to the many individuals who provided valuable assistance and prayed for me in the preparation of this thesis. Firstly, a special word of gratitude must go to my mother. I also owe a special debt of gratitude to my aunt, my mother-in-law, and my wife. I particularly benefited from the experience and advice of my supervisor, Edmond Tang. I could not have completed the research without his constant advice, criticism, and encouragement. I also owe a debt of gratitude to the numerous members of the Non-Church Movement in Korea, whose assistance and support enabled me to complete this study. I wish to thank the two churches; Yeram and Eoullim in Seoul, South Korea, for supporting my study through prayer and financial aid. Especially my warmest thanks go to Rev. Park Yong-Shin, his wife Moon Eun Hee, Mrs. Park Esther, Rev. Hwang Du Yong, Mr. Park In Kyu, and his wife Kong Gyeong Hee. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................................... i DEDICATION.................................................................................................................. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT...............................................................................................iii TABLE OF CONTENTS................................................................................................. iv PART I: THE KOREAN NON-CHURCH MOVEMENT AND ITS BACKGROUND . 1 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION..................................................................................... 1 1.1. Purpose of the Study ........................................................................................... 1 1.2. Literature Reviews.............................................................................................. 3 1.3. The Significance of the Study............................................................................. 5 1.4. Methodology....................................................................................................... 7 1.5. Limitations of the Study...................................................................................... 8 1.6. A Brief Introduction of the NCM........................................................................ 9 1.6.1. Historical and Social Backgrounds ........................................................... 9 1.6.2. Classification........................................................................................... 10 1.6.3. The Meaning of the NCM ....................................................................... 18 1.6.4. The Origin of the NCM: the Search for Non-Denominational Christianity ........................................................................................................................... 20 1.6.5. Growing Criticism of Korean Churches.................................................. 24 1.6.6. Introduction of the NCM to Korea and the influence of Uchimura Kanzo ........................................................................................................................... 25 1.7. Features of the NCM in Korea.......................................................................... 26 1.7.1. Anticlerical and Lay Movement.............................................................. 26 1.7.2. A Confucian Academy School Model ..................................................... 28 iv 1.7.3. The Search for Korean National Identity ................................................ 29 1.7.4. Spirituality............................................................................................... 30 CHAPTER 2: HISTORICAL BACKGROUND ............................................................ 33 2.1. The Religious Background................................................................................ 33 2.1.1. Shamanism .............................................................................................. 34 2.1.2. Buddhism ................................................................................................ 35 2.1.3. Confucianism .......................................................................................... 36 2.1.4. Roman Catholicism in Korea .................................................................. 38 2.1.5. A New Korean Religion, Donghak.......................................................... 38 2.1.6. Protestantism in Korea ............................................................................ 40 2.2. The Social and Political Background................................................................ 42 2.2.1. The Modernization of Korea ................................................................... 42 2.2.2. The Military Mutiny, Imogunran, in 1882 .............................................. 43 2.2.3. The Coup d’Etat, Gapsinjeongbyeon, in 1884 ........................................ 44 2.2.4. The Uprising of the Donghak Peasant Army in 1894 ............................. 46 2.2.5. The Reform, Gapogyeongjang, of 1894-1896 ........................................ 48 2.3. Power Struggles and Colonialism in Korea ...................................................... 50 2.3.1. The Power Struggles of China, Japan, and Russia in Korea ................... 50 2.3.2. Japanese Colonialism .............................................................................. 52 2.3.3. The Koreans’ Resistance against Japanese Colonialism ......................... 54 2.4. The Theological Background............................................................................ 58 2.5. Conclusion ........................................................................................................ 61 CHAPTER 3: THE NON-CHURCH MOVEMENT IN KOREA ................................. 63 3.1. Christianity in Korea in the 1920s-1940s ......................................................... 65 v 3.2. Uchimura Kanzo and the Non-Church Movement ........................................... 67 3.2.1. Uchimura Kanzo and his Life ................................................................. 67 3.2.2. The Non-Church Movement ................................................................... 76 3.3. The Korean Non-Church Movement ................................................................ 79 3.3.1. Kim Kyo-sin and his Life........................................................................ 79 3.3.2. The Participants of the Non-Church Movement in Korea ...................... 89 3.3.3. The NCM in Korea and its Activities...................................................... 96 3.3.4. Publication............................................................................................... 98 3.4. The Theological Characteristics of the Non-Church Movement .................... 101 3.4.1. Christianity without Churches or Churchless Christianity.................... 102 3.4.2. Anticlericalism ...................................................................................... 104 3.4.3. A Lay Movement..................................................................................