BearWorks MSU Graduate Theses Summer 2016 The Problem Of Authority In Conservative Evangelical Christianity: A Critique Of American And South Korean Expressions Harold Arthur Brower IV As with any intellectual project, the content and views expressed in this thesis may be considered objectionable by some readers. However, this student-scholar’s work has been judged to have academic value by the student’s thesis committee members trained in the discipline. The content and views expressed in this thesis are those of the student-scholar and are not endorsed by Missouri State University, its Graduate College, or its employees. Follow this and additional works at: https://bearworks.missouristate.edu/theses Part of the Religion Commons Recommended Citation Brower, Harold Arthur IV, "The Problem Of Authority In Conservative Evangelical Christianity: A Critique Of American And South Korean Expressions" (2016). 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THE PROBLEM OF AUTHORITY IN CONSERVATIVE EVANGELICAL CHRISTIANITY: A CRITIQUE OF AMERICAN AND SOUTH KOREAN EXPRESSIONS A Master’s Thesis Presented to The Graduate College of Missouri State University In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts, Religious Studies By Harold Arthur Brower IV July, 2016 Copyright 2016 by Harold Arthur Brower IV ii THE PROBLEM OF AUTHORITY IN CONSERVATIVE EVANGELICAL CHRISTIANITY: A CRITIQUE OF AMERICAN AND SOUTH KOREAN EXPRESSIONS Religious Studies Missouri State University, July 2016 Master of Arts Harold Brower IV ABSTRACT This thesis explores and compares the ways in which the Bible is read, interpreted, and held as an authority by conservative Evangelicals in the United States and South Korea. By examining the history, literary practices, and social systems in each country, I reveal authorities other than the Bible that emerge from Evangelical culture. Discourse theory, reader-response theory, and rhetorical criticism provide the theoretical lenses through which each expression is viewed. My research strategies included: (1) a six month ethnographic project held in two Korean Evangelical communities; and (2) a survey of Korean laity. Data were collected from direct observations, Evangelical media, sermon notes, and the survey conducted in Korea. This study also critiques arguments that position biblical literalism and perspicuity as broad Evangelical identifiers. This critique reinforces the need for non-Western based studies on Evangelicalism. By revealing the range of historical, social and ideological influences that affect conservative Evangelical power structures, the claim of ultimate biblical authority is shown to be a mask for the diverse forms of authority that actually exist in the American and Korean expressions of conservative Evangelicalism. KEYWORDS: Evangelical, Christianity, conservative, authority, power, social, Bible, American, South Korean, international, critique This abstract is approved as to form and content _______________________________ Dr. John Schmalzbauer Chairperson, Advisory Committee Missouri State University iii THE PROBLEM OF AUTHORITY IN CONSERVATIVE EVANGELICAL CHRISTIANITY: A CRITIQUE OF AMERICAN AND SOUTH KOREAN EXPRESSIONS By Harold Brower A Master’s Thesis Submitted to the Graduate College Of Missouri State University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Master of Arts, Religious Studies July, 2016 Approved: _______________________________________ Dr. John Schmalzbauer _______________________________________ Dr. Mark Given _______________________________________ Dr. Stephen Berkwitz _______________________________________ Dr. Julie Masterson: Dean, Graduate College iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction ........................................................................................................................01 Preface....................................................................................................................01 Background ............................................................................................................02 Critiquing Evangelical Authority: Framing and Methods .................................................08 Who are the “Conservative Evangelicals?” ...........................................................09 A Tale of Two Christianties ...................................................................................12 Unmasking Authority.............................................................................................17 An International Methodology ...............................................................................24 Towards a Healthier Understanding of Authority .................................................32 The American Story: Major Influences from History........................................................34 Early American Evangelicalism ............................................................................35 American Mobility and the Rise of Textual Community ......................................43 The Decline of American Christendom .................................................................46 Resurgence and Reform .........................................................................................56 American Conservative Evangelical Culture and Biblical Practices .................................60 Cultural Influences on Authority: Populism, Equality, and Restoration ...............61 Biblical Practices ...................................................................................................67 Communal Practices ..............................................................................................83 Leaving America ....................................................................................................91 The Korean Story: Major Influences from History............................................................94 Before Religion: Shamans, Monks, and Priests .....................................................97 Western Missions, Colonialism, and the Birth of Korean Christianity ...............108 Evangelicalism Koreanized: An Evangelical Establishment in South Korea ......132 Contemporary Evangelicalism in South Korea: Rise and Decline ......................146 Korean Conservative Evangelical Culture and Biblical Practices ...................................162 Cultural Influences on Authority: Practicality, Place, and Professionalism ........165 Biblical Practices .................................................................................................180 Korean Evangelical Problems of Authority .........................................................191 A Multi-Cultural Criticism of Authority in Conservative Evangelicalism ......................195 Bibliography ....................................................................................................................201 v LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Survey Questions Pertaining to Biblical Ideology. ............................................181 Table 2. Survey Questions Pertaining to Biblical Hermeneutics .....................................184 vi INTRODUCTION “Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ Philip asked. ‘How can I,’ he said, ‘unless someone explains it to me?’” Acts 8:30-31 (NIV) Preface In any search for truth, life has taught me that transparency is of great value. As a scholar attempting to offer analysis on a topic with which I have many personal connections, it would be imprudent to portray myself as the modern, detached scholar. Such a rhetorical positioning would also be of little practical benefit. I say we show our cards, open the conversation, and receive whatever criticisms may come with respect. I hope that my “being reflexive,”1 will illuminate this critique of conservative Evangelical Christian authority, and give perspective to arguments that might otherwise be lacking if my personal background remained hidden behind a veil of academic impartiality. I write as someone whose self-understood identity is that of a student of religious studies, applying critical observations, analysis, and argument to social and religious data, but also, and more so, as someone whose self-identity is found in being a follower of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. To hide either of these self-perceptions would be to deny a part of myself that is actively at work within this study. This is an argument against the masking of power in Evangelical culture, and so hiding any part of me would also be hypocritical. Therefore, it is my goal to harmoniously combine these perspectives, honestly and adequately communicating my findings and arguments, for the furtherance 1 James S. Bielo, Words Upon the Word (New York: New York University Press, 2009), 22-23. 1 of scholarship, the benefit of my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, and to the glory of God. Background Every semester a common scene plays out within secular university “Introduction to Bible” classes across America. Evangelical freshman of various stripes enter these classrooms excited to learn about their faith and the Bible within a context theretofore