Korean American Presbyterian : A Fresh Perspective!
Most Korean Americans call themselves to Presbyterian. We should know what this means for us, they learned the word for us after all. This scholarly resource aims to give an overview to the American Presbyterian and Korean American Presbyterian situations. I have met Korean Ministers but what I can say, mostly, is that Korean Americans are Koreans trying to Make It All Work. Examining Korea is rightly near the end. I’m just an American espousing second hand knowledge.
I will give some chronological story telling to benefit the reader in this information. Presbyter is a Greek word denoting Elder rather than Bishop. Many Reformed churches take various inspiration from the Byzantine or Greek empires, the Orthodox Christians, the Pentarchy, as might be seen in the World Council of Churches slogan Oikoumene is a Greek word for Ecumenicism, relating across the churches, but also denotes the Entire World, or by definitions, the Greek world, something not practiced by Catholics in the Only and One Universal Church, not recognizing any other, the recognition of the 5 co-equal patriarchs in the Pentarchy in Orthodoxy or the Original Christianity. Catholics Highlight the Apostle Peter, the apostles to Rome, the ascendancy of that particular apostle that Christ named him to have the Keys to the Kingdom of Heaven, otherwise, I’m not sure where Peter was noted as such a great Apostle? There were twelve after all, rather brotherly. Not all Presbyterians are in the World Council of Churches or clearly identifying ecumenical, relating their revelation with others, or Reformed, or Calvinistic, who knows, Theres a LOT of versions in Korea!
Moving on, I’ll briefly note the Greek world was completely annexed by the Ottoman empire by the dawn of the 1500s. The Pope’s office was a sudden clear undisputed authority over the entire known definition of Christendom, not for long, in addition to the wider noted abuses such as Martin Luther and the 95 theses on the church door.
My American education felt lacking on John Calvin. Aren’t John Calvin and Martin Luther co-equals in Protestant Reformation? Calvin is noted author of Institutes of Religion, the Reformed Churches, those historically in Switzerland, Netherlands, Scotland, probably the Huguenots of France and in other areas miscellaneous. Martin Luther spread among the peasantry and word of mouth out of Germany, was known and named in far places like England by the time of Calvin some years later. John Calvin reformed the Swiss Church from the top as did most other places in the Reform movement. The Scottish parliament passed the Presbyterian Reformed church as a matter of state reform in 1560. The Church was the Pope’s concern falling to the State’s concern. Baptists and americans nowadays proudly conform with the USA’s definition of separation of Church and State, its almost taken for granted that Churches also meet them eye-to-eye on the topic.
All seminal events should be noted. The Protestants became clearly In Charge in England during the Protestant Reformation only on the ascension of Queen Elizabeth. King Henry’s attempts for a male heir led to a disastrous dispensation and execution of wives. The conclusion of the plot twist we can broadly conclude is Queen Elizabeth I of England! Not of Scotland! Queen Elizabeth I of England! Thanks. She was the daughter of Anne Boleyn and King Henry, his second wife. The Anglican Bishop who secured for him a divorce from Queen Catherine of Spain, his first wife, on consanguinity, afterwards, didn’t save King Henry’s second wife Anne Boleyn from death for being an adulterous traitor! A death sentence very undeserved and unproven. Read Greensleeves, a Elizabethan era epithet to Anne Boleyn and her dishonest husband. First is King Henry’s silly love affair, much of traditional culture however comes from the golden age of Queen Elizabeth. I would almost have to be British , not that I as an American, wish to admit to any lack of information, in my wish to know how much and which bits of a culture are the religious offspring of the period and what isn’t. We can consider a British concept of Gentleman, gallantry, knights and chivalry, which are not those universal European values. We can note the Fairie Queene series, courtly love, Knighting ceremony in Britain, the Protestant Reformation had a champion with Queen Elizabeth. I note she is Queen Elizabeth I of England, Scotland does not name Queen Elizabeth II because she was never Queen Elizabeth I of Scotland! The military ventures to Scotland, Netherlands, or France, in this time under or sometimes unknown perhaps to the Queen, where she refused political power shows a pure motive in religious defense and/or expansion in the Reformation. She alone is excommunicated by Papal bull where she is noted as a Calvinist! Mostly incorrect, John Knox a noted Presbyterian of Scotland was not received by her, so its doubted she was schooled in Calvinism, though she Was schooled in Protestantism and the Bible, no doubt there. Often return to the Church of England’s compromises under her that frankly, I consider abused by any following monarch. In the violent Massacres that engulfed the Huguenots Reformation in France against the Catholics, the Act of Uniformity, and Via Media meaning a Middleground, simply put her as a Governor, or perhaps Moderator, a measure of peace that firstly everyone is subscribing their loyalties to the government. A woman naming peace had different consequence than her successor King James and his attempt to impose that Anglicanism on Scotland. Anglicanism undoubtedly and scholastically has moved away from the Reformation end and toward the Catholocism, named neo-catholocism or anglo-catholocism over the years, especially speeding up with Queen Victoria and the British Empire, returning European identities, hint perhaps racism as we use and understand the word racism. Note the reformation Closed monastaries, monastic celibacy, instituted marriage for priests, distinctly had meeting houses be not Grandiose that the grand Church was in fact, the body of Believers. Of these, we can say without equivocation, Anglicans have opened Anglican monastaries, monastic celibacy, and st. Paul’s in London is made a bit of fun in Mary Poppin’s “Feed the Birds”. Presbyterianism is not in particular Anglicanism. They both however are current members in the World Council of Churches unlike Catholics, so Churches and persons recognizing revelation in others, at least nowadays.
Much of Scottish lore After this period 1560-1600 can be seen in setbacks in English relations, of greedy monopolies, curtailed rights from abroad. Scotland’s own King James wished to force Bishops on Scotland. The English Puritan Oliver Cromwell while notable with the Westminster Confession Presbyterians subscribe, was not a fan in Scotland or of the Presbyterians. The Puritan Reformation has some distinctive aspects as well, when the Radical Reformation was not in power, many Puritans moved to America as is broadly known as a foundational colony. Oliver Cromwell as Lord Protector of England might have a different character from Queen Elizabeth in that he fought the Scottish, Dutch, or other challengers, that he massacred in Ireland. We know that during the Irish Potato Famine to leave for the United States, Ireland was full of “vacant landlords” of Scottish or English background, that under King James the colonization of Northern Ireland happened and was expanded with Oliver Cromwell seems like, which left the Irish people only the Potatoes that failed leaving to starvation or immigration. In 1702 Scotland after failing their own colonizing in the New World in the Darien Scheme agreed , perhaps unequally, to union with England. After this is almost exclusively the immigration of Scots to America on English Ships or described as British. What Exactly are the differences anyway, between shared Kings, Union of States, or one British nationality, too much to name here, think of it yourself. What is the difference between the Irish having Scottish landlords , in their homeland from the Japanese landlords in Korea, we’ll talk later on it. The English Church receiving taxes from the Catholic Irish unwilling and the Japanese Shinto pushed on Koreans, we’ll talk about that. For example the Catholics could have taken back Scotland and changed the succession law to another line of families or became bloody Republicans ,who knows? The Presbyterian Church is still the Reformed and Established Church of Scotland, the Kirk, very similar to the German word for church, Kirk I think, today, despite many changes.
Now from 1560 to 1702 the Presbyterian experience I think fairly can be described as being in Scotland. In 1702 was the Act of Union combined the States England and Scotland already under one monarchy law, as British. I think from 1702 to 1885 it can be described in Scotland, Northern Ireland , and the United States, mainly Scottish persons across nationality. We will later look at 1885 to 2017 where some missionary activity, as God willed them, occurred around the world, including Korea. The 1702 to 1885 period in the United States will now be examined since the Korean Presbyterian Church is mostly planted from America and this period.
The Ulster Scots, or those that King James had colonize Northern Ireland, also Presbyterians, who had separated from agreements with Scotland, Northern Irish being a Nationality rather than just more Scotland, were Presbyterians in America and notable, keep in mind as well with regular Scotland immigrants. Scottish immigrants arrive to America before 1702 as well but mostly after 1702 and the Acts of Union with the English. I don’t know or understand any ill-feeling sometimes exaggerated in these times, the Scots moved to the Appalachian Mountains which reminded them of their hilly homeland or some did, while not integrating in the mainstay of those states, but also were integral newswriters, politicians, from the beginning, although the British government reserved political posts for Anglicans often. Now one thing to not shy away from at the start is that these States and Thirteen Colonies were English, they spoke English. There were Dutch Colonies taken over by the English and then British such as New Jersey and this is the state that the Presbyterians Chose to have Princeton University, a University since Presbyterians value their educated ministry in all these subjects. Its the prime and most important Presbyterian University founded at this time. Its important to know that the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America developed theology on the idea of not having a homestate per se but in being Abroad in other’s states. During the time of the Colonies it was literal law that there weren’t Presbyterians in government pretty often, but even after the American Revolution, every single character of Britishness didn’t magically recede and change within a population, we Should be noting most of the changes in painful order. I’m thinking of Moses in the Desert is the metaphor on their Seal of the PC in the USA. Princeton’s Shield or Old Nassau recalls the William of Orange of Netherlands from the Nassau family line that ruled in England on invitation to overthrow a Catholic King Charles. The Shield of Princeton is plainly visible on the parallel SKY University in Seoul Korea, Yonsei University. The seal of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America is clearly referenced on the Korean Presbyterian Church Abroad Website “Church of Peace and Strength”. I digress.
The Presbyterians were throughout the country, not just the Appalachian folk, but were often converted at the start of the 1800s to less formal structure churches. Presbyterians valued education required ministers. Most Anglican ministers fled during the American Revolution for no real threat I can imagine. George Washington if facing the English 4 priests to 1, is best described as seeking his own advantages, there are so few authors on the Practicality of Deism in an ongoing War, for instance. I think the idea of abandoned or changed Religions can fall flat under research. This would not be the later Napoleonic French Radical Republicanism for instance, where monks were thrown into the river to drown. This would free the people of Religion. The education requirements and changing situation in America led to frontier preachers such as Methodists or others , see Asbury, winning in the Great Awakenings converts from the God of our Fathers. In My Country Tis of Thee about Our Father’s God to Thee, the land of the Pilgrim’s Pride, or elsewhere, lets consider there were few to none, at the time of revolution, Methodists, Baptists, or few any other denominations, just Catholics, Anglicans, Presbyterians, Othodox, or outside Christianity altogether.
I hate to jump to the US Civil War, I will though. The entire motivation of Presbyterians today, in the past, to today, and this authorship can be traced with the US Civil War for it or against it. The US Civil War wasn’t about imminently killing or saving the lives of African Americans, above their own total population, amounting to maybe a million war dead and wounded. Much history and literature is really and truly about african americans being still faithful in their Southern Values in so much as a bulwark of some sort against the northern invasion. The War wasn’t all about States Rights or racial equality. That needs to be said, at an attempt at a start without bias, for us Americans. Lets start with President Andrew Jackson, who started as General Andrew Jackson. He fought in the American war of 1812 in New Orleans. The War of 1812 was about British impressing American navy crews into the British navy to fight Napoleon. Many Americans will not realize until its too late that patriotism has and will have existed far outside of being anywhere near the top of world events. After the American Revolution, these were mainly the British people who native Lands became Virginia say, or Maryland, were not welcome as British homelands of any sort. I want to note a few events about Andrew Jackson. He fought famously against his own Scots out of New Orleans and their landing with the British. He commanded America’s defense. He was an Ulster Scot. The Southern States noted then, Positively the Yankees. Yankees being a word originated from those federal and against the british, one was a Yankee who was working first for the Yankee overall federal government and not for one’s state, and the Yankee forces were commended in the South under Andrew Jackson at New Orleans. We remember He had once dueled and killed a man defaming his wife in an attempt for political brinkmanship, that’s Honor one might hear. He gave Indians in most of the southern states the option to take up white agricultural practices or be moved to western reservations as is after their nomadic practices. I know native American authors who might take offense, in fact I’ve never met any! The Trail of Tears was one result , a difficult march for the tribes. Andrew Jackson faithfully named his Reformed faith in his inauguration. He was a southern hero as much as it can be seen nationally and a southerner, an influence for later. His inaugural also advocated the attention to and the Moderating of the Confederate relations that the states held with each other, and named America Invincible in its inexhaustible Militia forces. His force in New Orleans was 90% state militias and the federal standing army and most federal services and branches were very limited to states discretion. Everyone knows these southern states communicated a Biblically founded law and order. The question is if this idea of Biblical law and order will be Broken today, on the mistakes, like the whips that broke on the backs of African Americans. In no way Could have Jesus or Apostles outlawed similar events that ruled the entire ancient world, if they lived long enough to preach one other type of truth. I’ve yet to see just with an open mind where the Abolitionist might know this historically in religion or Bible alone, that is. Southerners went to a standby such as Canaan was cursed to serve his brother, in the sons of Abraham, and if all life were Reformational values I suppose this all makes some limited sense. Andrew Jackson in an odd way is a founder of the Democratic Party. The first idea of Democracy being that Universally, all white males could vote as representatives of the government. This is a noted change from just the privileged or landed, white males, which really did exist. He’s therefore the President of the People who had a rowdy overcrowded inaugural after party. We talk about the white colonialism around the world, then we very widely miss the character of the Southland. The British Empire did not dare take its 100,000 officers and very loudly anyway, try to beat Christian denominations into the 100 times population in India. The Southland used language in their 1 to 1 population with African Americans of Heathens in Reform, Robert E Lee always was a Christian first in everything and said gradual Christianity would end slavery. Empire has always designated too large for religion, from the Byzantine Emperor being the Roman Emperor above and moderating for the Orthodox religion, to the Holy Roman Empire being the power struggle choice with the Pope some time later, to the Napoleon who Crowned Himself out of the Hands of the Pope himself if I remember right, French Empires and to the British Empires , we can make some fine distinctions then between Queen Elizabeth I wishing to be Crowned in and Recognized in her own Religion and therefore the British Empire attempting its world conquering reforms.
Here’s where I’d like my own little expose and expansion into the Bonnie Blue Flag by Harry McCarthy. It’s always been noted as the secondary patriotic tune of Dixie, right behind you guessed, the tune “Dixie”. Harry McCarthy was a literal Ulster Scot who came with his wife and performed throughout the Southland together to this tune, and not long after the war was back in Ireland. Dan Emmit who wrote Dixie, also wrote Virginia is a Hard Road to Travel , which directly references Lincoln Directing the Pope to save a Universal Yankee Nation. I believe the original use of the word Confederacy could harken back to the States which banded with each other in defiance of Catholicism around 1560, England, Scotland, Netherlands, Switzerland, or others. I want to make some notes Particularly on Harry McCarthy’s Bonnie Blue Flag. This is a Scotsman and woman, they’re not from a Huge population of Scotsmen afterall, at this time, and this is a song about Presbyterian Ecumenical Relations! Here are lyrics with some highlighted notes.
We are a band of brothers and native to the soil *Feudal ideas of farming productivity
Fighting for our liberty, with treasure, blood and toil *rhyme
And when our rights were threatened, the cry rose near and far
Hurrah for the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears a single star! *Bonnie is Scots’ “Beautiful”
*The entire poem metaphors and combines Scottish struggles, so Scotland bears the Bonnie Blue Cross of Saint Andrews
Hurrah! Hurrah!
For Southern rights, hurrah!
Hurrah for the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears a single star.
As long as the Union was faithful to her trust *Scotland somewhat forced in the Union Jack, British
Like friends and like brethren, kind we were, and just
But now, when Northern treachery attempts our rights to mar *Humurous switch on directions
We hoist on high the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears a single star.
Hurrah! Hurrah!
For Southern rights, hurrah!
Hurrah for the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears a single star.
First gallant South Carolina nobly made the stand *gallantry and nobility were maintained Reformational values. Knightly virtues , chivalry and courtly love
Then came Alabama and took her by the hand * If all states met equally, then Scotland wouldn’t have had the horrible fate of defending Presbyterianism all this time against the onslaughting English’s Anglicanism and Episcopalianism
Next, quickly Mississippi, Georgia, and Florida
All raised on high the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears a single star.
Hurrah! Hurrah!
For Southern rights, hurrah!
Hurrah for the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears a single star.
Ye men of valor gather round the banner of the right
Texas and fair Louisiana join us in the fight
Davis, our loved President, and Stephens statesmen rare
Now rally round the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears a single star.
Hurrah! Hurrah!
For Southern rights, hurrah!
Hurrah for the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears a single star.
I take this song to really spell out a blueprint that Civil War veterans had heard in Presbyterian alliances, such as why didn’t Scotland join the Confederacy, that influenced later Presidents like the election of Woodrow Wilson, which I’ll look at later.
For the Civil War’s own sake, at John Brown’s raid on Harper’s Ferry, John Brown was a northern Abolitionist who felt the only way to free the southern slaves was an armed slave rebellion. He attacked the federal arsenal at Harper’s Ferry and expected all the slaves just to show up. They didn’t quite. Robert E Lee was the Colonel in charge of the Marines who were sent to retake the weapons arsenal at Harper’s Ferry. Some of John Brown’s followers were killed or put down in the attack. At the heart of it, John Brown was not a uniformed combatant, who killed to take an arsenal of the country. Some in the North praised this action as necessary, and this reaction is what is seen by the South , and a prelude to Anarchy. John Brown’s raid is a noted cause of the Civil War. John Brown was hanged.
Scotland strangely enough, is at the heart of many of the ideas that is expressed by the South during the Civil War, Directly about Scotland. Nativism is a fine distinction from these ideas. The North was Bringing In persons to directly Fight the South in the Civil War, I mean who would really want to immigrate to our dung heap, anyway? Nobody. Consider the European idea on states and Borders and how much we’ve moved. If Nativism is a negative trait then was born Southern Hospitality on the explanation to a Positive trait. The Irish needed to leave their homeland for example or starve. The South was always trying protectionist measure for their understrength population against the North in politics but a minority in our Politics tends to not pass muster in the USA.
Dixie referenced its right to leave all these such Unions like Scotland ought to. Professors have told me President Jefferson Davis used rather fatalistic recruitment tactics, Honor, Duty, do or die in Dixie sort of things. In Jefferson Davis secession from the Senate remarked on the God of our Fathers. The British had outlawed slavery in the Jamaican slave revolt but of course at this time its still considered the traditional religious views on slavery. I wonder in the Battlecry of Freedom, how many really saw their own Christian heritages as likely to be put under slavery by an unjust South. Once again, for today, I wonder if the entire idea of Biblical law will be thrown out on such abuses as Dixie’s Peculiar Institution in slavery. I believe the mortal ancient enemy of Presbyterians and the Reformation, the slaughterer, the delighter in slaughter, the Pope, some time or other recognized the Christian origin in Roman Slavery and outlawed it by his authority, and at some other time found the Blessed Virgin an important icon and promoted it. The Reformation actors knew to crush and break and destroy all the statues of Mary, I’m not sure how many spent all their days saying, I do such a great slavery as opposed to the Catholics, probably not many. The schools of thought on slavery are as varied as slave owners. Baptists are an interesting case on slavery where slavemasters and slaves would attend the southern Baptist churches, they benevolently supported their separate institutions so they retain self controls and then Martin Luther King Jr was a Baptist calling them to stand Newly Together.
Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson preached to slaves and was spoken of well by slaves. He brought religion right into the army of Dixie behind Robert E Lee in the army rankings. He encouraged a minister in every battalion. His Presbyterian background and predestination led him to the idea that God had predestined the nature of a man’s death, and any sort of flinching during armed fire was a disbelieving attitude toward the Creator’s predestination toward death. A Very similar attitude from Calvinism was spread throughout Baptists and others preventing much missionary activity up to this time, the thought went as, God has the Absolute Power and authority to call all humanity, no one is Saved upon the low Human work of evangelizing. Its why we can see Spanish Missionaries as far as the Phillipines and as early as 400 ad Ireland but we will not see missionaries here until the 1880’s, not to be mistaken for lack of thought on the matter. Thomas Jackson’s wife and infant daughter who he was very caring and doting for, visited him a few times during the war and his wife a sole visitor ushering him toward Christ on his deathbed during the war . I find later grown up pictures of his daughter Laura Christian Jackson to be very interesting for all the undeniable Scottish medals she’s wearing. Its a lost value to consider, what if Koreans who do very often sing an anthem of Korea in meetings, see service to Korea in citizenship in America. Theodore Roosevelt would later wage a war against Hyphen Americans. The idea any Polish-American such identified had mixed loyalties. You’re a Grand Old Flag would later seem to pay back Scotland one, it seems to be making the Grand Old Flag of the United States which, Dixie undeniably did abandon, one up for the Northerners, as a grander flag over the Scottish one.
The US Civil War can be noted in how much we were all still Americans! Compared to the dreadful wars throughout Korea’s history, the first battle encouraged picnic outings and viewers, it wasn’t a war to destroy the land but a war for the ideological combatants to meet and find valor, it was common to shoot excessively over each other’s heads, as well as the smoke. Nevertheless Robert E Lee’s native state of Virginia was exhausted of war when he chose to cross straight Past the capitol of Washington DC defended or not, how horrible to burn it like the British or something like that, and his campaign in Maryland was to win over the population state by state , sort of an armed Politics, this produced the state song “Maryland, My Maryland”.
The First horrible tragedy for the South’s morale was probably the bewailed death of Thomas Stonewall Jackson whom first unveiled the most common and final flag of Dixie, he was buried on his coffin was the old Stars and Bars, its first use. It was also said the older flag was mistaken in battle. The second which signaled surrender was Robert E Lee’s surrender. He felt it a Christian duty to surrender the formal and armed soldiers and to prevent all kinds of insurgency or armed guerilla type fighters. He felt surrender was a Christian duty.
That God of Our Fathers of Jefferson Davis, the Our Father’s God to Thee of My Coutnry Tis of Thee, note also the God of “Hail Columbia!”. Hail Columbia was the anthem before The Star Spangled Banner, once again, lets re-highlight how important the flag design is , why don’t we, since 1931. There is a God described in Hail Columbia in the national anthem that referenced women to the native lands which they do not deserve to be married off to distant princes at the age of 6 by some old Pope trying to bring back some forgotten Roman Empire like a Romanist Pope, for instance, to use some old time Presbyterianism jargon all at once. After all Washington rests in the District of Columbia, a name for America. I’m just pointing a general direction, I’m not researched there.
A little on President Woodrow Wilson and then I’m jumping over to Korea. There are actually quite a few Presbyterians all over, Mary Todd Lincoln in fact was a Southern Aristocratic woman so identified from Kentucky, who graced Abraham Lincoln to her hand. Her expensive redesigns of the White House she considered to be as an expression of American Power. The other White House staff so dubbed her First Lady, as if like the President. Few Presbyterians, however, are like Woodrow Wilson, the son of the founder of the Southern Presbyterian Church in America, and a President of Princeton University, since Reconstruction the first Democrat to be given the White House of the sort. The Southern Presbyterian Church, while all the churches had a Civil War split, seems to me, Particularly Presbyterian, why the Real reason is that the Southern Church Refused the order of the Northern church, and the order excommunicated anyone who didn’t contend with the Union Government, a rather Presbyterian church split I think myself.
I think unforgettable to the election of President Woodrow Wilson and to put here, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire of 1911 that we learn in schools here. Some 150 immigrant Women in the large majority, Italian I think, were burned alive in a horrible fire in New York. The Bosses locked and chained the doors to prevent any sort of breaks and when there was a fire everyone died. The nation woke up to this story and in 1913 Woodrow Wilson was elected on some very clear conservative values but also to Labor Unions and worker’s rights. I find it absolutely fascinating that amidst the Red Revolution in Russia, the world’s plight in communism, that our basic response seems to be the old Confederacy, and Woodrow Wilson urging people to respect “The Russian’s new native government for the first time ever”. Woodrow Wilson at the end of World War One also authored the Fourteen Points seminal to Korea and European peace somewhat less, as World War Two might prove, “A Peace without Victors” he might be referencing to the Civil War. The Union felt it most effective to just send all confederate leaders out on bail as if bad actors in a traffic stop, maybe effective maybe not. I remember a seemingly staged photo of Robert E Lee and Ulysses Grant, both are seated, Robert E Lee seems to be in a rocking chair suited for his front porch and Ulysses Grant in a leather wheeled rotating chair you might see in some meeting room today, reminded me of McCarthur in his dirty camos and Emperor Hirohito. Anyway, all of Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen Points highlighted the rights of every European Nationality no matter how small, and the return of their lands, open diplomacy and visibility in all colonial powers around the world, this purposefully or not places Korean Independence from Japan on a very visible national stage and their “Union”.
Korea is an Ancient idea and made more ancient because every new name for it is drawn from an older name for it. Korea is from Goryeo a dynasty name from an earlier period. I don’t know why We use it, why we wouldn’t even use Korean names for their place, that’s decency in most international identifications. The words Han and Joseon appear often, Hanguk means Korean, Hanbok means a Korean dress, Hanok means a Korean house, Han is the name of how horrible Koreans have had it, or identified made in Korea. Joseon is the name of a dynasty of Kings that lasted until about 1910. I’m not sure on why we don’t say Nippon for Japan, like Japanese people, I’m not studied there.
A major shift in Korea away from Buddhism happened with the Joseon Dynasty which adopted Confucianism from China and King Sejong of Joseon developed the Hangul language which is used today. Before that point in the 1400s, written language was complicated by using Chinese Characters for Korean language. They have the same difficulties now using our alphabet, say we have the sound L and the sound R, and the character that means both of those, is still, really neither of those, its more of a rolling Spanish R or maybe a tongue off the roof of the mouth. I find interesting the idea of how Confucian Law, of the Chinese, represented to Korea for all time a Particular Client Relationship that I hope America does not try to BURY, it will probably be completely buried. When the Presbyterian missionaries in 1885 came to Korea, they were appointed the official ministers to the King, they were alternatively, the diplomats from the United States or even, the Diplomats TO the United States, the American Missionaries from Ohio that is, and fully represented that, in not any sort of racist way, that some sort of Western Power, and not the Western Powers that thus far had waged war in a big racist way throughout Asia, were going to Support the Kingdom of Korea. This has a lot of study and strong authorship. To what degree this is concluded, acted upon, we can’t say this, we can say that for this tiny religion to mean a lot to Korea has a lot of information behind it, and I’d like to put forward that of course, that the King Gojong took a break off of what the Chinese did in the Boxer Rebellion to destroy all Christian Missionaries ,and both Missionary Underwood and King Gojong came to a pre-agreement invitation together that it was different from any massacred Catholics situation, ugh Romanists, and that the entire Yongbang or high class court was going to be interested in the Western Powers and the United States. Welcome to the Bonnie Blue Flag! Ha, something. The Chinese Client relationship certainly didn’t violate the heritage or character of Korea as far as substitutes go.
Many histories talk about a starving kingdom, a hermit kingdom, Koreans didn’t starve for 4,000 years all day and not ask any help too, there were at least 4 separate wars going on inside and around Korea about changing who had Korea in their sphere of influence between 1900 and 1910. Note the russo-Japanese war, the boxer rebellion, the Japanese occupation, and World War 2.
These Pesky Americans of a Questionable Character who were Presbyterians, were medical doctors and teachers and a Reverend, Jejoonwong hospital is notable hospital staffed and taught native doctors modern care with a Royal given name such as Civilized Virtuous so forth I forget. This starts Yonsei University. The First Presbyterian Church Is, well less notable to the general Korean Populace, I find it notable, the Presbyterians were worried they might be expelled by all the brick buildings Methodists catholics and so forth were throwing up all over, on hills over top the King’s palace and so forth, the churches Presbyterians made were hanok or native that invited Koreans to any and all construction methods, Presbyterian church Of Korea, in the heritage of korea, the first goal stated was, their Own church. Easy fact to miss, a native Korean looking structure or Chinese if you prefer and little windows were put in I guess, a door.
How Closely Presbyterianism is linked to Korean Patriotism involves a lot of debate. We can see Korean Presbyterians engaging traditional reform past times on top of the news cycles, destroy Buddhist idol statues, beautifying the land, since the election of Lee Myung Bak the Presbyterian Church of Korea jumped about 30% membership points to drop a bit back down recently. There’s possibly 9 million Presbyterians of Korea and the population of Scotland might reach 3 million hipsters, who knows. I personally don’t agree with the government Christianizing methods, I don’t know of a European Adultery law quite like theirs, arresting adulterors, Presbyterian marriage is a civil matter if you look into Pope’s seeking out people’s wives, the fact that Priests aren’t Eunuchs and your wife has to go confess to one! I hope King Gojong bought our sales pitch, or at least as one narrative described. President Woodrow Wilson first induced the male draft for World War One and all Male Koreans tend to need two years of service in the military? I don’t speak Korean, I’ll guess somewhere else. I feel completely cliché but Elders are a Confucian value rather antiquated. People have a Korean handshake often used and quoted that involves holding an Imaginary Right Sleeve for your right hand to shake hands all because yongbang and aristocrats from the time used to have such sleeves, this is common tradition and common seen practice.
There is something totally bogus happening with the Presbyterian Church today. I’ll try to get as far as I can with it. First off lets forget, split mergers splits and mergers, its ridiculous. I’m not paying attention to the Hapdong Presbytery either, there’s people saying they get the right to split and Reformed is Always Reforming is some new phrase everywhere, and out of nowhere the new kids made. Whats it mean, well not much more than we said it with a rhyme. All the churches can split off, well, then they’re irrelevant to broader context, I’m not going to deal with there’s 50,000 Presbyterian churches in Korea, then 49,998 are outside the scope of everybody. They are all copying the last 50 years in the United States with TV evangelization, the Hapdong went to Afghanistan I bet and got those 8 Korean hostages captured there, which is crazy. I’m going to spell it out like this, Dwight D Eisenhower was a famous general who gave the D-Day Moral Crusade to Free Europe from the Nazis, he was a perfect candidate for President during the Korean War after Harry Truman. Out of nowhere he decided to Use the Presbyterian Church in his plans. President Eisenhower is president during putting Under God in the American Pledge of Allegiance and the In God We Trust on dollar bills. Believe it or not, the first time the federal government has religious messages on postage stamps and other places like that, and he put on his shining banner as Presbyterianism. It was all pretty inglorious as far as I read. He had no heritage or any family anywhere close to Presbyterians , of course the president was Allowed to be inducted into being a Presbyterian, then he gets to say well I’m not going here if it doesn’t stand for freedom, I want a church that stands for freedom dammit, one big circle sort of thing. President Eisenhower was pro Martin Luther King Jr, I’m not saying the author is against Martin Luther King Jr, its a complicated subject, the American youth today will forget a working set of values in which we all got along, dress it up behind the KKK or problems.
I get confused how Segregation can be grouped as a Jim Crow law anywhere close to other undoubted Jim Crow laws. Segregation is a Presbyterian value set imposed by the government on Any sort of peoples that could be here , the Supreme Court naming two separate things never being equal, seems paramount to one and one cannot be two equal things adding to two. A very broad stroke that was meant to explain a ruling. Some unknown amount of Martyrs that we can literally see fighting for the ethnic church separation and separate marriage laws in Scotland for centuries. I’ve drawn a fair enough linkage. I’m sure the time was filled with bigots and George Wallace seems like a purposeful Know-Nothing.
The problem I’m getting at is that so many values that could be helpful to Koreans could be marginalized and then criminalized and cause justifications for events like the LA Riots or other violent acts that are in fact targeting Koreans. The Presbyterian Church in highest documentation urges use of Every native Language , especially over latin. How much today depends on this very same latin alphabet, which Scotland never developed on Roman or Latin lines and wasn’t in the Roman Empire. We can welcome co-equals of the Christian faith with very educated ministers, maybe the south was full of racists, who, in fact during the civil war, were trying to speak highly of the well-versed and written Asian peoples in their attempts to put our own African americans on the bottom. I’m sorry for any race pivoting which serves no purpose whatsoever.
The church since President Eisenhower has gone by the Presbyterian Church (USA) which poses to both heal the south and north divide, to be the most liberal theology, this seems like a people friendly coating, but the problems there seem very common. Particularly now I wish I kept scholarly citation, but the highest planning level of the PCUSA is always very open on the final objective to Merge and Integrationist ideas with their Korean counterpart congregations, any Koreans going to the Presbyterian Church, far outweights the Korean Presbyterian Church Abroad, buildings by Koreans Themselves, will be expected to, who knows in Some fashion, move toward shared worship services by the PCUSA, while saying everything but Horace Underwood’s Top 1885 mission priority was the Distinct Korean church. I meet a lot of PCUSA individuals , God Rest Cynthia Bolbach, I’m just not sure we’re all looking at this issue.
I want to draw more parallels at what I hinted at already, the period of Japanese Empire’s occupation of Korea period between 1910 and 1945, and traditional Presbyterian, the worldwide Presbyterian. A humorous famous tune My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean seems so dark next to the diplomatic tragedy and tragedy of life, that Korean girls or women were given any lie to be taken overseas by the Japanese to be used in any abuse for the soldiers of Japan. Of course no one has records for these tragedies, we are only so lucky to recover bodies after the Holocaust and people with a few records. If a Korean farmer in korea did not have some sort of basically Japanese documentation to a land the family had for generations, any level of Korean society would be kicked off the land. I never even realized Japan was a colonial power in school, nothing was made clear about it, and it has to be studied completely on its own and in itself, the Japanese called colonial venture in Korea. Nowhere in European colonial history am I aware of a very structured Chinese sort of society in millions, having some other millions of Japanese just head over and expect preferenced treatment out of its land and economy and peoples, land was taken and the owners made renters, any deal a Japanese could change, a Japanese could tell a Japanese judge the Korean business transactor was wrong, for example Japanese would not pay for any food grocer. The millions of Japanese were sent back to Japan I believe after world war two. Not to mention the thousands of comfort women never found again, the men of korea often were sent to early graves building Japanese buildings or fortifications. For no Apparent reason, though, countless Koreans and authors recognize no transfer to Japan, how could the Korean King or people just choose to agree to surrender all of the Korean empire to the Japanese with a forced signature? This was no sort of co-prosperity Union for two peoples together to succeed in. Yet somehow European powers of the Soviet Union and United States decided that they were just occupying Japanese zones, Korean diplomats died to get free of Japan after World War one or during their Independence movements thousands were shot. Nothing was clear at this time that Europeans mind you, had decided that Korea was its own country, that today much influence is as if they are in Soviet or United States zones of control, undermining Korean identity. This is why I hark back to a Scotsman coming to America and all the later generations of Americans influenced by the Bonnie Blue Flag, the Presbyterian government he wanted, and for Scotland and governments around the world soon to be putting up a bonnie blue flag. King Gojong willingly signed any treaties that were not unequal, that denied opium export, like happened in china with the Opium War and the British invasion of Hong Kong, not a purposeful Hermit Kingdom, King Gojong seems warm and sociable. Radical Republicanism prohibited many denominations , maybe less so a Londoner naturalized American named Horace Underwood, to promoting the rightful government and working with the government, the Bible calls like John Calvin for the Godly rulers aid, rulers rule by God. I’m taking my best guess at that situation. Actually, most Koreans today associate Presbyterianism somewhat with modernity, somewhat with prosperity or tech , President Lee Myung Bak was a CEO at Hyundai turned overtly religious president. My question is what would be trying to sell Koreans with our Local Ideal in the PCUSA , the recent and liberal PCUSA, the less the better.
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1560 The Scotland Kirk
1610 Presbyterian Church in Ireland
1700s Presbyterian Church in the United States of America
1870-1890 period, National Presbyterian Church in Mexico, Presbyterian Church of Korea, misc… Presbyterian Church in America (southern)
1958- United Presbyterian, various mergers
1982- Presbyterian Church(USA)
interesting splits, controversies
new light/old light
seceder/covenanter
Most involve ministers strict belief in Westminster confession, or not
tonghap/hapdong
Hapdong split from the Koreans church , tonghap, voted to split, marking themselves off from us and the wider world in several ways. nonecumenical is not in world council of churches. bible-critical new interpretations. not historical. not highly USA visible
fundamentalist-modernist controversy
reveals a lot of the post-liberal theology after the 1920’s in the Presbyterian church that would Not have existed in 1885. Horace Underwood’s Call of Korea, referencing the Call of Macedon, a blueprint of Calvinistic spirit-called mission. the indespinsible fact is missionaries sang Auld Lang Syne taken up by independence leaders of korea.