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Presbyterian Church of Korea

This article is about the historical denomination. For its modern successors, see Presbyterian Church of Korea (TongHap), Presbyterian Church in Korea (HapDong), Kosin Presbyterian Church in Korea, and Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea.

The Presbyterian Church of Korea (PCK) (Korean: 대한예산로회), also abbreviated as Yejang (Korean: 예장), is a Protestant denomination based in South Korea that follows Calvinist theology and the Westminster Confession of Faith. Since the 1950s, the denomination has separated into various branches of the same name due to theological and political disputes. As of 2019, 286 branches in South Korea, many of which have separated from the PCK, use the title 'Presbyterian Church of Korea'.[1]

The Presbyterian Church of Korea
ClassificationProtestant
OrientationCalvinist
PolityPresbyterian
RegionKorea
FounderSeo Sang-ryun
Originearly 1880s
Hwanghae Province (Sorae Church) or Seoul (Saemoonan Church)
SeparationsGosin (1952), Gijang (1953), Tonghap and Hapdong (1959)
Korean name
Hangul
대한예수교장로회
Hanja
大韓예수敎長老會
Revised RomanizationDaehan yesugyo jangnohoe
McCune–ReischauerTaehan yesugyo changnohoe

Some biblical historians consider the Sorae Church, which was established in the early 1880s by Seo Sang-ryun, as the origin of Korean Presbyterianism. Others consider the Saemoonan Church, established by American missionary Horace Underwood in 1887, as the true birthplace of the PCK. However, the PCK was first organized as an independent Korean church in 1907.[2]

History

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Early Missionaries

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Horace Newton Allen
 
Horance Grant Underwood

Calvinism is believed to have first arrived in Korea in 1865 when pastor Robert Jermain Thomas was captured and martyred during the General Sherman incident.[3] The first Korean Presbyterian church was founded by Seo Sang-ryun, who was converted into Christianity by Scottish pastor John McIntyre in Manchuria,[4] in Hwanghae province in 1884.[5]

Full-scale missions were able to take place twenty years later when Horace Newton Allen of the Northern Presbyterian Church was admitted into the royal court of Joseon as a physician.[6] In 1885, Horace Grant Underwood and John W. Heron [ko] arrived and established the Korean mission church for the Northern Presbyterian Church. The Korean edition of the Bible was first translated by John Ross during the 1870s. The edition was first printed and published by the British and Foreign Bible Society and the Scottish Bible Society in 1886.[7]

Subsequently, more Western missionaries set foot in Korea with Canadian missionary James Scarth Gale and Australian Joseph Henry Davies arriving in 1889, and American missionary Samuel Austin Moffett in 1890. In 1891, female teachers such as Isabella Menzies, Jean Perry and Mary Fawcett arrived from Australia. Dr. James MacKenzie arrived in 1893, and in 1898, Dr. Robert Grierson, pastor W. R. Foote, and Duncan MacRae of the Presbyterian Church in Canada arrived to serve as missionaries.[8]

McKenzie died after a year and a half while working in evangelism and medical care in Sorae Church, Hwanghae Province. His efforts led to the organization of the Korean mission church for the Presbyterian Church in Canada (캐나다장로회조선선교회) in Wonsan. In the Southern Presbyterian Church, pastors William D. Reynolds and Lewis B. Tate arrived in 1892 and organized the Korean mission church for the Southern Presbyterian Church (남장로회조선선교회) in Jeolla Province.[8]

In 1889, the Northern Presbyterian Church and the Presbyterian Church of Victoria created The United Council of Presbyterian Missions (장로교선교연합공의회; 長老敎宣敎聯合公議會), with John W. Heron as chairman, to settle issues over the unification of churches. In 1893, the United Council of Presbyterian Missions became the Council of Missions Holding the Presbyterian Form of Government[2] (Korean: 장로교선교공의회, also succinctly known as the Council of Missions). The two councils consisted only of foreign missionaries.[8]

Birth of the PCK

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Elections for the first Korean presbyters for the council began in 1900. Sŏ Kyŏng-cho [ko] (Hwanghae), Kim Chong-sŏp, and I Yŏng-ŭn (both South Pyongan) were elected as elders in 1900.[a] The following year, Kil Sŏn-chu and Pang Kich'ang [ko] were elected as elders. On September 20 of the same year, three Korean presbyters and six ministers organized the Council of the Presbyterian Church of Korea (Chosun)[spelling?] (조선예수교장로회공의회; 朝鮮예수敎長老會公議會) with 25 missionaries in a missionary council held at the Saemoonan Church in Seoul, with missionary William L. Swallen inaugurated as the first chairman. However, as the Council of Missions had jurisdiction over church affairs, the Presbyterian Church of Korea was then only a fraternal organization. In 1902, Yang Chŏn-paek [ko] was appointed as an elder, and more people were elected as elders in 1903.[needs copy edit][9]

 
Organization of the Independent Council, September 17, 1907

In 1901, Samuel Moffett established the Pyongyang Theological Seminary and became its first principal. The spread of Presbyterianism was further intensified by the Great Pyongyang Revival of 1907. On June 20, 1907, Kil Sŏn-chu, Yang Chŏn-paek, Han Sŏk-chin [ko], I Kip'ung [ko], Sŏ Kyŏng-cho, Song In-sŏ [ko], and Pang Kich'ang became the first graduates of the Pyongyang Theological Seminary. The same year, the United Council decided to select[needs copy edit] a party committee member to handle church affairs for the five local councils of Pyeongan, Gyeongseong, Jeolla, Gyeongsang, and Hamgyeong.[10]

 
First General Assembly of the PCK, Pyongyang, September 1, 1912

On September 17, 1907, under the approval of four presbyters from the Mission Council, 33 missionaries and 38 presbyters organized the Presbyterian Church of Korea into an independent church. The five local councils were re-organized into the seven sub-presbyteries (Korean: 대리회; Hanja: 代理會)[11] of Pyongbuk, Pyongnam, Hwanghae, Chungcheong, Jeolla, Hamgyong, and Gyeongsang.[10][12] The PCK was also known during this era as the "Independent Council" (Korean: 독노회; Hanja: 獨老會; RR: Dongnohoe). On September 17, 1911, during an assembly at Nammoon Church, Daegu, the Independent Council agreed on creating a General Assembly, and converting the seven sub-presbyteries into official presbyteries. On September 1, 1912, the first General Assembly of the PCK took place in Pyongyang.[9][13] In 1916, the Presbytery of Gyeongsang was divided into the presbyteries of Gyeongnam and Gyeongbuk, and the presbytery of Pyongseo(west Pyongan) was separated from the presbytery of Pyongbuk.[10]

Involvement in the March First Movement

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Korean Presbyterians were advised to stay uninvolved with any political cause even after the Japanese annexation of Korea in 1910. Thus, initial relationships between the colonial government and the Presbyterians were peaceful. Missionaries accepted Japanese rule as "the powers that be," and asserted a position of "loyal recognition" of the Japanese occupation.[14] Nevertheless, many Korean Presbyterians were suspected of being political agents by the colonial government and were arrested, often without proper explanation or trial. In one incident, a group of Presbyterians was accused of plotting an assassination of then-Governor-General of Korea Terauchi Masatake in Sonchon. Missionaries were also accused of distributing firearms for the alleged assassination plot.[15]

Like other Christian groups, Korean Presbyterians such as Kil Sŏn-chu were closely involved in the March First Movement of 1919.[16] Of the thirty-three representatives [ko] of the movement, sixteen were Christians,[17] and seven were Presbyterians.[citation needed] As a result of the movement, the persecutions of Christians were exacerbated. Likewise, many Presbyterian missionaries were put under scrutiny, and their properties were often destroyed by police. 1,461 Presbyterians were arrested by Japanese police by the end of June 1919; in less than four months, the total number of Presbyterian arrests increased to 3,804. 41 Presbyterian leaders were killed, and 12 churches were destroyed.[18] Horace Underwood made detailed accounts of the Jeam-ni Massacre[19] during a trip to Suwon with his colleagues.[18]

By 1937, the Presbyterian churches were largely independent of financial support from the United States.[20] Presbyterianism in Korea was reconstructed after World War II in 1947. The church adopted the name the Reformed Church in Korea.[citation needed]

Schisms in the 1950s

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In the 1950s, the church suffered tensions because of issues of theology, ecumenism, and worship. The first of these occurred in 1951, over issues related to shinto shrine worship, resulting in the formation of the Presbyterian Church in Korea (Kosin). The second occurred in 1953 when progressives separated, forming the Presbyterian Church of the Republic of Korea (KiJang). In the third schism, the Presbyterian Church of Korea broke into two equal sections in 1959: the Presbyterian Church of Korea (TongHap) and the Presbyterian Church in Korea (HapDong).[21]

General assembly

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General
assembly		 Date Host General Secretary Note
1 1907 Samuel Austin Moffet Dongnohoe
2 1908 James Scarth Gale
3 1909 Horace Grant Underwood
4 1910 James Scarth Gale
5 1911 W. D. Reynolds
1 September 1–4, 1912 Pyongyang Theological Seminary Horace Grant Underwood General assembly era
2 September 7–11, 1913 Soandong Church, Seoul G. Engel
3 September 6–9, 1914 Namsanhyeon Church, Chaeryong Eugene Bell
4 September 4–18, 1915 Seomunbak Church, Jeonju Kim Pil-su
5 September 2–6, 1916 Pyongyang Theological Seminary Yang Jeon-baek
6 September 1–6, 1917 Seungdong Church, Seoul Han Seok-jin
7 August 31–September 5, 1918 Sincheonbuk Church, Sinchon Kim Seon-du
8 October 4–9, 1919 Pyongyang Theological Seminary Samuel Austin Moffet
9 October 2–7, 1920 Andong Church, Seoul Kim Ik-du
10 September 10–15, 1921 Jangdaehyeon Church, Pyongyang Lee Ki-pung
11 September 10–15, 1922 Seungdong Church, Seoul Kim Seong-taek
12 September 8–13, 1923 Sinuiju Church Ham Tae-yeong
13 September 13–18, 1924 Sinchangni Church, Hamhung Lee Ja-ik
14 September 12–18, 1925 Seomunbak Church, Pyongyang Im Taek-gwon
15 September 11–17, 1926 Seomunbak Church, Pyongyang Kim Seok-chan
16 September 9–15, 1927 Gwangseok Church, Wonsan Kim Yeong-hun
17 September 7–13, 1928 Sinjeong Church, Daegu Yeom Bong-nam
18 September 6–12, 1929 Saemunan Church, Seoul Cha Jae-myeong
19 September 12–18, 1930 Seomunbak Church, Pyongyang Hong Jong-pil
20 September 11–17, 1931 Geumgangsan Church Jang Gyu-myeong
21 September 9–16, 1932 Changdong Church, Pyongyang Namgung Hyeok
22 September 8–15, 1933 Seoncheonnam Church, Sonchon Jang Heung-beom
23 September 7–14, 1934 Seomunbak Church, Pyongyang Lee In-sik
24 September 6–13, 1935 Seomunbak Church, Pyongyang Jeong In-gwa
25 September 11–19, 1936 Yangnim Church, Gwangju Lee Seung-gil
26 September 10–16, 1937 Daegu Jeil Church, Daegu Lee Mun-ju
27 September 9–15, 1938 Seomunbak Church, Pyongyang Hong Taek-gi
28 September 8–15, 1939 Sineuiju Jei Church, Sinuiju Yun Ha-yeong
29 September 6–13, 1940 Changdong Church, Pyongyang Kwak Jin-geun
30 November 21–26, 1941 Changdong Church, Pyongyang Choi Ji-hwa
31 October 16–20, 1942 Seomunbak Church, Pyongyang Kim Eung-sun 1943–45: Discontinued due to World War II
32 June 11–14, 1946 Seungdong Church, Seoul Bae Eun-hui South Korea era
33 April 18–22, 1947 Daegu Jeil Church, Daegu Lee Ja-ik
34 April 20–23, 1948 Saemunan Church, Seoul Lee Ja-ik
35 April 19–23, 1949 Saemunan Church, Seoul Choi Jae-hwa
36 April 21–25, 1950 Daegu Jeil Church, Daegu
36 May 25–29, 1951 Jungang Church, Busan Kwon Yeon-ho
37 April 29–May 2, 1952 Seomun Church, Daegu Kim Jae-seok
38 April 24–28, 1953 Seomun Church, Daegu Myeong Sin-hong
39 April 23–27, 1954 Jungang Church, Andong Lee Won-yeong
40 April 22–26, 1955 Yeongnak Church, Seoul Han Gyeong-jik
41 September 20–25, 1956 Saemunan Church, Seoul Lee Dae-yeong
42 September 19–24, 1957 Jungang Church, Busan Jeon Pil-sun
43 September 25–October 1, 1958 Yeongnak Church, Seoul No Jin-hyeon
44 September 24–29, 1959 Jungang Church, Daejeon Schism

See also

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Footnotes

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  1. ^ I Yŏng-ŭn died before he was given an ordination

References

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  1. ^ 최승현 (January 2, 2019). "전국 교단 총 374개, '대한예수교장로회'만 286개". Newsnjoy.
  2. ^ a b 장대선 (May 1, 2019). "공의회시대, 혹은 그 선교시대로 돌아간 한국의 장로교회". bohnd.net.
  3. ^ 김만형 (1934-09-07). "宣敎五十週年맛는 長老會懷舊錄". The Chosun Ilbo.
  4. ^ 민경배. "서상륜 (徐相崙)". Encyclopedia of Korean Culture. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  5. ^ "The Presbyterian Church of Korea : History". Pck.or.kr. Retrieved 2008-04-16.
  6. ^ K, David (March 1, 2017). "Presbyterianism in the Hermit Kingdom: Presbyterian Church of Korea at 110". Presbyterian Historical Society.
  7. ^ 정인과 (1934-06-28). "朝鮮長老敎會의今昔 可驚할五十年發達史 (中)". The Dong-A Ilbo.
  8. ^ a b c 김만형 (1934-09-08). "宣敎五十週年맛는 長老會懷舊錄 (二)". The Chosun Ilbo.
  9. ^ a b 김만형 (September 9, 1934). "宣敎五十週年맛는 長老會懷舊錄 ㈢". The Chosun Ilbo.
  10. ^ a b c 김만형 (September 10, 1934). "宣敎五十週年맛는 長老會懷舊錄 ㈣". The Chosun Ilbo.
  11. ^ 이상규. "경상대리회". 부산역사문화대전 (in Korean). Academy of Korean Studies. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  12. ^ Jae Buhm Hwang (2007). "1907년 대한예수교장로회(독노회) 설립과정 및 그 의의에 대한 연구" [The Independent Korean Presbyterian Church of 1907: its Origin and Meaning]. 한국교회사학회 (in Korean). 20: 281–313. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  13. ^ 정인과 (June 28, 1934). "朝鮮長老敎會의今昔 可驚할五十年發達史 (中)". The Dong-A Ilbo.
  14. ^ Kang 1984, pp. 35–36.
  15. ^ Kang 1984, p. 37.
  16. ^ Lee, Timothy S. (2000). "A Political Factor in the Rise of Protestantism in Korea: Protestantism and the 1919 March First Movement". Church History: Studies in Christianity and Culture. 69 (1): 116–142. doi:10.2307/3170582. JSTOR 3170582.
  17. ^ Kang 1984, p. 41.
  18. ^ a b "3) 일제통치와 한국 기독교". National Institute of Korean History. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  19. ^ Kang 1984, p. 42.
  20. ^ Kenneth Scott Latourette, Christianity in a Revolutionary Age: Vol. 5: The Twentieth century outside Europe (1962) pp 414-5
  21. ^ Kim, In Soo (2016). "Towards Peace and Reconciliation between South and North Korean Churches: Contextual Analysis of the Two Churches". In Kim, Sebastian C. H.; Kollontai, Pauline; Hoyland, Greg (eds.). Peace and Reconciliation: In Search of Shared Identity. Routledge. p. 137. ISBN 978-1-317-08290-3.

Bibliography

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Further reading

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  • Clark, Donald N. Christianity in Modern Korea (University Press of America, 1986)
  • Grayson, James H. Korea—A Religious History (Routledge Curzon, 2002)
  • Kang, Wi Jo. Christ and Caesar in Modern Korea: A History of Christianity and Politics ( State University of New York Press, 1997)
  • Latourette, Kenneth Scott. Christianity in a Revolutionary Age: Vol. 5: The Twentieth century outside Europe (1962) pp 412–23
  • Lee, Timothy S. "A Political Factor in the Rise of Protestantism in Korea: Protestantism and the 1919 March First Movement," Church History 2000. 69#1 pp 116–42. in JSTOR
  • Mullins, Mark, and Richard Fox Young, eds. Perspectives on Christianity in Korea and Japan: The Gospel and Culture in East Asia (Edwin Mellen, 1995)
  • Park, Chung-shin. Protestantism and Politics in Korea (U. of Washington Press, 2003)
  • Harry Andrew Rhodes (1934). History of the Korea mission: Presbyterian church U. S. A., 1884-1934. Chosen mission Presbyterian church U. S. A.
  • Koon Sik Shim (2008). Rev. Sang-Dong Han, The Founder of the Presbyterian Church in Korea (Koshin): A Biography. The Hermit Kingdom Press. ISBN 978-1-59689-073-2.
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