Page 57 - A Dissertation for Doctor of Philosophy

set of ethics in the turbulent times of opening themselves to the Western World. In addition,

they were already accustomed to Confucian moralism. 115 They therefore had no difficulty in

accepting the authority of the Bible, especially in the sense of biblical inerrancy and literal

interpretation, a characteristic of traditional “Confucian literalism.” 116

The conservative theology of missionaries rejected science and politics. 117 The infant

Korean church, therefore, regarded that Christian life should be separated from secular and

political life. Instead, they concentrated on individualistic conversion and individual

sanctification. They were taught that they had nothing to do with the secular and should refrain

from it. Korean who lived under the influence of the Buddhism readily embraced this dualistic

teaching. 118

Kyung Jik Han, the pastor of the YoungNak Presbyterian Church, the largest Presbyterian

Church in the world, is one of representative of Korean conservative preaching from that period.

He charged the Korean Church to maintain its conservative faith by saying:

Liberalism and neo-orthodoxy have crept in. . . . If the Korean church wants to be
blessed continually, it must follow what we call the ‘conservative faith’, which is
based on the Bible. Biblical sermons are always best. We can talk about social
problems at times, but Korean churches can only be blessed when Christian leaders
direct their church members toward a biblical faith and a biblical theology. 119

115
Eun Kim, Preaching of Transfiguration, 57.
116 Ibid., 88.

117 Kyong Min, “A History of Korean Christianity,” 148.

118
Young Han Kim, “Biblical Interpretation and Formal Analysis for a Proposal of
Culture Reformative Function of the Korean Church,” in Pastors and Preaching, ed. Institutes
for the Korean Church Problems (Pungman Publishing Company, 1987), 20. 17-64.

119 Kyung Jik Han, “The Present and Future of the Korean Church,” in Korean Church
Growth, 364.