1903_Anabaptist ferment in Korea

1903_ISSUU.pdf



Anabaptist ferment in Korea 



O
n a cold Saturday in late January, nearly 100
people gathered in a rented hall in downtown Seoul, South Korea, to participate in
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 of the gathering, according to Bock Ki Kim, director of the Korea Anabaptist Center and co-sponsor
of the event, was “to introduce Anabaptist theology and values in a public, academic setting” and
to “challenge ourselves as Korean Anabaptists to
see who we are and what we have to do in South
Korea.” 



Considered as a percentage of the total Christian church in Korea—nearly 30 percent of the
population—the number of Korean Anabaptists
is modest. Nonetheless, the event symbolized a movement that has been gaining momentum for
the past two decades. Today, South Korea is home
to one of the most creative and dynamic expressions of contemporary Anabaptism anywhere in
the global church, with potential for explosive
growth in the future. 



The origins of Anabaptism in Korea are as
diverse as the original movement in 16th-century
Europe. In the decades immediately following
the Korean War (1950-1953), Mennonite Central
Committee had a modest presence in the country, focused especially on a vocational school for war orphans.  In the 1980s, the key Koreanleaders, based in part on their contact with MCC
personnel, began an independent journey of
theological study, including experiments with intentional communities, that led them to a deeper
understanding of the Anabaptist tradition. Several
pursued training at Mennonite seminaries in
North America and developed relationships with
North American Mennonites. In 2001, a more formal relationship with Mennonite Church Canada
Witness, combined with the energetic leadership
of members of the Jesus Village Church, led to the
formation of the Korea Anabaptist Center, which
has since served as an important resource to the
growing movement. Along the way, the Dae Jang
Gan Press has overseen the translation and publication of scores of Anabaptist-Mennonite books,
forging a strong niche market in the Korean
Christian book trade.
Another source of this growing interest in
Anabaptism has been a series of highly publicized
scandals among several prominent pastors that
has undermined the public credibility of Korean Christianity. For the first time in  a century, the Protestant church in Korea—long associated
with the country’s political, business and military
elites—is declining in numbers. In the face of
these disappointments, many Koreans are looking
for a more authentic faith, projecting onto Anabaptism a host of different hopes and expectations. 



Not surprisingly, the emerging Anabaptist
movement in Korea—like its counterpart in the 16th century, is far from united. Some new comers to the movement, for example, equate
Anabaptism with community of goods. Others are
looking for an egalitarian approach to church leadership, or a simple lifestyle, or a “small church”
ecclesiology, or simply a canvas on which to imagine the possibility of “something different.” And some new comers to the movement 







themselves as “Mennonite” are sorting through
basic questions of ordination, child nurture, organizational structure and polity.
One particular challenge for the emerging
Anabaptist movement in Korea is the question of
nonresistance. For the past 60 years, South Koreans have lived in the ominous shadow of a highly
militarized neighbor to the north. The armistice
that formally divided the country at the end of
the Korean War in 1953 was never signed—so
in some sense, the war there has never ended.
Living in a state of perpetual military preparedness, South Koreans generally support their
country’s policy of compulsory military service.
Indeed, military service is an important part of
Korean cultural identity, especially for young men.
Currently, the only recourse for conscientious
objectors is imprisonment, a choice recently exercised by Sang Min Lee of the Grace and Peace
Mennonite Church in Seoul. His decision, however, remains a highly controversial topic among
Korean Anabaptists.
Amid all these creative and diverse currents,
the future of the Anabaptist movement in Korea
ultimately depends on the emergence of leaders—theologians, ethicists, historians, pastors
and teachers—who will consciously continue the
work of “indigenizing” Anabaptism. Clearly, the
movement possesses individuals with the energy,
training, commitment and spiritual gifts needed to
translate Anabaptism more fully into the Korean
context. Someday, I hope, those of us in North
America will be challenged to translate texts from
the leaders in the Korean Anabaptist movement
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May that day come very soon. TM
The
future of the
Anabaptist
movement
in Korea
ultimately
depends
on the
emergence
of leaders
who will
consciously
continue the
work of ‘indigenizing’
Anabaptism.