It is interesting to think about what can connect two completely different places. I come from a small town in North Carolina that has a population of less than 20,000 people. Christianity, mostly of the Protestant variety, is the only religion represented notably amongst that population. Needless to say, I grew to know much about Christianity during my childhood in North Carolina. I personally observed the strength of the impact which Christianity had there and especially throughout the South. But I never imagined the true power of a faith to spread or the differing roles a belief system could play in the communities it spread to until I came to Korea.
A disclaimer, as an outsider and hopefully objective observer, I will try to do justice to voicing the perspectives I’ve come into contact with. I have seen some extreme sentiments presented in churches in the South, but on average the people who attend church see it as a place to gain strength from one another based on like-mindedness. A church is supposed to function, at best, as a beacon of faith and a safe haven for those who believe. It was not till I was in a more diverse area that I began to think about how one’s ethnic identity would impact faith and its origin in one’s life.
In the United States, I observed the role of the church to Korean immigrant communities from a distance. Talking to my Korean American friends especially sheds light on the function of churches as a place for community and meeting other Koreans. More than anything, the social component of the church seems crucial. In the United States, where there may not be many Koreans in a certain locale, attending a Korean church is a way to feel kinship even beyond the common faith. The church becomes a hub of shared cultural values and language. I thought that in South Korea I would not encounter this vein of Christianity, and I was wrong. One of the first student organizations to talk to new foreign students was the English-speaking Christian campus ministry. As my time here has continued, I have found the Christian club is one of the more visible clubs on campus.
Curious about the seeming prevalence of the Christianity here and the fervor that exists, I did some research. I found that while the power of the Joseon Era rulers declined, the entrance of Japan and Western religion occurred. During the period of Japanese imperialism Christianity was a form of refuge. Christian missionaries and their religion gained popularity for being kind to those in the lower classes, building schools, and building hospitals. Yonsei University is itself an example of this. It was founded by Horace Underwood, who was a Presbyterian missionary. Today, I, along with almost all the other students attending Yonsei at the Sinchon campus, see his statue everyday on our way to class. When I venture out into Seoul, I always see a church somewhere in the winding streets. Although Hazzan found in his research that the largest segment of South Koreans is non-religious (46 percent of the population), the percentage that identifies as Christian (29 percent) is not insignificant.
I was so fascinated to find this commonality between South Korea and the area of the United States that I come from. For the duration of my semester here I will continue to seek to understand both the similarities and differences in ways that dedication to Christianity manifests in this community versus in both my Georgetown home and my hometown in the United States. A world away, I feel the familiar presence of Christianity especially alive here.