Arthur Pierson

Life

Arthur Tappan Pierson, born March 6, 1837, was an American Presbyterian minister. In Korea he is known by the Korean rendering of his name, Pieoseon (皮漁鮮), or as "Arthur Pierson." He served as a preacher and Bible teacher in the United States and Britain and is regarded as a leader of the interdenominational missionary movement of the late nineteenth century.

In early December 1910 he visited Korea, where he expounded the Scriptures to missionaries. He was deeply impressed by how diligently Korean believers devoted themselves to Bible study despite their difficult circumstances. At the missionaries' request, he promised to establish a Bible school. His illness worsened, however, and after returning home he died at his residence in Brooklyn, New York, on June 3, 1911.

Ministry and Achievements

Alongside his pastoral work, Pierson devoted himself to Bible education and to mobilizing support for foreign missions. Pyeongtaek University describes him as a preacher, Bible teacher, theologian, and missions advocate who emphasized Scripture, missions, and cooperation across denominational lines. He is also credited with inspiring many young Christians to commit themselves to overseas missions. Christian press coverage of a special documentary by CTS Christian TV reports that Horace Underwood, the first Presbyterian missionary to Korea, and Malcolm Fenwick, the first missionary of Baptist mission work in Korea, both came to Korea under his influence.

Influence on the Korean Church

His most direct legacy in the Korean church is the Pierson Memorial Bible School. After Pierson's death, his family and supporters carried out his wishes and opened the school in 1912. It reportedly began within the Union Methodist Theological Seminary (Hyeopseong Theological Seminary) in Seoul. With the support of the Pierson Memorial Committee (chaired by Robert Speer, with Delavan Pierson as secretary), a site was acquired in Sinmun-ro, Seoul, around 1914. The main building was completed in 1917 and a men's dormitory in 1918. Underwood is reported to have led the founding as the first chairman of the board and to have served as the first principal.

The school was an interdenominational cooperative institution jointly operated by the Northern Presbyterian mission and the Northern and Southern Methodist missions. In 1935, after the two Methodist missions withdrew from its operation in the aftermath of the Great Depression, the Northern Presbyterian mission took the lead in running it. According to the school, it nevertheless maintained its interdenominational spirit. It trained lay Bible teachers and also served as a preparatory program for students intending to enter Presbyterian and Methodist seminaries.

In 1968 the school was renamed Pierson Memorial Bible Theological Seminary. In 1981 it relocated to its present site in the Pyeongtaek area and reopened as Pierson Bible Theological Seminary. In 1990 it was elevated to a four-year institution, Pierson College, and in 1996 it was renamed Pyeongtaek University.

Assessment

Pyeongtaek University honors Pierson as its founder. The university maintains the Pierson Memorial Bible Research Institute and holds memorial seminars. Pierson, however, died roughly six months after promising to found the school; the school was therefore actually established and operated by his family, the memorial committee, and missionaries serving in Korea. Moreover, accounts that ascribe a major role to him, such as his influence on Underwood and Fenwick, come mainly from sources connected with commemorative projects, so specific factual claims require independent verification.