History of the Pentecostal Movement in Korea

Overview

The Pentecostal movement is a religious movement that emphasizes the experience of the Holy Spirit, particularly baptism in the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues, and divine healing (the healing of sickness through faith). In Korea the movement is commonly known as "Full Gospel" (Sunbogeum). Its principal Korean denomination is the Korea Assemblies of God (KAG), which grew out of the mission work of the American Assemblies of God.

Background

The Azusa Street Revival, which took place in Los Angeles in the early twentieth century, is regarded as the starting point of worldwide Pentecostalism. The revival led to the formation of the Assemblies of God in the United States in 1914. Mary C. Rumsey, an American woman who testified that she had experienced the Holy Spirit at the Azusa Street Revival, aspired to mission work in Asia and arrived in Korea in 1928.

Development

• 1928: Rumsey arrived at the port of Incheon and began spreading the Pentecostal faith. Heo Hong, formerly of the Salvation Army, worked alongside her.
• 1933: Rumsey and Heo Hong founded Seobinggo Church, the first Pentecostal church in Korea, in the Seobinggo area of Seoul. Park Seong-san, who had completed theological studies in Japan, became its pastor. Some sources give the founding year as 1932. During this period some established Protestant churches reportedly denounced the Pentecostal faith as heretical and called Pentecostal believers the "tongues sect." Korean leaders such as Heo Hong, Park Seong-san, and Bae Bu-geun led the early movement.
• Late Japanese colonial period: Activity declined sharply as missionaries were forced to leave the country.
• After liberation: Official denominational mission work began when Rev. Osgood, director of the Far East mission of the American Assemblies of God, visited Korea. In 1952 the first missionary, Rev. A. B. Chesnut, arrived.
• April 8, 1953: Chesnut, together with Park Seong-san, Bae Bu-geun, Heo Hong, and other ministers, held a founding general assembly at Nambu Church on Hangang-ro in Yongsan District, Seoul, establishing the Korea Assemblies of God. Around the same time the Full Gospel Theological Seminary opened; it is today's Hansei University.
• 1973 and 1998: The 10th and 18th Pentecostal World Conferences were held in Korea.
• 1981 onward: Amid charges of heresy surrounding Rev. David Yonggi Cho, the denomination split into the KAG (Tonghap) and the KAG (Sunbogeum). It subsequently divided and reunited repeatedly, in 1984, 1991, and 1999. In 1985 the Jesus Korea Assemblies of God reportedly separated as a distinct body.
• 2018: The Yeouido General Assembly and the Seodaemun General Assembly reportedly merged to form the Korea Assemblies of God (Tonghap). Some general assemblies ultimately did not join the merger.

Results and Influence

According to the denomination, Yoido Full Gospel Church, led by Rev. David Yonggi Cho, grew into the largest church in the world less than thirty years after the denomination's founding and sent missionaries to many parts of the world. The KAG presents the "Fivefold Gospel" and the "Threefold Blessing" as its core messages. The Pentecostal movement spread a style of faith that values the experience of the Holy Spirit throughout Korean Christianity as a whole. This development is also closely connected with the charismatic movement and with church growth in Korea.

Assessment

The Korean Pentecostal movement was initially criticized as heretical by established denominations. Theological disputes later arose both within and outside the denomination, and in the process it underwent several divisions. Today it is one of the major streams of Korean Protestantism. Some evaluate it positively for having revived the experience of the Holy Spirit and prayer. At the same time, other denominations and theologians have expressed concern that it places excessive emphasis on experience and blessing. Pentecostals, for their part, explain that these messages proclaim a biblical salvation in which the soul and the whole of life are restored.