by Andrew Kim
A majority of Korean-Americans identify themselves as Christian. If they attend church on a weekly basis, one would assume that they did so because of their faith. But faith is not the sole reason that Korean-Americans spend their Sundays in God’s house. Upon their arrival in America, many Koreans speak very little English. One of the few escapes from this strange new world in which they are submerged is the church. Church becomes a place not only for prayer but a haven where Koreans can feel comfortable, surrounded by people who resemble them.
About 40% of Korean-American Christians became Christian after their arrival in United States. The church became an important place for social gathering. It makes us wonder how many of these “conversions” are real. Do they see themselves as Christians because they began to identify with a new social group? Or did they truly see the light through the preaching of the gospel and having their hearts changed by God?
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by Joe Schafer
Reflections on Christianity in the Korean-American Community
November 7, 2009 in Commentary by admin | 4 comments
A majority of Korean-Americans identify themselves as Christian. If they attend church on a weekly basis, one would assume that they did so because of their faith. But faith is not the sole reason that Korean-Americans spend their Sundays in God’s house. Upon their arrival in America, many Koreans speak very little English. One of the few escapes from this strange new world in which they are submerged is the church. Church becomes a place not only for prayer but a haven where Koreans can feel comfortable, surrounded by people who resemble them.
About 40% of Korean-American Christians became Christian after their arrival in United States. The church became an important place for social gathering. It makes us wonder how many of these “conversions” are real. Do they see themselves as Christians because they began to identify with a new social group? Or did they truly see the light through the preaching of the gospel and having their hearts changed by God?
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Race and Ethnicity