Calvinism and Reformed Confessions in the Korean Presbyterian Church

The study of Calvin and Calvinism in Korean churches is closely related to the history and development of Presbyterianism in Korea. For the most part of its history, Calvinism in Presbyterian churches had been understood very limitedly in one of three ways: the Westminster Confession of Faith, Calvin’s Institutes, or the five points of TULIP. Such a narrow understanding, however, began to change after 1980 due to the efforts of scholars and doctoral students who had studied abroad and also with many books on Calvin and Calvinism being translated into the Korean language. This chapter examines this development by tracing the role of confessional documents adopted by the Korean Presbyterian churches. In light of the historical context, this chapter looks at how the first creed of the Korean Presbyterian Church called the Twelve Articles, the Westminster Confession of Faith, and other Reformed Confessions have shaped the identity of Korean Presbyterianism, which claims itself to be in the heritage of Calvinistic tradition.

Presbyterians, Schisms, and Denominations

Although Presbyterians have long professed a strong commitment to church unity, Presbyterian denominations have often been divided by schism. Major disagreements over theology have always played a central role in precipitating these schisms. However, class, ethnic, gender, racial, and regional differences and also personal conflicts have often also contributed significantly to schisms. An examination of the 1843 Great Disruption in Scotland, the 1837 Old School–New School Presbyterian Church schism in the United States, the 1903 formation of the Independent Presbyterian Church of Brazil, and the 1952 rupture that led to the establishment of the Korean Presbyterian Church (Kosin) illustrate this argument.