Korean American Women and the Church: Identity, Spirituality, and Gender Roles

Korean American women are the foundation of the Korean American church. We are devoted, contributing members in the church, but we are seldom given positions of leadership or power. From our subordinate role in the church and wider society, Korean American women have been perpetually subject to racial and gender injustice. To work toward equal empowerment, it is imperative to reimagine historical Christian teaching about God so that it liberates rather than oppresses. As we engage in theological reform, we can begin to experience the wholeness that comes from a Spirit God who embraces all people regardless of race, gender, sexuality, or social status. As a result, Korean American women can finally feel included and contributive to a society which has historically treated them as “perpetual foreigners.” They can also push for multicultural excellence rather than sustaining the dominant white criterion of value. As hybrid spaces proliferate in diversifying America, Korean American women can be an integral source of reimagining the places we inhabit, something that proves to be increasingly necessary to keep the church accessible and contemporary.

Revival and Renewal: Korean American Protestants beyond Immigrant Enclaves

Much research has been conducted on the various functions that Korean Protestant churches provide for Korean immigrants and the centrality of the church for the community. Most of this research, however, focuses on the Korean American church as an immigrant enclave. Korean American churches are studied essentially as ethno-religious enclaves, detached and secluded from the larger society. Counterbalancing this tendency, this paper examines the multidimensional ways that Korean American Protestants and their churches are extending beyond their ethnic borders. Korean immigrant churches are civically and religiously moving beyond the enclave while also catering to the needs of co-immigrants. Second-generation Korean American congregations are also engaging the broader society even as they create unique hybrid spaces for themselves. Finally, there are Koreans who enter the United States specifically as missionaries to evangelise individuals in and outside of the Korean Diaspora, including white Americans. In their varied ways, Korean American evangelicals are taking part in efforts to bring spiritual revival and renewal in America and beyond.