Water from Dragon's Well: The History of a Korean-Canadian Church Relationship

The Korean-Canadian church relationship has had a lasting influence on Korean society and the culture and mission of the United Church of Canada, helping to crack the colonial foundations of Canadian Protestantism. Water from Dragons Well explores the connection between the Korean Christian community and the Canadian church and its missionaries from the 1890s to the present.

Format: Paperback / softback
Publication date: 15 June 2022
Publisher: McGill-Queen's University Press

The heart of the emerging South Korean democratization movement was a Canadian-built mission house in Seoul. A Korean minister ascended to the position of spiritual leader of Canada's largest Protestant denomination. The Korean-Canadian church relationship, spanning a century, has left a lasting impact on Korean society and the culture and mission of the United Church of Canada. It played a significant role in dismantling the colonial foundations of Canadian Protestantism.

Water from Dragons Well delves into the intricate connection between the Korean Christian community and the Canadian church and its missionaries from the 1890s to the present. Upon the arrival of Canadian missionaries, Korean Christian churches had already begun to express nationalist aspirations. By the mid-twentieth century, they were actively seeking independence from Canadian missionary oversight and participating in broader democratic movements within South Korea.

David Kim-Cragg explores the resistance of indigenous churches to decades of missionary paternalism and the ways they channeled their religious and political energies. The United Church of Canada, recognizing the criticism of its hosts, played a pivotal role in helping establish an independent Korean Christian church. In 1974, the church ended its Korean mission, marking a significant shift in its colonial attitudes. This change also contributed to the transformation of the United Church of Canada back home. With the guidance of Korean leadership in Canada, the church reconstructed its vision of non-Western Christianity and established an ethnic ministry council, marking a watershed moment in its history.

Water from Dragons Well is situated within ongoing discussions about the legacies of colonization and racism. It sheds light on how religious and political influences from Korea challenged and transformed white Canadian attitudes and institutions. The book highlights the ways in which wellsprings of religion and politics from Korea influenced the development of the Canadian church and its mission, fostering a deeper understanding of the complex and multifaceted relationship between these two nations.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780228010852