The Eschatology of the Korean Church from 1945–2018 and its Significance in the Light of Korean history and Theology

There is a clear sense that eschatology has been absent, lacking, and neglected in the present Korean church and that this absence was caused by the shihanbu eschatology that appeared in 1992. But I will argue during this dissertation that shihanbu eschatology does not fully explain the absence. Rather, complex historical events have caused eschatology to evolve in the Korean church from its source in Western theology (from American missionaries). That is, the situation in Korea has affected how people perceive the end in the light of current conditions. In this research, I contend that eschatological studies have to be more than theological; they need to consider the historical context, and the discussion of eschatology cannot be limited to millennialism; rather, it needs to consider any eschatology’s interaction with the historical context. Furthermore, in Korea, eschatology has interacted with different historical settings and different theological thoughts, and this interaction has ultimately altered the way people have thought about eschatology. There are three objectives to this research. The first is to understand the eschatology of the Korean church after 1945, especially the Hapdong presbyterian denomination, in the light of history, which has affected Korean Christians’ understanding of eschatology. The second is to examine the underlying theology, imported or domestic, which could have affected the understanding of eschatology and how the delay in the second coming of Christ has changed Korean churches’ premillennial faith, which emphasized the imminent return of Christ, and caused them to neglect the concept of the coming of the kingdom in general today. The third is to assess how this neglect has affected the general life of the Korean church.