Born Again: Evangelicalism in Korea

Acknowledgments

ix Acknowledgments It took a long time to complete this book, and I could not have done it without the guidance and support of a number of persons and institutions. I relish this opportunity to thank them. First, my thanks go to scholars associated with the University of Chicago who helped me through the book’s dissertation stage. This includes the late Jerald C. Brauer, who introduced me to the scholarship on evangelicalism and gave me an idea for the book. Apart from his encouragement and interest in my research, this book might not have seen the light of day. Martin E. Marty played a crucial role as dissertation director. He guided me till the end, helping me to refine the argument and instilling in me the importance of empathy in studying religion. And Bruce Cumings played a crucial role by encouraging me to be critical in studying East Asian history. Not a Chicagoan but also an important member of my dissertation committee is Yi Mahn-yol, at the time professor of Korean History at Sookmyung Women’s University and director of the Institute of Korean Church History Studies in Seoul. He pointed me to key sources and shared keen insights about the history of Christianity in Korea. From each of these scholars I have learned a great deal, and I hope at least some of that learning shows through in this book. I am also grateful to several institutions. The first two are the Social Science Research Council and Fulbright (Institute of International Education). Their grants enabled me to do research and interact with scholars in South Korea. Without them this book could not have been written. I am grateful to the Disciples Divinity House of the University of Chicago and its former dean W. Clark Gilpin and the current dean Kristine A. Culp. The DDH and the deans afforded me a supportive community while I was studying at Chicago. Thanks are also due to UCLA’s Center for Korean Studies, where I served as Henry Luce Postdoctoral Fellow in Korean Christianity in 2001–2002. I am especially grateful to the then director Robert E. Buswell Jr., who trusted me to x | Acknowledgments organize an international conference that resulted in a volume titled Christianity in Korea, published by the University of Hawai`i Press in 2006. My experiences at UCLA benefited this book. Brite Divinity School (Texas Christian University) provided me with a semester’s leave in fall 2008 so that I could complete the major research and writing—thank you, Brite. In publishing Christianity in Korea, Patricia Crosby, UHP’s executive editor, played a crucial role. She has played the same role in the publication of this book. I am grateful to her—as I am to Rosemary Wetherold for her masterly copyediting, to the two anonymous readers who provided valuable suggestions for improvement, and to Minchung Kang of UCLA, who vetted the manuscript for McCune-Reischauer romanization. If errors remain, mea culpa. Aspects of chapter 1 were published in Criterion: A Publication of the Divinity School of the University of Chicago (July 2002) and Church History: Studies in Christianity and Culture (March 2000); of chapter 3 in Acta Koreana (July 2002); of chapter 4 in Religions of Korea in Practice, edited by Robert E. Buswell Jr. (Princeton University Press, 2007); and of the epilogue in the above-mentioned Christianity in Korea. While I was working on this book, Joseph and Esther grew up quite a bit, and Yeahwa became even lovelier. Without their support and understanding, I could not have conceived this book. To them this book is dedicated. ...