Chujoh Gisuke On Preface To The Reasons For The Revival In The Churches Of Korea

Preface From "The Reasons For The Prosperity Or Revival In The Korean Church:  How A Japanese Missionary Experienced It."
Authored By Rev. Gisuke Chujoh, A Japanese Evangelist of Chiba-ken, Narashino-shi, Saginuma-chome 4, 8-ban, 9-go, "The Reasons For The Prosperity Or Revival In The Korean Church:  How A Japanese Missionary Experienced It." (Jordan Press: Tokyo, Shinjuku-ku, Shinjuku 7-26-24, November 11, 1989).
Translated by Rev. Michael Furey, pastor and amateur translator, Hanover, Indiana, USA on January 5, 1999.  His email is .

Translator's Note

All the transliterations of Korean personal and place names have been provided by Ms. Youn-Woo Jeong, Assistant Research Fellow at the Japanese Document Center of the Graduate Institute for International and Area Studies at Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea. Her email is ywjeong@gias.snu.ac.kr.
 

Preface

I first visited Korea in December 1978 where they would say "Japan is the closest but farthest country [from us]."  I came by invitation from "The Korean Baptist Church" and "The Korean Christian Prayer Association For The Unity Of The Fatherland."  At that time, while doing work for special meetings in churches and prayer houses, with Mr. Chook-Mo Kang (Kan) the mayor of Ham-Kyoung-Book-Do (Kankyohokudo) as my guide, I rang the peace bell, held a meeting, and prayed at the "Unity Tower" built for the long cherished hopes of all Korean citizens north of the thirty-eighth parallel.  This was a deep moving experience that my heart will never be able to forget and became a burden and a mission for me.  ("Love And Decision," Preface, 1979, Tsudanuma Church).

Since then, I have gone to Korea forty times in ten years and held revival meetings in more than two hundred and fifty churches, I served at ten plus prayer houses, and in addition to that, I was given the opportunity to do the work of God's word in various places like schools (kindergartens, national schools, junior highs, high schools, technical schools, universities, seminaries ... ), the military, police stations and their detention centers, prisons and their lockup rooms, hospitals, meeting places, factories, etc.

I am greatly honored and give thanks for being used like this in Korea where the churches are having the greatest revival in the world.  I believe what I described from the experiences God gave me in "The Reasons From The Perspective Of Faith For The Revival Of The Korean Churches:  Based On What A Japanese Saw" is most appropriate for a doctoral dissertation at the Luther Rice Seminary.

Since I describe the details in the main part of this book, I will state here the purpose of my dissertation and a summary of its contents.

In chapter one, I discuss the general features of the Korean Church (their characteristics), especially their theological and faith-oriented points and their practical and action-oriented features.  In addition, I have heard "reasons for the revival of the Korean Church" through [my own] questions and answers with influential Korean pastors and in conversations with them.

In chapter two, I stated that the foundation (the starting point) of the revival in the Korean Church was a faith with a thoroughly biblical emphasis and absolutely nothing but that.  What I ought to give special mention to here is that evangelism based on a Korean version of the Bible from the very beginning had been started by missionary workers.  Also, Thomas, the first martyr in Korea, left this world and was called to heaven while presenting a Bible to a Korean soldier who pulled out a sword and attacked him.

That's how the faith with a thoroughly biblical emphasis was initially communicated.

In chapter three, I discuss the cause of the revival in the Korean Church as "A Faith That Offers Up Fervent Prayer."  Since many books have been printed on the essence of prayer, its purpose and method, its time and place ... and it has been discussed so well, I have omitted [a treatment of] this.  Instead, I give a description that goes into my personal experiences regarding specific prayers while in Korea.

In chapter four, I discuss the foundation of the revival in the Korean Church as "A Faith Where One Risks [His Or Her] Life For Evangelism."

Here I refer to the concepts and policies of missions in the history of Korean evangelism during its first period.  In addition, I record the main parts about the events I personally experienced concerning what specific methods are being used nowadays.  Therefore, just like chapter three, I suppose the color of the record of my personal experiences is strong.

In chapter five, I discuss the dedicated service and sacrificial offerings which comprise one of the reasons for the revival in the Korean Church, and I discuss basic truths concerning [this aspect] and its purpose.  In addition, I record some examples of how they do this.

Finally, what I chose to write was not a book produced out of arm chair academics or theory, but is about what emerged out of my missionary tours, raising funds from nothing and without distinction to the size of the religious groups around the entire country of Korea, and [it emerged out of] the actual practice of mission work during prayer with the people of Korea and while praising God with them.  Therefore, beginning with the late Pastor Sang-Duck Bai (Pe) who prayed for me, treated me as a brother from the beginning, loved and coached me, I'd like to offer up thanks from my heart for the co-operation of the many pastors, evangelists, and church members.

If my book is an accurate guide and introduction to Korea and the Korean Church and if it is used for the revival and growth of the churches in Japan, I would be extremely happy.

Table Of Contents

Preface

Chapter I  The Features Of The Korean Churches

1.  The Theological And Faith-Oriented Features Of The Korean Churches
  1.  Rather than philosophical, speculative theology, [there was] experiential, "existential" theology.

  2.  Rather than theoretical faith, [there was] practical, active faith.

  3.  Rather than liberal theology, [there was] conservative theology.

  4.  Rather than a pluralistic Christianity, [there was] a pure Christianity.

  5.  [It went] from an ethnocentric faith to a faith towards world wide evangelization.

2.  Its Practical And Active Features

  1.  Strong leadership

  2.  A Trust For The Clergy

  3.  An Attitude Of Worship In Everything

  4.  Holding Fast To A Martyr Mentality

3.  Pastoral Testimonies -- Reasons And Causes Of The Revival In The Korean Churches

  1.  A History Of Martyrs

  2.  The Religious Nature Of The Koreans

  3.  The Invasions By Foreigners

  4.  The Division Into North And South At The Thirty-Eighth Parallel

  5.  The Special Providence And Mercy Of God

  6.  The Movement Of The Holy Spirit

  7.  A Prayer Movement

  8.  A Fervent Belief In The Second Coming Of Christ

  9.  Evangelistic Work Among The Masses And In Public

  10.  Other [Reasons]

Chapter II  A Thoroughly Biblically Centered Faith

1.  The History Of The Bible In Korea

  1.  The British Warship Alceste

  2.  The Work Of Gützlaff

  3.  Thomas The Martyr

  4.  The Ross Translation Of The Bible By Sang-Yoon Soo (So)

  5.  Translation Activity By Soo-Youn Lee (Ri)

2.  The Theology Of The Bible

  1.  The Understanding Of The Bible In The Early Period

  2.  The Understanding Of The Bible Today

      a.  Theology Of The Bible In The Methodist Church

      b.  Theology Of The Bible In The Presbyterian Church

Chapter III  [Koreans] Offer Up Fervent Prayer

1.  Prayer As The Key To Revival

2.  "Prayer" In Korea

  1.  The Early Morning Prayer Meeting

  2.  The All Night Prayer Meeting --  My Experience At The Yoido Full Gospel Church

  3.  The Prayer Houses  -- My Experience At The Tai-Baik Prayer Temple [Tebeku]

  4.  Other Prayers

Chapter IV  Risking One's Life For Missions

1.  The History Of Protestant Missions

  1.  Western Churches That Did Not Grow

  2.  The First Religious Ministers

2.  The Concepts And Policies Of The Early Period Of The Religious Mission

  1.  The Concepts And Policies of The Religious Mission of Nevius

      a.  The Concepts Of The Religious Mission Of Nevius

      b.  Specific Policies Of The Religious Mission Of Nevius

  2.  The Religious Mission's Policy Of "The Religious Public Meetings" Of The Presbyterians

     a.  Mission Work Policy Decided For Public Meetings

     b.  Policy For Partitioning Areas Of Mission Work

  3.  The Mission Work Policy Of Other Religious Groups

     a.  The Mission Work Policy Of The Methodists

     b.  The Mission Work Policy Of The Baptists

3.  Specific Plans For Revival

  1.  Revival Meetings ...  The Case Of The Tong-Soo-Won [Eastern Water Source] Presbyterian Church

  2.  Local Meetings

  3.  Girls' Evangelistic Meetings (Women's Meetings)

  4.  Large Scale Visitation (Evangelistic Visitations) ... The Case Of The Seong-Duck [Holy Virtue] Baptist Church

      a.  The Principles And Foundation For It

      b.  The Purpose Of It

      c.  Methods And Examples Of It

Chapter V Dedicated Service And Sacrificial Offerings

1.  Its Foundation And Starting Point

2.  Methods And Specific Examples Of It

  1.  Tithes

  2.  Offerings Of Land & Homes

  3.  A Couple Who Was Ready To Offer Up Their Own Eyes

  4.  A Pastor Who Sucked Out The Pus Of A Leper

  5.  A Pastor Who Adopted A Criminal Who Had Killed His Son

Conclusion

Bibliography

Translator's Note:  An English preface already exists in the original Japanese book, but I thought it best to make a fresh translation that would flow with the rest of the book.  A few sentences were not translated in that first translation by Southern Baptist missionary Takahiro Oue.  Most importantly, Korean names are given in both Korean and Japanese transliterations and sometimes I give an English translation for a church name.
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