North Korea's missionary position(the resurrection of Christianity)

Asia Times ^ | 03/16/05 | Andrei Lankov

[TigerLikesRooster]

I am not a Christian. However, I think I know something about Koreans and their history. I strongly share the author's view. When Kim Jong-il regime falls and N. Korea opens to the outside, it will surprise the world again by taking a totally unexpected path of change. It will flip from hard-core Stalinism to fervently Christian land again. Protestants, especially Evangelicals, will spread rapidly. Pyongyang will become again the Jerusalem of the East. The new N. Korea will be pro-American, despite years of brainwashing. Not decades later, but rapidly. Less than ten years or even less.

This would unfold in front of the dazed and dejected S. Korean left. While S. Korean left is in retreat, the new N. Korea may be more Christian and more pro-American than some S. Koreans would want to see them.

N. Korea is not only economically bankrupt but also spiritually ruined to the unimaginable level. The only way to come back from such hopeless condition is to have strong spiritual life. Not vapid and hollow liberalism. Whatever the downside of religion is, you cannot save them without it. I say it from realistic and analytic point of view.

This has been my opinion for a long time. Few experts have shared this view. He is the first one I came across. I am not always in full agreement with his takes on N. Korea. However, I am with this one.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Ping!

[Jet Jaguar]

Belief, Bread, and Butter.

It's happening.

[2banana]

Funny how Christians are treated better in hard line Marxist states than in your average muslim country...

[Sam's Army]

This will piss off the US left to no end as well.

[unlearner]

Thanks for the post. Very informative.

[Citizen Tom Paine]

Where and how can we support this Christian movement?

[Semper Paratus]

The Independent film Channel had a documentary on a visit to Liverpool by a North Korean soccer team and they were berthed at a Catholic retreat. The players were quite unerved being exposed to religious symbols for the first time, especially the large statue of Christ on the Cross that was lighted up 24.7.

[FormerACLUmember]

The frozen living hell of North Korea has two more churches than all of Saudi Arabia.

[dukeman]

Communists try mightily to suppress Christianity because they know it is a theology of freedom which turns the eyes of the people away from the state. They've really got their hands full in China and I expect North Korea will burst out, too. For what it's worth, the church, particularly Presbyterianism, is very strong in South Korea (which in an ironic twist, now sends missionaries to help Christianize Europe!).

As discussed in the book of Daniel, this spread of God's kingdom is the growing mountain which fills all the Earth and surpasses all other kingdoms. It cannot be stopped.

[FormerACLUmember]

I guess that these were Scottish missionaries back in the 1800s, since I see so many Korean Presbyterian churches.

[Lotec]

Voice of the Martyrs supports Christians under persecution in North Korea and other places. You can check it out at:
http://www.persecution.com/

[PeterFinn]

"North Korea's missionary position"

A more appropriate double entendre could not have been written.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Re #13

Right.

[SevenofNine]

You know what Tiger I hear Little Kim family going wayyyy back to da day I think grandparents or great grandparents of Kim Jong Song was missionariy
That what I hear

[George Smiley]

Very interesting post.

More is going on in China than we would think:

David Aikman's book Jesus in Beijing describes a Chinese government that has a schizophrenic policy towards Christianity:

On the one hand, the government persecutes all but the "official" churches; on the other, there are elements high in the Chinese government who believe that it is Christianity which led to America becoming the superpower that it is today.

[redgolum]

A friend of mine once said "While Catholics and Lutherans debate theology, the Presbyterians are converting Asia on their knees".

Funny thing is denominations mean less in SK then here. My church back in Lincoln NE, had a sister congregation in Seoul. They loved to work with the Catholics and Presbyterians.

[Forgiven_Sinner]

Excellent article. I remember the millions of secret Christians who appeared after the fall of the Iron Curtain, despite 85 years of repression.

I fully concur with your view that the collapse of N. Korea and its re-unification with S. Korea will swing that government to more pro-American.

The wild card is what happens with China. I feel China is highly unstable--a repressive tyranny with a fairly open market and open communication with the rest of the world. China also has a vigorous "house church" movement which may include more Christians than in the US!

China can become more liberal or revert to highly oppressive state. The later will lead to economic collapse, without a war of conquest. They may invade N. Korea before they invade Taiwan.

There are many other scenarios as well.

[SevenofNine]

OHHH there was report I saw on 700 club that Chinese missionary are going to Middle East they have this slogan BACK TO Jerserlum

And back to Europe
See in their belief that it be China start witnesses to Euro and Middle East

That great piece on 700 Club

[George Smiley]

One of the things mentioned in the book is that Chinese Christians believe that they will be the ones who will go to the Middle East and spread Christianity.

They also believe that they will be accepted because they are not Westerners and are therefore free of "the white man's burden".