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48 J. Church & St. 659 (2006)
Fresh Wineskins for New Wine: A New Perspective on North Korean Christianity

handle is hein.journals/jchs48 and id is 661 raw text is: Fresh Wineskins for New Wine: A New Perspective on North Korean Christianity DAE YOUNG RYU THE NEED FOR A NEW PERSPECTIVE Since the 1980s, North Korean Christianity has demonstrated phenomenal changes. Scriptures and a hymnal have been published, churches have been newly built for the first time since the Korean War, and the Protestant seminary in Pyongyang has nurtured future leaders. These changes are not limited to the external environment, but rather there-has been a striking rebirth in rei gious activities. Worshippers fill churches each Sunday, and many other Christians reportedly attend hundreds of house churches scattered throughout the country. In addition, church leaders have been actively involved in dialogues and exchanges with South Korean and international Christians and Christian organizations. These have been puzzling phenomena for many outsiders because the Democratic People's Republic of Korea was infamous for its intolerance of religion and its particularly harsh treatment of Christians. Many have held tat North Korea practically eradicated all religious institutions and practices, and ence there was no religion feft except for some underground, private practitioners. These people interpreted recent developments in North Korean Christianity as communist political propaganda that lacked any genuine religious signifi- cance. However, there have also been compelling views put forward that North Korean Christianity has been truly *DAE YOUNG RYU (B.A., Seoul National University; M.Div., Union Theological Seminary; Th.M., Harvard University; Ph.D., Vanderbilt University) is associate professor, Handong University, South Korea. His articles have appeared in Korean Journal, Journal of American-East Asian Relations, Ching Feng, Archives de Sciences Sociales des Religion, Religion and Culture, and History and Christianity in Korea, among others. Special interests include history of Christianity in North and South Korea, nineteenth-and twentieth-century American religious history, and inter-religious dialogues.

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