Horace H. Underwood and the Shinto Shrine Rites Controversy in Colonial Korea

For the western missionaries the Shinto shrine rites controversy in colonial Korea was a theological crucible. As the Japanese government began forcing mission schools to attend the Shinto shrine ceremonies, American missionaries from the Presbyterian Church in the USA were divided between “fundamen...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Theology today
Main Author: Ryu, Dae Young (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Sage Publ. 2022
In: Theology today
RelBib Classification:BN Shinto
CC Christianity and Non-Christian religion; Inter-religious relations
KAJ Church history 1914-; recent history
KBM Asia
KDD Protestant Church
RJ Mission; missiology
Further subjects:B George S. McCune
B Korean Presbyterian Church
B Shinto shrine rites controversy
B Fundamentalist–Modernist controversy
B Horace H. Underwood
B American Presbyterian mission in Korea
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
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Summary:For the western missionaries the Shinto shrine rites controversy in colonial Korea was a theological crucible. As the Japanese government began forcing mission schools to attend the Shinto shrine ceremonies, American missionaries from the Presbyterian Church in the USA were divided between “fundamentalists” and “liberals” fighting a fierce theological battle over the nature of and participation in the Shinto shrine rites. Horace H. Underwood, President of Chosen Christian College in Seoul, was a leader of the “liberal minority” party. The “fundamentalist majority” held that the Shinto shrine ceremonies were religious acts and hence bowing during a Shinto ceremony violated the First Commandment. Underwood was uncomfortable with many religious elements in the Shinto rituals, but nevertheless believed that mere attendance and a bow did not constitute either participation in the ritual or worship of the enshrined beings. He thought that the conservative leaders were dictating other people's conscience.
ISSN:2044-2556
Contains:Enthalten in: Theology today
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1177/00405736221091919