Shamanistic Influences In Korean Pentecostal Christianity: An Analysis

Shamanism And Christianity -- Compatible Or Not?

Spring 2000
By Jeremy Reynalds

One Korean scholar believes that Shamanism poses a very real danger to Biblical Christianity. He writes, "Korean Christianity faces imminent and dramatic confrontation with the power of Shamanism. If we overcome, we remain true to Jesus Christ. If we compromise, we are reduced to yet another form of Shamanism with Christian veneer" (Lee 1994:3-4).

This same scholar says that "bok," or material blessing, lies at the heart of Shamanism. He says that among other (negative concepts) shamanism emphasizes material blessing and success in society without any accompanying concern for others. "It is individualistic, self- centered and possessed with selfism; a combination which results in divisiveness. Bok is not amenable to either individual or social ethics" (Lee 1994:4).

With this in mind, it is perhaps not surprising that the concept of Biblical blessing eventually became distorted (sic) in the Korean church. This theology began in the 1960's when then President Park successfully took over the government by a military coup. His five-year economic plan was extremely successful and the result was a time of great success for Korea. Part of that success encompassed unprecedented church growth. (Lee 1994).

Along with that church growth the philosophy of positive thinking swept over Korea. "The messages from Korean church pulpits were changed, reoriented toward material blessing and away from emphasis on repentance. Bok became the central theme of the Korean church" (Lee 1994:172).

While it is a sweeping statement to say that "Bok became the central theme of the Korean church," (Lee 1994:172), that point of view seems to be reinforced by stories found in Cho's book The Fourth Dimension.

For example. Cho relates a story about an individual who came to ask his advice about possibly going into the retail business to make a living selling salt. Cho told the individual that if he believed he was supposed to do that to go right ahead. "So he went out, selling salt on a small scale. He paid tithes, paid his pledge and all the time was rejoicing in the Lord. God began to bless him, and his salt business grew and grew ... Now he is a multimillionaire through his salt business" (Cho 1979:178-179).

In another part of the same book Cho says:

Your first step must be to change your thinking attitude from that of a negative attitude to that of a positive one ... So this doctor came to the church and I prayed for him. He received the prayer of faith and he stood up and walked from his wheelchair, his steps strong ... Next Sunday he came to the church, walking by himself with no assistance. He again requested my personal prayer, but as I was busy I could not. When he saw that I could not personally pray for him, he changed his thinking; his thoughts regressed and he returned into his old self ... and as he walked out of my office to his car he collapsed ... He collapsed because he changed his thoughts. (Cho 1979:122)

Lee says that it is such a preoccupation with bok that has produced unhealthy symptoms (sic) manifested in the Korean church. Some of the instances he cites include the tendency of a number of pastors to greet others in ministry with comments such as "How many people do you have in your church?" or "How much do you get paid?" (Lee 1994).

A number of pastors orient their messages on giving to the Lord in order to receive bok -- blessings -- from God. Repentance is not thought of as being that important, Lee feels (Lee 1994).

While the Korean church is known for prayer; Cho's Yoido Church being a prime illustration of this point, Lee points out that while there is a lot of prayer for bok, there is little prayer for Biblical repentance (sic). While once speaking at the world's largest prayer center located in Korea (presumably Cho's) Lee "found out that more than 98 percent of its visitors came to seek bok from God. Bok is a natural gift of God if we have a right relationship with Him. Repentance is the key to a right relationship with God" (Lee 1994:175).

Korean shamanism's "marriage" (sic) to positive thinking has also infiltrated the Korean Christian church (sic). One researcher feels that steeped in this way of thinking it was a natural tendency for Korean Christians to attempt to control God instead of allowing themselves to be controlled by Him. It is important to note that the "gospel" of positivism does not emphasize the Biblical concept of denial. It encourages, rather, human self-development, says researcher Lee. (Lee 1994).

Reading Cho's material seems to validate this claim of Lee's. For example, Cho writes:

Claim and speak the word of assurance, for your word actually goes out and creates ... Your word is the material which the Holy Spirit uses to create ... There are times for you to pray but there are also times for you to give the command .. You have the resources within you and now you know the elements needed in incubation to make your faith usable. Get a clear-cut goal and objective ... Then begin to speak the word about which you have been given assurance. (Cho 1979: 31-35)

Two Korean words adequately address this situation. They are "shinyum," which means using human faith to accomplish one's ambitions and "shinanhg," defined as divine faith given by the Lord; faith to obey the will of God. It appears to be sadly evident (sic) which concept is having the greatest effect on Korean Christianity (Lee 1994).

Lee says that a major concern for Christians is Shamanism's emphasis on the present and on material blessings. Shamanism's primary goal is the happiness of individuals and its practitioners even perform a ceremony to avoid or overcome personal difficulties and problems (Lee 1996).

Korean Christians selfishly pray for the solution of their own problem and their prosperity. Since they are more interested in their personal benefits than in divine providence, their faith is in danger of becoming something of a sorcery ... Shamanism implicitly drove Korean Christians to focus on blessings. Throughout the history of Korea, most Koreans have cherished and pursued blessings. This tendency may have resulted from a geopolitic cause, as the social atmosphere was unstable due to constant invasions from other countries (leading) people to seek individual stability. Another reason may have been the desire of Koreans to overcome uncontrollable natural phenomena by seeking blessings. The concept of blessing in Shamanism is the search for secular and material blessings in the present life. In this concept, it resembles the earliest concept of blessedness in the Bible but is quite different from the blessing of God that Jesus promised or St. Paul held out to his churches (Lee 1996:20-21).

This research will now look at the precursor to and the beginnings of Korean pentecostalism, followed by a study of the history of Cho's ministry and then consider whether Cho fits the category of being a Christian shaman and whether his services should be described as shamanistic.

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