Intimate alien: An immanent critique of Korean Pentecostalism.
Item
-
Title
-
Intimate alien: An immanent critique of Korean Pentecostalism.
-
Identifier
-
AAI3037393
-
identifier
-
3037393
-
Creator
-
Cho, Dong-Ho.
-
Contributor
-
Adviser: Stanley Aronowitz
-
Date
-
2002
-
Language
-
English
-
Publisher
-
City University of New York.
-
Subject
-
Sociology, General | Theology | History, Asia, Australia and Oceania
-
Abstract
-
The present dissertation aims at social physiognomy of the South Korean society since 1960 through an immanent critique of the apparently most irrational form of Christianity, Pentecostalism.;During the period of rapid economic development led by authoritarian state from 1960, South Korea witnessed no less enormous expansion of Christianity. Now around a quarter of the South Korean population identify themselves as Christian. Amid general religious fervor in South Korea, the expansion of Pentecostalism excelled. The present dissertation focuses on a Pentecostal congregation, the Yoido Full Gospel Church, which started from a shabby tent church with mere five members but has grown into the largest single Christian congregation with over 700,000 members and extensive overseas mission network. Pentecostalism began at the margin of Korean society but has now come close to a dominant religious culture not only in the South Korean Christianity but also in Christian world in general with its multinational operation.;Pentecostalism in general, features seemingly pre-modern religiosity such as belief in the supernatural, miracle, magical practice, and literal reading of the scripture. Pentecostals all over the world see their unprecedented global expansion as the second coming of Holy Spirit, which presages a new era. Even liberal and radical theologians, amazed at the popularity of Pentecostalism, start to see in it a new paradigm of the 21st century religion based on "primordial religiosity," which is not contaminated by doctrinal dispute, ecclesiastical politics, bureaucracy, and capable to simply address the most pressing needs of the multitude of dispossessed individuals in modern society. Not denying the grain of truth in these observations, the present dissertation challenges them by arguing that the seemingly primordial religiosity dialectically embodies cultural and psychological regression, which progressive enlightenment paradoxically leads to as rationalization turns into a new form of domination through technology and bureaucratization.;Pentecostalism in South Korea as embodied in the beliefs and practices of the Yoido Full Gospel Church is not so much "Christianized shamanism" or "shamanized Christianity" as thoroughly modern or even post-modern in its form and content. Second-handedness in its "recycling" of the obsolete magic to meet "today's needs" can be seen by the fact that while Pentecostalism dogmatically claims to an absolute truth, it makes religion into something other than religion, i.e. psycho-technique of autosuggestion or "applied religion," a divinely guaranteed method to acquire wealth, health, and happiness. The enigmatic popularity of Pentecostalism lies in its capacity to get in touch with the deep-seated longing of modern subjects for reconciliation, authentic language, material security, meaningful life and death, and autonomy, while manipulating their impotence for the church's own gain by offering an imaginary answer based on narcissistic wish-fulfillment like the culture industry does. Contemporary Pentecostalism intentionally confuses religion with economy, and thus illustrates the wider post-modern development of "de-differentiation" of the previously differentiated spheres. Pentecostal universe reflects modern world in which the most intimate becomes utterly alien as the most alien occupies the place of the sublime as the automatic vocalization of nonsense syllables is believed as "angelic tongue."
-
Type
-
dissertation
-
Source
-
PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
-
degree
-
Ph.D.
