Gil Seon-ju () (25 March 1869 – 26 November 1935), considered by some to be the father of

Korean Christianity The practice of Christianity in Korea is marginal in North Korea, but significant in South Korea, where it revolves around two of its largest branches, Protestantism and Catholicism, accounting for 8.6 millionAccording to figures compiled by ...

, was one of the first Koreans ordained as a

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

minister. He was an early supporter of

Korean nationalism Korean nationalism can be viewed in two different contexts. One encompasses various movements throughout history to maintain a Korean cultural identity, history, and ethnicity (or "race"). This ethnic nationalism was mainly forged in oppositio ...

and helped shape the nature of the Korean

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

Christianity.

Biography

Gil Seon-ju converted to Christianity in 1897 after recognizing the dire state of Korea and claiming to have experienced a mysterious encounter with God during extended prayer. He was one of the first graduates of the Presbyterian Seminary in Pyongyang in 1907 and became the pastor of the

Central Presbyterian Church Central Presbyterian Church may refer to: ;in Canada: * Central Presbyterian Church (Hamilton) ;in the United States: * Central Presbyterian Church (Little Rock, Arkansas), listed on the NRHP in Arkansas * Central Presbyterian Church (Denver, ...

of Pyongyang. After graduating from seminary, Gil was involved in the Korean revival movement and would be one of the key figures of the Great Pyongyang revival of 1907. Bringing Korean folk religiosity into Christianity, Gil would also pioneer the spiritual practice of early morning

prayers Prayer is an invocation or act that seeks to activate a rapport with an object of worship through deliberate communication. In the narrow sense, the term refers to an act of supplication or intercession directed towards a deity or a deified ...

(), today recognized as one of the key expressions of Korean

Christian spirituality Christian mysticism is the tradition of mystical practices and mystical theology within Christianity which "concerns the preparation f the personfor, the consciousness of, and the effect of ..a direct and transformative presence of God" ...

. Gil Seon-ju also had a strong sense of

. He was also involved with the March 1st Independence Movement of 1919, being one of the key signers of the

Declaration of Independence A declaration of independence or declaration of statehood or proclamation of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of th ...

, resulting in his imprisonment under the Japanese occupation.

References

{{authority control Presbyterianism in Korea 1869 births 1935 deaths Korean Presbyterian ministers Korean independence activists Haepyeong Gil clan

Biography

See also

References