Via Media in the Land of Morning Calm: The Anglican Church in Korea

Abstract

Anglicanism has traditionally identified itself as the via media , the “middle way” between Roman Catholicism and Protestantism. This study examines the history of the Anglican Church in Korea. What has been its relationship to the Catholic and Protestant churches? Has the via media meant serving as a bridge between the two? Or has it meant maintaining an independent position? The history of Korean Anglicanism reveals a changing and evolving identity. Initially, the Anglican Church was a small, relatively isolated community that sought ties with neither Catholics nor Protestants. But as the Church started to grow and develop, especially after the Korean War, Anglicans assumed an active role in the ecumenical movement, reaching out to both Catholics and Protestants. The shift took place as two significant transformations took place in the Church. First, a new generation of missionaries arrived to rebuild the Church after the war—a group more socially and politically engaged than their predecessors. Second, the postwar years also witnessed the emergence of native Korean leaders in the Church. The missionaries and Korean leaders alike envisioned a vital ecumenical and national role for the Anglican Church.