The Korean Democratisation Movement and Calvin

Abstract

"[...] This presentation will reveal how Calvinism, and which elements of his theological thought, could influence the Korean Presbyterian churches' active participation in the Korean democratisation movement of the 1970s. Of course, the Korean Presbyterian churches' understanding of Calvin was by no means homogeneous. Different interpretations of Calvin's theology were held, resulting in severe conflicts and the division into two groups: the conservatives and the radicals. So our topic will be helpful, to some extent, in understanding the division of the Korean Presbyterians into conservative versus radical, and also in appreciating the church's creative application of Calvinism.", p. 206 (Introduction).