Unexpected Places

Anglicanism is not exactly what one thinks of when one hears "Korea."

Admittedly, South Korea is the second largest sender of Christian missionaries in the world.  North Korea's capital was the site of a phenomenal outbreak of Christian revival in 1907, and the very heroes of the Korean independence movement of the early twentieth century were, the vast majority, Christians.

People virtually worshiped in North Korea as state super-stars... were Christians.

Now granted, most of the churches that got a foothold in South Korea were Methodists and Presbyterians; that's what makes the Anglican presence on Ganghwa Island unexpected.

All of unified Korea was a "hermit kingdom" until just before the turn of the twentieth century.  It was a capitol offense to be white in Korea.  The Koreans were terribly suspicious of the west, of colonization, of ulterior motives.  But once Korea opened up to westerners, it didn't take long for the first Anglican missionaries to make their way to Korea... and oddly enough they set foot first on Ganghwa.

Ganghwa is an island just off the coast of Korea, near Incheon, famous for yet another western landing only a few short decades later.  The missionaries worked hard to faithfully wed the Christian faith with the beauty of the Korean landscape, culture, and architecture.  And on Ganghwa, a small island, they planted two churches which converted local hanok style houses (traditional Korean homes which have, largely, been leveled in the South in the name of progress... although you can still find many of them functioning and lived in on the island) into literal house churches.  It is the first, and to date most aesthetically pleasing and successful ecclesiological and architectural fusion between East and West. 

Curved rooftops and sculptures on the corners that kept the evil spirits away in native religious practices stand as a silent testimony both to the respect for the indigenous culture and the reality of a demonic spiritual realm acknowledged by Christianity.  Above the sculptures, however, rises a simple cross at the roof's peek.  All things are subject to Jesus, after all.

 

A Buddhist style bell (though adorned with all sorts of Christian symbols and some text I can't read) called Christians to worship with its tone familiar to the natives.

 

 A cross is overlaid on the traditional yin-yang, on each of the entry gates.

 

Overall, the architect (who in fact was a royal palace architect) managed to create an entirely new style of church architecture.  A style which reflects the ancient idea of house church, quite literally, and has been true both to the liturgy and worship of Anglicanism and the surroundings and culture in which it finds itself.  Really I find this Anglo-Korean fusion to be quite attractive.

 

There was a service in progress so we did not (considering our language barriers especially) dare to barge in, but this is a place I'd definitely like to visit again.  Both Ganghwa hanok churches remain active parishes, now over a hundred years later. 

 

 

A Look into North Korea

Last week, I looked into North Korea.
Yes, with my own eyes.
Don't get me wrong, I didn't walk into North Korea.  My feet were planted firmly on Ganghwa Island, fully within South Korea.  But Ganghwa is just across a river from North Korea, Kaesong and a bunch of North Korean farmland and mountains.  From Ganghwa, the view is direct, and frankly beautiful.

Yes, beautiful.  Never forget, no matter what you read in the media, this is a beautiful land.  The mountains rise up like the Rockies, but gentled by the weathering of the years.  There are vast fields for planting.  There is waterfront, beach even.  And that's just from what I saw.

But most striking was this:
On the road, on the South Korean side, as we drove to the overlook, we saw farmers, painstakingly tending the rice fields.  They were wearing hats to protect themselves from the sun, boots to protect themselves from the flooded fields (rice needs that to grow), and they were bent over in planting, walking between the rows, scratching out a living the way Korean farmers have for hundreds of years.

From the observatory, across the river, through those funky coin operated binoculars, in North Korea we saw... the same thing.

This is one people, separaed by far too much barbed wire and political intrigue.  The peace observatory (which yes, does rest behind (and well above) a high fence topped with barbed wire, dotted with checkpoints, and surrounded all about by South Korean soldiers) was built for South Koreans who were separated from family in the North to have a way to look towards loved ones, lost homes, and ancestral lands. 

There is a room to "wish for reunification" with a striking tree on which the leaves are people's notes and prayers that Korea may again be one.

 

And beyond that room lies North Korea. A beautiful land full of people who just want to live their lives in peace.  No, I'm not denying the news reports about the leadership of that land.  I'm not claiming that North Korea is any kind of utopia.  But I am reminded sharply through that view finder what I read (and shared with you all) a few weeks ago.  There are awesome people in every country. 

 

There's beauty in every land.

 

 

Another view on the Korean Peninsula.

Opens Prison Doors, Sets the Captives Free

Today's Scripture was from Acts, where Paul and Silas are unjustly jailed in Philippi. We heard how they prayed, praised God in adversity, and how the ground shook, the doors opened, and the men remained for the sake of their captor. They were in prison because they had set free a girl who was captive to a evil spirit, for her freedom they became captives. They stayed behind because their captor, had they fled, would then become the captive. They let go their freedom for the sake of others, and through God's grace their freedom was granted to them, their wounds were tended, and the church in Philippi began with a slave girl and a prison guard.

We heard from a Kenyan priest about how, when they have need and are weak, the people of her village pray and depend on God to provide. Americans relish our power, we don't trust God to provide.

And of all things... I came home today to discover the news that Dorje Gurung (see post below) has been released from prison.

Having remembered Dorje at the Prayers of the People, before the altar, why should anyone be surprised?

Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good tidings to the afflicted;[a] he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison[b] to those who are bound;

Human Rights Stuff...

Admittedly, I hate petitions. I think they're over used and kind of worthless. Partly that's cynicism from years as an undergraduate baraged with every Amnesty International petition on earth. Grinnell students are, if nothing else, activists. Youthful ideals and a sense of social activism, which I admire still,even if I tend to take it in a dfferent direction, were the mark of the campus.
I hate petitions, but in this case, I'm making a huge exception. (From the Washington Post)
Qatar jails a Nepali teacher on charges of insulting Islam
Posted by Anup Kaphle on May 9, 2013 at 3:07 pm
A Nepali teacher who taught chemistry at Qatar Academy has been jailed in Doha on felony charges for insulting Islam.
Dorje Gurung, who has taught chemistry to middle and high school students in the United States, Britain and Australia, appeared in a Doha court on Thursday. If convicted, he could face up to seven years in prison, according to Doha News.
Gurung was fired from Qatar Academy after arguments with students on April 22 and 23. Although he was set to leave the country, he was summoned by the police and has been jailed since last Wednesday, according to The Himalayan Times.
Gurung has been accused of comparing all Muslims to terrorists. But two of his friends shared Gurung’s version with Doha News:
On Monday, April 22, Gurung said he had a sit-down chat with three 12-year-old boys who were making fun of him. Among other things, the seventh graders poked fun at his appearance, calling him “Jackie Chan,” a famous Chinese actor.
On Tuesday, April 23, the mocking again began in earnest while Gurung was in line for lunch. At first, he said the teasing was light-hearted, but then one student put his hand on Gurung’s shoulder and a finger in his nose. At this point, Gurung grew agitated and said remarks to the effect of, how would you like to be stereotyped i.e. called a terrorist?
Gurung has no legal representation, but the Nepali embassy is seeking permission from the Kathmandu government to meet with Gurung, Doha News reports. Without a lawyer, Gurung’s friends fear he would not get a fair trial. The court would rely on the complaints from Qatar Academy’s students, they said.

Find the rest here.

Dorje Gurung was one of those activist and idealist students. He lived across the hall from me (and down a few doors). He was a student advisor for our dorm. He was the first person I ever met who didn't actually know when his birthday was, who came from a place I'd barely heard of, and who looked very different from me, but who welcomed me into his living space, his life, and always treated me (and everyone else) with great warmth, gentlenes, and kindness.
I'm thankful that the Washington Post saw fit to publish this, even though Dorje is not an American citizen, not a Christian, and not someone that most of us in this country would take the time to stand up for.
So while I'm not a fan of petitions these days, I'm posting this one for you all. Please consider signing it.
Please pray for Dorje.
Thanks folks.

40 by 40....

Okay, so I'm turning forty in January. Yup. Don't wanna hear about it. But I'm mostly not freaked out about it. So I'm planning my fabulous birthday present to myself. Because January is a stinky time to have a birthday. I want to go to warmer climes for a big birthday bash... like Australia. But my kids will be in school season and really that's just not feasible. Maybe for fifty. Bleh. So here's part of the birthday present that you, the gentle reader, can give... Everyone knows the work of Compassion International for child sponsorship. They let you connect with kids in countries where western "wealth" consists of under FORTY (There's that number again) dollars a month to let a kid eat and learn and grow and live. And they bring the Gospel. So its all good stuff. I grew a little disenchanted with World Vision some years back and picked up a sponsor-child in Peru through Compassion. She's adorable, truly. She looks like a little smart alek in her picture, so she's perfect for me. I get to write to her some, which is cool since I only have sons. And I have friends in Peru, so that makes it cooler still. So here's the challenge. I would like to see forty new kids sponsored BECAUSE OF THIS BLOG in the (just under forty... see there's that number again) weeks until I turn forty! So here's what you do... Trot your little self over to Compassion International and pick out your very own little buddy to sponsor. Write him or her a letter. And then post a response to this blog with the country your child is from, no identifying information, just the country. Previously sponsored kids don't count. Yes, sponsorship is a long-term commitment... I ask for big stuff for my birthday. Go for it!

Seriously?

I really ought to stop reading the news.  Or what passes for "news" in America which is mostly a mixture of gossip, opinion, and propaganda.

But this one takes the cake.

http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/gosnell-victims-article-1.1327131

The writer's general thesis is that poor unsuspecting "women of color" went to Kermit Gosnell to have their babies murdered because they just didn't have anywhere to go.  Apparently, according to this writer, Planned Parenthood is just for white women.

Nevermind that Planned Parenthood is so responsible for the systematic murder of unborn babies "of color" that they were, not too long ago, accused of racially targeting that population for eugenic reduction.

Nevermind that Planned Parenthood was founded on the mission of reducing "unwanted" populations including people "of color." 

No, these poor women had no other way to rid themselves of their babies, little burdens as the president once noted (the first president "of color."  (Um, hello, white is a color... how stupid are our euphemisms these days))  They had no options (no way to prevent pregnancy, no way to abstain from sex, no way to keep their babies, no way to adopt them out... nope, no options) but to haul their poor selves into Gosnell's house of horrors, make themselves vulnerable to any variety of infections and medical mishaps, and still come out empty, their children murdered and stored in jars like some sort of macabre trophies. 

I feel for these women, I really do.  Our culture has lied to them so that they don't realize that abortion is not an option, that all abortion is dangerous, that all abortion is death, that all abortion puts their lives at risk, their hearts at risk, and their futures at risk. 

But the answer is not more "clean" abortion, cheaper abortion, governmnent funded abortion, or easily obtained abortion.  There is no such thing as a clean abortion.  Murder is dirty business.  Gosnell just made that plain for all the world to see.

So aside from the writer linked above being full of internal contraditions on the race issue,  he is grossly deluded on the morality of abortion.  Abortion preys on the vulnerable in society, not just the unborn but their vulnerable mothers.  Gosnell was just obvious in his predatory approach...  He didn't have billions in government funds to cover his tracks, propagandize, and make things look all pretty for the public.

To a rabbit, there's no difference between a chicken hawk and an eagle.  One may look more majestic and beautiful as it swoops down on its prey, but either way, the rabbit is dinner.  Vulnerable populations and preditors never mix.  It doesn't matter how pretty and "circle of life" you paint it.