Kim Dae-yeon: Abridged History of the Korean Church

This book reveals, through stories of events and figures, how God has providentially orchestrated our nation's history and church from the founding of Gojoseon to the present-day Republic of Korea. The main narrative of the history of the Korean church begins by introducing Murray Maxwell, an Englishman, as the figure who first brought the Bible to Korea. It then recounts the ministries of pioneers of evangelism—such as Reverend Karl Gützlaff, well-known for teaching potato planting and grape juice recipes and for translating the Lord's Prayer into Korean for the first time—and Missionary Robert Thomas, who became the spark of the Gospel despite being martyred immediately upon arriving in Korea. It also describes the ministries of missionaries who entered Korea and engaged in mission work across various fields, including medicine, education, culture, and church planting, presenting their stories chronologically alongside domestic and international contexts. Beyond foreign missionaries, it unfolds stories of evangelism, missionary work, and church revival by domestic evangelists, pastors, and believers, as well as the dedication and suffering of the Korean church during the anti-Japanese independence movement, the Korean War, and the history of national division, thereby testifying to God's amazing grace and providence. Furthermore, by revealing the shameful history of the Korean church, such as Shinto shrine worship and the conflicts and divisions within denominations and seminaries, it prompts us to reflect on the current state of our church. Reading the history of the Korean church recorded in this book allows us to give greater thanks to God and see the path forward for the Korean church through faith.

Korean title: 간추린 한국교회사

Korean author: 김대연

Korean publisher: CLC(기독교문서선교회)

ISBN-13: 9788934123156