What are the receptions and reputations of Olivet Assembly in these countries? - US - South Korea - China (Is it also called Young Disciples of Jesus (耶稣青年会)?) From limited search results, it looks like it was founded in South Korea. There are also some articles about it on American and Chinese websites, with different attitudes. Is it legal and well accepted by the governments or societies in the three countries? Thanks.

The number of Presbyterian denominations in Korea is breathtaking: [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presbyterianism_in_South_Korea) lists dozens of them. From what I can tell, most of these denominations originate in the [Presbyterian Church of Korea](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presbyterian_Church_of_Korea) , which was founded in 1884. In 1959, however, the denomination apparently split in half, some members forming the [TongHap](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presbyterian_Church_of_Korea_(TongHap)) and others the [HapDong](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presbyterian_Church_in_Korea_(HapDong)) . These are now two of the largest Presbyterian denominations in the world, each with about 3 million members. Wikipedia provides some very high-level information about the debate (conservative vs. liberal, disagreement over ecumenism). But I'd like to have a deeper understanding of the underlying issues behind the divide. Were common "Western" debates a factor, like biblical inerrancy and female leadership? Do outside observers see personality conflict to be a major cause of the divide, as many do with respect to some Presbyterian denominations in the US? What is an overview of the causes of the 1959 split of this denomination?

In the [Presbyterian Church in America](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presbyterian_Church_in_America) (PCA), a conservative Presbyterian denomination, there is a sizable contingent of Korean-Americans – they make up 12% of the denomination's members and have 212 churches ([source](http://www.pcaac.org/resources/korean/)) . These churches often have a position called *kwonsa* or *kwon-sa*, which, as I understand it, is for elderly women who are recognized as spiritual pillars of the church. In the PCA, where there are no female church officers, these *kwonsa* are neither elders nor deacons, and thus do not have official spiritual authority. However, I'm not sure that that's the case more broadly in Protestantism. Thus I'd like to better understand 1) what *kwonsa* are, in the context of Protestantism, and 2) how the position is commonly seen to relate to "traditional" leadership positions like pastor, elder, and deacon. That is, I'm looking for an *overview* answer that attempts to explain, at a high level, the role of *kwonsa* in Korean-culture Protestantism, particularly in relation to other church leaders. ---- I'm aware of the existence of a [Korean Language Stack Exchange](https://korean.stackexchange.com/) , but I ask this question here because my query is not merely linguistic, but rather primarily about how this role is understood in the specific context of Protestantism.

So, in my world travels with missionaries, it seems like a missionary, if he/she doesn't come from North America, is next most likely to come from Korea*. In seminary, the proportion of Anglos & Koreans way beat out any other group. And, in my neck of the woods (Northern Virginia, just outside Washington DC), it seems like there are Korean churches all over the place. This all stems from the fact that South Korea has a huge Christian population. My question is, why? What is it about the history, culture, economy, whatever of (presumably South) Korea that has made it so receptive to the Gospel? I know that Catholic missionaries were there in the 1600s, but they've been a lot of places. What (other than "the Holy Spirit") accounts for the tremendous receptivity and growth? Along these lines, I'm curious a. If there is any particular denominational emphasis (it seems like a fair number Presbyterians, but I don't know that) b. If it is confined to South Korea or if the communist North has experienced similiar things and c. What the underlying causes are for this growth... *Note: Totally unscientific claim. Just my experiences in Europe & Central Asia.

In its discussion of inter-religion relations in South Korea, [Wikipedia states](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Christianity_in_Korea&oldid=701620267#Religious_conflict) : > Buddhist statues have been considered as idols, attacked and decapitated. [...] Such acts, **which are supported by some Protestant leaders**, have led to South Koreans having an increasingly negative outlook on Protestantism. The text in bold is not currently cited. What is the basis for it? Have any Protestant leaders in Korea explicitly expressed support for the criminal destruction of Buddhist statues? I'm not interested in statements like "You should convert from Buddhism and destroy your idols." Rather, I want to know if any Protestant leaders have encouraged Christians take it upon themselves to destroy Buddhist statues found in public places or that belong to other people. --- *Protestant leader* is admittedly a wishy-washy term, and I don't know what the Wikipedia editor had in mind when the text was added to the article. No criteria will be perfect, but I'd prefer someone who is known for something *in addition to* making these statements. A pastor, leader of a denomination, etc., who is significant enough to have been quoted in periodicals (Christian or secular) on other topics as well, perhaps.