The Origin and Characteristics of the Prosperity Theology in North America, and Its Legacy in South Korea in the Light of David Yonggi Cho’s book “The Fourth Dimension”

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This paper discusses prosperity theology from the perspective of religious studies, arguably one of the most important aspects regarding the history and role of the Yoido Full Evangelical Church (hereinafter: YFGC) in the South Korean Protestant Christian religious tapestry. The current study aims to explore the history and characteristics of prosperity theology using the book titled “Blessed: A History of the American Prosperity Gospel” by Kate Bowler, a Canadian re-searcher with a Protestant theological background. The paper presents the North American context of the formation of prosperity theology from the perspective of spiritual history, history of theology and social history approaches. Furthermore, it maps the ways in which this the-ological tendency reached the Protestant Christian communities of South Korea. Indeed, the encounter of prosperity theology with the traditional Korean religious and cultural context raises many complex theological and religious issues, like the problem of syncretism and heresy. Finally, the study analyses the book of David Yonggi Cho, the leader of the largest charismatic church in South Korea, entitled “The Spiritual World of the Fourth Dimension”.

Tartalom bibliográfiai hivatkozása

Lőrinczi Petra: The Origin and Characteristics of the Prosperity Theology in North America, and Its Legacy in South Korea in the Light of David Yonggi Cho’s book “The Fourth Dimension”. In: Református Szemle 116.6 (2023), 582--608