The New East Asian Studies Podcasts in the Age of AI
What role did South Korea play in shaping modern American evangelicalism? In this episode, we explore Helen Jin Kim’s Race for Revival, which uncovers the intricate and often overlooked relationship between American evangelicalism and South Korean Christianity during the Cold War.
We examine how figures like Billy Graham and Bill Bright, along with organizations such as World Vision and Campus Crusade for Christ, forged transpacific networks of faith that influenced global Christianity. From the Korean War to the largest-ever Billy Graham crusade in Seoul in 1973, this relationship reveals the intersection of religion, race, diplomacy, and power. How did Korean Christians leverage these connections to envision a “new Christian kingdom,” and how did this exchange shape both American evangelical revival and South Korea’s role in global Christianity? Join us as we dive into the transpacific dynamics that reshaped faith, politics, and cultural identity.