A Faith of Our Own | A

What separates the Korean-American churches today from traditional American churches? The second-generation of any culture is usually known as a transitive generation, acclimatizing more and more to the culture of their new country. However, Korean-American churches stand as a strong example of people taking their roots and blazing an entirely new path that is a unique mix of background, identity and newfound culture.

 

The book A Faith of our Own: Second Generation Spirituality in Korean-American Churches, by Sharon Kim, takes an in-depth look into the grassroots creation and shaping of the Korean-American churches by second-generation Korean-Americans.

Kim first launches into a discussion of the tension between first and second generations and how it helped shape the churches into what they are today. According to the author, a factor in the establishment of so many churches across the United States is due to splits of the original Korean churches established by first-generation Koreans. This is mainly because of differences in ideologies between the generations, such as focusing on socioeconomics versus spirituality. Following this, she discusses the search for comfort and community. For many Korean-Americans, Kim found that Korean-American churches provided the sense of community that they were looking for. Many Korean church members discovered that attending a Korean church helped to create a common bond of culture and solidify many meaningful friendships.

 

In subsequent chapters, Kim proceeds to examine the creation of Korean-American churches as we know them today, distinctively shaped by the second-generation. She talks about the effort to reach out by many church members in their multicultural communities in order to fully follow through on Christian ideals and principles.

In the end, Kim is able to draw the conclusion that faith is not limited to a black and white spectrum, but rather can be created into hybrids that link a community together. Overall, A Faith of Our Own is a pleasant, informative read and provides all the pieces to understanding the creation of the modern Korean American church.