Race for Revival: The Transpacific Ties Between American Evangelicalism and South Korea

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. American evangelicalism and South Korea Cold War religious networks Transpacific Christianity history Billy Graham crusades in Korea Race, religion, and diplomacy in evangelicalism Korean War and American Christianity South Korean Protestantism Campus Crusade for Christ history Christian Right in the US and Korea Globalization of American evangelicalism Helen Jin Kim Race for Revival analysis Billy Graham Seoul Crusade 1973 Korean orphans and American evangelicalism World Vision’s role in Cold War missions US-South Korea Christian networks Korean Protestantism as a “new Christian kingdom” Rise of Christian Right in the 1980s Neo-evangelicals and transpacific revival Religious diplomacy during the Korean War Racialized exchanges in evangelical missions