Evangelical Pneumatology II: The Process Leading Up to the Pyongyang Great Revival in Korea

Bonchul Bae

Prayer Meetings at WonSan and Pyongyang

The Great Revival in 1907 did not take place instantaneously. Its origin came from the one-week prayer meeting which was held by the missionary M. C. White, who came from China in 1903. Methodist, Baptist, and Presbyterian missionaries participated in the prayer meeting which was held from August 24th to 30th at WonSan.

In the meeting, a Canadian Methodist medical missionary Robert A. Hardie confessed that his sinfulness caused his failures and frustration as a missionary in Korea. Mr. Hardie was born in Canada in 1865 and became a missionary of YMCA, Toronto University. He arrived in Korea in 1890, and joined Southern Methodist Mission of US in 1898. He continued to work for Korea, and became the representative of WonSan Revival in 1903. He was the second principal of Methodist HyepSeing Seminary, and first published Sin-Hag-Se-Gei (Theology World) in 1916.

He confessed publicly the superiority he felt as a white man, his arrogance as a doctor, and his prejudice against Koreans. When the other missionaries heard Hardie's confession, they also felt a heavy sense of guilt in their hearts. All of them began to repent their sins, and finally they realized that they were spiritually awakened and filled with the Holy Spirit.

After being filled with the Holy Spirit, Hardie once shared his experience with Korean believers. When, in shame, he repented of his arrogance, stubbornness, unfaithfulness and all that resulted from those aspects of himself, the believers began to realize the necessity of the strong sense of conviction and repentance. Hardie told them they could receive the gifts of Holy Spirit by simple faith that believes in God's promise.

This became a pattern for the prayer meetings held by many missionaries at WonSan in January, 1904. In the meeting, a Canadian Presbyterian missionary A. F. Robb and others experienced the new spiritual grace from God that they prayed for over many days, weeping. Many Koreans such as Gei-Un Jein and Chun-Su Jein repented and prayed all night without sleeping, and afterwards, many went out to evangelize. So the main reason for the growth of the Korean church was mainly faith renewal through the spiritual awakening movement.

After the missionaries experienced the new power of Holy Spirit, they also held a similar prayer meeting the following year. There, the same experience occurred again. Finally, the inspired Dr. Hardie and other missionaries determined to carry out the ministry nation-wide.

The Pyongyang Great Revival in January 1907 thus did not come accidentally and unexpectedly. As they met at the New Year of 1906, the missionaries were praying with great expectation that they will greet the New Year in January, 1907 as the year of Great Revival all over the country. Expecting the Great Revival in 1907, missionary J. R. Moose wrote in January 1906:

"The Lord's way was for the disciples to first tarry and be filled, then they were to be witnesses for Christ. It is all right to have study classes, I have not a word to say against them. But I do believe that what the Church needs just now more than anything else is a Revival. Let every worker in Korea pray as never before that the coming Korean New Year may be the time when this revival shall come and this be the real beginning of Korea's Pentecost." (J. R. Moose, "A Great Awakening", KMF, 2-3 (1906.1), 52)

Bonchul Bae

Rev. Dr. Bonjour Bay (BonChul Bae) has been a professor of Historical Theology at SungKyul University, Korea since 1989. He also serves as Researcher on Spiritual Movement and as English Ministry Director. He studied at Canadian Thelogical Seminary (M. Div.) and Seoul Theological University (Th. M., Ph. D.). He wrote more than 20 books on Church History and on Pneumatology including History of Pneumatological Perspective.