The Danger of Conformity
In Korea, at the turn of the last century, there were no Christian churches – then, as a result of sparks from Azusa Street, God moved through the nation. Seoul was so impacted by spiritual renewal that it became known as the second Jerusalem. Then sadly and suddenly, the Japanese Occupation of Korea took place.
By P. Douglas Small
Soon the occupation forces were forcing Koreans into the worship of the Japanese Sun God. At first, the churches were exempt. But Korean Schools were not. Christian children, the kids of the nation, had exercises that introduced them to pagan worship. They were not exempt. To speed up the process of cultural change and to break down resistance, the churches, which were previously exempt, were soon forced to place pagan altars on their property. Such a concession must have seemed unthinkable. But they conformed to the pressure of the tyrannical government.
But that was not enough. Finally, churches were forced into the integration of some pagan component into their worship experience. The pressure was enormous. Political correctness was in full-flower with the ruthless force of the State behind it. Churches that were resistant faced reprisals. So, one by one, the denominations of Korea, and the churches, to meet the demands of cultural change, introduced elements of sun-god worship into their services. Without that concession, they were told they could not stay open. With it, they could continue to meet and worship. For the right to stay open, the churches of Korea compromised.
On September 11, 1938, the last Protestant church folded to the pressure – and then came WWII, and after it, a divided and war torn Korea.
Could it happen here?
In 1948, religious instruction was removed from American public schools. We did nothing. In 1962, prayer was declared illegal, and shortly thereafter, the Ten Commandments were removed. Witchcraft is now the preferred faith among teens, no thanks to Scholastic Press and Harry Potter. We are churching only 4% of Generation-Xers. Without a Great Awakening that settles into high schools and university campuses, we have lost the next generation – and therefore, the nation. All that was necessary for Israel to find themselves in centuries of political, spiritual and moral instability – the period of the Judges – was the failure to pass on the faith in one generation!
–Doug Small leads several prayer movements, including Project Pray.
