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It's 8:00 in the morning in Seoul, Korea
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and I'm between crowds
at the first and second services
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in the Yoido Full Gospel Church.
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This is Protestantism at the beginning
of the 21st century.
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In the fifth part
of my History of Christianity,
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I'm tracing the growth
of an exuberant expression of faith
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that has spread across the globe.
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Evangelical Protestantism.
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Today, it's associated
with full-blooded emotion
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and, by some,
with Conservative politics.
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But the whole story
is not what you might expect.
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In my previous programme,
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I showed how the Protestant faith
broke away from Medieval Catholicism
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to build a Protestant homeland
in Europe.
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Now, I'll follow the events
that led it to burst its boundaries
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in America, Africa,
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even Asia.
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Ripped By mstoll
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Protestantism was born out
of a religious revolution
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in the 16th century.
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The Reformation.
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For 100 years,
it made great strides across Europe
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with an explosion
of new Protestant churches.
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Lutherans, Calvinists,
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Anabaptists, Anglicans.
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The response of the Catholic Church
culminated in the Thirty Years War.
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That left Protestantism
severely bruised.
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And by the end of the 17th century
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it was largely confined
to northern Europe.
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It looked as though the Reformation
had been stopped in its tracks.
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Yet, from 1700,
the story of Protestantism
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is one of relentless expansion.
So, what happened?
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What's the power of Protestantism
that's made it circle the world?
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This is Herrnhut
on the far eastern border of Germany.
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The Protestant explosion
might never have happened
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without a small group of Christians
who settled here in 1722.
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And these are their gravestones,
the Moravian Brethren.
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They had been persecuted by Catholics
in their homeland,
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the modern-day Czech Republic.
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So they fled 250 miles west
to safe Protestant Saxony.
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Once here, a Lutheran nobleman,
Count Zinzendorf,
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headstrong, charismatic, rich,
offered them his land and leadership
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for a new community.
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Zinzendorf loved his Lutheran roots,
but he was seeking something more.
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What made his new Moravian community
stand out from other Protestants
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was its intensely personal,
emotional relationship with God.
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It was a rediscovery of the
historical heart of the Christian faith.
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Eternal salvation through
a personal experience of Jesus Christ.
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There's still a strong
Moravian community here.
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I joined them on one of their big days,
the Advent service.
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In their new home
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the Moravians worshipped
several times a day, every day.
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And they sang,
sometimes for days on end.
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The Protestant Reformation
had certainly told human beings
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that they stood alone
before God's judgement.
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But the Moravians were saying
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they could stand in a direct
emotional relationship with God.
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Less of the head, more of the heart.
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It was an idea
that would revolutionise Protestantism.
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And there was another innovation
of the Moravians
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which breathed new life
into Protestantism.
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In Germany today, they're famous
for their Christmas stars.
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But in the 18th century
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they pioneered something
far more significant
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Christianity had always been
a missionary faith,
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but that job was normally carried out
by professional clergy.
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Ordinary Moravians
took the unprecedented step
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of conducting missionary work
themselves.
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And they weren't just interested
in taking the message out to Europe.
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In fact,
the very first Moravian missionary
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headed straight for the New World.
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I looked through the Moravian archives
with its director, Dr Rüdiger Kröger.
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We have here the diary
of the first missionary, Leonard Dober,
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who went to St Thomas in 1732.
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And St Thomas
is in the West Indies?
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It's in the West Indies,
in the Caribbean, yes.
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And, for example, we have in this diary
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an entry from early January 1733
that reads,
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he went to the plantation to establish
his profession as a potter,
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but the work was not very successful
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because of the bad condition
of the clay.
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But they were using the time
to speak to the slaves,
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to the local people there.
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And that is what
the Moravians were looking for,
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a possibility to talk with the people
about their religious feelings.
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I think it's extraordinary
that this humble working man
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crosses the seas to share his faith
with other humble working people.
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What is it about the Moravians
which impelled them to do this?
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The Moravians have the duty for everyone
to talk about the faith,
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to talk about the gospel
and to help people learning,
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being free to practise their faith.
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And you don't need being a pastor,
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it's a new way of seeing
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living together in Christianity.
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The Moravian archives
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are bursting with stories
like Leonard Dober's.
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Immortalised in paintings,
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these pioneering missionaries
spread the good news of Christianity
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as far as Africa and Greenland.
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It's why they're called evangelical,
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from the Greek word evangelion,
meaning good news.
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Evangelical Christianity
was on the march.
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But it wasn't quite
the finished product.
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That would happen in England.
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The Moravians had the gift of
turning people's emotions into faith.
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They helped change the life
of one young Englishman,
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a Anglican priest who then seized
the future of Protestantism.
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His name was John Wesley.
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Bristol, in the West of England,
is one of the founding centres
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of a denomination which helped turn
the Moravian dream into reality.
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Methodism.
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Its founder John Wesley
started out as an Anglican clergyman,
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but one who appreciated
the intense richness of Catholicism.
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Wesley met the Moravians in 1735
on board ship.
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He'd set sail from England
with his brother, Charles,
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to take up a new job in America.
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The brothers were already out of step
with the established Church of England
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because they were High Churchmen
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who emphasised
the Catholic side of Anglicanism.
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At university in Oxford they'd
been part of a group of students
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who'd formed a holy club,
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which brought a sort of
Counter-Reformation Catholic intensity
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to low temperature
English Protestantism.
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They fasted, they went
to communion as often as possible,
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they worked to help the poor.
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It was a very "methodical" way
of trying to achieve holiness.
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And early on, someone,
without apparently any friendly intent,
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called them Methodists.
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The Methodists
were not yet a new denomination.
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But the Wesleys' chance meeting
with the Moravians
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would take them a step closer.
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Especially as the brothers were heading
for personal crisis in America.
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They fell out with local colonists.
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John had a disastrous love affair.
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They sailed home defeated and depressed.
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But back in England
they kept in touch with the Moravians.
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One night in 1738 in London,
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John attended Anglican Evensong
and then a Moravian prayer meeting.
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It was a powerful combination
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that would change
both him and Protestantism.
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Something new happened
to John Wesley that night.
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In a phrase now famous,
he felt his heart "strangely warmed".
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While the solemn music of Evensong
was still ringing in his memory,
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he listened
to Martin Luther's restatement
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of Paul's message to the Romans,
"We're saved by faith alone."
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The Reformation came alive for him.
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A new fire,
a new urgency came in his religion
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and it burst through
the hymns of the Moravians
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to create a new message
for his generation.
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For both Wesley brothers
what mattered in their faith now
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was a direct relationship with God.
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They wanted to spread
this message of salvation
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just as the Moravians had done.
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But the Wesleys also brought
a new element to Protestantism
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that helped it reach out
to millions more around the world.
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They saw that society was
being transformed around them
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and they hurried to bring
frightened and bewildered folk
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the Gospel good news
in the middle of huge social change.
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In the 18th century,
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industrialisation displaced millions
from the countryside
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to new population centres such as
the modern-day outskirts of Bristol.
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But the Church of England
had no buildings here.
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For a rather prissy parson,
John Wesley found a surprising solution.
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An old friend from Oxford,
George Whitefield,
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had taken to preaching in the open air.
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John decided to give it a go
at Hanham Mount,
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then close to a large mining community.
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According to local Methodist,
Colin Cradock,
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it was a risky choice of venue.
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Cock Road,
which is close by here,
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was a notorious area for
lawlessness and so on.
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And then there were the miners
themselves, who in 18th-century society,
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they must have been the real lowest
of the artisans, I imagine.
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So, the sort of place
your mother tells you not to go.
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Well, it was, definitely,
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I don't think anybody
of any respectability
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would come out here.
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And for Wesley to do it
was just absolutely astounding.
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And the effect he had on people?
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He had a dramatic effect on them.
The miners wept.
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These black sooty faces
had white lines down them.
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Amazing.
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For the first time
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someone cared enough
to come looking for the miners,
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to save their souls.
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It's often forgotten
that a concern for social justice
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is part of the original DNA
of Evangelical Christianity.
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The Methodists went on
to build their own chapels
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that were quite separate
from the Church of England.
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This was their first.
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John Wesley's own headquarters
in Bristol, his New Room.
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And it wasn't just the words
of John Wesley that moved people.
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It was also the magnificent hymns
of his brother, Charles.
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Strange. It's so cool and
classical and ordered.
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Yet in 1739,
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it would have been deafening
in services here,
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with shouts of joy and repentance,
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and the roar of Charles's new hymns
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00:15:16,720 --> 00:15:19,473
about Christ's blood
and sacrificial death.
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♪ This is my desire ♪
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Maybe that initial intensity
has cooled for many Methodists today.
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00:15:37,720 --> 00:15:41,952
But you can still get a glimpse
of the fervour of those early meetings
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all over the modern evangelical world.
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♪ Lord, I give you my heart
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00:15:56,560 --> 00:16:00,519
♪ I give you my soul
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00:16:01,360 --> 00:16:05,831
♪ I live for you alone
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00:16:05,960 --> 00:16:09,714
♪ Every breath that I take
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00:16:09,840 --> 00:16:13,389
♪ Every moment I'm awake ♪
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By 1800
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00:16:16,520 --> 00:16:21,071
around half a million people
in Britain attended Methodist worship.
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00:16:21,200 --> 00:16:26,672
That's over 5% of the population,
grown from nothing, in 60 years.
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Heartfelt Protestant religion
was hugely popular in Wales
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00:16:45,320 --> 00:16:48,835
and spread among Scottish
and Irish Presbyterians, too.
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00:16:49,920 --> 00:16:52,480
It was an evangelical revival
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00:16:55,080 --> 00:16:58,117
The evangelical message
reached all levels of society.
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00:16:58,240 --> 00:16:59,593
Like the Moravians in Germany,
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00:16:59,720 --> 00:17:03,395
the Evangelicals discovered
an intensely personal reformation.
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00:17:03,520 --> 00:17:06,159
They reached into their Bibles
to meet Christ,
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00:17:06,280 --> 00:17:09,078
but they also reached into
the depths of their own souls
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00:17:09,200 --> 00:17:11,236
to make that meeting complete.
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And they hungered to get others
to do the same.
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00:17:23,440 --> 00:17:26,432
Up till now the Catholic Church
had set the pace
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for Western Christian missionary work.
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But that was about to change
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with a religious revival
across the Atlantic.
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00:17:37,960 --> 00:17:41,589
In the New World,
Protestantism would triumph.
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In America there's a bewildering range
of Protestant denominations.
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00:18:05,160 --> 00:18:09,756
Baptist, Presbyterian, Methodist,
Unitarian, Episcopalian,
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00:18:09,880 --> 00:18:12,314
Seventh Day Adventist, you name it!
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00:18:14,440 --> 00:18:18,911
Does that mean Protestants constantly
flounce off and start something new?
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Well, they do.
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00:18:20,480 --> 00:18:24,712
But that's also really the key
to the exuberance of American religion.
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00:18:26,880 --> 00:18:28,996
The first shoots of American diversity
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lie in an outburst of heartfelt religion
in New England in the 1730s.
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At the start of the revival
was a brilliant scholar,
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00:18:40,600 --> 00:18:44,070
a congregational minister
in Northampton, Massachusetts.
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His name was Jonathan Edwards.
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00:18:48,800 --> 00:18:50,756
Edwards insisted
that we must worship God
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00:18:50,880 --> 00:18:53,678
with the whole person, mind and emotion.
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00:18:53,800 --> 00:18:56,268
And from the greatest philosopher
to the smallest child
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00:18:56,400 --> 00:18:58,960
we must love God in simplicity.
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00:18:59,080 --> 00:19:02,038
He once said in a sermon,
"If ever you arrive at heaven,
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00:19:02,160 --> 00:19:05,948
"faith and love must be the wings
which must carry you there".
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00:19:06,080 --> 00:19:10,471
It was Edwards's congregation which
first experienced revival in America.
245
00:19:13,560 --> 00:19:14,754
But there was more to come.
246
00:19:14,880 --> 00:19:18,190
The rousing spirit
which Europe was now experiencing.
247
00:19:19,800 --> 00:19:22,314
It was brought
by an Evangelical Englishman
248
00:19:22,440 --> 00:19:25,273
Edwards invited
to address his congregation.
249
00:19:25,400 --> 00:19:26,719
George Whitefield.
250
00:19:26,840 --> 00:19:30,389
The same man who inspired John Wesley
to preach outdoors.
251
00:19:31,000 --> 00:19:34,436
He's buried in the Old South Church
in Newburyport.
252
00:19:35,440 --> 00:19:38,000
And that's where I met
an American church historian
253
00:19:38,120 --> 00:19:41,669
who believes that Edwards
got more than he bargained for.
254
00:19:43,520 --> 00:19:45,875
While Edwards
welcomed the message
255
00:19:46,000 --> 00:19:50,630
he didn't really like Whitefield's
manner of delivery.
256
00:19:50,760 --> 00:19:54,514
Whitefield, of course,
brought this new style of preaching
257
00:19:54,640 --> 00:19:57,029
that was dramatic,
it was extemporaneous,
258
00:19:57,160 --> 00:20:00,630
that is he didn't use any manuscripts,
he would rely on inspiration,
259
00:20:00,760 --> 00:20:06,039
moving back and forth, using gesture,
enacting scenes from the Bible.
260
00:20:07,000 --> 00:20:09,594
It's said that, you know,
people would faint
261
00:20:09,720 --> 00:20:12,757
when he pronounced
the word "Mesopotamia".
262
00:20:12,880 --> 00:20:16,190
It sounds to me as if Whitefield
would be a welcome visitor for Edwards,
263
00:20:16,320 --> 00:20:18,072
but not necessarily a welcome colleague.
264
00:20:18,200 --> 00:20:22,671
Tell me about it. After Whitefield
leaves, his congregation is a wreck.
265
00:20:22,800 --> 00:20:27,749
So Edwards tries to separate
the physical from the spiritual.
266
00:20:27,880 --> 00:20:31,555
And he says to his congregation,
"What were you more impressed by?
267
00:20:31,680 --> 00:20:35,309
"Were you more impressed
by the eloquence of the preacher?
268
00:20:35,440 --> 00:20:37,032
"And what was more lasting for you?
269
00:20:37,160 --> 00:20:40,197
"Was it his message,
the message of the new birth?
270
00:20:40,320 --> 00:20:42,914
"And did it have any difference
in your heart?"
271
00:20:44,000 --> 00:20:46,958
The reality is that
the revival unfolding in New England
272
00:20:47,080 --> 00:20:49,878
needed a bit
of what both men had to offer.
273
00:20:50,640 --> 00:20:53,632
The intellect and considered argument
of Edwards
274
00:20:53,760 --> 00:20:57,833
balanced the crowds' emotional response
to Whitefield's challenges.
275
00:21:01,120 --> 00:21:03,634
Well, this is the grave
of George Whitefield.
276
00:21:03,760 --> 00:21:07,116
It actually feels remarkably
like the shrine of a Catholic saint
277
00:21:07,240 --> 00:21:10,198
until you realise that he's actually
sharing the basement of this church
278
00:21:10,320 --> 00:21:12,356
with the church heating system.
279
00:21:12,480 --> 00:21:14,835
He was an extraordinary preacher.
280
00:21:15,040 --> 00:21:19,795
In the open air his voice could carry
so 10,000 or more people could hear him.
281
00:21:19,920 --> 00:21:21,478
And he came to this country,
282
00:21:21,600 --> 00:21:25,593
to a movement which is already
springing up in all sorts of churches,
283
00:21:25,720 --> 00:21:28,678
the movement we collectively call
the Great Awakening.
284
00:21:33,120 --> 00:21:36,157
In the 18th century,
emotional preachers like Whitefield
285
00:21:36,280 --> 00:21:38,635
stirred passions as never before.
286
00:21:39,040 --> 00:21:42,430
He demanded that people made choices.
287
00:21:45,880 --> 00:21:48,838
Protestant Churches,
like the Presbyterians and Baptists,
288
00:21:48,960 --> 00:21:51,872
were turned
into missionary power houses.
289
00:21:55,000 --> 00:21:57,594
Thank you, Joe.
All right, we're on our way.
290
00:21:58,280 --> 00:22:00,032
Now a little bit about Boston.
291
00:22:00,160 --> 00:22:02,754
This was the birthplace
of the American Revolution,
292
00:22:02,880 --> 00:22:06,509
our struggle for freedom
from British rule.
293
00:22:07,920 --> 00:22:12,277
Evangelical Protestantism
now swept through much of America.
294
00:22:12,520 --> 00:22:15,353
Here in Boston,
you can always tell you're on land...
295
00:22:15,480 --> 00:22:19,519
And it did so
for very special, very American reasons.
296
00:22:19,640 --> 00:22:22,677
All right, here we go,
into the Charles River!
297
00:22:31,520 --> 00:22:33,476
Now in the 1760s,
298
00:22:33,600 --> 00:22:37,832
a group of Boston citizens who called
themselves the Sons of Liberty
299
00:22:37,960 --> 00:22:43,592
began rioting in the streets to protest
British rule and British taxes.
300
00:22:44,520 --> 00:22:45,714
The spread of Evangelicalism
301
00:22:45,840 --> 00:22:49,037
was an accidental side-effect
of the American Revolution,
302
00:22:49,160 --> 00:22:51,833
sparked by a famous incident
here in Boston.
303
00:22:53,240 --> 00:22:55,310
In the course of the next few hours,
304
00:22:55,440 --> 00:22:58,159
we took 342 chests of tea...
305
00:23:02,040 --> 00:23:03,837
Threw it in the harbour.
306
00:23:03,960 --> 00:23:06,872
King said we had to pay the tax
when it hits the dock.
307
00:23:07,000 --> 00:23:10,276
He didn't say anything
about when it hits the water.
308
00:23:10,640 --> 00:23:13,837
In 1773,
the Boston Tea Party
309
00:23:13,960 --> 00:23:15,996
launched a series of clashes
310
00:23:16,120 --> 00:23:19,112
that led to American independence
from Britain.
311
00:23:20,000 --> 00:23:22,195
To the consternation of many Christians,
312
00:23:22,320 --> 00:23:26,632
the Founding Fathers
decided to separate Church from State
313
00:23:26,760 --> 00:23:30,036
in their new Republic's
Federal constitution.
314
00:23:31,040 --> 00:23:33,600
In time,
the privileges of established churches
315
00:23:33,720 --> 00:23:36,439
in individual states also ended.
316
00:23:37,960 --> 00:23:41,191
After centuries as an official religion
tied to the State,
317
00:23:41,320 --> 00:23:43,595
Christianity was cut free.
318
00:23:44,920 --> 00:23:47,673
All the gains
of Evangelical Protestantism
319
00:23:47,800 --> 00:23:50,030
might seem to have been at risk.
320
00:23:52,480 --> 00:23:55,040
The separation of Church and State
was an historic moment
321
00:23:55,160 --> 00:23:56,388
for the Christian faith.
322
00:23:56,520 --> 00:23:59,796
Since the 4th century,
mainstream Western Christianity
323
00:23:59,920 --> 00:24:01,512
had been an arm of government.
324
00:24:01,640 --> 00:24:03,312
Now it stood alone.
325
00:24:03,560 --> 00:24:06,472
You might think that this would be
devastating for churches.
326
00:24:06,600 --> 00:24:08,033
In fact, it was quite the opposite.
327
00:24:17,760 --> 00:24:20,399
The historic decision
to separate Church and State
328
00:24:20,520 --> 00:24:24,718
had a wholly unexpected effect
on the future of Protestantism.
329
00:24:24,840 --> 00:24:26,956
It let people choose.
330
00:24:30,600 --> 00:24:32,113
You can see the results of that decision
331
00:24:32,240 --> 00:24:36,153
in the huge number of denominations
that still sprout and flourish
332
00:24:36,280 --> 00:24:38,510
right across the United States.
333
00:24:40,160 --> 00:24:43,072
In exchange for breaking
all federal ties with the Church
334
00:24:43,200 --> 00:24:46,636
the Founding Fathers gave Americans
religious liberty.
335
00:24:49,240 --> 00:24:52,676
And that meant the freedom
to choose any Christianity,
336
00:24:52,800 --> 00:24:54,836
no matter how emotional
337
00:24:55,880 --> 00:24:59,111
It unleashed
another Evangelical revival,
338
00:24:59,240 --> 00:25:01,231
a second Great Awakening.
339
00:25:02,440 --> 00:25:05,750
This time on America's western frontier.
340
00:25:10,880 --> 00:25:14,270
In 1800, Kentucky was in the Wild West.
341
00:25:18,560 --> 00:25:21,313
It's not surprising
that some of the wilder manifestations
342
00:25:21,440 --> 00:25:24,750
of modern Evangelical Christianity
found a home here.
343
00:25:26,520 --> 00:25:29,876
An annual gathering marks the events.
344
00:25:35,520 --> 00:25:37,715
Remember, this was a frontier.
345
00:25:38,120 --> 00:25:41,032
All sorts of people
were chancing their luck.
346
00:25:43,320 --> 00:25:45,550
Many of them came from Britain.
347
00:25:48,400 --> 00:25:50,789
That was really important
for what happened here
348
00:25:50,920 --> 00:25:53,150
because among them
were Scottish Protestants
349
00:25:53,280 --> 00:25:59,037
whose people had already moved once
to settle in Ulster in Ireland.
350
00:26:00,680 --> 00:26:04,878
Frontier Ulster had the same sense of
danger, excitement, limitless potential
351
00:26:05,000 --> 00:26:07,468
as the Wild West frontier
in Hollywood movies.
352
00:26:07,600 --> 00:26:09,830
It was actually in Ulster
that Protestants first gathered
353
00:26:09,960 --> 00:26:12,952
in huge numbers
for open-air holy communion services.
354
00:26:13,080 --> 00:26:16,868
And when they came to North America
they brought that memory with them.
355
00:26:17,880 --> 00:26:21,270
It was on this new frontier
that the idea of open-air revival
356
00:26:21,400 --> 00:26:23,436
gained a new lease of life.
357
00:26:35,840 --> 00:26:39,549
This particular communion
there was a service late in the weekend
358
00:26:39,680 --> 00:26:43,992
and during this sermon one woman
spoke out, cried out,
359
00:26:44,640 --> 00:26:46,995
seeking assurance of her salvation,
which of course...
360
00:26:47,120 --> 00:26:48,712
That disrupted the service.
361
00:26:48,840 --> 00:26:50,432
And at the end of the sermon
362
00:26:50,560 --> 00:26:52,551
the organising ministers
left the church,
363
00:26:52,680 --> 00:26:55,035
but the congregation stayed inside.
364
00:26:55,160 --> 00:26:56,593
They seemed to be waiting,
365
00:26:56,720 --> 00:26:59,518
if you will,
for what God was going to do next.
366
00:26:59,640 --> 00:27:02,473
This must have been actually
quite troubling for the ministers?
367
00:27:02,600 --> 00:27:05,353
Oh, absolutely. And I've read
that they held a small conference
368
00:27:05,480 --> 00:27:06,629
outside the building
369
00:27:06,760 --> 00:27:09,558
to decide what they should do
and their decision was,
370
00:27:09,680 --> 00:27:11,079
and I think a very wise one,
371
00:27:11,200 --> 00:27:14,078
is they would not interrupt
what was happening inside.
372
00:27:14,200 --> 00:27:17,078
In fact, I believe they may have
gone back in and joined.
373
00:27:17,200 --> 00:27:18,997
And that's when
they saw God's spirit fall.
374
00:27:19,120 --> 00:27:21,588
People were falling out...
375
00:27:21,720 --> 00:27:25,156
Slain in the spirit would be a term
that we would call it in modern times.
376
00:27:25,280 --> 00:27:28,556
It sounds as if people are trying to
find ways of expressing what they feel
377
00:27:28,680 --> 00:27:30,989
beyond what they can normally do
in church?
378
00:27:31,120 --> 00:27:33,076
Oh, absolutely.
You had the running exercise
379
00:27:33,200 --> 00:27:37,193
where people would be so enthralled
with what they felt God doing in them
380
00:27:37,320 --> 00:27:40,312
that they would literally run,
I don't know, circles,
381
00:27:40,440 --> 00:27:42,396
run around the camp. I'm not sure.
382
00:27:42,520 --> 00:27:48,231
But, then, you had the barking exercise,
you had a laughing exercise,
383
00:27:48,360 --> 00:27:50,715
when the power of God comes upon you,
384
00:27:50,840 --> 00:27:53,957
sometimes it has to come out in some way
385
00:27:54,080 --> 00:27:55,991
or you feel like you may burst.
386
00:27:57,880 --> 00:27:59,996
God so loved the world,
387
00:28:00,120 --> 00:28:02,509
yea, the ungodly world which had no...
388
00:28:23,160 --> 00:28:26,550
The emotion raced
across the new Republic.
389
00:28:47,240 --> 00:28:49,708
The white-hot religion
of the second Great Awakening
390
00:28:49,840 --> 00:28:52,559
lasted almost 50 years.
391
00:28:53,200 --> 00:28:55,634
And it helped create something new.
392
00:28:57,960 --> 00:28:59,678
Congregations that, up till now,
393
00:28:59,800 --> 00:29:03,429
had remained offshoots
of European churches had fresh choices.
394
00:29:03,560 --> 00:29:06,632
You might almost say consumer choices.
395
00:29:14,040 --> 00:29:18,636
Christianity was marketed with all
the flair and swashbuckling enterprise
396
00:29:18,760 --> 00:29:22,389
that the United States showed
in its commerce and industry.
397
00:29:24,080 --> 00:29:27,356
Frontier Protestantism had become
not only popular,
398
00:29:27,480 --> 00:29:29,391
but distinctly American.
399
00:29:41,280 --> 00:29:45,319
The energy of the revivals
led to new identities for Christianity.
400
00:29:47,560 --> 00:29:49,915
From Seventh-day Adventists,
and Millerites
401
00:29:50,040 --> 00:29:53,635
to Mormons, the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints,
402
00:29:53,760 --> 00:29:57,673
they saw America at the centre
of God's purposes.
403
00:30:00,560 --> 00:30:04,599
It's easy to stress the emotional side
of American Evangelicalism.
404
00:30:06,040 --> 00:30:10,238
But we need to remember that
many of them were also socially radical
405
00:30:11,880 --> 00:30:16,590
Like Methodists, American Evangelicals
offered marginal groups fresh hope.
406
00:30:17,360 --> 00:30:20,591
♪ This little light of mine
407
00:30:20,960 --> 00:30:23,428
♪ I'm going to let it shine
408
00:30:23,560 --> 00:30:27,633
♪ Oh, this little light of mine
409
00:30:28,120 --> 00:30:31,317
♪ I'm going to let it shine
410
00:30:31,720 --> 00:30:34,598
♪ This little light of mine... ♪
411
00:30:34,760 --> 00:30:37,513
The message entranced
African Americans,
412
00:30:37,640 --> 00:30:39,995
most of whom were still enslaved.
413
00:30:41,320 --> 00:30:44,869
Evangelicalism offers a choice to
turn to Jesus.
414
00:30:46,720 --> 00:30:50,395
These people had never had a choice
in their whole lives.
415
00:30:52,160 --> 00:30:54,879
They went on to found
their own Churches.
416
00:30:58,000 --> 00:31:02,710
Belle Meade Plantation near Nashville
couldn't have functioned without slaves.
417
00:31:03,600 --> 00:31:06,558
On its gracious lawns,
I talked about the importance
418
00:31:06,680 --> 00:31:09,399
of Evangelical revival
for African Americans
419
00:31:09,520 --> 00:31:11,670
with scholar Denis Dickerson.
420
00:31:12,400 --> 00:31:16,075
In these camp meeting venues
persons high and low,
421
00:31:16,200 --> 00:31:19,988
black and white, rich and poor
were invited to hear the gospel.
422
00:31:20,160 --> 00:31:21,912
And many of the scriptures
that were preached
423
00:31:22,040 --> 00:31:24,838
obviously were heard
by African Americans
424
00:31:24,960 --> 00:31:26,996
as ensuring their equality.
425
00:31:27,320 --> 00:31:30,232
"For all have sinned and come
short of the glory of God."
426
00:31:30,360 --> 00:31:33,909
"God hath made of one blood
all people to dwell upon the Earth."
427
00:31:34,040 --> 00:31:36,395
But many slave owners were
Evangelical Protestants
428
00:31:36,520 --> 00:31:39,193
and many Evangelical Protestants
justified slavery
429
00:31:39,320 --> 00:31:43,393
in reference to the Bible.
Were they just being stupid and selfish?
430
00:31:43,920 --> 00:31:47,196
The slaves knew that
the Bible had competing themes.
431
00:31:47,720 --> 00:31:49,995
Those who wanted to justify slavery
432
00:31:50,120 --> 00:31:54,557
often had to appeal to those many,
many instances in the scriptures,
433
00:31:54,680 --> 00:31:58,150
particularly in the Old Testament,
sometimes in the New Testament,
434
00:31:58,280 --> 00:32:02,068
that there was hierarchy,
there were servants, there were slaves,
435
00:32:02,200 --> 00:32:05,670
that seemingly were sanctioned
by religious authorities.
436
00:32:06,000 --> 00:32:09,709
The slaves themselves however
developed their own interpretation.
437
00:32:09,840 --> 00:32:11,398
They could easily cite
438
00:32:11,520 --> 00:32:14,193
that same God who had
liberated the Hebrews
439
00:32:14,320 --> 00:32:18,632
and had brought them through
an Exodus experience
440
00:32:18,960 --> 00:32:22,270
would also do the same for them
in the United States.
441
00:32:34,920 --> 00:32:38,356
There was another important
and unexpected reason
442
00:32:38,480 --> 00:32:40,436
why Bible-believing African Americans
443
00:32:40,560 --> 00:32:43,313
accepted the religion
of their oppressors.
444
00:32:44,840 --> 00:32:49,789
Some white Evangelicals came to see
slavery as evil and anti-Christian
445
00:32:50,280 --> 00:32:53,875
and they campaigned
alongside the enslaved for abolition.
446
00:32:57,000 --> 00:32:59,434
In our present age,
it's worth remembering
447
00:32:59,560 --> 00:33:03,519
that together Evangelical Christians
once led this great rebellion
448
00:33:03,640 --> 00:33:05,835
against the common understanding
of the Bible,
449
00:33:05,960 --> 00:33:09,032
overturning the moral assumptions
of their time.
450
00:33:16,760 --> 00:33:21,072
Beautiful! Beautiful! Beautiful!
451
00:33:22,760 --> 00:33:24,318
By the mid 19th century,
452
00:33:24,440 --> 00:33:27,238
the most dynamic
and expansionist society in the world
453
00:33:27,360 --> 00:33:30,830
was a Protestant Great Power,
the United States.
454
00:33:33,440 --> 00:33:36,989
I think that we should forget old
clichés about a Protestant work ethic
455
00:33:37,120 --> 00:33:39,475
contrasting somehow with Catholicism.
456
00:33:39,600 --> 00:33:42,876
We're looking here
at a huge historical coincidence.
457
00:33:48,720 --> 00:33:50,438
Circumstances converged
458
00:33:50,560 --> 00:33:54,155
to make the world's leading
industrial nation Protestant
459
00:33:54,360 --> 00:33:59,309
And so, its brand of Protestant culture
also became a world-conquering force.
460
00:34:01,360 --> 00:34:05,512
Even non-Christian Japanese hurried to
copy American capitalism.
461
00:34:09,720 --> 00:34:13,315
In fact you could say mission had
been thrust upon Protestants now
462
00:34:13,440 --> 00:34:17,797
by a dramatic turn of events in
the heartland of Catholicism in Europe.
463
00:34:20,480 --> 00:34:24,234
From 1789, the French Revolution
signaled the end of the old world.
464
00:34:24,360 --> 00:34:27,477
The French monarchy collapsed,
the Roman Catholic Church was tottering.
465
00:34:27,600 --> 00:34:30,353
Surely these were the signs of
the end of the world.
466
00:34:30,480 --> 00:34:32,835
Now was the time for Protestants
to proclaim the truth
467
00:34:32,960 --> 00:34:34,359
before it was too late.
468
00:34:34,480 --> 00:34:37,790
So, just at the moment
when Catholic missions were faltering,
469
00:34:37,920 --> 00:34:40,639
Protestants set out
to conquer the world.
470
00:35:10,240 --> 00:35:12,390
Africa was not only
a long way
471
00:35:12,520 --> 00:35:16,195
from the Protestant heartlands of
America and Europe.
472
00:35:16,560 --> 00:35:19,313
It was also culturally very distant.
473
00:35:20,320 --> 00:35:22,754
Counter-Reformation Catholicism
had tried
474
00:35:22,880 --> 00:35:25,633
and failed to make serious inroads here.
475
00:35:27,200 --> 00:35:31,159
And on the West African coast,
the reason is still plain to see.
476
00:35:33,000 --> 00:35:36,197
This is one of the many forts
where captured Africans were held
477
00:35:36,320 --> 00:35:39,471
before being shipped
to the New World as slaves.
478
00:35:41,520 --> 00:35:43,670
Not surprising then that
few West Africans
479
00:35:43,800 --> 00:35:47,110
listened to any talk of Christianity
from Europeans.
480
00:35:50,560 --> 00:35:53,518
For three and a half centuries
the slave trade had poisoned relations
481
00:35:53,640 --> 00:35:55,119
between Europe and Africa.
482
00:35:55,240 --> 00:35:58,152
Now the campaign for its abolition
proved vital
483
00:35:58,280 --> 00:36:00,999
for the success
of African Protestantism.
484
00:36:12,440 --> 00:36:16,228
This is the Anglican Cathedral
in the Ghanaian capital, Accra.
485
00:36:18,040 --> 00:36:20,429
Christianity here descends from Africans
486
00:36:20,560 --> 00:36:23,393
who, freed from slavery,
returned to Africa.
487
00:36:27,000 --> 00:36:29,116
They were mostly fervent evangelicals,
488
00:36:29,240 --> 00:36:33,028
impatient to help their fellow Africans
choose salvation.
489
00:36:36,280 --> 00:36:37,838
And this gave a new idea
490
00:36:37,960 --> 00:36:41,635
to the British Anglican
Church Missionary Society, the CMS,
491
00:36:42,280 --> 00:36:44,919
Self-governing churches overseas.
492
00:36:50,560 --> 00:36:52,915
The society began looking to these
new West African settlements
493
00:36:53,040 --> 00:36:54,234
for local leadership.
494
00:36:54,360 --> 00:36:56,999
And they found
one outstanding candidate.
495
00:36:57,120 --> 00:36:58,951
A young man who'd been rescued
from slavers
496
00:36:59,080 --> 00:37:00,718
and who'd settled in Sierra Leone.
497
00:37:00,840 --> 00:37:03,832
His name was Ajayi,
but he took two English names,
498
00:37:03,960 --> 00:37:08,078
in fact the names of a committee member
of the CMS, Samuel Crowther.
499
00:37:08,680 --> 00:37:12,070
So, Samuel Ajayi Crowther
came to England,
500
00:37:12,280 --> 00:37:15,477
trained for the ministry
and was ordained an Anglican priest.
501
00:37:15,600 --> 00:37:17,636
Hallelujah.
502
00:37:17,760 --> 00:37:21,355
I wanted to give God
a mighty clap offering.
503
00:37:22,960 --> 00:37:26,350
And then a mighty shout offering.
504
00:37:36,920 --> 00:37:40,310
Crowther set about
sowing the seeds of African Anglicanism
505
00:37:40,440 --> 00:37:43,034
with a distinctly evangelical flavour.
506
00:37:44,240 --> 00:37:45,753
He saw that, to succeed,
507
00:37:45,880 --> 00:37:49,190
Protestantism would have to adapt
to African culture.
508
00:37:50,360 --> 00:37:53,909
He translated the Bible into
his native Yoruba language.
509
00:37:55,680 --> 00:37:57,557
And was successful enough
510
00:37:57,680 --> 00:38:01,229
to be given the post of Bishop
of Western Africa.
511
00:38:07,280 --> 00:38:10,033
But Crowther's initiatives were
ahead of the times
512
00:38:10,160 --> 00:38:12,230
and his impact was limited.
513
00:38:13,160 --> 00:38:17,438
He wanted authority over both black
and white missionaries in West Africa,
514
00:38:17,560 --> 00:38:20,518
but his English white superiors
had a problem.
515
00:38:21,720 --> 00:38:24,792
Kwabena Asamoah Gyadu,
a Ghanaian church historian,
516
00:38:24,920 --> 00:38:26,638
told me what it was.
517
00:38:27,600 --> 00:38:28,999
When I was a boy
I collected stamps
518
00:38:29,120 --> 00:38:32,112
and I have vivid memories of the stamp
commemorating Bishop Crowther
519
00:38:32,240 --> 00:38:33,912
and I saw it as a great success story
520
00:38:34,040 --> 00:38:35,996
that there should be a bishop
from West Africa.
521
00:38:36,120 --> 00:38:38,395
But was it such a success story?
522
00:38:39,920 --> 00:38:41,239
Yes and no.
523
00:38:42,400 --> 00:38:48,396
For an African with a slave past
to rise to the level that Crowther did
524
00:38:48,880 --> 00:38:52,190
was by itself an achievement.
But he was betrayed
525
00:38:52,320 --> 00:38:57,269
because they wanted to put an African
at the forefront of the missionary work.
526
00:38:58,120 --> 00:38:59,473
But I think when it came to the point
527
00:38:59,600 --> 00:39:03,036
when they then had to hand the destiny
of the Church into African hands
528
00:39:03,160 --> 00:39:04,388
then they had a problem.
529
00:39:04,520 --> 00:39:06,431
So they wanted their cake and eat it?
530
00:39:06,560 --> 00:39:08,710
You may well put it that way.
531
00:39:21,600 --> 00:39:23,158
White European missionaries
532
00:39:23,280 --> 00:39:26,078
did try to evangelise
this vast continent.
533
00:39:26,880 --> 00:39:29,838
The most famous attempt was
that of David Livingstone
534
00:39:29,960 --> 00:39:32,190
in southern and central Africa.
535
00:39:34,200 --> 00:39:36,953
But his was actually an heroic failure.
536
00:39:37,080 --> 00:39:39,514
He made only one recorded convert
537
00:39:39,840 --> 00:39:43,230
who later fell out with him
and formed his own Church.
538
00:39:47,680 --> 00:39:51,434
This was the same lesson
that Crowther had taught the Church.
539
00:39:52,200 --> 00:39:54,555
Christianity could take root in Africa,
540
00:39:54,680 --> 00:39:57,672
but only if it was led
by African missionaries.
541
00:39:59,560 --> 00:40:01,437
And eventually, it was.
542
00:40:02,960 --> 00:40:05,190
What was happening quietly
through the 19th century
543
00:40:05,320 --> 00:40:08,517
was that Africans themselves
were doing mission
544
00:40:08,640 --> 00:40:11,234
in ways that Europeans hardly noticed.
545
00:40:11,440 --> 00:40:14,352
So young men would travel,
they'd go to services in new places,
546
00:40:14,480 --> 00:40:16,914
they'd learn new hymns
and they'd bring them home.
547
00:40:17,040 --> 00:40:20,828
Market women would sell Christianity
using their sales skills.
548
00:40:21,000 --> 00:40:23,036
Teachers would be taught
by the missionaries
549
00:40:23,160 --> 00:40:25,435
and when the missionaries moved on,
they'd go on teaching.
550
00:40:25,560 --> 00:40:29,872
They'd be able to tell Africa
about Christianity in African terms.
551
00:40:34,320 --> 00:40:38,711
At the start of the 20th century,
perhaps 10% of Africans were Christian.
552
00:40:40,920 --> 00:40:43,639
Today, it may be half the continent
553
00:40:45,600 --> 00:40:48,353
Astonishing. How's it happened?
554
00:40:53,200 --> 00:40:57,910
One curious catalyst was the outbreak
of World War I in 1914.
555
00:41:00,240 --> 00:41:02,435
Many European missionaries left.
556
00:41:02,560 --> 00:41:04,391
And the ghastliness of the war
557
00:41:04,520 --> 00:41:07,512
didn't say much for the Christianity
of Europe.
558
00:41:07,880 --> 00:41:11,236
Two good reasons
for Africans to take control
559
00:41:20,880 --> 00:41:23,713
One of the greatest pioneering
African missionaries
560
00:41:23,840 --> 00:41:26,035
was William Wade Harris.
561
00:41:26,880 --> 00:41:30,395
He was a political activist in prison
here in West Africa.
562
00:41:30,520 --> 00:41:35,469
When in 1913, he had a revelation
that he'd been chosen as a prophet.
563
00:41:36,200 --> 00:41:40,591
Once released, he set out
to convert Africans to Christianity.
564
00:41:42,120 --> 00:41:43,314
You have to picture Harris
565
00:41:43,440 --> 00:41:46,398
striding through the villages
of the Ivory Coast and here in Ghana.
566
00:41:46,520 --> 00:41:48,317
He's dressed in a simple white robe,
567
00:41:48,440 --> 00:41:52,149
he's carrying a six-foot cross
and holding a gourd of water.
568
00:41:52,440 --> 00:41:54,715
With him are his team of
two or three women,
569
00:41:54,840 --> 00:41:57,957
who are singing, playing the calabash
to bring out the spirits
570
00:41:58,080 --> 00:42:00,435
of the guardian angels
and the Holy Spirit,
571
00:42:00,560 --> 00:42:04,553
while Harris is exhorting people
to give up traditional religion.
572
00:42:12,920 --> 00:42:16,879
But his converts didn't want to join
the established European churches
573
00:42:17,000 --> 00:42:19,560
because their services just
didn't celebrate God
574
00:42:19,680 --> 00:42:21,750
in the way Africans wanted.
575
00:42:24,320 --> 00:42:26,515
Worse still, European-run Churches
576
00:42:26,640 --> 00:42:29,438
condemned African practices
like polygamy.
577
00:42:31,480 --> 00:42:35,473
So Harris' followers chose to form
their own network of churches.
578
00:42:43,720 --> 00:42:47,076
The Church of the Twelve Apostles
is one descendant
579
00:42:47,600 --> 00:42:50,160
This is a Friday service for healing.
580
00:42:51,760 --> 00:42:55,389
The congregation is mainly made up o f
women market traders.
581
00:42:56,080 --> 00:42:57,638
They've taken the day off,
582
00:42:57,760 --> 00:43:00,718
leaving the men to work on
while they worship.
583
00:43:10,560 --> 00:43:14,678
This seems a million miles from
the churches I know back in Oxford.
584
00:43:15,280 --> 00:43:17,794
But that's the great strength
of Christianity,
585
00:43:17,920 --> 00:43:20,753
its ability to adapt and assimilate.
586
00:43:25,320 --> 00:43:27,550
Behind this very African experience,
587
00:43:27,680 --> 00:43:30,717
I can see features
which all communities value.
588
00:43:34,160 --> 00:43:37,516
In Western Europe, all these things
that we've got here are elsewhere,
589
00:43:37,640 --> 00:43:39,676
they're on the dance floor
in a nightclub,
590
00:43:39,800 --> 00:43:42,997
they're in a football stadium,
they're in the therapy room.
591
00:43:43,120 --> 00:43:46,112
Here it's all brought together into one.
592
00:43:46,240 --> 00:43:48,754
You're worshipping God
within a very tight system.
593
00:43:48,880 --> 00:43:50,359
It looks spontaneous,
but of course it isn't.
594
00:43:50,480 --> 00:43:53,711
It's got its own rules,
it builds up, it dies back.
595
00:43:53,840 --> 00:43:56,479
There are people to
help you find your way through it
596
00:43:56,600 --> 00:44:00,388
They push you even into it
And it's about healing.
597
00:44:00,520 --> 00:44:04,354
All around you, the power of God
is pushing out of a community,
598
00:44:04,480 --> 00:44:07,916
which is dressed up to be like you,
to be with you
599
00:44:08,160 --> 00:44:10,754
in your time of trouble,
in your everyday boredoms,
600
00:44:10,880 --> 00:44:15,431
your frustrations you bring them here,
you dump 'em and you dance on them.
601
00:44:40,200 --> 00:44:44,079
You know, in Africa or in Ghana,
we believe that every sickness
602
00:44:44,720 --> 00:44:49,430
it's caused or it's a curse,
or it's caused by the devil.
603
00:44:50,200 --> 00:44:53,272
So we believe that once
the problem is spiritual,
604
00:44:53,400 --> 00:44:55,391
it should be solved spiritually.
605
00:44:55,520 --> 00:44:58,557
And when the music happens
that's part of the healing?
606
00:44:58,680 --> 00:45:01,353
The music invokes the spirit,
the Holy Spirit
607
00:45:01,480 --> 00:45:03,516
to come upon the leaders or the healers
608
00:45:03,640 --> 00:45:07,349
and when the music is going on
some are even healed.
609
00:45:08,120 --> 00:45:10,554
Yes. When the music is going on
and we hear people shouting,
610
00:45:10,680 --> 00:45:13,194
they are getting healed,
though they are not touched
611
00:45:13,320 --> 00:45:14,753
but they are getting healed
by the music.
612
00:45:14,880 --> 00:45:16,632
And that is why people come to us,
613
00:45:16,760 --> 00:45:19,399
we are always the last to be approached,
614
00:45:19,560 --> 00:45:23,348
the last to be approached
and the first to solve the problems.
615
00:45:36,120 --> 00:45:38,031
Local leaders
across the continent
616
00:45:38,160 --> 00:45:42,233
led a quite breathtaking growth
in this new African Christianity.
617
00:45:44,440 --> 00:45:47,750
From the nine million Christians
in Africa in 1900,
618
00:45:49,120 --> 00:45:52,032
there's now more than 380 million.
619
00:45:54,080 --> 00:45:56,469
And half of those are Protestant
620
00:46:01,800 --> 00:46:06,510
It marks the biggest ever shift in
the centre of gravity of Christianity.
621
00:46:09,280 --> 00:46:13,273
2,000 years ago, it was in Jerusalem,
later Constantinople.
622
00:46:13,400 --> 00:46:15,630
By 1600 it had shifted to Spain.
623
00:46:15,760 --> 00:46:19,196
Today, the midpoint of Christianity
is Saharan Africa.
624
00:46:19,440 --> 00:46:22,512
There are as many Christians to
the south and east of Timbuktu
625
00:46:22,640 --> 00:46:25,074
as there are to the north and west.
626
00:46:28,920 --> 00:46:32,993
The key to Protestant expansion
has been the willingness to change.
627
00:46:35,600 --> 00:46:40,549
This direct heartfelt encounter
with God started with the Moravians.
628
00:46:42,480 --> 00:46:45,756
It was boosted by Methodism
and evangelical revival.
629
00:46:47,040 --> 00:46:50,715
The message swept across America
in the Great Awakenings.
630
00:46:52,200 --> 00:46:54,316
And it spread across Africa.
631
00:46:55,160 --> 00:46:58,391
With each new setting
came new Protestant churches.
632
00:46:59,480 --> 00:47:01,835
By the 20th century,
they even challenged
633
00:47:01,960 --> 00:47:05,839
the historic ascendancy
of Roman Catholicism in Latin America.
634
00:47:08,800 --> 00:47:11,792
It's taken the number
of Christian denominations worldwide
635
00:47:11,920 --> 00:47:14,115
to more than 30,000.
636
00:47:15,160 --> 00:47:17,674
But now it's expanding even further.
637
00:47:19,160 --> 00:47:22,709
And it may be that Protestantism
is moving too far
638
00:47:22,840 --> 00:47:25,229
away from the teachings of Jesus.
639
00:47:47,200 --> 00:47:51,671
Today, South Korea is a prosperous
nation with a thriving economy.
640
00:47:52,920 --> 00:47:55,434
It's hard to imagine that
only 60 years ago
641
00:47:55,560 --> 00:47:58,233
this was a traumatised
and impoverished country,
642
00:47:58,360 --> 00:48:01,432
reeling from the effects
of Japanese occupation.
643
00:48:03,560 --> 00:48:06,199
Throughout the Japanese occupation
the Churches were prominent
644
00:48:06,320 --> 00:48:07,639
in the struggle for freedom.
645
00:48:07,760 --> 00:48:09,478
It meant that Christianity
was identified
646
00:48:09,600 --> 00:48:12,433
with national suffering
and national pride.
647
00:48:12,560 --> 00:48:15,950
After liberation, it became involved
in another struggle...
648
00:48:16,080 --> 00:48:18,275
Rebuilding a shattered Korea.
649
00:48:21,200 --> 00:48:23,953
Here, it produced one of
the most dramatic success stories
650
00:48:24,080 --> 00:48:26,196
in modern Christian history.
651
00:48:26,400 --> 00:48:28,277
Korean Pentecostalism.
652
00:48:33,680 --> 00:48:38,356
The Yoido Full Gospel Church started
with five Koreans meeting in a tent
653
00:48:41,680 --> 00:48:45,468
Now it has over three-quarters
of a million members worldwide.
654
00:48:52,120 --> 00:48:53,599
The hymns might be in Korean,
655
00:48:53,720 --> 00:48:57,349
but the tunes are straight
out of the evangelical revivals.
656
00:48:58,120 --> 00:49:02,591
In fact, Pentecostalism has built
on a 19th-century American tradition.
657
00:49:03,000 --> 00:49:05,070
It was called the Holiness Movement.
658
00:49:05,200 --> 00:49:08,556
It harked back to the revivals
of Wesley's Methodism.
659
00:49:17,280 --> 00:49:20,750
At its heart is the same
emotional side of faith.
660
00:49:21,320 --> 00:49:24,596
The direct personal choice for God.
661
00:49:39,000 --> 00:49:41,389
What's new
is that Pentecostals have found God
662
00:49:41,520 --> 00:49:44,239
in a way with very little precedent
in Christian history.
663
00:49:44,360 --> 00:49:45,679
They've met the Holy Spirit,
664
00:49:45,800 --> 00:49:48,951
who's often seemed the Cinderella
of the Trinity.
665
00:49:55,160 --> 00:49:56,229
Amen.
666
00:49:56,360 --> 00:49:59,477
The Bible says that
50 days after the death of Jesus,
667
00:49:59,600 --> 00:50:02,068
the Holy Spirit descended upon
the Apostles
668
00:50:02,200 --> 00:50:04,555
at the Jewish feast of Pentecost.
669
00:50:06,600 --> 00:50:09,353
It was a life-changing experience.
670
00:50:10,200 --> 00:50:13,351
The disciples are said to
have spoken in tongues,
671
00:50:13,560 --> 00:50:17,599
an unknown but sacred language which
all present could understand.
672
00:50:25,480 --> 00:50:27,118
They were filled with such energy,
673
00:50:27,240 --> 00:50:30,710
they chose to spread
the message of Jesus to the world.
674
00:50:32,360 --> 00:50:34,635
Pentecostals believe
present-day Christians
675
00:50:34,760 --> 00:50:37,718
can also receive those
gifts of the Spirit
676
00:50:38,320 --> 00:50:41,039
And that's what
you're seeing here today.
677
00:50:44,280 --> 00:50:47,875
But there's another aspect to
the success of Korean Pentecostalism
678
00:50:48,000 --> 00:50:50,468
which is far more controversial.
679
00:50:50,600 --> 00:50:55,435
It's the promise of good fortune
and prosperity for believers.
680
00:50:55,760 --> 00:50:58,354
That's been christened,
by those who mistrust it,
681
00:50:58,480 --> 00:51:00,277
the Prosperity Gospel.
682
00:51:02,040 --> 00:51:05,032
It came out of the inter-war years
in America.
683
00:51:05,160 --> 00:51:07,628
Capitalism in the service of Jesus.
684
00:51:08,080 --> 00:51:10,799
American consumer choice for God.
685
00:51:11,280 --> 00:51:14,955
In the past, Protestantism offered hope
of eternal salvation
686
00:51:15,080 --> 00:51:17,958
regardless of problems
in the here and now.
687
00:51:20,040 --> 00:51:23,316
In Korea, that assurance has become
more immediate.
688
00:51:24,480 --> 00:51:26,675
You no longer need to wait for
the hereafter
689
00:51:26,800 --> 00:51:29,633
to reap the benefits
of the Christian faith.
690
00:51:31,440 --> 00:51:33,829
Is this one adaptation too far?
691
00:51:35,080 --> 00:51:38,755
That's certainly what I heard
from a Korean Presbyterian theologian,
692
00:51:38,880 --> 00:51:40,791
Professor Sang Keun Kim.
693
00:51:42,080 --> 00:51:43,479
It is simple.
694
00:51:43,960 --> 00:51:48,033
If you go to church and give offering
you will be blessed.
695
00:51:49,320 --> 00:51:51,788
Your economic success is guaranteed.
696
00:51:52,160 --> 00:51:55,277
- So this really is prosperity?
- That's right.
697
00:51:55,400 --> 00:51:57,834
Can you see problems in the Bible
with this message?
698
00:51:57,960 --> 00:51:59,029
Yes.
699
00:52:00,040 --> 00:52:04,238
It is very hard to a rich man
700
00:52:04,360 --> 00:52:06,715
to get into Heaven.
701
00:52:07,560 --> 00:52:10,028
You know, from that passage I think,
702
00:52:11,080 --> 00:52:16,234
sooner or later you are not able to
see any Koreans in Heaven.
703
00:52:18,240 --> 00:52:21,676
Because, you know, Prosperity Gospel
704
00:52:22,600 --> 00:52:25,273
had a positive contribution
705
00:52:25,400 --> 00:52:28,676
during the 1970s and '80s.
706
00:52:30,240 --> 00:52:32,993
It provided a new sort of hope.
707
00:52:33,640 --> 00:52:37,553
But nowadays,
ordinary Koreans or society
708
00:52:38,560 --> 00:52:43,839
think that Korean Protestants
are a little bit selfish
709
00:52:43,960 --> 00:52:48,112
to ask more offerings, bigger churches,
you know, bigger buildings.
710
00:52:51,720 --> 00:52:54,075
But people think that that is not
711
00:52:54,200 --> 00:52:57,715
the basic tenet of a religion.
712
00:53:11,160 --> 00:53:13,469
The Yoido style
of Pentecostalism
713
00:53:13,600 --> 00:53:17,639
has all the glitz of a Hollywood musical
from the 1950s.
714
00:53:17,760 --> 00:53:21,150
I was intrigued to meet the man
behind the phenomenon.
715
00:53:27,760 --> 00:53:30,399
Pastor David Yonggi Cho is now retired,
716
00:53:30,720 --> 00:53:33,837
but I asked him about his memories
of those early years
717
00:53:33,960 --> 00:53:37,555
when he first began
spreading the gospel message in Korea.
718
00:53:37,680 --> 00:53:40,990
When I went to preach gospel
to the poor people,
719
00:53:41,840 --> 00:53:43,956
their suffering was enormous
720
00:53:44,160 --> 00:53:47,391
and many of them said,
"We don't need any religion.
721
00:53:47,960 --> 00:53:49,837
"If you have such a wonderful Heaven,
722
00:53:49,960 --> 00:53:52,554
"why don't you give part of a Heaven
right now here?
723
00:53:52,680 --> 00:53:55,148
"We need a real God who helps us."
724
00:53:56,080 --> 00:53:57,991
So I really prayed to God
725
00:53:58,120 --> 00:54:01,874
and I found out that in the redemption
of Jesus Christ
726
00:54:02,000 --> 00:54:04,195
I could find a redemption of spirit,
727
00:54:05,680 --> 00:54:08,069
life and physical body.
728
00:54:09,400 --> 00:54:11,311
Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross
729
00:54:11,440 --> 00:54:14,830
redeeming us from sin,
sickness and curse.
730
00:54:15,280 --> 00:54:19,831
So I called that
Triple Gospel of Jesus Christ
731
00:54:20,120 --> 00:54:23,749
and I began to really build up
hope in the heart of people,
732
00:54:24,120 --> 00:54:27,032
that it is not
just a religion beyond the death,
733
00:54:27,160 --> 00:54:29,151
but a religion now, here,
734
00:54:29,840 --> 00:54:32,673
and that really moved
the heart of the people
735
00:54:32,800 --> 00:54:35,234
to come to the Pentecostal Church.
736
00:54:35,400 --> 00:54:36,879
Does this mean that salvation
737
00:54:37,000 --> 00:54:40,117
will always lead to
worldly success and wealth?
738
00:54:41,960 --> 00:54:44,633
When they are saying that
they stop smoking,
739
00:54:44,760 --> 00:54:47,320
they stopped drinking,
they began to save money,
740
00:54:47,440 --> 00:54:50,079
they stopped gambling,
they don't waste their money.
741
00:54:50,200 --> 00:54:55,957
Naturally, by doing that kind of life
they are becoming wealthy.
742
00:55:05,240 --> 00:55:09,199
The Yoido congregation
is one of the most spectacular faces
743
00:55:09,320 --> 00:55:12,471
of Evangelical Protestantism
in the 21st century.
744
00:55:13,400 --> 00:55:17,154
So it was interesting that I heard
quite a sober tone
745
00:55:17,280 --> 00:55:21,114
in Pastor Cho's reflections
on his lifetime of success.
746
00:55:22,480 --> 00:55:27,270
But not actually a rejection of the link
between worldly success and salvation.
747
00:55:36,320 --> 00:55:40,029
Korean Pentecostals are doing
what Christians have always done.
748
00:55:40,160 --> 00:55:43,675
Reflect on a host of voices
within the Bible
749
00:55:43,960 --> 00:55:45,996
and make their own choices.
750
00:55:48,120 --> 00:55:51,590
Is it fair to accuse them
of throwing away core values?
751
00:55:52,600 --> 00:55:54,079
On the question of wealth,
752
00:55:54,200 --> 00:55:58,352
they'd be entitled to point out
that the New Testament is ambiguous.
753
00:56:00,840 --> 00:56:04,833
Do you reject riches or work hard
and use them well?
754
00:56:05,560 --> 00:56:08,996
Jesus and the Apostle Paul give you
different answers.
755
00:56:10,000 --> 00:56:14,312
And Pentecostals may well be a pointer
to the Christian future.
756
00:56:19,080 --> 00:56:22,993
At the moment, they look and sound
like Evangelical Protestants,
757
00:56:23,240 --> 00:56:25,993
but I wonder if
that's where they'll stay.
758
00:56:27,560 --> 00:56:30,393
This is a religion
blown by the Holy Spirit
759
00:56:30,520 --> 00:56:32,476
and you never know where that'll end up.
760
00:56:32,600 --> 00:56:35,717
The Spirit doesn't hide
in the pages of a book,
761
00:56:35,840 --> 00:56:38,115
even when the book is the Bible.
762
00:56:38,400 --> 00:56:40,152
Amen.
763
00:56:40,560 --> 00:56:42,118
Protestantism has
come a long way
764
00:56:42,240 --> 00:56:45,949
since the first Moravian missionaries
were inspired to go out into the world
765
00:56:46,080 --> 00:56:48,469
and tell others about their faith.
766
00:56:48,600 --> 00:56:55,517
♪ Amen ♪
767
00:57:04,240 --> 00:57:07,118
Protestantism succeeded because
it gave a new identity
768
00:57:07,240 --> 00:57:08,958
to people facing new situations.
769
00:57:09,080 --> 00:57:12,277
In the process,
it changed as much as its converts.
770
00:57:12,400 --> 00:57:14,470
But a strange thing's happened.
771
00:57:14,600 --> 00:57:17,558
The Protestant faith now faces
its greatest challenge ever.
772
00:57:17,680 --> 00:57:21,912
Not from some distant culture but
from the Protestant homeland, Europe.
773
00:57:24,500 --> 00:57:32,500
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