The Korean-Speaking Church
What Is the Opportunity?
Like countries in the West, South Korea has become increasingly secular as nearly half of its population is classified as nonreligious. Still, a strong Christian presence continues, with around 20 percent of people identifying as Protestants.
Churches are a visible part of the community in South Korea. Although many South Korean Christians lament an increasing lack of theological depth and maturity in the church, many faithful believers remain. The number of missionaries sent out by South Korea is second only to the United States.1
South Korea also enjoys a culture of reading, and Reformed doctrines are spreading as trustworthy books and commentaries become more widely available. This has been furthered to a great extent by the growth of the publishing industry in South Korea, much like during the sixteenth-century Reformation across Europe.
We believe that the production and distribution of reliable theological resources are essential for the health of the local church. With this in mind, we seek to translate titles that will be widely used for teaching, study, and discipleship among Korean-speaking people.
How Is Ligonier Meeting These Needs?
We strive to reach Korean-speaking pastors, laypeople, and unbelievers from all walks of life through the following outreach efforts:
The Reformation Study Bible
Our Reformation Study Bible helps to deepen Christians’ study of God’s Word, and it is a joy to know that this seminal work is available in Korean.
As with the English edition, the Korean Reformation Study Bible has more than 1.1 million words of verse-by-verse commentary and topical explanations, award-winning maps and visual aids, trusted contributions from seventy-five distinguished scholars, theological summaries from R.C. Sproul, and nearly two thousand years of creeds, confessions, and catechisms. As Dr. Sproul said, “The light of the Reformation was the light of the Bible.” The same is true today.
Books
Growing interest in the Reformed faith has sparked an eagerness for more resources from R.C. Sproul and Ligonier Ministries. Our plans include translating, printing, and distributing the following Reformation Trust titles:
- Good News: The Gospel of Jesus Christ by John MacArthur
- A Little Book on the Christian Life by John Calvin
- The Moment of Truth by Steven Lawson
- Moses and the Burning Bush by R.C. Sproul
- None Other: Discovering the God of the Bible by John MacArthur
- Strength for the Weary by Derek Thomas
- Titles in the Crucial Questions series and A Long Line of Godly Men Profile series
- A Field Guide on False Teaching
Books Available
- By Grace Alone: How the Grace of God Amazes Me by Sinclair Ferguson
- Chosen by God by R.C. Sproul
- Essential Truths of the Christian Faith by R.C. Sproul
- Everyone’s a Theologian: An Introduction to Systematic Theology by R.C. Sproul
- Faith Alone: The Evangelical Doctrine of Justification by R.C. Sproul
- Feed My Sheep: A Passionate Plea for Preaching by various authors
- Growing in Holiness by R.C. Sproul
- The Holiness of God by R.C. Sproul
- How Then Shall We Worship? by R.C. Sproul
- In Christ Alone: Living the Gospel Centered Life by Sinclair Ferguson
- The Invisible Hand: Do All Things Really Work for Good? by R.C. Sproul
- Knowing Scripture by R.C. Sproul
- The Last Days According to Jesus: When Did Jesus Say He Would Return? by R.C. Sproul
- Living for God's Glory: An Introduction to Calvinism by Joel Beeke
- The Masculine Mandate: God's Calling to Men by Richard Phillips
- The Mystery of the Holy Spirit by R.C. Sproul
- Not a Chance: God, Science, and the Revolt against Reason by R.C. Sproul and Keith Mathison
- Parenting by God’s Promises: How to Raise Children in the Covenant of Grace by Joel Beeke
- The Passionate Preaching of Martyn Lloyd-Jones by Steven Lawson
- Pleasing God: Discovering the Meaning and Importance of Sanctification by R.C. Sproul
- The Prayer of the Lord by R.C. Sproul
- The Promises of God: Discovering the One Who Keeps His Word by R.C. Sproul
- Saved from What? by R.C. Sproul
- Sola Scriptura: The Protestant Position on the Bible by various authors
- Surprised by Suffering: The Role of Pain and Death in the Christian Life by R.C. Sproul
- Truths We Confess, Volumes 1, 2, and 3 by R.C. Sproul
- The Unexpected Jesus: The Truth Behind His Biblical Names by R.C. Sproul
- Unseen Realities: Heaven, Hell, Angels and Demons by R.C. Sproul
- Willing to Believe: Understanding the Role of the Human Will in Salvation by R.C. Sproul
- Welcome to a Reformed Church: A Guide for Pilgrims by Daniel Hyde
- Five children’s books by R.C. Sproul: The Barber Who Wanted to Pray, The Donkey Who Carried a King, The Lightlings, The Priest with Dirty Clothes, and The Prince’s Poison Cup
- What Is Faith? by R.C. Sproul
- Who Is Jesus? by R.C. Sproul
- Does Prayer Change Things? by R.C. Sproul
- What Does It Mean to Be Born Again? by R.C. Sproul
- Can I Know God’s Will?by R.C. Sproul
- What Can I Do with My Guilt? by R.C. Sproul
- Does God Control Everything?, How Should I Live in This World?, and Can I Have Joy in My Life? by R.C. Sproul
Many articles by Ligonier authors are available online.
Teaching Series
Our video teaching series help promote theological education in the Korean-speaking world, and the accompanying study guides encourage students to interact with the material. Our plans include translating and releasing the following teaching series:
- Angels and Demons with R.C. Sproul
- Christian Worldview with R.C. Sproul
- Developing Christian Character with R.C. Sproul
- The God We Worship with R.C. Sproul
- Knowing Christ: The “I AM” Sayings of Jesus with R.C. Sproul
- Knowing Scripture with R.C. Sproul
- The Last Days According to Jesus with R.C. Sproul
- Loved by God with R.C. Sproul
- Moses and the Burning Bush with R.C. Sproul
- Pleasing God with R.C. Sproul
- Prayer with R.C. Sproul
- Psalm 51 with R.C. Sproul
- Why We Trust the Bible with Stephen Nichols
- Willing to Believe with R.C. Sproul
Recently Translated Teaching Series
- Abortion with R.C. Sproul
- Basic Training with R.C. Sproul
- Building a Christian Conscience with R.C. Sproul
- Chosen by God with R.C. Sproul
- Foundations: An Overview of Systematic Theology with R.C. Sproul
- God Alone with R.C. Sproul
- The Holiness of God with R.C. Sproul
- Marks of a Healthy Church with Mark Dever and Jonathan Leeman
- The Mystery of the Trinity with R.C. Sproul
- The Promise Keeper: God of the Covenants with R.C. Sproul
- The Reformed Pastor with Ian Hamilton
- What Did Jesus Do? with R.C. Sproul
- What Is Reformed Theology? with R.C. Sproul
- When Worlds Collidewith R.C. Sproul
Our policy is to apply gifts given toward a specific program. If we receive more contributions than can be wisely used for a given project, we apply these funds to meet other pressing needs in our outreach efforts. We are committed to stewarding all gifts wisely toward the goal of proclaiming the holiness of God to as many people as possible. Ligonier Ministries is a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability
1See https://www.challies.com/articles/how-to-pray-for-your-brothers-and-sisters-in-korea/ and https://www.challies.com/articles/which-country-sends-the-second-most-missionaries/ as at Aug 8, 2018