MEN AND SPIRITUALITY: A STUDY ON GENDER AND SPIRITUALITY AMONG SECOND-GENERATION KOREAN AMERICANS A Dissertation presented to the Faculty of the Claremont School of Theology In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy by Mark Chung Hearn December 2011 Acknowledgment is made for permission to adapt the informed congregational consent model as developed by Mary Clark Moschella in Ethnography as a Pastoral Practice: An Introduction, © 2008 by Pilgrim Press. Used by permission. ©2011 Mark Chung Hearn ALL RIGHTS RESERVED £K\ CLAREMONT 5tV SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY This Dissertation, written by Mark Chung Hearn under the direction of his Faculty Committee and approved by its members, has been presented to and accepted by the Faculty of Claremont School of Theology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Faculty Committee: Sheryl A. Kujawa-Holbrook, Chairperson Frank Rogers, Jr. David K. Yoo Academic Dean: Philip Clayton December 2011 ABSTRACT MEN AND SPIRITUALITY: A STUDY ON GENDER AND SPIRITUALITY AMONG SECOND-GENERATION KOREAN AMERICANS Mark Chung Hearn This dissertation studies second-generation Korean American men through the lens of gender, spirituality, and race. It explores how spirituality affects Korean American men and the inverse, how Korean American men affect their spirituality. Using social construction theory and critical feminist critique, a foundational argument is that Korean American men are in part, products of social, historical, and cultural forces. These forces have produced gender, racial, and religious scripts that manifest in their lived experiences and their held beliefs. In order to understand these scripts, the author has situated Korean American men within the larger social and historical context of the United States. The author asserts that Korean American Christian men and their spirituality exist in a mutually shaping relationship. As spirituality provide men alternative scripts with which to live, social forces as witnessed in lived experience also help to form them. Sometimes these scripts are the same. This interdisciplinary study uses a variety of scholarly literature from several disciplines including Asian American studies, gender and men's studies, spirituality, sociology of religion, sociology of sport, and religious education. It also pulls data from qualitative research the author conducted—ethnography with a second- generation Korean American church and semi-structured interviews with second-generation Korean American men. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS As the final step in a PhD program, the dissertation is not only a culminating demonstration of one's ability and expertise, but an opportunity to reflect upon the vast community of persons who have helped one get through the process. In my case, it truly took a community of people to finish this dissertation and program. Therefore, it is with much enthusiasm and gratitude that I acknowledge different individuals who have been my community along the way. I want to first thank my committee members. During a time when I felt I was making little progress with my degree, Rev. Dr. Sheryl Kujawa- Holbrook came to Claremont School of Theology and infused myself and our program with a boost of energy and direction. Her ability to balance the exhortation to "just get it done" with a pastoral presence of understanding is truly a gifting of hers and a gift to those who have the privilege of working with her. I am grateful for her sense of humor and her ability to push people through what can often be a laborious process. I am grateful to Dr. Frank Rogers, Jr., whose consistent presence was the glue that held my program together through many transitions. His ability to create narratives and stories that are engaging at cognitive, affective, and spiritual levels became nourishment for my soul during times when I needed it most. I am thankful for Dr. David K. Yoo who took the time to counsel me, a relative stranger, about iii PhD work long before I had thought seriously about Claremont. The generosity he extended in that conversation communicated to me that this was someone from whom I could learn a great deal. I have not been disappointed as he helped to open up the world of Asian American studies particularly through the lens of history and Korean American spirituality. In addition to my committee members, there are two other professors I wish to thank. Though I was unable to finish my program with her, I am grateful to Dr. Elizabeth Conde-Frazier for the mentoring and nurturing she invested in me as a scholar and a practitioner during her time here. In her personhood and in her professional life, she gave me a vision of what a practical theologian and a religious educator can look like in integrating the academy with the church. I also thank Dr. Kathleen S. Yep, an instrumental figure in opening the door to Asian American studies and the discipline of sociology. I, who had never taken an Asian American course, was intrigued by her class title, "Asian Americans and Sociology of Sport." She was gracious enough to open up space for me in that class, one that helped conceive the chapter on sports and Korean American men. I thank others at CST who helped my research. John Dickason gave me an opportunity to work in the library when I first came to CST. This allowed me to hone my research skills and learn more on how to locate a good resource. Jean Makunga trained me with the periodicals and journals in iv a little area downstairs in the library I dubbed the "tundra." Betty Clements often answered hurried research questions I had in a diligent and thorough manner. Elaine Walker, whose numerous campus roles I saw in action first hand, was gracious enough as the thesis advisor, to read meticulously through my drafts for form and notation accuracy. Elaine is truly a person at CST who continues to serve the institution through the care of students in ways that far surpass her official roles. I thank my cohorts and colleagues at CST, in particular, Trina Armstrong, Christine Hong, Jon Hooten, Eric Kyle, Jill Snodgrass, Kenny Walden, Anne Walker, Vicki Wiltse, and Susan Young, who not only helped to refine my research, but shared many conversations and moments that will last far after our time at Claremont. I thank the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry of the United Methodist Church and the respective selection committees for providing me the resources to complete my program and dissertation through both the HANA scholarship and the Dempster Graduate Fellowship. In this financial climate, these scholarships were generous gifts that helped my family and me through this time. I thank my church community of friends, in particular, Minho and Janet Chung, Scott and Sandy Kim, Carlos and Esther Chong, Mark Lovers and Jennifer Shim Lovers, Sonny Park and Christina Moon, Robin and Angela v Choe, James Kim, and Dan Park, who sustained me spiritually and emotionally throughout my degree program. I also thank the lead pastor at Christ Church for not only graciously opening up the church for my research purposes, but for also teaching me some difficult, but valuable lessons about pastoral ministry. I am grateful for John H. Kim for allowing me to officially observe Fruit of the Spirit Bowl and engaging me in conversation about how to make the tournament a more mutual and life-giving event. I want to thank both the men who participated in the interviews as well as the men who participated in the men's ministry over the years. While I am obligated to anonymity, I would like to have acknowledged each of these men by name for they were monumental in the shaping of this project. On account of studying them and their generosity in opening up their lives, I myself, was given an opportunity to heal within and to reflect upon what it means for me to be a Korean American man in contemporary North America. I want to thank my family. I am first grateful for my mother and father for their selfless support and encouragement. While my vocational call to teach in the academy has never been an easy path, my parents, Kumhong and Soogoon Hearn, have continued to support me through many trying times. They have continued to believe in me and pray for me even when I doubted my own abilities to do doctoral work. While they would never say vi they were baby-sitting but only caring for their granddaughter, their countless hours of watching our daughter, in addition to the numerous meals they provided my wife and me, allowed me the time and human resources to finish this dissertation and program. Moreover, their sacrifice and work to establish Korean immigrants in this new country was etched indelibly on my heart and mind as a young boy. I believe this was a significant formative experience that instilled within me a strong sense of social work and hospitality and a reason why I chose this dissertation topic. I am deeply thankful for this concrete image. I thank my two older sisters, Debbie and Lydia, and their spouses, Michael and William, for their emotional, financial, intellectual, and spiritual support. I never imagined earlier in our childhood that we would all end up in higher education helping to impact and change lives. As colleagues, you have engaged my conversations and in doing so, sharpened my thoughts. As siblings, you have helped me play and remind me that I do have a life outside of the academy and beyond this dissertation. I thank my in-laws, Sung Sang, Soon Nam, Suney, and Tim Park for their presence throughout this process. While deeper levels of understanding through verbal communication have not always been optimal on account of primary language differences, I have known experientially a deeper level of vii