TURNING THE OTHER CHEEK: An Exploration of Identity Threat and the Resolution to Love Amidst Media Stigmatization of Christians in South Korea During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

IN SOUTH KOREA, Protestant Christian churches were widely reported as epicenters of COVID-19, and stigmatization of Christians followed soon after. This thesis, based on in-depth interviews of twenty-six Christians in South Korea, explores the effects of media stigmatization of Christianity in South Korea on Christians’ perspective on public perception and self-identity during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study reveals that Christians believe media portrayal of Christianity has turned entirely negative post-COVID-19, creating and promoting the perception that Christianity is an unwanted, “selfish organization.” Most Christians felt this representation is unfair. However, while prior research found that stigmatized individuals and communities resort to methods of “fight” or “flight,” most Christians in South Korea chose to abide by the core Christian principle of “turning the other cheek” – resolving to love, via evangelism and explicit acts of kindness, rather than retaliating or hiding. This, in turn, has reinforced their preexisting individual and corporate Christian identity.