A Korean Witness in the Bible Belt: Race and Evangelicalism in Yun Ch'i-Ho's Diary.

This article focuses on the experiences of Yun Ch'i-ho, a Korean intellectual and Christian convert, as a rare non-Western observer of Southern evangelicalism in the late 19th-century American South. Drawing on Yun's diary from his studies at Vanderbilt University (1888–1891), the study explores the intersections of race, religion, and theology during the post-Reconstruction era, highlighting Southern evangelicalism's racial prejudices, theological debates, and moral contradictions. Yun's writings reveal his critical perspective on the hypocrisy and secularization within Southern churches, while maintaining his belief in Christianity's moral and spiritual potential for guiding modernization, particularly in Korea. The diary also documents complex racial dynamics, including discrimination against Black, Asian, and Indigenous peoples, and provides insight into the resilience of Black communities and the challenges faced by evangelicalism that continue to resonate today.