Giving the “Silent Exodus” A Voice:
Explorations of the Experiences of Second Generation Korean American Christians
Submitted By:
Julie H. Song
Department of Sociology
3151 Social Science Plaza B
University of California
Irvine, California 92697
(949)231-9390
Abstract
In recent years, many have used the term “silent exodus” to describe the phenomena of the children of
immigrants leaving their parents’ churches. While some choose to attend either a panethnic Asian or
racially neutral (usually majority white) church, others choose to disassociate from Christianity itself.
Based on nine months of ethnographic work, and both semi-structured and conversational interviews with
members of both a Korean-specific church and a pan-ethnic Christian church, this paper argues that the
silent exodus is a reflection of Karl Mannheims’ “problem of generations,” and that ironically, second
generation Korean Americans leave the ethnic church for the very reasons their parents joined them.
Thus, this paper first discusses the functions and purposes of the immigrant church for the first generation
and second, speaks to the second generations' experiences with the ethnic churches and their rationale
for the "silent exodus." This is followed by a discussion on how the propensity to leave the Christian
church is driven by cultural clashes between generations, and different functions of the church for the
parental and their children’s generation.
Acknowledgments:
The following mentors have helped facilitate this research: Professors Jennifer Lee, Linda Vo, John M.
Liu, and Rubén Rumbaut. I am indebted to them for their time, critical eyes and thoughtful comments.
Moreover, this project would not be possible without my research respondents who have not only given
their own time, but have helped find new respondents.
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