Scholars of Korean religions have commonly held the view that Christianity and Buddhism have deliberately tried to exclude one another as they struggled to win popular favor over the previous three decades of radical socio-economic change in Korea. The authors of this article argue that, contrary to the existing view, the two religions have been broadening a common ground of understanding and creating an allied action front. At the core of this positive engagement has been the environmental movement.
Christian and Buddhist environmental activists have set a model agenda and viable action plans, and share a conception of the meaning of life and human happiness revolving around various environmental issues. To show how the environmental movement has brought the two parties closer, this article examines how ecological concerns emerged within the two religions in the first place, explores the ways they managed to cooperate on concrete environmental issues, and assesses the extent to which those common efforts have been successful. It concludes with the implications of such cooperation for the present and future relationship between Korean Buddhism and Christianity.