Church of God of the World Mission Society

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The Church of God of the World Mission Society (before 2012: Kirchengemeinde Gottes ), English : World Mission Society Church of God (WMSCOG), Korean : 하나님 의 교회 세계 복음 선교 협회 , is a syncretistic religious community founded in South Korea in 1964 with Adventist roots, which today is in Korea is counted among the “most dynamically growing” Christian New Religious Movements . Further self-designations are the Church of God, which believes in Mother Jerusalem , or Elohists. The community of faith is not to be confused with various free churches , which also call themselves the church of God .

At the center of the Church of God of the World Mission Association is its founder Ahn Sahng-hong . He was posthumously proclaimed Christ returned. In addition to God the Father, from whom a trinity is assumed, which differs from classical Christian doctrines of the Trinity , an incarnated God Mother is worshiped. The expansion of the concept of God (e.g. through P'ikareum ) to include contemporary men (e.g. Hwang Gukju - Jangyeon) or women (e.g. Lee Yusin - Wonsan Sinhaksan or Kim Sung Do - Seongju church) follows a tradition of various newcomers religious movements in Korea.

history

The movement came into being during the period of social restructuring (1960–1980) as a result of the processes of democratization, urbanization and industrialization in Korea. The Korean Ahn Sahng-hong (also written Ahn Sang Hong or Ahnsanghong), Korean: 안상홍, is considered the founder of the Church of God of the World Mission Association . The former Buddhist was born on January 13, 1918 and came into contact with the Seventh-day Adventist Church in 1947 . A year later, at the age of thirty, he was baptized there . Very soon after his conversion, Ahn Sahng-hong began preaching and writing Christian literature. Both his preaching and his books at this point were within the framework of the Adventist end-time teachings. However, he submitted his own calculations for the second coming of Christ . At first he mentioned 1967 , but later decided on the year 1988 - 40 years after the founding of the State of Israel. In connection with this message he gathered a circle of supporters around him that he called the Ahn-Sahng-hong Witness Society . In 1962 he was expelled from the Seventh-day Adventist Church because of theological differences. Two years later he founded his own church: "Witnesses of Jesus Church of God".

Ahn Sahng-hong died on February 25, 1985 - three years before the date he prophesied for the return of Jesus . His followers interpreted his death as an ascension and began to reinterpret the teachings of their master. As a result of his death, the movement split into two groups, the "New Covenant Passover Church of God" and the "World Mission Society Church of God" described here. After 1988 passed without the expected event, the person of her teacher became increasingly central to her faith. Ahn Sahng-hong was no longer just the teacher and prophet for them, his followers saw in him Jesus Christ , who had come back under cover and who had once again visited the earth in mortal form to establish a new covenant, the “New Covenant Passover ”. With this he wanted (and still wants to) prepare his church for the “Third Coming” in glory. Further special teachings, which are at a great distance from Ahn's original views, were added in the period that followed.

Within the first decade, the church of God expanded almost exclusively into South Korea. 1997 began with the establishment of foreign congregations, which resulted in a strong growth in membership. In 1988 the community had around 10,000 baptized people; in 1996 there were 100,000 and in 2008 there were already one million members worldwide. According to its own information, in 2013 the community had around 400 in Korea and around 2200 worldwide with a total of 1.7 million members in over 150 countries around the world. The first European communities were founded around the turn of the millennium. German parishes of the religious community can be found in Berlin, Hamburg, Munich and Essen, among others.

Chang, Gil-Jah (also transcribed Zang, Gil-Jah) and Kim Joo-Cheol are considered to be leading personalities of God's church today. Chang, Gil-Jah is venerated as "Heavenly Mother", "Mother Jerusalem" and, more recently, also as Mother Goddess. Kim Joo-Cheol is the "General Pastor" of the Church of God and the author of textbooks in which the beliefs of the Post-Ahn-Sahng-Hong era are fixed.

Teaching

The original starting point of the Church of God of the World Mission Association is Adventism. The sanctification of the seventh day , the demonization of the Roman Catholic Church and its teachings, as well as parts of its eschatological constructions can be found at least in the beginning in the teaching building of the World Mission Association. Christian symbols like the cross are rejected as idolatrous. Ahn Sahng-hong had mentioned Ellen G. White , the formative teacher of the Adventist movement, positively in his writings , but also clearly set herself apart from her. For him, it was not the keeping of the Sabbath but the “New Covenant Passover” that was the decisive mark and seal of the elect.

The teachings of the Church of God today , which differ significantly from conventional Christian teachings, are in parts inconsistent. This is particularly evident in the position that Ahn Sahng-hong occupies. So the founder of the community is on the one hand as the returned Jesus Christ, on the other hand as the "Christ Ahnsahnghong", then again as the incarnation of the " Holy Spirit Ahnsahnghong" and finally as the new Priest-King Melchizedek , "without father, without mother [... ] without beginning of days nor end of life, thus incarnation of God the Father ”. In the meantime, Ahn Sahng-hong was expected to return in 1988, 2000 and 2012.

Understanding of God and people

Under God the supporters of understanding church of God a divine couple: God the Father and God the Mother. They derive this from the Hebrew word Elohim (from El = God), which can mean “god” as pluralis majestatis and “gods, angelic beings” in the simple plural . This is justified with the human image of God , which does not appear on earth as father, son and Holy Spirit, but as man and woman. The self-designation of the supporters of the World Mission Association as "Elohists" is also derived from the term Elohim .

God the Father is understood as the highest being who has revealed himself in “three roles”. According to the Church of God , the Trinity (Trinity, Trinity) does not mean that God is one God in three persons (Father, Son and Holy Spirit). Trinity means: God appears in three ways. For explanation, reference is made to the radio play monodrama , in which a speaker plays different roles in a different pitch: "[...] God carried out his six thousand year plan of salvation at times as Yahweh , sometimes as Christ and finally as Ahnsahnghong." divided accordingly into three epochs: the Yahweh God the Father period, the Jesus Son period and the Holy Spirit period, which began with the incarnation of Christ in Ahn Sangh-hong.

The one God in three roles is in a relationship with God-Mother. Incarnation of God-Mother is the aforementioned Chang, Gil-Jah. She is said to have already been prepared by the Ahn for her future role as "Mother Jerusalem". A photo of Ahn and she in their Korean wedding dress is shown in the literature of the World Mission Association, although Chang, Gil-Jah was probably never regularly married to Ahn. Both are said to have owned different partners and their own families.

In the teaching of the WMSCOG, humanity consists of fallen angels who once lived in heaven. However, they sinned and were therefore sent to earth. The central goal of faith is the restoration of the original state as an angel and a return to heaven, for which the rites instituted by the church are necessary.

Baptism, communion, prayer

Only the members of the Church of God accomplished baptism is accepted as valid. It is understood by the religious community as absolutely necessary for salvation and is part of the entrance ritual. If the interested party agrees, it will be carried out immediately. The Trinitarian baptismal formula is used for baptism , but the names Jehovah , Jesus and Ahn Sahng-hong are associated with the designations “Father, Son and Holy Spirit” .

The “New Covenant Passover meal” instituted by Ahn Sahng-hong also belongs to the opening ritual, which is also seen as necessary for salvation and which has taken the place of the Lord's Supper in God's community . It is supposed to tie in with the tradition of the Jewish Passover meal. Another part of the acceptance into the religious community is the "entry in the book of life ", which also includes personal information (address, telephone number, date of birth).

Prayers of God's church are always addressed to Ahn Sahng-hong. In place of the Christian “Our Father” there is the “Prayer of Our Hope” spoken in Korean.

Festivals

The traditional Christian festivals are massively rejected. Especially the keeping of Sunday , which is the place of the weekly Shabbat celebration in God's church (Sabbath is understood from sunrise to sunset), and the celebration of Christmas are traditionally viewed as demonic. Instead of the birth of Jesus Christ, Christmas is reinterpreted as the anniversary of the sun. Two other holidays have been added to the annual calendar of the World Mission Association for Christmas : the birthdays of Ahn Sahng-hong and God-Mother Chang, Gil-Jah.

The most important festival of God's church is the Passover. It ties in with the Jewish Passover celebration, but - like the Christian Last Supper - is only celebrated with the elements of bread and wine. It is taught that this sacramental event was established by Ahn Sahng-hong in his role as Melchizedek as the "festival of the new covenant". Participation in this festival is necessary for salvation.

Other celebrations, all of which have been taken from the Jewish feast day calendar but reinterpreted, are the feast of unleavened bread , the harvest festival of the first fruits and the festival of weeks . A festival of trumpets, which is based on Leviticus , chap. 23, 23-25, is interpreted as prophecy for the beginning of the Adventist movement around William Miller (1782-1849). The Day of Atonement and the Feast of Tabernacles follow in the calendar of God 's Church .

practice

German-language news about the practice of faith in the Church of God is currently only available in the form of dropout reports .

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Members who have been newly baptized are encouraged to attend street missions at least in prayer. The contents of the ten most important standard sermons will be brought closer to you. Parishioners who want to become pastors and / or to be sent out as missionaries first undergo four years of training in South Korea. The division of tasks in the community is based u. a. according to the level of knowledge about the apprenticeship, knowledge of German, age and gender. Missionary work is mainly done in small groups of two members who either go from house to house or stay in busy places such as shopping centers, hospitals and university campuses. In contrast, the entire number of the local community is deliberately shown in public during aid missions, invitations and other appearances. Elements of the Korean way of life are reflected in everyday community life, which also includes a hierarchical understanding of the community.

The members emphasize the harmony within the community. Another topic is explained to a new member in a dialogue at each meeting. These include, for example, the sealing ( Rev 7,2  LUT ) and the Sabbath commandment . The learner is shown reward (i.e. eternal life) and punishment (hell, catastrophes with many fatalities, war, ...) based on the Bible. The teaching of which biblical passages are important and how they are used was essentially determined by the founder of the religious community. Canonical texts, which are called "books of truth", are next to the Bible on the six books of Ahn Sahng-Hong.

In church services, the most extensive part in terms of time is the sermon, which always refers to a series of text passages from the Bible, which are usually not read out by the preacher but by another participant. The complete Bible is not considered suitable for preaching because parts of it are no longer considered to be current for the present age. In the sermon and training, a topic from a specific collection of topics is always dealt with and short Bible passages (approx. 1–20 verses each) are quoted to substantiate the statements of the teaching. At public, about half-yearly lecture events, the focus is on the guests that the group addresses in public, often not knowing that the rest of the hall is filled with members of the congregation. Special features of the service are, in addition to gender-segregated seating arrangements, the recommendation of formal clothing for the visit and the wearing of headgear for women during prayer.

Cohesion and identification of the parishioners should be achieved in the collective "We-love-you" call, as well as addressing the other members with "brother" or "sister". If you visit the group by invitation, the members politely but persistently ask to be baptized and to celebrate a special admission Passover. In addition, a social foundation is run which organizes volunteer activities. The three major campaigns are Save World, the New Life Concert, and Walkathon, each with different special interests, such as environmental protection, health care or poor welfare. The dissemination of teaching is supported by the company's own television station and video platform WATV (Witness of Ahnsahnghong TeleVision).

The television station Andina de Televisión (ATV) Peru provided a summary of the Church of God (Spanish with English subtitles) in a magazine program at the beginning of 2012. A comprehensive critical overview is provided by a report by a dropout from March 2012.

Controversy

In a WDR report from 2007 the church community of God is listed as an example of new religious phenomena in the area of ​​North Rhine-Westphalia. In particular, the similarity to the Unification Church is noted: "It must bring Jesus' task to an end and unite all people in faith". A special feature of God's church community is therefore that in the Essen area they “recently also missioned young people ”. During their missionary work, the missionaries first try to give the impression that they do not belong to a newer Christian community, but to one that is already established in the city. This should also be maintained at the first contact if requested. In particular, the quick acceptance into the community - sometimes the baptism on the first day - is criticized by the Sekten-Info NRW because it places high expectations on the new members, including a missionary training in Korea. In addition, there are repeated reports from North Rhine-Westphalia about young people in particular who feel “massively oppressed” by missionaries from God's church. Allegations of this kind are rejected in official statements by the GGdW.

The Evangelical Central Office for Weltanschauung issues states that Ahnsahnghong alienated Christian teachings in a "fundamental way". The doctrine of God and the idea that Christ came again in Ahnsahnghong are viewed critically.

Repeated conflicts also arise from the constant proselytizing within existing Christian communities and their resistance to it, as well as from unwanted missionary attempts in public space, such as B. on the campus of universities.

literature

  • Matthias Pöhlmann, Christine Jahn on behalf of the church leadership of the VELKD: Handbuch Weltanschauungen, religious communities, free churches . Gütersloher Verlagshaus / VELKD: Gütersloh 2015. ISBN 978-3-579-08224-0 . P. 436f (Article Church of God of the World Mission Club )
  • Thomas Gandow: World Mission Fellowship of the Church of God (WMS) - Elohists . In: Berliner Dialog No. 30/2010 (Special Issue: Sealed and Raptured ). ISSN  0948-0390 . Pp. 10-14
  • Hans Gasper, Harald Baer, ​​Johannes Sinabell, Joachim Müller (eds.): Lexicon of Christian churches and special communities . Herder publishing house: Freiburg im Breisgau 2010. ISBN 3-451-06051-5 . P. 221f
  • David W. Kim, Won-il Bang: Guwonpa, WMSCOG, and Shincheonji: Three Dynamic Grassroots Groups in Contemporary Korean Christian NRM History . Religions 10/3, 2019. E-ISSN 20771444.
  • Seonghyeon Oh: The Outreach of the World Mission Society Church of God and Peripheral Doctrines. Holiness Church and Theology 31, 2014. pp. 120-145.
  • Ji Il Tark: Christian New Religious Movements in Korea . University and Mission 12, 2007. pp. 149-167.
  • Munsu Park: World Mission Society Church of God: A Major Cult in Korean Church. The Living Water 766, 2017. pp. 106-109.
  • Chang Kim: Towards an understanding of Korean Protestantism: The formation of Christian-oriented sects, cults, and anti-cult movements in contemporary Korea. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing: CALGARY 2008. ISBN 978-0-494-38219-6 (Theories and History; does not specifically address the WMSCOG)
  • Ro Kil-myung: New Religions and Social Change in Modern Korea History. THE REVIEW OF KOREAN STUDIES Vol. 5 (1), 2002. pp. 31-62. (shows the historical conditions and sociological changes in Korea; but also does not specifically address the WMSCOG)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ David W. Kim, Won-il Bang: Guwonpa, WMSCOG, and Shincheonji: Three Dynamic Grassroots Groups in Contemporary Korean Christian NRM History . In: Religions, March 19, 2019. pp. 5 and 6. E-ISSN 20771444. Accessed June 2, 2020.
  2. ^ Matthias Pöhlmann, Christine Jahn on behalf of the church leadership of the VELKD: Handbuch Weltanschauungen, Religious Communities, Free Churches . Gütersloher Verlagshaus / VELKD: Gütersloh 2015. ISBN 978-3-579-08224-0 . P. 436f (Article Church of God of the World Mission Club )
  3. ↑ For example Church of God (Anderson) , Church of God of the seventh day , Church of God (Restoration), etc.
  4. ↑ Chang Kim: Towards an understanding of Korean Protestantism: The formation of Christian-oriented sects, cults, and anti-cult movements in contemporary Korea. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing: CALGARY 2008. ISBN 978-0-494-38219-6 pp. 207-213.
  5. ^ Ro Kil-myung: New Religions and Social Change in Modern Korea History. THE REVIEW OF KOREAN STUDIES Vol. 5 (1), 2002. P. 54.
  6. ↑ Thomas Gandow: World Mission Community of the Church of God (WMS) - Elohists . In: Berliner Dialog No. 30/2010 (Special Issue: Sealed and Raptured ). P. 10f
  7. ↑ Ji Il Tark: Christian New Religious Movements in Korea . University and Mission 12, 2007. pp. 155-157.
  8. ↑ Ji Il Tark: Christian New Religious Movements in Korea . University and Mission 12, 2007. pp. 155-157.
  9. ^ Sekten-Info NRW.de: Presentation of the Church of God of the World Mission Association (WMS) ; accessed on December 11, 2019
  10. ↑ Thomas Gandow: World Mission Community of the Church of God (WMS) - Elohists . In: Berliner Dialog No. 30/2010 (Special Issue: Sealed and Raptured ). P. 11
  11. ↑ David W. Kim, Won-il Bang, Guwonpa, WMSCOG, and Shincheonji: Three Dynamic Grassroots Groups in Contemporary Korean Christian NRM History . Religions 10/3, 2019. E-ISSN 20771444. p. 11.
  12. ↑ Quoted from Thomas Gandow: World Mission Community of the Church of God (WMS) - Elohists . In: Berliner Dialog No. 30/2010 (Special Issue: Sealed and Raptured ). P. 11, column III
  13. ↑ David W. Kim, Won-il Bang, Guwonpa, WMSCOG, and Shincheonji: Three Dynamic Grassroots Groups in Contemporary Korean Christian NRM History . Religions 10/3, 2019. E-ISSN 20771444. p. 11.
  14. ↑ Thomas Gandow: World Mission Community of the Church of God (WMS) - Elohists . In: Berliner Dialog No. 30/2010 (Special Issue: Sealed and Raptured ). P. 11, column III
  15. ↑ Thomas Gandow: World Mission Community of the Church of God (WMS) - Elohists . In: Berliner Dialog No. 30/2010 (Special Issue: Sealed and Raptured ). P. 12, col. I.
  16. ↑ Thomas Gandow: World Mission Community of the Church of God (WMS) - Elohists . In: Berliner Dialog No. 30/2010 (Special Issue: Sealed and Raptured ). P. 11, col. I + II
  17. ↑ David W. Kim, Won-il Bang, Guwonpa, WMSCOG, and Shincheonji: Three Dynamic Grassroots Groups in Contemporary Korean Christian NRM History . Religions 10/3, 2019. E-ISSN 20771444. p. 11.
  18. ^ Matthias Pöhlmann, Christine Jahn on behalf of the church leadership of the VELKD: Handbuch Weltanschauungen, Religious Communities, Free Churches . Gütersloher Verlagshaus / VELKD: Gütersloh 2015. p. 437
  19. ↑ Thomas Gandow: World Mission Community of the Church of God (WMS) - Elohists . In: Berliner Dialog No. 30/2010 (Special Issue: Sealed and Raptured ). P. 13, column I
  20. ↑ Thomas Gandow: World Mission Community of the Church of God (WMS) - Elohists . In: Berliner Dialog No. 30/2010 (Special Issue: Sealed and Raptured ). P. 13, column I
  21. ^ Matthias Pöhlmann, Christine Jahn on behalf of the church leadership of the VELKD: Handbuch Weltanschauungen, Religious Communities, Free Churches . Gütersloher Verlagshaus / VELKD: Gütersloh 2015. p. 437
  22. ↑ Anonymous, Christoph Grotepass: Church of God of the World Mission Association. Experience report and brief presentation of the community ; accessed on December 12, 2019
  23. ↑ David W. Kim, Won-il Bang, Guwonpa, WMSCOG, and Shincheonji: Three Dynamic Grassroots Groups in Contemporary Korean Christian NRM History . Religions 10/3, 2019. E-ISSN 20771444. p. 13.
  24. ↑ Thomas Gandow: World Mission Community of the Church of God (WMS) - Elohists . In: Berliner Dialog No. 30/2010 (Special Issue: Sealed and Raptured ). P. 12, columns I and II
  25. ↑ Thomas Gandow: World Mission Community of the Church of God (WMS) - Elohists . In: Berliner Dialog No. 30/2010 (Special Issue: Sealed and Raptured ). P. 12, column II
  26. ↑ Anonymous & Christoph Grotepass: Church of God of the World Mission Association: Experience report and brief description of the community. In: Sekten-Info Nordrhein-Westfalen eV March 15, 2013, accessed on June 4, 2020 . Report from a dropout
  27. ↑ David W. Kim, Won-il Bang, Guwonpa, WMSCOG, and Shincheonji: Three Dynamic Grassroots Groups in Contemporary Korean Christian NRM History . Religions 10/3, 2019. E-ISSN 20771444. p. 11.
  28. ↑ David W. Kim, Won-il Bang, Guwonpa, WMSCOG, and Shincheonji: Three Dynamic Grassroots Groups in Contemporary Korean Christian NRM History . Religions 10/3, 2019. E-ISSN 20771444. p. 11.
  29. ↑ a b c Anonymous & Grotepass C: Church of God of the World Mission Association: Experience report and brief description of the community. In: The West . March 2012, accessed April 18, 2019 . Report from a dropout
  30. ↑ David W. Kim, Won-il Bang, Guwonpa, WMSCOG, and Shincheonji: Three Dynamic Grassroots Groups in Contemporary Korean Christian NRM History . Religions 10/3, 2019. E-ISSN 20771444. p. 13.
  31. ↑ Doctrine of the Church of God on: Baptism ( Memento of the original from October 8, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Retrieved March 7, 2012. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / german.watv.org
  32. ↑ Doctrine of the Church of God on: Forgiveness ( Memento of the original from November 3, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Retrieved March 7, 2012. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / german.watv.org
  33. ↑ David W. Kim, Won-il Bang, Guwonpa, WMSCOG, and Shincheonji: Three Dynamic Grassroots Groups in Contemporary Korean Christian NRM History . Religions 10/3, 2019. E-ISSN 20771444. pp. 14, 15.
  34. ↑ TV report on the Church of God in Peru: Polémica Doctrina. Primera Noticia -Fin de Semana- . Channel: Andina de Televisión (ATV) Peru , January 22nd 2012 (Spanish with English subtitles). Retrieved March 7, 2012.
  35. ↑ a b Kretz-Mangold M: "Calvary Chapel" and "Christenzentrum" - Diversity on the Edge: In the Supermarket of Religions ( Memento from August 17, 2012 in the Internet Archive ). In: WDR , September 28, 2007. Web article with quotes from several sect advisors from NRW. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  36. ↑ Congregations of God at Evangelical Central Office for Weltanschauung questions, accessed on March 31, 2014.
  37. ^ Paul Fletcher: Church can't stop man from posting discovery . Virginia Lawyers Weekly, Minneapolis June 30, 2012.
  38. ↑ Jolly Bradley: Doomsday cult travels 5,000 miles to 'bombard UK students with calls and text. Members of World Mission Society Church of God (WMSCOG) approached students at Kingston University in south-west London . Daily Mirror, London 11th August 2019.
  39. ^ Sarah Bedford: Student stands up for religion when questioned by others Hang on for a minute . The Beacon, Pennsylvania October 10, 2016.
  40. ^ World Mission Society Church of God: East Coast 'Good Samaritan Movement' Kicks Off in New York City . India Retail News, New Delhi January 27, 2012.
  41. ^ Nia Tariq: College women recall being approached by a cult-like church . Commonwealth Times, Virginia February 19, 2018.