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| On 28th March 2022, Cheonji Ilbo (Cheonji Daily) published an article, in Korean, entitled, “'This Word is True': The Word of Shincheonji and My Family [Shincheonji Diary of Faith - 1]”. This is a translation of that report. |
📰Two years ago, heresy counsellors belonging to the Korean Church predicted that Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony (Shincheonji) would be dismantled in the wake of Covid-19. They insisted that believers would leave Shincheonji and go to their churches instead. Yet the reality has been the opposite. The established Church in Korea is facing its greatest crisis as it experiences a sharp decline in membership, while Shincheonji has grown rapidly over the past two years, producing a whopping 40,000 graduates. The stories of faithful believers, who have overcome discrimination and hatred amid an unprecedented era of 'fake news' during the Covid-19 pandemic, are recounted here.
It has already been 13 years since 'Mrs. A', who once practised her faith within the established church in Korea, overcame a crisis of faith by choosing to live a life of faith at Shincheonji Church of Jesus. Mrs. A, who witnessed the corruption of pastors at the church she was attending, recalls that time, saying, “After many years, feelings of betrayal and scepticism about my faith came to the surface. That is when I began to seek the Word, contemplating whether to continue in my faith.” The reason Mrs. A continued her life of faith is because she encountered the words of the Bible taught at Shincheonji Church through a dear female friend, whom she considered closer than her own sister.
Mrs. A says that Shincheonji Church has resolved her curiosities about the Word, which she could not find anywhere else. As she studied and the teaching course progressed, she would listen to sermons, meditate on the Bible and have her questions answered according to the Bible. Mrs. A became increasingly convinced that, in her words, 'this Word is true'. However, the process of receiving the Word was not smooth sailing.
While Mrs. A was studying the intermediate course at Shincheonji Church's Zion Mission Center, her husband learned that she had been studying the word from Shincheonji Church. He would prevent Mrs. A from leaving the house, persecute her and say, “Why are you going there? I don’t like my wife going places where people point their fingers at one another.”
Mrs. A said, “I couldn’t stop studying at that point because I knew I had come to learn the truth.”
Mrs. A's earnestness led her to confidently declaring her faith to her family. “Firstly, I prayed earnestly to God that my husband’s heart would be open,” said Mrs. A, “and I tried to be more committed to my family than ever before, prioritising my children and family gatherings. I tried to talk to my husband step by step, hoping he would understand my desire, even if he didn't approve of it fully.” Mrs. A's earnestness meant that she would live a life of faith uninterrupted for 12 years.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, Mrs. A's faith received unexpected recognition from her family. Unlike the churches of the world, which created and fed a cycle of anxiety through confrontations with the government over Covid prevention measures including face-to-face worship services, the families of Shincheonji Church members were taken aback by Shincheonji Church's cooperation with Covid-19 prevention measures. Mrs. A's husband later expressed his thoughts, telling her, “It seems that the people of Shincheonji Church are far more exemplary.”
Mrs. A, who has managed her family and faith with unchanging resolve, expressed her gratitude to God, saying, “Now, my husband, who is curious about the Word of Shincheonji, is studying the Word at the Zion Christian Mission Center.”
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