The Busan James Tribe of Shincheonji Church of Jesus held a press conference to respond to social prejudices and misunderstandings. On that day, a clear explanation was given on various questions and under the theme of 'Reporters Crossing the Line'.
The main topics of discussion were 'the reason for using the title of lecturer instead of a pastor' and 'winning the youth return lawsuit'.
The discussion began with a question from Ha-yeon Cho, a reporter for International News, about whether the symbol of the throne, rather than the cross, is used in Shincheonji events and worship services. In response to this, Chang-ho Seong, head lecturer at Shincheonji Masan Church, mentioned that according to what is recorded in the Bible, there is a throne in heaven where God, Jesus, and the angels are together. He revealed that the mark of the throne is used to deliver the Word.
Jeong-hwan Lim, head of the tribe, explained that each church may have different practices, and that the presence or absence of a cross does not determine the level of faith.
In the discussion, Seon Jeong, editor-in-chief of Newsworks, asked, 'Why did the history of Shincheonji begin in South Korea?' Lecturer Seong said, “At the First Coming, Jesus was not who he was because he fulfilled one or two verses of the Bible, but because he fulfilled hundreds of prophecies in the Old Testament. That's why he is Jesus. Shincheonji is not just a theory, but has evidence of the fulfilment. We don't just pinpoint one piece of fulfilment and say it began in South Korea, but we say that it was fulfilled here because everything was fulfilled in accordance with the Bible.”
Regarding the reason for using the title lecturer instead of pastor, Tribe leader Lim explained, “It's not because we have anything against the word 'pastor'. To claim that is absolutely untrue.” He added, “'Pastor' is an administrative title created within Christianity. It is taught at seminaries, but it is not biblically recognised.”
Bridge Economics reporter Nam-seon Do asked, “Why don't you recognise the institution of the seminary?” Tribe leader Lim said, “If there is a God, then the words of man must be left outside the seminary. However, seminaries interpret and teach with commentaries written by people.” He emphasised, “Many pastors are coming to Shincheonji because Shincheonji teaches based on the words of the Bible.”
Discussions continued about winning the youth return lawsuit and the role of the media.
Tribe head Lim said, “Shincheonji is framed with negativity with words such as, 'If you join Shincheonji, you'll lose your job and do away with your house.'”
In response, reporter Do said, “I don’t think it creates a legal issue because the Supreme Court also recognised that as a part of religious freedom.”
Lecturer Seong said, “When it comes to religious freedom, I think we should think about Christianity first before discussing Shincheonji. Before coming (to Shincheonji), I served in the church for over 20 years and devoted myself fully by investing materials and time. However, I experienced much dishonesty and lies, and the Korean Church did not take responsibility for this. As far as I know, Shincheonji is the only place in the world that underwent a search and seizure due to COVID-19. Even though the Chairman of Shincheonji at the time issued an apology, the responsibility did not lie with the chairman. We can apologise for any wrong we did whenever people want.”
In addition, reporter Do pointed out, 'Now that there is even a legal precedent, will you be carrying out evangelism with wisdom again?' Lecturer Seong said, “Since there are so many believers, some people do evangelise 'with wisdom', but I think an organisation is one with a destination and which guides people to the right place. Together with the general assembly and the 12 tribes, we will do our best in educating so that it does not become a social problem.” He added, “I think that fact-checking should become a priority in the press. These days, when a provocative issue breaks out, it seems second nature to copy and paste and publish without even checking. Change is needed.”
Reporter Do said, “It is only natural that Shincheonji, as well as other established churches, should be pointed out if there are mistakes. Journalists report what they want citizens to know. It is necessary that the facts are correct, but even if they do change later, it is still the role of the media to be the first to raise suspicions.”
Tribe leader Lim concluded by saying, “Shincheonji will try to make known what it knows about any question as openly as possible, as we have in this forum,” and concluded, “I hope that we will continue to have opportunities to clear up questions and misunderstandings about Shincheonji and establish a platform for open dialogue.”
Questions about 'the reason the Shincheonji headquarters is in Gwacheon' and 'parables' came up, but due to the time limit, the decision was made to discuss it in future forums.
'Reporters Crossing the Line' was simulcast to more than 600 viewers, who also commented. The video of the discussion can be viewed again by searching for it on the YouTube channels eNews and Newsworks.
The Busan James Tribe plans to hold monthly press conferences to communicate with the media and resolve misunderstandings and questions about Shincheonji.
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