Noah Brown: April 2018

The story of Abraham and Isaac is a beautiful story of faith, prophecy and fulfilment, and covenant. It is one of faith because of Abraham’s firm belief in God’s promise; of prophecy and fulfilment because God fulfilled (and still fulfils) exactly what He promised him, and of covenant because God always works to fulfil His will through a covenant.

The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.

“I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse;

and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

Roughly 2000BC, God came to Abram in his deep sleep and established a covenant through him. At the age of 75, Abram left his homeland, Harran (modern-day Turkey), everything he was used to and ventured into an arduous journey towards the land of Canaan.

“But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year.” (Genesis 17:21)

Some 24 years after leaving Harran, God came to Abram again and promised him that His covenant to bless all peoples would pass through his son-to-be. By that time, Abram had already conceived a son, Ishmael, through the maidservant (Hagar) of his wife, Sarah. However, Ishmael, widely believed to be the father of Islam, was not the child of promise. Aged 99, God gave Abraham his second son, Isaac, who was conceived through Sarah, aged 90 (Genesis 21:1-7). What must have seemed impossible to man is possible for God.

Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”

“Here I am,” he replied.

Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love – Isaac - and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.” (Genesis 22:1-2)

How challenging this must have been for Abraham. Although likely filled with worry and grief, Abraham trusted in God’s promise over his fears and left without delay “early the next morning” (Gen 22:3). Taking two young servants with him and wood for the fire, Abraham and Isaac walked for two days towards the mountain in Moriah. With the mountain in view, Abraham separated himself and his son, Isaac, from the two servants:

He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.” (Genesis 22:5)

Had Abraham spoken ‘honestly’ with the two servants about his intentions, God’s will may not have been fulfilled. Father and son continued on. Isaac thought that they would make a customary lamb offering to God but when they arrived at the top of the mountain, Abraham built an altar, arranged the wood on it and bound his son, Isaac, upon it. As Abraham raised his arm to slay his son of promise, the angel of the Lord stopped him:

“Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.” (Genesis 22:12)

The angel of God came to him a second time:

“I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.” (Genesis 22:17-18)

Abraham, widely known as “the father of faith”, believed in God’s promise and reasoned that God could bring Isaac back to life (Hebrews 11:19). Through Abraham’s obedience, God, who is often referred to as “The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob”, established the twelve tribes of Israel through Jacob (later re-named ‘Israel’). Some 400 years after God’s promise to Abraham, the twelve tribes of Israel entered the land of Canaan under the leadership of Moses and Joshua.

However, because of the chosen peoples’ continual betrayal over the last 6000 years, God has had to establish numerous covenants. Although Jesus fulfilled all the promises He had made with the prophets at the time of the first coming (John 19:30), the Christian world then betrayed. Today there is a hope for humanity - the new covenant that Jesus established through the Book of Revelation which will be fulfilled when he returns (Revelation 21:6). Surely we should know what this new covenant is, keep it, and work accordingly so that God’s promise and the hope of humanity of can be fulfilled:-

“He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:4)

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On 10th of February 2018, an article published in JoongAng Daily detailed the achievements of the Shincheonji Volunteer Group (SVG) for its service to the isolated and marginalised in Korea. As one of the three major English-language newspapers (that is published alongside the New York Times), this is a rather major publication. Shincheonji Volunteer is the volunteering wing of Shincheonji Church.

Shincheonji Church has been founded according to the promises of the Bible. It is the promised “New Heaven New Earth” of the Bible that was established on 14 March 1984 in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province (Isaiah 65:17, 2 Pet 3:13, Revelation 21:1-4). In 1990, Shincheonji Church's theological arm - the Zion Christian Mission Centre - was set up in Seoul to teach the revealed word of the Bible. Today, the church provides more than 400 centres in 32 countries where the Bible is taught in its entirety from Genesis to Revelation without cost to those who wish to sincerely study the Bible. The church now has nearly 200,000 congregation members in 135 church branches across 19 countries. This church is the tree of life that grows by bearing 12 crops of fruit every month (Revelation 22:2). It is the only place in the world in which the hope of God and humanity will be fulfilled; a world without mourning, death, crying or pain (Revelation 21:4).

Shincheonji Church has not only spread the Gospel, but through SVG has spread the love of God through continual care for the isolated and vulnerable - the disabled, widows, rural villagers, foreigners, students and over 6million Korean War veterans. Recognition for their efforts was made in 2016 as 67 awards were given by governmental, civic and private organisations. It is the largest Korean-based non-governmental organisation currently operating in the Republic of Korea.

Such achievements were made through the efforts of 105,738 volunteers in 67 of the 84 cities in Korea through six core projects that include:-

- “Visiting Doctor Programme”: treatment for more than 1000 foreigners by 250 Chinese and south-east Asian medical volunteers (accompanied by numerous interpreters) who specialise in general practice, nursing, pharmacy, dentistry and oriental medicine

- “Stories on the Wall”: since 2013, there has been re-development of 165km of decrepit walls into beautiful murals through 596 paintings in 250 locations. With the support of 25,000 volunteers and local residents, 'mural villages' have been created in 23 cities

- “Love One’s Country, Sharing Peace”: cultural volunteer service originating in the spirit of devotion

- “Hooray! 100 Years of Life!”: cultural programmes combined with emotional support for the elderly

- “The Pink Wrapping Cloth”: delivery of healthy lunches to widows and the elderly

- ”Nature, Let's Go Green”: environmental cleaning service

These six core projects also include disaster relief, blood donations, support for veteran groups, regional development and public service campaigns.

For more information:-

http://en.shincheonji.kr/bv_shincheonjiIssue_4994

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Since the beginning of the year, London has witnessed 36 fatal stabbings and a total of 62 deaths resulting from knife and gun crime - figures that are half up on the same period last year. England and Wales has witnessed an annual rise of 20% in both gun and knife crime. Most killings are gang-related and the remainder mainly drug-related. Just days after the borough of Camden held its largest ever march where a 1000-strong cohort of parents, teachers and children pleaded for a call to action against knife crime, a 17-year-old girl was shot and murdered. Why are so many young people - often men - resorting to indiscriminate violence, and what solutions, if any, are there to help curb such violence?

In 2014, two London MPs advocated successfully for new stringent binding sentences for knife possession, meaning that anyone aged above 16 caught with a knife twice would face compulsory imprisonment. However, since this law has come into effect, knife crime has increased. Causes of today’s knife crime epidemic are wide-ranging.

One of the major causes of knife crime is domestic violence. Many of the most serious offenders - now excluded from mainstream education - have either witnessed or been victims of domestic violence in their formative years. The vast majority have absent fathers and, consequently, a scarcity of positive role models. Such trauma is rooted in fear, and if left unresolved, can easily be processed into anger which manifests itself in indiscriminate violence.

Flaws within the education system do not help vulnerable young people. After being excluded from mainstream education, young men and women are often sent to alternative schools where they are taught by unqualified, interim teachers. The study hours there are fewer than within mainstream education and the majority of pupils fail to secure the necessary number of GCSEs required for further education or employment. This provides them with more opportunity for gang involvement. (Roughly 60% of prisoners come from this group of people). The irony of living in one of the world’s most thriving economies is that there is, in reality, gross inequality within the education and work sectors. This is due in no small part to economic austerity, which has made it more difficult for young men and women from challenging backgrounds to ‘succeed’ now than ten years ago. They are all too aware of this. Therefore, the allure of a quick pound and recognition from gangmates drives older gang members to recruit younger members through pyramid schemes.

To combat these problems, various initiatives have been set up. ‘The Difference’ encourages dedicated and highly-skilled teachers to move from mainstream into alternative education whilst ‘Debate Mate’ develops the self-confidence and speaking skills of young people from disadvantaged communities with the hope that this will keep them in school. The Integrated Gangs Team - comprised of an intelligence analyst, forensic psychologist and a mental health – was set up in Islington to work closely with council staff and police officers to support various youth services by understanding the causes of violent behaviour committed by a small group of young people. This has helped to divert the vulnerable and protect those at threat from older gang members. In Glasgow, in response to the deaths of 63 young men to violent crime in 2007, The Community Initiative to Reduce Violence was set up to introduce more stringent enforcement whilst providing willing gang members with support securing training and work. Most recently in London, the Home Office’s £1.35million #knifefree adverts campaign has shown case studies of former gang members who have changed their lives after going knife-free. It is a significant amount of capital to invest in. A common view shared among former gang members-turned-anti-gang activists is that such an investment would have made much more difference had it been used to help young gang members set up their own business.

Changes within the policing sector have arguably played a role in the rise of violent crime. Government-enforced police cuts have led to a far greater reduction of police community support officers (PCSO) than police officers, meaning that PCSOs, who were previously closely involved within the community and had a visible presence, are no longer there. 240 police officers have already left Islington and the results are clear to see.

If we look at the police response to knife crime over the last 20 years, it has, on the whole, led to short-term solutions that include increased ‘stop-and-search’ and a crack-down on drug dealing. This has created increased tension between black and ethnic minority communities (BAME) and the police. Increasing levels of random stop-and-search will only further alienate young people. If used, it needs to be intelligence-led and not focused on predominantly BAME communities.

We can learn from the way that New York (which, for the first time in living memory, has been surpassed by London in knife crime figures) has tackled its knife crime epidemic in the 1990s. At that time, one of its key approaches was having police officers in street corners as opposed to large groups or being in police vehicles. People naturally felt more comfortable. The Big Apple has become one of the safest major American cities. When walking today’s streets of Islington or Tottenham, one rarely sees single police officers, who are the connecting sinews of a community, but rather the unnerving, unsettling wails of police-car sirens. Why is it that police patrolling the streets in large numbers are found only by Buckingham Palace or Parliament Square?

There is little doubt that many of our youth have lost hope in being able to secure a stable job that can provide a stable income for a secure future. The causes that contribute to the knife crime epidemic are many. Social media and the drug market also contribute to this. The solution ultimately lies in addressing the root of the issue. We need to listen to the inner cries of these boys and girls who are all-too-often thrown out of the secondary schooling system and end up becoming easy prey for gangs. They seek to be heard and need to be heard. If we don’t do so and fail to support them into employment, we may continue losing them and their victims.

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On Wednesday, 14th March 2018, Jamsil Dorm stadium hosted the 34th Annual Commemoration of the Establishment of Shincheonji Church in Seoul, Republic of Korea, that was attended by some 20,000 congregation members of the 12 tribes. Shortly after, JoongAng Daily - one of the three main English-language newspapers in Korea that is sold in conjunction with the New York Times - published an article outlining the significance of the Commemorative Service.

These 12 tribes are those promised in the Bible (Revelation 7:4-8). Also in attendance was ManHee Lee, the ‘One Who Overcomes’, who is the Promised Pastor of our times today (Revelation 3:12, 21). Directly appointed by Jesus to testify the physical fulfilment of Revelation (Revelation 1:17; 22:16), he is the only person who has seen and heard all the events of the 22 chapters of the Book of Revelation (Revelation 22:8) and is the instrument through which God and Jesus are working today to help fulfil God’s ultimate purpose of achieving world peace and eternal life (Revelation 21:4). For over an hour, the Promised Pastor delivered a sermon outlining the four main contents of the Bible - history, instruction, prophecy and fulfilment - that included testimony of the physical fulfilment of Revelation.

In 2018, Shincheonji Church has nearly 200,000 congregation members in 135 branches across 19 countries. However, it started out with very humble beginnings. The first Service was held in a tiny apartment building in the Bisan-dong neighbourhood of Dongan district in the city of Anyang, Gyeonggi Province on 14th March 1984. In 1990, its theological arm, the Zion Christian Mission Centre, was set up in Seoul, and has since grown to providing over 400 centres both domestically and internationally to teach the revealed word of the Bible to those who wish to study. According to the promise of Revelation 22:2, the church is continuing to grow by bearing 12 crops of fruit.

Shincheonji Church has not only spread the Gospel, but also devoted time and effort to caring for thousands of isolated and vulnerable people within mainland Korea through its Volunteer Group, established in 2003. Since then, it has received 67 awards for volunteerism from governmental, civil and private organisations, and is currently the largest Korean-based NGO operating in mainland Korea.

Shincheonji Church is fulfilling every single promise written in the Book of Revelation and its congregation members are mastering the 66 books of the Bible. It is through Shincheonji Church that God’s will and the hope of humanity will be fulfilled. Please come and learn for yourself.

Further reading

(JoongAng Daily 34^th Anniversary Service of Foundation and Determined to be a ‘Right Believer’)

https://goo.gl/Hna7Df

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On the 9th October 2012, 15 year-old Malala Yousafzai boarded a school bus in the Swat Valley of north-west Pakistan - a region once dubbed as the "Switzerland of Asia". Moments later, a masked gunman boarded, called out Malala by name and shot her in the head, neck and shoulder.

Malala Yousafzai's story is one that has touched the hearts of millions of people both at home and around the world. In 2009, shortly after the Taliban seized control of Swat, Malala began blogging for BBC Urdu, documenting the growing oppression of life under the Taliban's rulership of severe Sharia law. The militants enacted various laws that included banning girls from going to school because it was "un-Islamic". Thousands of girls were suddenly deprived their basic freedom to learn and hundreds of school and college students were mercilessly slaughtered by the Taliban.

In today's world, roughly 80% of global conflicts are caused by religious differences. The reason the Taliban enforced such unjust measures - where refusal to comply often led to public execution - is because of their warped understanding of their scriptures; in this case, the Koran.

However, it is not only in areas over which extremist organisations rule that infringement of one's religious or personal freedoms can be seen. Amidst the recent Winter Olympics in the Republic of Korea, 25 year-old Ms. Ji-In Gu was suffocated to death for having refused to renounce her religious beliefs and convert to beliefs ascribed to by so-called 'Christian pastors' through the coercive conversion programme. There remains within Korea alone 1200 victims of coercive conversion, yet the government remains silent. The prohibition of women's education is as much an abuse of human rights as is one's deprivation of religious freedom. Everyone should have the right to freely exercise the two.

On 28th March 2018, Malala returned to home soil for the first time in five years, where she was welcomed with open arms by her family, friends and the majority of Pakistanis. Having used her popularity to campaign for girls' education on a global level, becoming the youngest person to win the Nobel Peace Prize and, now 21, studying at Oxford University, she is keeping the flame of hope alive in the face of a continuous domineering male mindset and an example to us all.

For a more detailed account of Malala's story and return

https://goo.gl/XMPKp9

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A 120,000-strong protest across several major cities in the Republic of Korea on 18th of January 2018 that brought to light the murder of Ms. Ji-In Gu – a young woman who died after refusing to renounce her beliefs - has triggered a global wave of protests in more than thirty countries including the UK, France, Germany, Switzerland, Czech Republic, South Africa, Australia, Zimbabwe, Namibia, New Zealand, Japan and the Philippines. Global rallies have urged for justice to be delivered and for the enactment of a law that bans coercive conversion programmes. Shockingly, the South Korean government continues to turn a blind eye and, as of yet, has failed to issue a single statement.

In 2016, Ms. Gu was kidnapped, confined and shackled for a period of 44 days where she forcibly received “conversion education”. After her escape, she petitioned to the President of South Korea on 4th of June 2017 for a law banning coercive conversion. Her plea was ignored. She was re-taken captive to a recreational lodge in Hwasun, Jeonnam province, where she died on 29th of December 2017. The autopsy revealed a strong likelihood of cardiac arrest caused by asphyxiation. Her parents are under investigation for having allegedly collaborated with these so-called ‘Christian pastors’ after having admitted their daughter on to the coercive conversion programme.

South Korea, home to more than 1200 victims of coercive conversion, is a supposedly democratic and developed country which enshrines freedom of religion for all under article 20 of its constitution. Through the practice of coercive conversion, people have been confined, shackled and beaten for having refused to renounce their religious beliefs. Coercive conversion programme leaders mask their true identity and use fear to pressure family members into ‘protecting’ their son or daughter. As Ms. Eun Kyung Lim, speaking on behalf of a Korean non-governmental human rights organisation named Human Rights Association for Forced Conversion (HRAFC) argues “Isn’t it nonsense that forced conversion with human rights infringement takes place in a country that is defending freedom of religion by the constitution?”

Indeed, does the South Korean government not possess or feel a duty or imperative to respond to the voices of its own people? Should it not ensure that peoples’ basic rights are protected according to the constitution and that those responsible are held to account in a court of law? Isn’t religion that which promotes and fosters good-will between one another and deeper understanding of a greater power or Creator?

The plea was made on British soil on 10th of March 2018 in London, UK, at a rally co-hosted by the Association for Victims of Coercive Conversion Programmes (AVCCP) and International Women’s Peace Group (IWPG). Religious leaders representing the Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist, Hindu and Jain faiths - along with their communities - gathered in Parliament Square to call on the South Korean government to enact a law that bans coercive conversion. With the practice of forced conversion becoming increasingly common within our own prisons, we must do more to counter religious conversion of any kind before more lives are stolen. Speaking on the UK rally, Vardata Singh from the London Central Gurdwara said: “It was very inspirational, it was a time of great sadness when forced conversion is becoming more widespread in British prisons, it has become almost an epidemic, and the need to protect people’s rights to religious freedom is imperative”

To help call for the enactment of a law banning coercive conversion, please consider taking a moment to fill out the following petition:-
Signature Campaign for the Enactment of a Special Law Against Coercive Conversion Programs

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Following on from the recent article entitled ‘The Shame of Coercive Conversion: Ms. Ji-In Gu’ that brought to light the murder of a 25-year-old woman in Hwasun, South Korea, global awareness of the heinous practice of coercive conversion and citizens’ pleas for advocacy for the enactment of a law banning coercive conversion in the Republic of Korea is being gradually achieved. Memorial services for Ms. Gu – second victim to the practice of coercive conversion in South Korea - have been held in several countries including Germany, Switzerland, Czech Republic, UK, New Zealand, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. On 10^th of February, 1000 secondary school students in Philippines held a memorial service and participated in a protest calling for a ban of the practice. This was followed by a memorial service and rally 6000 miles away in Berlin exactly one week later.

Although the success of the Olympic “Peace Games” has helped foster greater peace discussions between North and South Korea, the South Korean government seems to be turning a blind eye to the plea made by 120,000 citizens in Seoul and other major cities on 28th of January 2018 calling for a ban on coercive conversion programmes. Although Article 20 of the Constitution of South Korea, entitled ‘Freedom of Religion’, clearly states that “all citizens enjoy the freedom of religion”, the reality is that there are currently 1300 victims of coercive conversion in Korea alone; half of whom have experienced physical abuse for having refused to renounce their beliefs. Why should someone have to live in fear of their life because of their belief? Who granted these so-called ‘Christian pastors’ the authority to kidnap, tie, beat and murder people? As one member of the public in Berlin put it, “if we ignore the acts of coercive conversion in Korea, it is like killing the victims a second time”. Indeed, this is the reality of what is taking place in 21^st century Korea.

What is perhaps most frightening of all is the fact that coercive conversion programmes have been established and implemented by the country’s leading Christian authority - ‘The Christian Council of Korea’ (CCK). Its teachings are rooted in John Calvin, who put thousands of men, women and children to death, and it worshipped Japanese gods during the Japanese occupation (1910-1945). Moreover, the CCK prevented both the erection of the monument of the Declaration of Reunification of North and South Korea and the creation of a large-sized handprint Korean flag, as well as numerous volunteer works. Is this how a country’s leading religious authority should act in 2018? How would we in the UK respond if a leading Christian establishment committed such actions? The CCK needs to turn from its ways and put an end to its money-making coercive conversion programmes that exploit people and impede one's human rights on a basic level. Moreover, the President and judicial authorities need to respond to the plea of its own people. Let’s hope that the signature campaign calling for an end to coercive conversion programmes that began on 9th of January 2018, after the death of Ms. Gu, continues to gather momentum so that justice can be fully administered.

Highlights of the memorial services and rallies:-

Advocacy for the Enactment of the Law against Coercive Conversion
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcEmMXrOVxc

Memorial of Ms. Ji-In Gu
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S32VGFyxiug

The Fight Against Coercive Conversion Programmes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkOS83m2mwQ

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