Good News Mission
Good News Mission | |
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Location | Worldwide |
Website | www |
History | |
Founded | 1972 |
Founder(s) | Ock Soo Park |
Good News Mission (GNM; Korean: 기쁜소식선교회; RR: gi-ppeun-so-sik-sseon-gyo-hoe) is a South Korean Christian-based new religious movement founded in 1971 by pastor Ock Soo Park.[1] It is one of several new religious movements in Korea referred to as Guwonpa (Salvation sect).[2]
History
The first Good News church was established in 1972 by Ock Soo Park and became a mission when the missionary school was established in 1976, taking over the existing missionary school in place of the returning orthodox evangelical missionaries.[3] In the early years, Park conducted vocation Bible schools for the youth in the nearby villages, served as a spiritual counselor at Suwon Prison, and went on witness trips to leper colonies. In the early 1990s, the mission sent its first missionaries to Germany and the United States. Missionaries sent to Kenya in the mid-1990s faced problems with religious registration as foreign groups were denied such registration unless sponsored by a native Kenyan church. Eventually, religious registration was granted to them. In the early 2000s, missionaries were dispatched to South Africa, Brazil, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Turkey, and Uzbekistan.[4]
According to the church webpage, it currently has 170 churches in South Korea and 838 international churches.[5]
Activities
The organization's activities include religious seminars and missionary activities in different countries. It also organizes youth events, and broadcasts sermons over the radio and the internet.
Controversies
Lies and Deceptive Proselytism
In 2011, 400 volunteer English teachers, including a number of young college students, were led to believe that they were recruited to teach English in Mexico. The preparatory meeting, called "English Camp", included religious lectures on the topic of sin, which took place in ballrooms guarded by security personnel that discouraged members from leaving. Participants who were considered "tardy" were subjected to physical punishment such as being made to do squat-thrust exercises. One of the college students attending the event said, "I was the victim of a scam."[6]
The organisation's activities in Nagaland, India, as well as in Uganda where religious material from the Good News Mission has been used in public schools, have also been questioned.[7][8]
The Ink Attack Incident on Hyundae Jongyo
Members of the Good News Mission were apprehended by the police and eventually fined after carrying out an ink attack on Hyundae Jongyo, a magazine specializing in cult issues. On October 18, 2018, four men stormed into the Hyundae Jongyo office, throwing eggs and splashing black ink and red liquid, causing a shocking scene. Among them, one man, unable to control his anger, shouted, "I'll go to jail, you bastards!" while wreaking havoc in the office. As a result, they were held legally accountable, facing both civil and criminal charges.[9]
Incheon High School Girl Death Incident
A tragic incident occurred involving the death of a high school girl due to alleged abuse by Park Eun-sook, the director of the Gracias Choir, which is affiliated with the Good News Mission, and other members. The girl, who was in need of psychiatric treatment, was sent to the church by her mother, who was persuaded by the choir’s offer to take care of her treatment. The girl endured severe mistreatment, including being deprived of sleep. Despite her desperate pleas to be sent to a mental hospital, she was confined and monitored by the church members. Over a period of five days, the girl was forced to transcribe the Bible and repeatedly climb stairs for an hour, leading to severe physical deterioration. She eventually lost control of her bodily functions and was unable to eat. After losing consciousness, she passed away four hours later. In response, Park Eun-sook denied any intent to cause harm or foresee the girl’s death.[10]
References
- ^ "Main Lecturer: Pastor Ock Soo Park". Wclw.org. Archived from the original on October 26, 2020. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
- ^ Kim, Dawid W.; Bang, Won-il (2019). "Guwonpa, WMSCOG, and Shincheonji: Three Dynamic Grassroots Groups in Contemporary Korean Christian NRM History". Religions. 10 (3): 212. doi:10.3390/rel10030212. hdl:1885/204914.
- ^ "기쁜소식선교회 태동". Good News Mission. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ^ "박옥수목사 홈페이지 - 50주년". ospark.pe.kr. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
- ^ "Who We Are". Good News Mission. Archived from the original on January 20, 2015. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
- ^ Dwyer, Jim. "Traveling to Teach English; Getting Sermons Instead". New York Times. Retrieved July 26, 2015.
- ^ ""NBCC cautions on 'Good News Mission'"". Nagaland Post. Archived from the original on April 15, 2016.
- ^ Okoth, Josue. ""International Youth Fellowship: Is it a cult or form of religion?"". Daily Monitor. Retrieved April 19, 2018.
- ^ Lee, Yong Phil (October 22, 2018). "이단 전문 매체 <현대종교>, 먹물·계란 투척 봉변" [Hyundae Jongyo, a Media Outlet Specializing in Cults, Faces Ink and Egg Attack]. News&Joy. Retrieved August 26, 2024.
- ^ Kim, Jung Soo (July 25, 2024). "기쁜소식인천교회 사망 여고생, 5일 잠 못 자는 등 가혹행위 당해" [High School Girl from Good News Incheon Church Dies After Enduring Five Days of Sleep Deprivation and Severe Mistreatment]. Modern Religion Monthly. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
External links
- Official website
- v
- t
- e
- Anglican Church of Korea
- Korea Baptist Convention
- Conservative Presbyterian Church in Korea
- Conservative Reformed Presbyterian Church in Korea
- Korean Christian Fundamentalist Assembly
- Korean Methodist Church
- Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea
- National Council of Churches in Korea
- Pure Presbyterian Church in Korea
- United Presbyterian Church in Korea
- Union Presbyterian Church in Korea
- Women Pastors Presbyterian Church in Korea
- Korea Campus Crusade for Christ
- Independent Reformed Church in Korea
- Independent Reformed Presbyterian Church in Korea
- Victory Altar
- The Church of Almighty God
Branches of Presbyterian Church of Korea |
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In North Korea |
Orthodoxy
Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople | |
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Russian Orthodox Church |
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organisations