These days, the Korean Presbyterian Church is in an uproar over the scandal of the General Assembly Moderator's extramarital affair. The General Assembly of the Korean Presbyterian Church is one of the most prominent denominations in Korea, which includes well-known large churches such as Myungsung Church and Somang Church. The fact that a pastor holding the position of the General Assembly Moderator of such a large denomination is being rumored to have had an affair with a church member is extremely embarrassing regardless of the truth of the matter. Before addressing this issue, I would like to talk about what the title of the General Assembly Moderator of the Korean Presbyterian Church means. Each denomination has its own General Assembly Moderator, and there is also the Christian Council of Korea, known as the CCK.

There are many people who are considered representatives, but I would like to explain about the fact that there are many people representing Christianity. At this opportunity, I would like to take the opportunity to briefly explain the seven major denominations of Protestantism, such as Presbyterianism, Methodist, Baptist, Holiness, Salvation Army, and Lutheran, and categorize them in common sense. Originally, Christianity was not divided like this from the beginning. Historically, Christianity, which was originally one, split into the Western Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church in 1054. This split between East and West, known as the East-West Schism, was irreparable after going through the Crusades, leading to an irreversible division. After this division, the Western Catholic Church was reformed by Luther, and the Protestant Reformation began.

Once separated from the Catholic Church, Luther initiated this religious reform. At that time, Luther was excommunicated by the Catholic Church, so he was considered a heretic. The early religious reporters, in a somewhat derogatory expression, referred to Luther's followers as those who follow Luther, and today, Lutheranism refers to Luther's religion. It is worth noting that Lutheranism, rather than seeking complete separation from the Catholic Church, aimed for reconciliation. Therefore, it mostly follows the Catholic sacraments, including the existing priesthood. Speaking of Protestantism today, Protestantism, which refers to modern Protestantism, originally comes from the word protest in English, meaning to resist or object. So, looking at it as it is, Protestants are those who resist or object.

It means the people, and this term, like Lutheran, also has a somewhat mocking connotation mixed with a sense of ridicule. Therefore, people easily think that the religious reformers of the time would use the expressions of these peasants or oppressed people. However, in reality, it was the opposite. At that time, the Protestants were not teaching ordinary peasants or these people, but rather the local nobles and lords who opposed the Pope's authority, and the emerging nobility. In fact, when this religious reform movement occurred, the reform movement of those peasants who wanted to stand against the corruption and injustice of the clergy at that time, led by Luther and the nobles who followed him, ended with 100,000 peasants being ruthlessly killed by the mercenaries hired by those nobles.

In the context of the same religious reform movement, Anabaptists, who belonged to the same Protestant camp, also faced strong opposition from the religious leaders. Originally, the Catholic or Orthodox Church considered baptism as an essential means of salvation. However, influenced by this religious context, Anabaptists argued that baptizing infants without faith was meaningless and opposed infant baptism. They believed that the church should be completely separated from the state and advocated for a life of faith-based distinction, living a communal life.

We still live in a community like the Ayutthaya town in the United States. Sadly, the Anabaptists were persecuted by both Catholics and Protestant reformers. They were tortured and drowned in rivers. Such historical traces still remain as evidence. As a pastor or a Christian, mentioning these tragic events during the Reformation period is quite uncomfortable. However, if we do not learn from history, we are bound to repeat such tragedies. Of course, the reformers at that time could not fully embrace the extreme claims of the peasants or the radical views of the Anabaptists. But at least, they emphasized forgiveness and love, believing in Jesus' teachings to love neighbors as oneself, including those belonging to the church community.

It is both incomprehensible and unacceptable how cruel and violent it is. Meanwhile, in Geneva, Switzerland, John Calvin advocated for the doctrine of predestination. Calvin's teachings gained support from emerging upper-class industrial and financial figures, expanding his influence. Calvin's ideology influenced John Knox of Scotland. This aspect is closely related to the schism within the Presbyterian Church that I am focusing on today. To understand the origins of this Presbyterian Church, we first need to delve into the religious landscape of the UK at that time. In the UK, there was a group called the Holy Club, centered around students from Cambridge University, who shared and discussed the ideas of Luther. This group was involved in translating the Latin Bible into English.

I was part of Teindale, but unfortunately, the religious reform in England did not start with these religious reformers, but rather with King Henry VIII of England at that time. This Henry, more out of personal reasons such as his divorce and remarriage, rather than a rational mind, chose to separate from the Roman Catholic Church. Eventually, he declared that the head of the Church of England was not the Pope but himself, the King of England, and established the Church of England by issuing the Act of Supremacy. The Church of England today is known as the church of success. However, for the reformers in England, the religious reform in England by Henry VIII is considered not a true religious reform, but rather a mere political event. Therefore, educators in England who realized true faith from the English Bible translated by Tyndale...

When criticizing the state church, they were called troublesome people by the British Parliament, but later on, they were referred to as hypocrites who pretended to be clean themselves. This is how the Puritans, or the Separatists, came to be called. So, the term Separatists does not refer to a specific faction, but was a general term for the many religious reformers who proclaimed their own religious plans. They did not even call themselves Separatists. Anyway, among these British Separatists, John Knox, as mentioned earlier, returned to Scotland after experiencing the harsh treatment in England, and this marked the beginning of a full-fledged Calvinist reform in the UK. As a result, the Church of England, or the Anglican Church, which had no power over the state, began to persecute these Separatists. Unable to endure this persecution, these Separatists scattered.

Among those who scattered, those who crossed to the American continent were called Pilgrim Fathers, rejecting the centralized political power of the Church of England and forming congregational churches. Among them, the church that emerged was the Congregational Church. Therefore, today, the Congregational Church has a strong characteristic of independence from the state church. In this way, from the Anglicans in England, on the one hand, and on the other hand, by John Wesley, who was a successful pastor, Methodist Church was born. Just as the term Presbyterian implies a church governed by elders, Methodist, also known as the Methodist Church, means a church operated by bishops. However, the term Methodist comes from the word method, meaning a way or means in English.

So, the method itself becomes what is called a Wesleyan, literally because Wesley, during his time at Oxford University, read the Bible every day, fasted, and even visited prisons to preach the gospel. This name was given to him due to his thoroughly devout life. In other words, people thought of Wesley's devout life as if he were keeping the law strictly like legalists to obtain salvation. Therefore, they sarcastically gave him this name. Wesley's theology differed from Calvin's in many ways. Calvin believed salvation was entirely predestined by God, while Wesley argued that to receive salvation, some degree of human effort was necessary, and humans could reach a stage of perfect sanctification. Wesley's theology had a significant influence on the subsequent Pentecostal movement.

The religious movement that influenced people in our country and led to the creation of a denomination is the Holy Church. The Holy Church, based on Wesley's theology, emphasizes this inner sanctification. It asserts that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is necessary for sanctification to take place within us, thus placing special emphasis on the Holy Spirit movement. A denomination that emphasizes the same Holy Spirit movement but places more emphasis on the external gifts of the Holy Spirit is the Assemblies of God. In other words, while the Holy Church emphasizes the internal sanctification through the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the Assemblies of God emphasizes gifts such as speaking in tongues as external evidence of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Up to now, briefly, from the religious movements in England, the Anglican Church, Baptist Church, Methodist Church, the Holy Church, and the Assemblies of God.

I took a look at the church, and I will briefly examine the split of the Presbyterian Church in Korea. Where I live, in the north of LA, if you take a car and move a little, there is Azusa Street. In 1906, the Azusa Street Revival took place very powerfully, triggering a revival movement that led to overseas missions from the United States and brought many American missionaries to Korea. Therefore, Underwood, a missionary from the Presbyterian Church, and Appenzeller, a missionary from the Methodist Church, came to Korea, leading to the establishment of various denominations in our country. As the period of Japanese colonial rule passed, churches began to split over the issue of worshipping Shinto shrines, especially the Presbyterian Church experienced a significant division.

In 1951, at the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Korea, 14 military personnel who had previously worshiped at Shinsa were excluded from the denomination for refusing to worship at Shinsa. The individuals who were excluded at that time established a separate denomination, which is now the present Presbyterian Church in Korea (TongHap). Soon after the split, in 1953, the Presbyterian Church in Korea excluded Pastor Kim Jae-joon, who accepted biblical criticism, and pastors who followed him, leading to another division. The group excluded from the denomination at that time became the Korea Presbyterian Church, known as the Gijang faction. Around 1960, due to issues such as the World Council of Churches (WCC), the issue of WCC membership, church unity movement, and ecumenical issues, the Presbyterian Church in Korea split again. One side supported by the WCC became a united denomination, while the opposing side

It is a split that has continued to this day as a united church. This is a brief overview of the division process of Protestant denominations. It all started with the incident of the Presbyterian General Assembly, which led to this point. In fact, such division in the church not only contradicts the teachings of unity emphasized in the Bible but also does not look good in the eyes of people in this world. However, it doesn't mean that we should always view this church's division negatively. The main reason why this Protestant church had to split, when examined closely, was primarily rooted in the passion to preserve the purity of faith. Even though the church may have split into denominations and sects, as long as they profess the same faith, the church is

Each church maintains its correct faith. Although the organization and management may differ, they each run and operate the church in their own way to uphold the correct faith. Among them, the Presbyterian Church's political structure and management can be considered much more advanced compared to all other denominations. This is because the judicial system adopted by most democratic countries today is directly derived from the Presbyterian Church's management system. In fact, the judicial system of modern democratic countries is greatly influenced by this Protestant Presbyterian Church. Those who attend church may know well that on Sundays, you may see advertisements stating where the elders' meeting will be held in the afternoon. This meeting is a decision-making body of the church composed of the head pastor and elders. In this meeting, there is disciplinary power over the members, which operates as a judicial system.

If we look at it closely, it's like a court. And the superior body of this organization is the slave. The Presbytery is an administrative meeting of pastors and elders belonging to the same denomination in the same region. In this Presbytery, they have the authority to approve the establishment of local churches, appoint pastors, and discipline pastors and elders. Therefore, if this Presbytery does not approve, not only the ordination of pastors but also the establishment of elders and the appointment of pastors cannot be done, so the authority of the Presbytery in the Presbyterian Church is significant. Furthermore, as it has the authority to deal with legal issues of affiliated churches, this Presbytery, in terms of the judicial system, can be considered as a high court. The higher body of this Presbytery is the General Assembly. The General Assembly is composed of delegates sent from each Presbytery, in other words, representatives of the Presbyteries. The number of members varies by denomination, ranging from hundreds to even thousands, gathering these delegates who oversee the churches and Presbyteries, truly representing the national.

The church operates by paying a total assembly fee, and in terms of this judicial system, it is similar to the Supreme Court, serving as the highest governing body of the denomination. So, the head of this denomination's assembly, known as the chairman of the assembly, represents all pastors and elders of affiliated churches and is the leader of the highest decision-making body that ultimately deliberates and judges various events that occur in this denomination. However, the current representative of this denomination, the chairman of the assembly, was caught in the act at a unmanned motel near Seoul spending time with a female soldier from the church, causing a scandal witnessed by the elders and deacons of the church. This incident is the Kim Euisik pastor case that has been making headlines in the newspapers these days. I have heard so much about these pastors' sexual harassment and adultery cases that now, I am not even that surprised by most news reports. It seems like yet another case has emerged. Why are pastors behaving like this?

As a pastor, I usually feel embarrassed and try to forget things like this. However, this time, the situation is not passing by easily as usual because of the official response from the denomination. The official position announced by the denomination is as follows: Since before the 10th anniversary general assembly, there have been continuous slanders and defamatory attacks related to Pastor Kim Euisik, the chairman of the assembly. Despite enduring for the peace of the church, recent excessive articles have spread, leading to the decision that it is no longer possible to overlook and thus, legal actions for defamation had to be taken unavoidably. We ask for your deep understanding and prayers regarding the measures taken after careful consideration. I initially read this statement and doubted my own eyes.

Is the official position of the denomination really correct? This is not Pastor Kim Sik's personal statement, but is it really the official statement of the denomination? No matter how many times I wash my eyes and check again, this is the official position that has gone through the writings of the 10th General Assembly executives. Even for a small mistake by Pastor Bae In-na related to the church, the media and people come together to ridicule the church. If viewed from a worldly perspective, even in a case where a pastor or elder is involved in something that could be judged as innocent, the media tends to exaggerate and sensationalize it. It is true that there is an unjust aspect as a pastor or elder in the church. However, the world has always demanded a higher standard from the church. So far, it is evidence that the church is still the hope of the world, and it is proof that the world still believes in the church.

The church should apply a much higher standard to itself than the moral and legal standards of this world in order to set an example for society to move in the right direction. However, these days, it seems like the church falls short of even reaching the common sense level of this world, which truly breaks my heart. The duty of a pastor in the church community is to teach the saints, and such a leader's duty is represented by the head of the assembly, the chairman of the denomination. A pastor who has taken on such a heavy responsibility should not engage in actions below the level that ordinary people can easily accept and should not rely on flimsy excuses like there is no evidence or it's by grace. Using such trivial excuses, they boast about the high standard of the world's law and file lawsuits, citing the official statement of the assembly. Seeing this kind of behavior, I am truly amazed and speechless.

I was about to appear. I am currently living in the United States and because I received pastoral ordination in a U.S. denomination, I am not very familiar with the atmosphere of Korean denominations. However, personally, the pastors I am close to have shared that in Korea, in order to become a pastor, a significant amount of money is needed to receive ordination. In reality, I know of a pastor in Korea who, despite doing ministry helping the homeless, found the cost of receiving ordination too burdensome and decided to use that money to help the homeless instead of pursuing ordination. However, despite the economic burden, most graduates of theological schools still go through the challenging process of receiving ordination because they feel they need to stay within the boundaries of the orthodox denomination to avoid criticism.

It is because I can devote myself boldly to the ministry. However, looking at the response of the Presbyterian Church of Korea, I am really curious about the difference between cults, heretical sects, and the so-called orthodox denominations. People are amazed at how JMS Jung Myung Seok, amidst the sexual misconduct controversy, continues to be revered as the leader. But if we think a little more, it is hard to distinguish between their forms and the appearance of the Presbyterian Church, which we currently call an orthodox denomination. If Pastor Kim Ui-sik truly has even a trace of conscience as a minister, even if he goes to a desolate place near Seoul and just drinks coffee with female church members without doing anything, the difference between a minister like this and the so-called orthodox denomination of the Presbyterian Church is not clear.

Just being involved in a scandal should be enough for these pastors to step down from their positions. If they cannot do it themselves because of such human desires, then the church should carry out the task. However, far from doing so, looking at the recent position of this association, it is even more outrageous that the subject of this controversy, Pastor Kim Eui-shin, is excluded from his duties as the chairman but retains the title of chairman. The reason given is that there is no legal basis to strip the chairman of his position, as claimed by the previous chairmen. This is simply an unacceptable excuse. A church organization is not like any other administrative organization, and as far as I know, the authority of the previous chairmen has a much greater influence than the church law that is mentioned.

It is a well-known fact that Kim Euisik, a pastor, was elected as the chairman of the Jeunggyeong General Assembly, succeeding former chairmen. This is quite amusing, something only seen in churches. I also heard about it for the first time. Jeunggyeong General Assembly, a term that is commonly used in churches. Anyway, Pastor Kim Euisik, while supporting the hereditary succession of pastors in large churches, was elected as the chairman amid controversy. The fact that he carefully listened to the words of these Jeunggyeong chairmen is being confirmed as true in various places. It is truly pathetic how one could try to cover the sky with one's hand. There is no need to dwell on this any longer, as it is not worth discussing further. Pastor Kim Euisik may claim to be honest even from an ethical standpoint, but as the chairman, he should bear the responsibility for causing this controversy.

I hope that you will quickly repent and apologize in front of the world and the church, and step down from your position as the representative of the pastors' association. I don't know if the executives and officials of that organization will hear these words I am speaking now, but I muster the courage to say that I have heard that they are diligently listening to and collecting the broadcasts of those YouTubers, even for the purpose of filing complaints. If you are so confident, then I urge you to sue me for defamation, as I have boldly stated. However, due to your comfortable and shameless attitude that even fails to meet the common sense of this world, I urge you to consider what kind of punishment you will face for the damage to the honor of this church that has crumbled due to your actions.

장로교 통합측, 합동측.. 헷갈리시죠? 이 기회에 개신교 7대 교단 싹 정리해 드립니다 ( feat. 김의식 총회장 )

세상에 '온라인 교회' 라는 말은 없습니다 
다만 온라인을 이용하는 목회가 있을 뿐입니다

'유튜브 하나교회'는 온라인 교회가 아닙니다
다만 온라인으로 메시지를 전하고자 합니다

구독하시고 따라오시면 성경을 보는 보다 성숙한 안목이 생겨나게 될 것입니다


(운영자 소개)

서강대학교 졸업

장로회 신학대학교 수학

탈봇 신학교  Talbot School of Theology  (M. Div.)

좋은 친구 교회 목사

브런치 작가

이메일 주소 : dongyeob68@gmail.com 

* 유튜브하나교회 후원하기 *
미국 : Hanmi Bank 122039399 550022328 (예금주 : Hana Community Church)
한국 : 국민은행 531702 01 090612 (예금주 : 이동엽)





장로교 통합측, 합동측.. 헷갈리시죠? 이 기회에 개신교 7대 교단 싹 정리해 드립니다 ( feat. 김의식 총회장 )

스크립트