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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. It is one of several new religious movements in Korea referred to as Guwonpa (Salvation sect).

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. 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.

According to the church webpage, it currently has 170 churches in South Korea and 838 international churches.

Doctrine

Antinomianism (Rejection of the Law)

Good News Mission teaches that the law was abolished at the cross, and therefore, those who are saved no longer need to be bound by or feel guilty about following the law. As a result, they reject practices such as observing the Sabbath, tithing, fasting, early morning prayer, and even a regular prayer life, considering these to be part of the law that no longer applies to believers. They claim that once saved, believers are completely free from the law's requirements, citing Romans 7 as their basis. This antinomian doctrine is considered a clear heresy with numerous issues. Without the law, sin itself cannot be defined. Consequently, they teach that there is no need to repent even if one sins. This leads to a life of licentiousness, where sin is no longer regarded as sin. Furthermore, without the law, the pursuit of sanctification (a holy life) is rendered meaningless. Sanctification is based on the law; thus, if the law is abolished, sanctification is effectively abolished as well.

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."

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.

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.

Incheon High School Girl Death Incident

A tragic incident occurred involving the death of a high school girl due to alleged abuse by Eun-sook Park, 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 died four hours later. Eun-sook Park, director of the Gracias Choir and daughter of Pastor Ock Soo Park, continues to deny any involvement in or connection to the events leading to the death of the high school student, with ongoing testimonies supporting her claim. At the sentencing hearing held on November 25, 2024, the prosecution sought life imprisonment for Park Eun-sook and 30 years in prison for her accomplices. Ultimately, Park Eun-sook and her accomplices were each sentenced to four years and six months in prison.

Controversy over kimcheon university's new theology department

Kimcheon University announced that it will establish a theology department and start admitting new students for the 2025 academic year. Concerns have arisen that this Christian private university may become a training ground for a sectarian group. Yoon Jong-soo, appointed as head of the theology department, is also the senior pastor at Good News Kimcheon Church. The university stated that there are no administrative issues, as Pastor Yoon has received approval to hold both positions.

References

1. "Main Lecturer: Pastor Ock Soo Park". Wclw.org. Archived from the original on October 26, 2020. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
2. 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.
3. "기쁜소식선교회 태동". Good News Mission. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
4. "박옥수목사 홈페이지 - 50주년". ospark.pe.kr. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
5. "Who We Are". Good News Mission. Archived from the original on January 20, 2015. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
6. Jin, Yong Sik (September 10, 2014). "구원파의 율법 폐기론의 문제점" [Problems with Good News Mission's Rejection of the Law]. Kportal News. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
7. Dwyer, Jim. "Traveling to Teach English; Getting Sermons Instead". New York Times. Retrieved July 26, 2015.
8. ""NBCC cautions on 'Good News Mission'"". Nagaland Post. Archived from the original on April 15, 2016.
9. Okoth, Josue. ""International Youth Fellowship: Is it a cult or form of religion?"". Daily Monitor. Retrieved April 19, 2018.
10. 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.
11. 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.
12. Oh, Myung Ok (September 13, 2024). "이렇게 잔인할 수가... '기쁜소식선교회' 신도들 맹신이 부른 참극" [How Could It Be This Cruel... Tragedy Brought by the Blind Faith of 'Good News Mission' Followers]. Church and Truth (in Korean). Retrieved September 19, 2024.
13. Park, In Jae (September 4, 2024). ""여고생 신도 사망 과정에 박은숙 그라시아스 합창단장 개입 지시 없다" 주장" ["No Involvement or Directives from Gracias Choir Director Eunsook Park in High School Student's Death," Claims Assert]. Amen News. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
14. Park, In Jae (September 24, 2024). "박옥수 딸 박은숙 그라시아스합창단 단장, "숨진 여고생 학대 경위 잘 모른다"" [Park Ok-soo's daughter, Park Eun-sook, the director of the Gracias Choir, says, "I don't know much about the circumstances surrounding the abuse of the high school girl who died."]. Amen News (in Korean). Retrieved September 25, 2024.
15. Oh, Myung Ok (October 12, 2024). "한참 생각 멈추게 하는 '종교범죄'의 잔인성... 인천 구원파교회 여고생 사망 건" ["The Disturbing Cruelty of ‘Religious Crimes’ That Leave You Speechless... High School Girl’s Death at Incheon Salvation Sect Church"]. Church and Heresy (in Korean). Retrieved October 14, 2024.
16. Lee, Dae Woong (November 25, 2024). "검찰, 인천 구원파교회 여고생 학대살해 합창단장에 '무기징역' 구형" [Prosecution Seeks Life Imprisonment for Choir Director in Incheon Salvation Sect Church High School Student Abuse and Murder Case]. Christian Today (in Korean). Retrieved November 26, 2024.
17. Kim, Hyun Bin (December 9, 2024). "기쁜소식인천교회 여고생 사망사건, 박은숙 등 3명 실형" [Good News Incheon Church High School Student Death Case: Park Eun-sook and Two Others Sentenced to Prison Terms]. Modern Religion (in Korean). Retrieved December 10, 2024.
18. Cho, Min Ki (November 11, 2024). "김천대학교 신학과 신설, 교수진에는 기쁜소식김천교회 담임!" [Kimcheon University Establishes New Theology Department, Faculty Includes Head Pastor of Good News Kimcheon Church]. Modern Religion (in Korean). Retrieved November 12, 2024.

External links

• Official website

• Christian new religious movements