35 min listen
South Korea's Shincheonji Church Labeled A Cult and Blamed For COVID-19 Outbreak: One Member Speaks Out
FromLighthouse Faith
South Korea's Shincheonji Church Labeled A Cult and Blamed For COVID-19 Outbreak: One Member Speaks Out
FromLighthouse Faith
ratings:
Length:
39 minutes
Released:
Aug 6, 2020
Format:
Podcast episode
Description
Michelle Kim appears to be a normal, twenty-something year old, first generation American, living the American dream in California. But over the last few months the dream is starting to become a nightmare because of her membership in the Shincheonji Church of Jesus. The church has been labeled a cult, accused of brainwashing its members into submission, and claim its founder called himself Jesus. The church, with its 300,000 members, is based in South Korea but has branches in 20 countries including the United States. Kim attends the church in California where she was born. The South Korean church became the focus of the government's blame for the Coronavirus spreading in the country. "Patient number 31," as the 61-year-old woman is called, was a member in the Daegu branch. In mid-February she was diagnosed with COVID-19, a diagnosis made after she attended services. She thought she had a cold, but it turned out to be the deadly virus. It spread to 4,000 members. The government demanded the church hand over its list of members, including those outside of South Korea. According to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, "The government of Seoul locked down Shincheonji churches in the capital, and some mainline Protestant groups have accused the church of deliberately spreading the disease." On this episode of Lighthouse Faith podcast, Michelle Kim tells her side of the Shincheonji controversy, and how being a member has made her fear that once people know her church association, she could be ostracized, lose friends, or worse yet, her job.
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Released:
Aug 6, 2020
Format:
Podcast episode
Titles in the series (100)
James K.A. Smith "On the Road With Saint Augustine: A Real-World Spirituality for Restless Hearts": Our world today is not short on spiritual gurus who want to help you discover a hope and a purpose for your life. But what about a 4th century African priest? Would he have anything pertinent to say to you, to today's people of the digital age or millennials about how to find your reason for being? Well, if the person is St. Augustine of Hippo, then the answer is a resounding, Yes! Philosopher and author James K. A Smith, takes a more contemporary look at Augustine and his famous tome, Confessions, in his book, 'On The Road With Saint Augustine'. James calls it, "an invitation to journey with an ancient African who will surprise you by the extent to which he knows you." While Augustine is one of the pillars and fathers of the Catholic Church, Smith actually compares him to modern day, pop culture icons like Jay Z, as the priest takes a raw look at who he is and who we strive to be in by Lighthouse Faith