Shamanistic Influences In Korean Pentecostal Christianity: An Analysis

Historical Background Of Paul Yonggi Cho and Yoido Full Gospel Church

Spring 2000
By Jeremy Reynalds

Cho: An Overview

Dr. Paul Yonggi Cho, a South Korean preacher and head of the world's largest church started his ministry in 1958 with a small number of converts in an army tent. That is a far cry from the number of people now influenced by his ministry. His church in Seoul, Korea holds more than 60,000. And that number does not include those people who sit in the overflow area equipped with video screens (London Daily Telegraph, March 12, 1995).

Cho has 500 pastors who work for him, and an annual budget of $100 million. However, it is not Cho's income that has thrust him into theological controversy. It is his teachings about money and prosperity. Cho believes that Christians have a RIGHT to wealth. He preaches that poverty is a curse from Satan and that Korea's spiritual revival is the driving force behind the country's economic prosperity (London Daily Telegraph, March 12, 1995).

Cho: His Origins

Cho had rejected the Buddhism of his youth during the time he was dying from tuberculosis.

Apparently, he said that if he was to ever get well he would like to become a medical doctor. Cho claims to have been converted after Jesus Christ appeared to him in the middle of the night, healed him, call him to preach and filled him with the Holy Spirit. Upon his graduation from Bible School, Cho planted the church for which he is so well known today.

Synan points out that "What became the Yoido Full Gospel Church began in 1958 in a tent located in a poverty-stricken slum area in the city of Seoul. In 1961 Cho gained valuable experience when he served as interpreter for Sam Todd, an American Pentecostal healing evangelist. As a result of his involvement in Todd's meetings, Cho's church increased in numbers. An additional by product of Cho's involvement with Todd was an introduction to the so-called "prosperity gospel," espoused by such evangelists as Oral Roberts.

Synan says that Cho overcame many severe difficulties before he was able to build a 1500-seat "revival center." The name of this facility was subsequently changed to "Yoido Full Gospel Central Church." Synan says that a number of high profile divine healings resulted in Cho's church growing to 2,000 members by 1964. Cho was apparently under such great stress from building such a large ministry that he began to organize so-called "cell groups," where church responsibilities were delegated to a lot of members.

With women comprising a major number of these cell group leaders, a major paradigm shift had occurred for Korean culture. The cell group movement exploded so rapidly that there were at least 50,000 cell groups in his church by 1985. Then in addition to his duties overseeing and planning for this enormous church, Cho became General Superintendent of the Korean Assemblies of God.

Cho's church continued to experience phenomenal growth. In 1974 the church reached 23,000 members and in 1979 passed 100,000 members. A congregation that size was heretofore unknown. This phenomenal growth continued during the next 15 years with the addition of thousands more new members. There was one point, Synan remarks, when as many as 10,000 new members were being added to the church monthly. With its numbers at 700,000 by 1994, the church was making plans to be the first congregation ever to reach the 1,000,000 mark.

In addition to his pastoral responsibilities, Cho has been a prolific writer, penning such titles as (the controversial) Fourth Dimension, Successful Home Church Cell Groups and Prosperity: Our Three-Fold Blessings in Christ. Cho used these books as teaching vehicles, not the least of which was to expound on his theory of the theology of Biblical prosperity.

In 1976, Cho founded Church Growth International, "an ecumenical group of pastors dedicated to spreading his theology and church growth methods around the world." Then to further expand his already burgeoning influence, Cho launched in 1989 a daily newspaper titled Kook Min Daily News. The paper boasted a circulation of well over 700,000 by 1994 and according to Synan had become "a powerful voice for Christianity in Korea."

Synan says that the doctrines taught by Cho and his Yoido Full Gospel Church "are generally those taught by Pentecostals throughout the world. Synan says that the doctrine and creed published in the church's literature state a "Fivefold Message of the Gospel," which includes the following: Salvation, Holy Spirit, Divine Healing, Blessings and the Second Coming of Jesus.

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