The Doctrine of God
Most people who believe in God do so because that is what they have been taught.
Young Oon Kim
Professor of religion at Ewha University in Seoul, South Korea. Theologian of the Unification Church. Professor of Systematic Theology at the Unification Theological Seminary in Barrytown, New York.
Writings
Spiritual Messages — page 2
The Doctrine of Man
According to Gen. 1:26, 5: 1 and 9:6, God created man in the divine image.
The Authority of the Bible
During the Reformation, the Protestants criticized the doctrines and practices of the Catholic Church, claiming the superior authority of the scriptures.
Revelation
Revelation originates from a personal relationship, an I-Thou relationship. It therefore involves persons, not ideas.
God and the World
Providence is God's continuing relationship to our world.
The Holy Spirit
According to the creeds of Nicaea and Chalcedon, the Holy Spirit is divine, consubstantial, and equal to the Father and Son.
The Doctrine of the Trinity
Since Christians believe in the Trinity, they say that they have a distinctive doctrine of God.
Hamartiology
The biblical term for sin is hamartia, meaning to miss the mark.
Salvation and Atonement
There is no authoritative dogma about how Christ's work should be understood.
Was the Cross necessary?
According to most Christians, Jesus expected to die when he decided to go to Jerusalem. He told his disciples to expect the bridegroom to be taken away.
Conversion and New Life
Salvation is described in theology as the process of man's repentance, conversion, justification, sanctification, and regeneration.
Ecclesiology
The Doctrine of the Church Paul Minear, in his book Images of the Church in the New Testament, states that the New Testament explains the church in about 100 different metaphors and figures of speech.
Eschatology
The Greek word eschaton means “the end” or “the end-time.” Thus, eschatology deals with doctrines about the last things:
Doctrine and Dogma
Doctrine means simply the formulated teachings of one's church about God, man, sin, immortality, etc.
Salvation History
Theology is tied to the stories and history of God's dealings with the people of Israel, with Jesus of Nazareth and with the Christian Church.
The Korean Religious Heritage
Korea's religious heritage has contributed to the teaching of the Unification Church,
Korean Christianity
Korean Christianity has had a strange, troubled, and yet remarkable history.
Sun Myung Moon
To understand the message of Divine Principle, it is useful to know something about its messenger.
Revelation And Reason
Even though man is naturally directed to God, he needs revelation because God is beyond the grasp of reason.
The Case For New Revelation
If there were any new revelatory experiences of God's presence and purpose, they were interpreted within the context of the traditional religion.
Sun Myung Moon And Revelation
Reverend Sun Myung Moon's claim to have received a new revelation has aroused considerable controversy.
The Reality And Nature Of God
Unification theology asserts that God has both masculine and feminine qualities based on the universal fact of polarity and the Biblical record
The Partnership Of God And Man
In the Bible, the give-and-take process is illustrated by the notion of a divine-human covenant.
Significance Of The Family
In the twentieth century, Protestant doctrines of man have stressed human relatedness and responsibility.
Living In Two Worlds
All religions teach that man is an inhabitant of two worlds.
Diverse Interpretations Of Sin
To understand the Christian doctrine of sin, it is important to look at its historical development.
Modern Views Of The Fall
Traditionally, the Christian doctrine of fallen man has been connected with the Genesis stomodern Adam and Eve.
The New Testament Teaching About Sin
In Mark, Matthew, and Luke-Acts, sin refers to the source of evil deeds rather than to specific acts.
Augustine On Original Sin
St. Augustine took Paul's references to sin, developed and systematized them.
The Reality Of Satan
Traditionally, Christian theologians have used the concept of Satan to explain the Fall of man.
Unification Theology On The Fall
Genesis depicts the ideal state of man as a time of carefree innocence, peacefulness, harmony, and joy.
The Creedal Portrait Of Jesus
Instead of relying on the Scriptures alone, conventional churchmen interpret them in the light of the dogmas of Nicea and Chalcedon.
Findings Of Modern Biblical Scholarship
The Biblical proof-text interpretation of the life of Jesus described above collapsed like a house of cards as soon as 19th century scholars began to examine the Scriptures historically.
The Historical Jesus
The New Testament provides almost the only reliable information we have about Jesus
Jesus And God's Kingdom
Jesus' preaching was dominated by his faith in God's coming kingdom.
John The Baptist
Malachi, the Old Testament prophet, predicted the return of Elijah before the advent of the Messiah:
The Public Ministry Of Jesus
Liberals like Gospel 50 and Godspeed affirm that, despite some opposition, Jesus enjoyed great popularity in Galilee for a time.
Current Opinions About Jesus' Death
Bultmann's opinion is probably the most radical: We simply do not know what Jesus thought about his end.