"There Are Former Shincheonji Members, but We Have a True Lineage"...Park Jin-young Personally Addresses Allegations

"Drinking a Unification Church beverage doesn't make me a member"

References Wesleyan and U.S. Independent Baptist theological influences

Singer Park Jin-young has personally addressed suspicions regarding the denomination of "Firstfruits," the religious group he leads.

Singer Park Jin-young. Screenshot from YouTube channel 'FirstFruits'.

On September 19, a video titled "Which denomination is Park Jin-young's church?" was uploaded to the YouTube channel "Firstfruits." In the video, Park Jin-young takes the podium and directly responds to public scrutiny and questions regarding the group's denominational background.

Park Jin-young began by saying, "Not many of you here today have probably come with a comfortable heart," adding, "If you have friends who go to church, they might have tried to stop you, saying, 'It's a heretical group or a cult,' and the question you probably heard most was 'What denomination is it?'" He continued, "It's only natural to ask what tradition or movement someone is influenced by. Our gathering is not without a lineage—we have a clear origin and heritage."

Park Jin-young went on to say, "At our church, we have people from Catholic, Presbyterian, Baptist backgrounds, and even those who formerly belonged to Shincheonji. But just because there are people who used to be part of Shincheonji, that does not make our church Shincheonji." He further explained, "In the same way, just because I used to really like a beverage created by the Unification Church doesn't make me a Unification Church member."

Additionally, Park Jin-young cited "eternal life" as the core standard in defining a denomination. He stated, "The most important thing to consider in the Bible is eternal life, and a denomination should be judged by its doctrine regarding eternal life." He explained that Firstfruits teaches eternal life is gained "only for those who have repented, through mysterious and complete faith, as a gift." Regarding theological influences, he mentioned the Wesleyan tradition, which follows the teachings of John Wesley, and referenced works by Peter Ruckman, an independent Baptist pastor from the United States.

Previously, an entertainment media outlet raised suspicions that Park Jin-young led a missionary rally for the Evangelical Baptist Church (commonly known as Guwonpa) in 2018. At the time, the sect denied this, saying, "Park Jin-young is not a member of our denomination," and Park Jin-young also explained that it was simply a Bible study gathering.

Afterward, in August 2020 on MBC's "Radio Star," Park Jin-young further clarified, "I have no connection with any church" and "I do not have a denomination." He shared that his serious Bible study began after visiting Jerusalem, and what started out as a small study group has gradually expanded to its current form.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.