The Reality is Different: Resolving controversies about Providence Church Korea’s “Brides”
Recent news stories about Providence Church Korea and Jung Myung Seok have made headlines out of claims that members of the Church are groomed to be ‘brides’ for its leader. This led to the misreporting of Jung Myung Seok as a religious leader who is a womanizer. Fortunately, the reality is very different from these news stories.
The concept of ‘brides’ stems from the Bible. Multiple parts of the Bible depict the relationship between God and people as ‘husband and wife’ (see Isaiah 54:5) ‘bride and bridegroom’ (see Revelations 21:2) and enriches it with imageries such as a ‘wedding banquet’ (see Revelations 19:7). This is the Holy Bible, the authoritative text, that served as the fundamental tenets of Judaism (in part) and Christianity. For anyone who knows the Bible, referring to oneself as the bride of God is nothing new and far from committing religious controversy.
