David Yonggi Cho is a Korean Christian minister. He is Senior Pastor of the Yoido Full Gospel Church (Assemblies of God), which is the world's largest congregation, with a membership of over 800,000 in 2006. For other uses, see Hangul (disambiguation). ... It has been suggested that Sino-Korean be merged into this article or section. ... The Revised Romanization of Korean (Korean: 국어의 로마자 표기법; 國語의 로마字 表記法) is the official Korean language romanization system in South Korea. ... McCune-Reischauer romanization is one of the two most widely used Korean language romanization systems, along with the Revised Romanization of Korean, which replaced (a modified) McCune-Reischauer as the official romanization system in South Korea in 2000. ... A Christian is a follower of Jesus of Nazareth, referred to as the Christ. ... In most Protestant churches, a minister is a member of the ordained clergy who leads a congregation or participates in a role in a parachurch ministry; such a person may also be called a Pastor, Preacher, Bishop, Chaplain or Elder. ... Yoido Full Gospel Church is a Pentecostal Christian church on Yeouido Island in Seoul, South Korea. ... The Assemblies of God is the worlds largest Pentecostal denomination with approximately 52. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Early life

He was born on February 14, 1936, in Ulju-gun, which is now part of Ulsan metropolitan city [1]. The son of Cho Doo-chun (조두천) and Kim Bok-sun (김복순), Cho was the eldest of five brothers and four sisters. He graduated from middle school with honours, but his hopes of a university education appeared thwarted when his father's sock and glove business went bankrupt. Accordingly, he enrolled in a cheap technical high school to learn a trade. At the same time, he began frequenting an American army base near his school, and learned English from soldiers whom he befriended. A keen student, he mastered English quickly, and became an interpreter for the commander of the army base, and also for the principal of his school. February 14 is the 45th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Ulsan, a metropolitan city in the south-east of South Korea, lies on the Sea of Japan (East Sea), 70 kilometres north of Busan at the geographical location 35°33′ N 129°19′ E. In the past the city operated as a major center of Korean whaling, which led to... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ...

Raised initially as a Buddhist, Cho converted to Christianity at the age of 17, after being comforted by his sister's Christian friend while suffering from tuberculosis. He subsequently had a series of spiritual experiences, including what Pentecostals call the Baptism of the Holy Spirit - during which the believer experiences glossolalia - when he saw Jesus in a vision. Believing that God had called him to the ministry, Cho began working as an interpreter for the American evangelist Ken Tize. In 1956, he received a scholarship to study theology at Full Gospel Bible College in Seoul. While there, he met Choi Ja-Shil (최자실), who became his mother-in-law and a close ministerial associate. He graduated in March 1958. The grounds of Koreas Buryeongsa Temple. ... St. ... Tuberculosis (abbreviated as TB for Tubercle Bacillus) is a common and deadly infectious disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which most commonly affects the lungs (pulmonary TB) but can also affect the central nervous system, lymphatic system, circulatory system, genitourinary system, bones and joints. ... The Pentecostal movement within Evangelical Christianity places special emphasis on the direct personal experience of God through the gifts of the Holy Spirit, as shown in the Biblical account of the Day of Pentecost. ... In Christian Pentecostal theology, Baptism with the Holy Spirit is a second baptism, in fire, spoken of by Jesus in the Gospels. ... Glossolalia (from the Greek, γλώσσα (glossa), tongue and λαλώ (lalô), to speak) comprises the utterance of semantically meaningless syllables. ... Jesus (8–2 BC/BCE to 29–36 AD/CE),[1] also known as Jesus of Nazareth, is the central figure of Christianity. ... 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Seoul (Sŏul[1] 서울)   is the capital and largest city of South Korea (Republic of Korea). ... 1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The Daejo Church

In May 1958, Cho held his first worship service in the home of his friend, Choi Ja-shil. Only Choi and her three children attended the service, but the church grew rapidly and soon reached fifty members. Cho and church members began a vigorous campaign of knocking on doors and inviting people to come to church, and within three years, it had grown to four hundred members. In 1961, the church purchased its first plot of land, at Seodaemun. 1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1961 calendar). ...

The church's expansion program suffered a setback in January 1961, when Cho was conscripted by the South Korean army. He asked John Hurston, an American missionary, to pastor the church in his absence. Cho's service in the army was short-lived, however. He required surgery for a serious intestinal illness, and on the grounds of ill health, he was discharged from the army after just seven months of service. 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1961 calendar). ... The Republic of Korea Army (ROK Army, ROKA, Korean: 대한민국 육군) is by far the largest of the military branches, with over 560,000 effectives as of 2004. ...

The Seodaemun Church

Following his military discharge, Cho immersed himself in his pastoral work once more, despite continuing ill health. A 1500-seat auditorium was constructed on the plot of land at Seodamun. It opened in November 1961. The church soon outgrew its premises: by 1964 it numbered three thousand. Soon afterwards, Cho had married Kim Sung-hye (김성혜), the daughter of Choi Ja-shil, on 1 March 1965. In the meantime, Cho had been continuing to overwork, and suffered a collapse in 1965. Realizing that the work of leading a large congregation was too much for one person, Cho divided the city of Seoul into twenty zones, or "cells," as he called them, and began training leaders for each cell, who would hold services for worship and Bible study in their homes during the week. Cell leaders were encouraged to invite non-Christian neighbours to attend, to learn about Christianity. Each cell leader was required to train an assistant, and when cell membership reached a certain number, the assistant leader would form a new cell, taking about half of the old cell with him or her. 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1961 calendar). ... 1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1964 calendar). ... March 1 is the 60th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (61st in leap years). ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ... Seoul (Sŏul[1] 서울)   is the capital and largest city of South Korea (Republic of Korea). ... The word Bible refers to the canonical collections of sacred writings of Judaism and Christianity. ...

The success of this concept of cell multiplication surprised even optimistic church members. By 1968, the church numbered eight thousand members; in addition to weekly cell meetings, the church was holding three Sunday services. Even three services proved insufficient to accommodate all members of the church, however, and Cho decided to purchase a larger property on Yoido Island, in the Han River, which flows through Seoul. At that time, Yoido Island was little more than a sand dune, but Cho saw its potential. With the island due to be developed by the Deputy Mayor of Seoul, and with many government offices and companies planning to relocate there, Cho saw the island as an ideal central location for a church. 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... Yeouido is a large island within Seoul, and the center of Seouls business district. ... Han River is the name of four unrelated rivers: Han River, or Han Gang, is a river in Korea, passing through Seoul and entering the Yellow Sea Han River, or Han Shui, is a tributary of the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang) in central China Han River, or Han Jiang, is...

The Yoido Church

Economic problems delayed the construction of a church on Yoido Island, but in 1973, the new ten thousand-seat auditorium was completed. Its first worship service was held on 23 September 1973. In the same year, Prayer Mountain, a sanctuary where individuals can lock themselves away in small cubicles for prayer and fasting, was established. Expanded in 1982 to accommodate ten thousand people, Prayer Mountain is now visited by more than a million people each year, including some ten thousand foreign pilgrims. The church continued to grow exponentially; its membership reached 400,000 in 1984, and 700,000 in 1992. In the 1990s, Cho decided that rather than expanding further, the church should establish satellite churches in other parts of the city. Goals for the decade of 2000-2010 include the establishment of some five thousand satellite churches and five hundred prayer houses, similar to Prayer Mountain. 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... September 23 is the 266th day of the year (267th in leap years). ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... Prayer Mountain is a mountain in South Korea. ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... This article is about the year 2000. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Wider ministry

Cho has spent more than 44 years emphasizing the importance of cell group ministry, which he believes is the key to church growth, as well as team ministry.

In November 1976, Cho founded Church Growth International, an organization dedicated to teaching the principles of evangelism and church growth to pastors all over the world. In January 1986, he led the way in establishing the Elim Welfare Town, a facility for the elderly, the young, the homeless, and the unemployed. The latter would be given training and a choice of four occupations. In March of the same year, he founded Hansei University. He was Chairman of the World Assemblies of God Fellowship from 1992 to 2000, and has served as Chairman of the Korean Christian Leaders Association since November 1998. He has also served as Chairman of the Good People charity organization since February 1999. 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Assemblies of God is the worlds largest Pentecostal denomination with approximately 52. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... This article is about the year 2000. ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Old Farts by the Sometimes-United Nations. ...

1976 Nov. ~ Chairman of the Board, Church Growth International
1986 Jan. ~ Chairman-Elim Welfare Town, facility for the elderly and the young
1986 Mar. ~ Chairman-Board of Trustees, Hansei University
1992 Sep. ~ 2000 Aug. Chairman-World Assemblies of God Fellowship
1999 Feb. ~ Chairman of Good People, A Non-Government Organization
2000 March 28 ~ Founder & CEO of David Cho Evangelistic Mission

In addition to his native Korean, Cho is fluent in English, Japanese, and Mandarin. He has written numerous books, including The Fourth Dimension (two volumes); The Holy Spirit, My Senior Partner; Praying With Jesus; and Prayer, Key to Revival. He has three adult sons. The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... This article is on all of the Northern Chinese dialects. ...

Distinctive teachings

Salvation for the soul, Good health, Prosperity

As well as the usual salvation for the soul, David Cho wishes for every believer that salvation would ensure welliness of the soul which brings the true essence for good health(healing) and wealth as well.

Biblical Basis: 3 John 1:2 says, "Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well." (NIV) "Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth." (KJV)

He calls these The threefold blessing:

Salvation for the soul

"When a man accepts Christ as his Saviour and his spirit comes alive, that reborn spirit becomes the master of the soul, having command over it, and uses the body as a place of residence. A person who experiences a rebirth of the spirit also experiences a rebirth of the conscience, a longing for the Word of God, a hope for the spiritual realm, and begins to communicate with God through prayer and worship and praises the Lord, and comes to feel the existence of God through every fiber of his body." - Yoido full gospel church website (link below)

Good health

"The physical curse of illness and death which were handed down through generations after the first sin of Adam were cleansed whole with no trace. Now, we must base our lives on the redemption of Christ, and claim our right to health and divine healing. Also, Christians receive the seed of eternal life (I Corinthinas 15:42-45)." - Yoido full gospel church website (link below)

Prosperity

"We must rethink our misguided thoughts considering material wealth as being equated with sin. We must drive out our subconsciously rooted thoughts of poverty, condemnation and despair. God acts in concordance with our conscience; If our thoughts are filled with poverty and despair, God cannot bless us with material blessing." - Yoido full gospel church website (link below)

Belief in the fourth dimension

"Then God spoke to my heart, "Son, as the second dimension includes and controls the first dimension, and the third dimension includes and controls the second dimension, so the fourth dimension includes and controls the third dimension, producing a creation of order and beauty. The spirit is the fourth dimension. Every human being is a spiritual being as well as a physical being. They have the fourth dimension as well as the third dimension in their hearts." So men, by exploring their spiritual sphere of the fourth dimension through the development of concentrated visions and dreams in their imaginations, can brood over and incubate the third dimension, influencing and changing it. This is what the Holy Spirit taught me" (Cho, The Fourth Dimension 1979:p40).

Use the power of God to improve your business

"You can tap that power for your tuition, your clothes, your books, your health, your business, everything! When you go out to preach the gospel you are not preaching a vague objective, a theory, philosophy, or human religion. You are actually teaching people how to tap endless resources!" (Cho, The Forth Dimension 1979:186).

Awards and Honors

Dr. Cho has been awarded The Family of Man Medallion by CCCNY (The Council of Churches of the City of New York) in Brooklyn, New York on May 18, 2005. The Family of Man Medallion is awarded to "individuals who exemplify excellence in the use of God-given talents in the service of humankind." Since the beginning of the council in 1963, the Council has presented the award to recipients such as the former U.S. presidents: John F. Kennedy; Dwight D. Eisenhower; Richard M. Nixon; and Jimmy Carter. The award was also presented to John D. Rockefeller III. Dr. Cho is the twenty-fifth person and the first Asian man to receive The Family of Man Medallion.

CCCNY President Calvin Butts who presented The Family of Man Medallion said, "We decided to honor Dr. Cho because of his fervent efforts to preach the Gospel to the world. He planted a church with only five members in 1958, and he is still ministering to that church which has become the biggest church in the world. He is a man of God who continues to preach the Gospel throughout the whole world, bringing many souls to Christ. He has also written inspiring Christian books."

Brooklyn, Bronx in New York City also proclaimed May 18 as "Rev. Dr. David Yonggi Cho Day".

Theological controversies

Like some leaders, Cho has fueled a considerable amount of theological controversy. Michael Horton, John MacArthur, Paulo Romeiro and Dave Hunt are among a number of prominent Christian leaders who have expressed great concern over Cho's teachings, which they allege are rooted in "Buddhist and Occult teachings". Others, who are opposed to the Brownsville Revival in Pensacola, Florida, look with disfavor on Cho's avowed support for that movement. The Rick A. Ross Institute, a non-profit organisation dedicated to giving public information about religious groups it considers to be strange or cultish, has claimed that the church promotes a mixture of Korean Shamanism, Christianity and Cho's own ideas. Michael Horton Michael Scott Horton is Professor of Theology and Apologetics at Westminster Seminary California and is heard regularly as host of The White Horse Inn radio program. ... John MacArthur John F. MacArthur, Jr. ... Paulo Rodrigues Romeiro is a Brazilian Christian apologist and pastor. ... Dave Hunt, born in 1926, is a Christian apologist, speaker, radio commentator and author. ... Buddhism (also known as Buddha Dharma, Pali: बुद्ध धम्म, the teachings of the awakened one) is a dharmic, non-theistic religion, a way of life, a practical philosophy, and a life-enhancing system of applied psychology. ... The word occult comes from the Latin occultus (clandestine, hidden, secret), referring to the knowledge of the secret or knowledge of the hidden and often popularly meaning knowledge of the supernatural, as opposed to knowledge of the visible or knowledge of the measurable, usually referred to as science. ... The Brownsville Revival (also known as The Pensacola Outpouring) was a widely reported religious phenomenon that began within the Pentecostal movement in 1995. ... Nickname: The City of Five Flags Location of the city within the state of Florida Country United States State Florida County Escambia County, Florida Mayor John Fogg Area    - City 102. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... A shaman doctor of Kyzyl. ...

Many of Cho's detractors are of the non-Charismatic persuasion, but they are by no means his only critics: at one time, his own Korean Assemblies of God denomination suspended his ordination while they investigated his theology. After all, they found his teaching to be fully compatible with official Assemblies of God doctrine. The Assemblies of God is the worlds largest Pentecostal denomination with approximately 52. ... The Assemblies of God is the worlds largest Pentecostal denomination with approximately 52. ...

Cho claims that some of opponents' arguments are supported by false accusations. In one of his books, he referred to an article in the Korean press alleging that he had, in a sermon, condoned ancestor worship - a charge he strongly denied. The journalist responsible later publicly apologised under threat of criminal prosecution, as character defamation is a criminal offence under South Korean law and not a civil liable matter. Some damage had been done, however, and these accusations were partly what triggered his denomination's investigation of his teaching. Cho's books actually take a very strong stand against Buddhism and Shamanism, but some critics like to say that even so, he is still subtly influenced by ideas inspired by the very ideologies he opposes. The quoted book below "Madame Butterfly in Paris" has been mentioned by many Korean newspapers e.g. Chosun Ilbo (journalist - Sung Kino), all journalists mentioning this book have been threatened with criminal persecution under South Korea's "defamation of character law" even for refering or quoting from this book. In South Korean law one must just go to a police station and make a complaint to start action under this law as defamation of character is a criminal not a civil offence and is counted more seriously than theft. To escape this law the book was published in France. Ancestor worship, also ancestor veneration, is a religious practice based on the belief that ones ancestors possess supernatural powers. ... Buddhism (also known as Buddha Dharma, Pali: बुद्ध धम्म, the teachings of the awakened one) is a dharmic, non-theistic religion, a way of life, a practical philosophy, and a life-enhancing system of applied psychology. ... A shaman doctor of Kyzyl. ...

In fact, Korea had long been a country of Buddihsm and its traditions. Cho's evengelism has tremendously impacted the nation, leading many Buddhists, Shamanists, and others to Christianity. His accomplishments in Christianity in S. Korea are undeniable, while his international establishments of Christian evengelism having been recognized, however Korean ideas of Christianity are dictated by each individual church. There is very little understanding of Christian history and traditions. Catholics are mainly, and wrongly, thought to be worshipers of Mary and nothing to do with Christianity. The bible is not read and is not encouraged to be read by Cho's followers, rather they are expected to follow Cho's interpretations.

Published criticisms

Cho's teaching "is nothing short of occultism..." and "a departure from historic Christian theology..." (p.353 Christianity in Crisis by Hank Hanegraaff, ISBN 0-89081-976-9)

Michael Horton, comments on Robert Schuller's forward to Yonggi Cho's book, Fourth Dimension, arguing that it is a blend of "psychology, magic and religion" (p.327 Power Religion: The Selling Out of the Evangelical Church? by J. I. Packer, R. C. Sproul, Alister E. McGrath, Charles W. Colson (Editor), Michael Scott Horton (Editor), ISBN 0-8024-6773-3)

Cho's ideas are "rooted in Buddhist and occult teachings" (p.149 Charismatic Chaos by Dr. John F. MacArthur, ISBN 0-310-57572-9)

See also

• Yoido Full Gospel Church
• Christianity in Korea - an article about the history and social impact of Christianity in Korea.
• List of Korea-related topics

Yoido Full Gospel Church is a Pentecostal Christian church on Yeouido Island in Seoul, South Korea. ... St. ... This is a list of Wikipedia articles on Korea-related people, places, things, and concepts. ...

References

• Chung, Gui-Sun (2003). Madame Butterfly in Paris (파리의 나비부인). 띠앗. ISBN 89-89558-84-0.

External links

• Yoido Full Gospel Church website
• Brownsville Revival website, with a claimed Cho prophecy (Sympathetic)
• Theologian Richard Riss on Cho (Sympathetic)
• Apologetics Index (Anti)
• The Toronto Blessing, includes material about Cho (Anti)