Search the encyclopedia
1000 articles found for “the elders of Israel”
Church Constitution
[Organization & Polity]A church constitution is the foundational body of rules in which a denomination codifies its principles of confession of faith, church government, offices, worship, and discipline. Depending on the denomination, it may be called a "constitution," *The Doctrines and Discipline*, or another name.
Julian (Roman Emperor)
[People]Julian (331–363), a nephew of Constantine I, the emperor who legalized Christianity, ruled the Roman Empire from 361 to 363. Although he was raised as a Christian, after his accession he sought to revive traditional Roman religion, and the church therefore calls him "Julian the Apostate."
Ordination Offering
[Organization & Polity]An ordination offering is an offering made by a person receiving a church office, such as elder, kwonsa (a female lay office), or ordained deacon, on the occasion of the ordination service. The practice is widespread in Korean Protestant churches. Some regard it as an expression of gratitude, while others criticize it as a way of buying church office with money.
Cho Man-sik
[People]Cho Man-sik (曺晩植, 1883–1950), known by the pen name Kodang (古堂), was a Korean independence activist, educator, politician, and Presbyterian church elder. He served as principal of Osan School, led the Korean Products Promotion Movement and the Singanhoe, and after liberation headed the Korean Democratic Party.
Pastor's Wife (Samo)
[Church Offices]A pastor's wife is the spouse of a pastor. In Korean Protestant churches she is addressed by the honorific title samo. The title does not denote an office established by church constitutions, but in many churches the pastor's wife assists in pastoral ministry.
Kim Pil-rye
[People]Kim Pil-rye (1891–1983) was one of the three founders of the Korean YWCA. A Presbyterian educator, she served as principal of Speer Girls' School and Chungshin Girls' School and devoted her life to secondary education for women.
Moon Dong-hwan
[People]Moon Dong-hwan (1921–2019) was a minister of the Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea and a theologian of Christian education. He taught at Hankuk Theological Seminary, was imprisoned for his role in the democracy movement, and served as a member of the 13th National Assembly.
Henry Dodge Appenzeller
[People]Henry Dodge Appenzeller (1889–1953) was an American Methodist missionary born in Seoul. He served for about twenty years as the fifth principal of Pai Chai Haktang, the school founded by his father, Henry Appenzeller, and led relief work during the Korean War.
Ju Nam-seon
[People]Ju Nam-seon (朱南善, 1888–1951) was a Presbyterian minister who served in Geochang, South Gyeongsang Province, Korea. He took part in the March First Movement and was imprisoned for refusing to participate in Shinto shrine worship. After Korea's liberation from Japanese rule, he helped found Korea Theological Seminary (Koryo Seminary) and served as the first chairman of its board of trustees.
Plymouth Brethren
[Denominations]The Plymouth Brethren are a Protestant denomination rooted in the Brethren movement that began in Dublin, Ireland, in the 1820s. They have no clerical order separating pastors from laity and no denominational organization. Instead, their church life centers on local assemblies led by elders.
Cyril and Methodius
[History]Cyril and Methodius were ninth-century missionary brothers from Thessalonica in the Byzantine Empire. They introduced worship in the Slavic language in Great Moravia and created the Glagolitic alphabet, earning them the title "Apostles to the Slavs."
Exhorter (Kwonsa)
[Church Offices]The exhorter (kwonsa) is a lay office in Korean Protestant churches whose holders exhort church members and care for them through pastoral visitation and prayer. The office originated in the Methodist tradition, and its qualifications and role vary by denomination.
Acts of the Apostles
[Bible]The Acts of the Apostles is the fifth book of the New Testament. It records how, after the ascension of Jesus Christ and with the coming of the Holy Spirit, the church began in Jerusalem and spread as far as Rome.
The Sabbath and the Lord's Day
[Controversies]A discussion of whether Christians should observe the seventh-day (Saturday) Sabbath or the first-day (Sunday) Lord's Day, and whether the Lord's Day should be kept in the manner of the Old Testament Sabbath.
The Church and Politics
[Controversies]The question of how the church and individual Christians should engage in politics. Views differ on the meaning of the separation of church and state, the boundary between preaching and political speech, and the proper forms of the church's social engagement.
The March First Movement and Christianity
[History]The March First Movement and Christianity examines the role Protestantism played in Korea's March First Movement of 1919. Protestants accounted for 16 of the 33 National Representatives, and churches and Christian schools served as bases from which the independence demonstrations spread across the country.
Schisms in the Korean Presbyterian Church
[History]The schisms in the Korean Presbyterian Church were the divisions of the once-unified Presbyterian Church in Korea during the 1950s into the Kosin, Kijang, Tonghap, and Hapdong bodies. The disputes concerned the handling of Shinto shrine worship, views of Scripture, and membership in the World Council of Churches (WCC). Further divisions into numerous denominations followed.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
[Heresies & Cults]The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a religious organization founded by Joseph Smith in the United States in 1830 and commonly known as the Mormon Church. It accepts the Book of Mormon as scripture alongside the Bible. In South Korea, the Presbyterian Church of Korea (Tonghap), the Korean Methodist Church, the Presbyterian Church in Korea (Hapshin), and other denominations have declared it heretical.
Epistle to the Galatians
[Bible]The Epistle to the Galatians is the ninth book of the New Testament, a letter from the apostle Paul to the churches of the region of Galatia. It teaches that a person is justified not by the works of the law but by faith.
The Twelve Disciples
[People]The Twelve Disciples were the twelve men whom Jesus Christ kept close to him during his public ministry, teaching them and sending them out to preach. The New Testament also calls them "apostles."