WCC Controversy

The Issue

The World Council of Churches (WCC) is a fellowship of churches worldwide, founded in 1948. The question at issue is whether cooperating within a single organization with churches of differing theologies is a path toward the unity of the church or one that obscures the truth of the gospel.

The Case for Participation

• In keeping with Jesus' prayer that the church be one (John 17:21), divided churches should engage in dialogue and work together.
• The WCC is merely a council of churches, not a single super-church, and member churches retain their own confessions of faith.
• Churches can respond together to issues such as poverty, human rights, peace, and the environment.

This position is held by member denominations of the National Council of Churches in Korea, including the Presbyterian Church of Korea (Tonghap), the Korean Methodist Church, the Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea, and the Anglican Church of Korea.

The Case Against Participation

• Opponents hold that the WCC harbors theologies that diminish the authority of Scripture, as well as tendencies toward religious pluralism, the view that salvation is also found in other religions.
• They criticize the WCC for emphasizing social and political issues at the expense of evangelism.
• During the Cold War, the participation of churches from the Communist bloc also led to accusations of pro-Communist sympathies.

This position is held by conservative Presbyterian denominations such as the General Assembly of Presbyterian Church in Korea (Hapdong) and the Kosin Presbyterian Church in Korea. Supporters of participation respond that these criticisms misunderstand the WCC's official documents and actual practice.

Developments in the Korean Church

In 1959, the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Korea split into the Tonghap and Hapdong branches over a combination of issues, including the question of WCC membership and disputes over the seminary (Korean Presbyterian schism). When the WCC's Tenth Assembly was held in Busan in 2013, participating denominations regarded it as an opportunity for the Korean church to host the worldwide church, while opposing denominations and organizations staged large-scale protest rallies. This controversy also forms part of the background to the division of Korea's interdenominational church bodies between the National Council of Churches in Korea and conservative church federations.