The Protestant Lies: Theological Analysis, Capitalist Harm, and the Direction of Reform

The Protestant Lies: Theological Analysis, Capitalist Harm, and the Direction of Reform

Today, the Protestant Church is facing a serious crisis. At the center of it lies the cancerous being called 'Lies'. The appearance of some churches that distort the truth of the Bible, deceive the congregation, and turn a blind eye to social responsibility is beyond disappointment and causes anger.

This article aims to analyze the lies of the Protestant Church from a theological point of view and to reveal its causes and harmful effects. In particular, it will point out the problems of the church stained with capitalist values and emphasize the need for reform and purification.

1. Various forms of lies

The lies that appear in Protestant churches take many forms.

Doctrinal lie

The arbitrary interpretation of certain passages in the Bible, emphasizing certain doctrines, and ignoring other doctrines, is a doctrinal lie. This distorts the faith of the congregation and leads to a rift in the church community.

Ethical lie

Criminal acts such as corruption, sexual harassment, and embezzlement by church leaders are prime examples of ethical lies. This undermines the morality of the church and undermines social trust.

Missionary lie

Using exaggerated statistics or false testimonies for church growth is a missionary lie. This leads to doubts about the authenticity of the church, and rather, it interferes with missionary activities.

Social lie

It is a social lie for the church to remain silent on social issues or to assert biased arguments in support of certain political forces. This is an act that intensifies social conflict and abandons the social responsibility of the church.

2. Cause of Lies: Capitalist Desire

The Protestant Lies are closely related to capitalist desires.

Materialism

The church considers material abundance a sign of blessing, and tends to impose donations on its members. This reduces the church to a means of making money and leads to the association of the faith of the congregation with material interests.

Successism

The church is obsessed with external growth, such as increasing the number of church members and expanding church buildings, and tends to neglect internal maturity. This encourages a sense of competition and superiority among the congregation, and leads to the loss of the true meaning of the church community.

Desire for power

Church leaders tend to control congregations and ignore critical opinions to maintain and strengthen their power. This hinders the democratic decision-making process within the church and prevents the voluntary participation of the congregation.

3. The Harm of Lying: Wounds of the Soul

The Protestant Lies leave serious soul scars on the congregation.

Faithful confusion

The church lie causes religious confusion among its members. The congregation wanders around, unable to tell what is true and who to trust.

Moral distrust

The church lie instills moral distrust in its members. The congregation loses trust in the church and its leaders, and only grows distrust in the world.

Mental pain

The church lie causes mental distress to its members. Congregationalists suffer from negative emotions such as guilt, shame, anger, and despair.

4. Direction of Reform: Truth and Justice

The Protestant Church needs fundamental reforms to get out of the swamp of lies.

Restoration of truth

The church must correctly interpret the truth of the Bible and teach its members. We need to correct doctrinal errors and guide them to live their lives according to the teachings of the Bible.

Ethical recovery

The church must strictly manage the morality of its leaders and eradicate corruption. Those who commit ethical crimes should be held accountable regardless of their status.

Social responsibility

The church should actively engage in social issues and take care of the marginalized. It should realize social justice and contribute to social integration.

Overcoming capitalist values

The church must overcome capitalist values such as materialism, success-orientedism, and desire for power, and restore Christian values such as poverty, humility, and service.

5. Conclusion

The Protestant Church's lie is causing a crisis in the entire Korean church.