Providence (religion) Basic FAQ

Basic FAQ

O.K. - In a few sentences or less, tell me what Providence is about.
Are you a political action group?
Focus on what?
Do you take The Bible literally?
Does that mean scientists could be comfortable in Providence?
How old is Providence?
How large is Providence?
Are you, like most churches, biased against women?
What kind of people are attracted to Providence?
So who is this Jeong Myeong-seok, aka Pastor Joshua or Joshua Jeong?
All of this sounds pretty interesting. I think I might be ready for the bad news now.
Is Providence for me?
That sounds very heavy. Are there any practical benefits for me, other than just support for my spiritual life?
I am curious. What is the next step?

O.K. - In a few sentences or less, tell me what Providence is about.

Providence is decidedly Christian. Jesus is at the center of everything. But it is neither Catholic, Protestant, or Orthodox.. It tries to go beyond those three strains of Christianity.

Providence is not just a theology, it is not even mainly a theology, it is most of all a feeling, a feeling which is the basis for taking action, action to establish God’s kingdom on earth.

Are you a political action group?

No. We don’t join the annual demonstration at the School of the Americas in Fort Benning, Georgia, e.g., not because we don’t think it is a good idea, but because we are still small. Small means we need to FOCUS.

Focus on what?

Reading The Bible, not just once, but many times. Some members read The Bible from beginning to end once a year. Our founder, Jeong Myeong-seok (see below), has read The Bible over 1 000 times. We study it to become one with God. Becoming one with God means understanding his sim-jeong. Simjeong () is a Korean word that implies realizing another person’s desire without that person having to explicitly vocalize it. Many married couples grasp each others secret wants and desires without having to always talk about it.

Do you take The Bible literally?

No. We do not believe that the bible is a science book.

Does that mean scientists could be comfortable in Providence?

Yes. Providence probably offers the most scientifically based bible study. That is great for scientists who are also atheists or for people with a non-Christian background. But for people whose faith is deeply rooted in orthodox interpretations, it might pose a challenge.

Which version of The Bible do you use?

In the United States and Canada we read the New International Version (66 books), which is used in most Protestant churches.

How old is Providence?

Providence was founded in 1978.

How large is Providence?

Many of the Providence churches in North America are small faith communities meeting in members’ homes. Even in Korea, where Providence was founded, its membership does not comprise more than 1% of the population. However it is very international and established in more than 40 countries.

Are you, like most churches, biased against women?

No. Providence is gender-neutral. Actually, about half of our pastors are female. When you meet them, you will see that they developed themselves into very powerful women without losing an iota of their femininity.

What kind of people are attracted to Providence?

Closeness to God entails almost by definition a healthy suspicion of the validity of most messages we receive from popular culture. There are few Hollywood movies which espouse the virtues of “holding the other cheek.” To the contrary, “heroes” often excel in revenge, teaching the other party a lesson they will never forget. Money, sex and power were not priorities in Jesus’ life, nor are they for people serious about following God. Adultery and physical violence are not glorified by the truly faithful in any Christian church. All this would indicate that Providence members could be considered conservative by many people. However this ignores the fact that many of the non-orthodox teachings require very open-minded individuals and a critical analysis of anything previously learned and heretofore accepted as fact. So an easy classification is not possible.

Providence members also tend to be much younger than most church attendants. In North America the average age may be close to 30, but the median age is probably not much higher than 25.

So who is this Jeong Myeong-seok, aka Pastor Joshua or Joshua Jeong?

Jeong Myeong-seok was born 1945. He grew up in a small village under conditions of extreme poverty. His non-public life until age 34 is characterized by long hours of prayer and Bible study in solitude, away from the pressures of everyday life, in the mountains near Daejeon, South Korea. The closest parallel in Christian history may be found in the example of mystics who did not seek an intellectual, but an experiential understanding of God. For them the gospel was not a thought-style, as it had become in the institutional church from the fourth century onward, but a life-style. Joshua Jeong was not content with accepting the truth of his (Methodist) religious tradition as taught by its authorities, but to seek his own experience with God.

His “oneness” and deep understanding of divine truth was put to a severe test when he went as a soldier to Vietnam. He carried a machine gun, and common sense would have dictated to kill the “enemy” before his adversary had a chance to kill him. Nevertheless, Jeong Myeong-seok never fired a gun at a person and killed nobody. He did capture, however, many “enemy” soldiers, which is, of course, much more dangerous than simply killing the opponent from a distance. He took the adage “What would Jesus have done?” to an extreme. Joshua Jeong might well be the world’s greatest living pacifist.

Pastor Joshua’s daily messages are intended to give his listeners a glimpse of his experience of God in the mountains of Korea. Some of his Bible teachings are easy and might evoke listeners’ reactions like ‘Why has nobody else before thought of that?’ Others are so difficult to understand that most people will not realize their full meaning without actually “doing it.” The intended purpose of his messages is not so much the impartation of intellectual knowledge, but to trigger realizations and insights into the nature of God that can be put into action the same day or the same week. Above all, his sermons are designed to challenge everybody to continuous self-improvement, to develop the divine nature within oneself.

All of this sounds pretty interesting. I think I might be ready for the bad news now.

Jesus talks about hell and punishment, the Apostle Paul talks about them in his letters, …

… and so do we.

To make the message of the gospel more digestible, a few unspoken assumptions are often made:

The Old Testament God of Wrath is not the God of today anymore. In Old Testament times God was still young and immature. The New Testament God of love and forgiveness is what the “adult” God of today is really like.

Sorry, God did not go through a conversion. The Old and New Testament merely describe different aspects of the same God.

It is extremely difficult to arrive at a unified image of God which encompasses these apparently contradictory aspects. That is what we attempt to do. We resist the temptation to be cafeteria bible scholars, focusing on what we like, and ignoring what we can’t understand. In the end, we arrive at a gestalt perspective of the real God, rather than having simply created an image of a God the way we want Him to be.

Is Providence for me?

If you are ready to give your whole heart, soul and mind to God, it is.

If you are willing to put a high priority on developing your spirituality, to understand and feel God’s actions in your life, it is.

If you are committed to finding out God’s will for yourself, it is.

If you do not expect quick results, but are prepared to “struggle with God” as Jacob did, it is.

If you can see yourself changing your life-style, once you are reasonably certain that you have found God’s will for your life, it is.

You may be familiar, especially if you are Catholic, with the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola. They are especially designed to become aware of God’s movements and actions in your life. Their goal is to get a deeper understanding of what might be God’s purpose for your life. Providence is a little like going through the Spiritual Exercises every day, for your whole life, instead of just once in a life time. It is a daily attempt of applying to your actions what you have learned and realized on that particular day from reading The Bible and listening to Pastor Joshua’s message.

That sounds very heavy. Are there any practical benefits for me, other than just support for my spiritual life?

Yes, they are. God takes care of people who take Him seriously. That may manifest itself not necessarily in terms of material wealth, but it will probably lead to a happier life. God made humans. Therefore He knows what is best for us in the long run, even though, at the moment, it might seem counterintuitive. You will probably not end up as one of the statistics (70% divorce rate). You might have a real chance of finding the perfect mate and getting marriage right the first time. You will not only be much happier overall, but your children are also much less likely to grow up with only one parent.

Apart from that, there are real-world benefits from leading a life that is balanced spiritually and physically. Eventually, you will almost certainly gain a deeper sense of purpose, of fulfillment, and, last not least, of being on the right path. This is what makes Providence a feeling.

This completes the circle. Remember the short description of Providence in the first faq: