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Shincheonji: Sourced answers from a former member
Sourced explainers on Shincheonji’s teachings for anyone with questions about the group, checked against Shincheonji’s own books and public records. Every page shows its sources, with the Korean original beside our English translation, so you can check each claim yourself.
Also known as: 신천지; Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony (신천지예수교 증거장막성전); New Heaven New Earth; Zion Christian Mission Center (ZCMC); Shincheonji Volunteers; SCJ
Affiliated groups: HWPL, IWPG, IPYG
Explore by topic
Reported in 82 countries and territories outside South Korea, as of 13 Oct 2026, many of the reports from Shincheonji’s own publications. See where Shincheonji is reported →
Is it a Shincheonji Bible study?
Warning signs: an invitation that never names the group, a hidden church, requests for secrecy, a months-long course with attendance pressure and a Bible treated as coded parables.
What is Shincheonji?
The basics: who leads it and how it is organized.
- Who is Lee Man-hee?
- Why churches are called “Babylon”
- Shincheonji graduation claims (coming soon)
Recruiting tactics and secrecy
How Shincheonji enters churches, the front names it uses and how it reaches new people.
- How Shincheonji enters churches
- HWPL and front names
- Secrecy and “the wisdom of hiding” (coming soon)
- Manipulation, coercion and information control (coming soon)
- Bible schools in poorer countries (coming soon)
What do they believe?
Shincheonji’s main teachings, described in its own terms, with sources.
- Physical immortality
- Betrayal, destruction and salvation
- Doctrinal changes
- Salvation, being “sealed” and the 12 tribes
- The Promised Pastor
- The Bible as a sealed book: parables
- Shincheonji and the Trinity
- How Shincheonji interprets the Bible
The history of Shincheonji
Where the group came from and how its own account compares with the record.
- Legal cases and controversies
- The Tabernacle Temple and the founding (coming soon)
- The 14 March 1984 claim (coming soon)
Preparing to talk to your loved one
Topics and questions to think through before a conversation.
- If your loved one is in Shincheonji
- Did the church fall away?
- Has Jesus already come again?
- For parents (coming soon)
- The two areas to focus on in a conversation (coming soon)
- How does one “overcome” and what is the gospel? (coming soon)
Life after: the road to recovery
Support for the months after leaving, for former members and families.
In a crisis, call or text 988 (US) · 109 (Korea)
Full page (4 topics) →Shincheonji and politics
HWPL’s outreach to governments, schools and the UN.
- HWPL’s government ties
- The WARP Summit
- The Mindanao peace claim
- HWPL peace education in schools
- HWPL and the UN
Pastors Packet
For pastors and church leaders: how Shincheonji approaches churches, with practical guides.
- Open the Pastors Packet
- Shincheonji church names
- If a church member is in Shincheonji
- About the Pastors Packet
Family Packet
For anyone with a friend, family member, partner or loved one in Shincheonji: what to say, how to listen and how to rebuild trust.
- Help when someone you love is in Shincheonji
- Why your loved one may shut down when you talk about Shincheonji
- Understanding how your loved one sees you
- Recognizing the cult self and the authentic self
- Building trust through conversations about faith
- Ask questions based on what your loved one actually says
- Encouraging independent thinking through comparisons
- About the Family Packet
Tools
Reference tools you can come back to.
Glossary · Terms
Shincheonji Glossary
Shincheonji terms in plain English with the Korean, what SCJ says and what is verified.
32 terms 44 parables
FAQ · Answers
Shincheonji FAQ
Short, sourced answers for families, churches, and anyone checking a Bible study. Each answer links to longer pages when you want more depth.
Map · Locations
Where Shincheonji Is Reported Around the World
Churches, activity and members reported outside South Korea, each tagged by how it is sourced. On the Locations map, pin colours show Shincheonji’s tribes, and grey means no tribe is given.
Series · Fulfillment
Fulfillment series: Betrayal, Destruction, Salvation
배도·멸망·구원
SCJ’s core story of betrayal, destruction and salvation, and how its own books have told it differently over the years.
Series · Lessons
Shincheonji Bible study lessons
Lesson-by-lesson answers to Shincheonji’s Bible study: what Shincheonji teaches, what the Bible says, and what is happening behind each lesson.
For pastors and church leaders
Shincheonji guides for pastors
How Shincheonji approaches churches, and practical guides for pastors and church leaders.
Pastors Packet for pastors and church leadersFor families and friends
Shincheonji guides for families and friends
For anyone with a friend, family member, partner or loved one in Shincheonji: what to say, how to listen and how to rebuild trust.
- If your loved one is in Shincheonji
- Why your loved one may shut down when you talk about Shincheonji
- Understanding how your loved one sees you
- Recognizing the cult self and the authentic self
- Building trust through conversations about faith
- Ask questions based on what your loved one actually says
- Encouraging independent thinking through comparisons
Articles
Topics · Articles
Shincheonji articles
Topic hubs on immortality and political outreach, plus practical guides for leaving and life after.
Peer-led, non-clinical support; not a substitute for professional care. In a crisis in the US, call or text 988.