Religion Presbyterian Christian | Name David Jang | |
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Occupation ProfessorTheologianMinister | ||
David Jang (born October 30, 1949) is a Korean American professor, Christian theologian, and pastor. He has founded several Christian organizations, including Olivet University in San Francisco, Christian Today headquartered in London, Christian Daily Korea, and Christianity Daily in Los Angeles, CA. He is currently a member of the North American Council of the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA), the president of World Olivet Assembly, international president of Olivet University, and president of the Holy Bible Society. Jang was also the 88th President of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Korea. He has traveled around the world, including Africa, East and South Asia, Europe, and North and South America, advising churches, educational institutions, and other Christian ministries.
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Career
Jang grew up in South Korea in a Christian family and was raised in the Presbyterian tradition. As a young man he spent much time in Bible study, vigil prayer meetings, and evangelism. He pursued theological studies at Hanshin University and received two degrees, a Bachelor of Theology (B.Th.) and a Master of Divinity (M.Div.). He also earned an M.A. in Communications from Yonsei University and completed his formal studies with a Ph.D. in Public Administration of Social Welfare from Dankook University. While he was studying, Jang participated in missions and teaching, serving in campus fellowships and churches, and lectured in theology.
Christian Today
In 2000, Jang founded Christian Today, which came to have the most number of visitors among religious news websites in Korea. Jang aimed for the media company to provide online in-depth coverage across all areas in Christianity, encourage a spirit of unity and reconciliation within the church, promote international recognition of Christian culture, and contribute to global mission work.
Olivet University
In the year 2000, Olivet Theological College and Seminary (OTCS) was established in both Los Angeles and in Seoul, Korea, where it was co-located with the Southern Cross College Korea Campus. Jang was a member of the faculty of Southern Cross College and the first director of its Korea campus.
By 2004, the seminary expanded and incorporated into a university comprising five colleges - Olivet Theological College & Seminary, Jubilee College of Music, Olivet College of Journalism, Olivet College of Art & Design, and Olivet Institute of Technology - in the institution’s new home in San Francisco. Dr. Ralph D. Winter advised Jang on the relocation and expansion plan, and later served as the honorary chairman of Olivet University. The university moved into the former University of California, Berkeley Downtown Extension Campus, near the Moscone Center in 2005. They also founded Olivet Business School, which offers MBA programs and opened extension sites in Nashville, TN (at 141 Belle Forest Circle), New York City (at 6 Barclay Street in Lower Manhattan), San Francisco (at 1025 Howard Street), and Washington, D.C. (at 1400 Eye Street NW ). Olivet combines Winter's focus on training men and women in biblical scholarship and leadership with Jang’s emphasis on practical skills for preaching.
In 2006, Jang handed over the presidency of the university to Dr. David James Randolph in order to concentrate on mission field work. Jang continues to serve at Olivet University as a professor of theology and international president.
Other activities
Since 2007, Jang has been a member of the North American Council of the WEA. Also in 2007, he also began work with the Holy Bible Society whose mission is to make "the Bible more accessible to all people by using digital technology and the Internet, especially in unreached mission frontiers." Over the years, he has engaged in discussions about helping to establish churches in difficult mission fields such as China.
Criticisms of Jang have been raised in the last several years, such as accusing him of connections with the Unification Church and his being seen by some people as the "Second Coming of Christ".
A member of the World Evangelical Alliance, The Christian Council of Korea's Heresy Investigation Committee member Sam Kyung Chae and two other members in 2008 wrote to clarify that it "was not able to find any suspicions that David Jang had any involvement with Unification Church since 1997."
The Christian Post, founded, by students from Olivet University, issued a defense of David Jang and an excoriation of Christianity Today and every person who criticized Jang within the piece. "They issued, in other words, a performative affirmation that they are, in fact, David Jang’s mouthpiece." "The Christian Post felt attacked, and lashed out against Christianity Today and Ken Smith."
In the early days of the International Business Times, IBT Media employed immigrant students of Olivet University to translate English into Chinese and other languages, working illegally and being paid less than minimum wage. The connection of "the Community," a Christian sect led by a "charismatic Korean pastor named David Jang" with IBT is disputed.
Personal life
Jang is married to Dr. Sarah Lee and has two sons. He considers the late Ralph D. Winter and Dr. Jang Sik Lee (Korean: 이장식) among his mentors.