Sermons and Prophecies: Dual Belief Systems and Organizational Dynamics in a Protestant-based New Religion

In Korean society, where Protestantism has a solid political and social influence, Protestant-based new religions have developed in symbolic conflict with mainstream Protestants. These groups often maintain a dual belief system, with formal sermons resembling those of mainstream Protestants and secretive prophecies. What are the semantic structures of this dual belief system, and how do their members interact with them?

This study focueses on Church A, the third-largest Protestant-based new religion known for its mystical eschatology. This study explores the semantic structures of A’s sermons and prophecies using topic modeling and qualitative content analysis, while examining its members’ interactions with this dual belief system and organizational dynamics through focused group interviews with four departing members.

The content analysis revealed that formal sermons and prophecies have distinct semantic structures. Formal sermons focused on keywords common to mainstream Protestants, such as God and Jesus, while prophecies revolved around concepts unique to A, such as the Father, the Son(A’s leader), and the leader’s divine power.

In the interviews, members perceived that prophecies were complemented and interpreted by sermons. In addition, the disparity in access to prophecies structuralized status relations and dynamics within the organization. Those with prophecies are envied in the group and move up the belief status ladder, while those who do not are stigmatized and pushed to the periphery.

This study examines the belief of Protestant new religions as a dual system rather than a single doctrinal system. It explores the members’ perceptions and in-group status dynamics with this belief. The findings suggest that this dual belief system may be a cognitive construct that influences new religious group members’ stratification, envy, and mobilization.