A substantial run of two periodicals from the Reverend Sun Myung Moon's Unification Church, with three other related publications
Washington, D. C. Unification Church, 1974-1989. A small but rare collection of publications from Sun Myung Moon's controversial Unification Church, which was founded in Seoul in 1954 and moved to the United States in 1971. Moon's first publication was a newsletter, New Hope News, which later became a tabloid newspaper. It ran from 1974-1978. A new newspaper, The Unification Voice, began publication in April 1980 and was published until at least 1989. Both publications combine movement news, evangelistic campaigns, and favorable portrayals of Moon, with the Unification Voice specifically stating its purpose as countering negative portrayals of the church and Moon. Moon was convicted of tax evasion in 1982 and spent just over a year in prison. His supporters and other religious leaders claimed that he was a victim of discrimination for his religious views.
Sun Myung Moon (1920–2012) founded the Unification Church in Seoul in 1954 and moved to the United States in 1971, where extensive recruitment and public rallies brought international attention. Usually classified as a Christian-derived New Religious Movement, the church teaches that Jesus’ crucifixion left his earthly mission incomplete and that Moon came to complete it. Its Divine Principle interprets humanity’s Fall in sexual terms; followers recognize Moon and his wife, Hak Ja Han, as the “True Parents,” whose marriage blessings establish families within a restored, sinless lineage. These teachings, together with Moon’s authority over marriage matching, sharply distinguished the movement from mainstream Christianity. Controversies included demanding fundraising, recruitment practices, and allegations of “brainwashing”—the latter disputed by scholars studying conversion. Moon’s vigorous anticommunism also fostered alliances with American conservatives. He founded The Washington Times in 1982, the year he was convicted of tax evasion. Supporters presented his subsequent imprisonment as religious persecution, attracting support from religious leaders who did not necessarily share his theology.
Included in this small collection are 55 issues of New Hope News, Vol. 1, Nos. 1, 3, 5-9, 11-13; Vol. 2, Nos. 1, 3-9 (issues 7 has misnumbered volume), 11-24 (tabloid format beings with issue 18), 26-27; Vol. 1, 3-7 (issue 7 misnumbered), 9, 12; Vol. 4, Nos. 1, 3-5, 7-8, 10-11, 13, 17-19; Vol. 5, Nos. 1, 3. And 15 issues of The Unification Voice, Vol. 1, Nos. 1, 11; Vol. 2, Nos. 3-4; Vol. 3, Nos. 1-2; Vol. 4, Nos. 6, 9; Vol. 5, No. 2; Vol. 7, No. 1; Vol. 8, Nos. 1-5.
Also included is a large magazine format publication titled, "Victory for Freedom: Portrait of a Movement for Freedom," edited by James Gavin and published by the Committee to Defend the U.S. Constitution. Its chronicle the campaign surrounding Moon’s prosecution, imprisonment, and release through rallies, prayer vigils, speeches, and endorsements from prominent religious and political figures; 144 pp, illustrated. And "To Bigotry, No Sanction: Reverend Sun Myung Moon and the Unification Church" by Mose Durst. Chicago: Regnery Gateway, 1984. Trade paperback format, 181 pp. The author, a Brooklyn born Jew, was appointed president of the Unification Church of the United States by Moon in 1980 and in this book he provides a sympathetic account of Moon and the church. And lastly, a brochure that explains the history and mission of the Unification Church. Despite the longevity of the church's publications, only the Univ. of Kansas has holdings of either title in OCLC. Item #15280
Price: $750.00