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Handong Statements

Handong Vision Statement
 

Handong Global University will become an international university that educates 21st-century leaders who change the world and its nations with the Christian spirit, fostering new leaders with outstanding qualities and good Christian character, particularly integrity and a sacrificial spirit of service.

 

First, Handong Global University nurtures honest Christian leaders from all walks of life who change the world for the glory of God with the spirit of love, humility, and service.

 

Second, Handong Global University nurtures honest international leaders who serve their communities, countries, and the world, especially in developing countries, with professionalism and moral virtue.

 

Third, Handong Global University fosters competent and honest intellectuals who devote themselves to various academic disciplines with a Christian worldview to recover the true purpose of education, restore Biblical creationism, and rebuild ethics and morals. (Isaiah 58:12)

Handong Confession of Faith
 
1. God
We believe in one God, who is in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We believe He is holy and personal, perfect in truth and love, omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent. We believe He is the Creator of all things and the sovereign Lord of history, and that He has lovingly revealed Himself through creation, Scripture, and Jesus Christ.

2. Jesus Christ
We believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son—both fully God and fully man—who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. We believe in His sinlessness, His miracles, and in His teachings. We believe that He died on the cross in our place to save us from sin and death and that He rose again from the dead. We believe that He now reigns as King and will come again to establish His Kingdom of righteousness, love, and peace.

3. The Holy Spirit
We believe in the Holy Spirit, who is one being with the Father and the Son. We believe that He was sent to reveal the glory of Christ, to regenerate and indwell in all believers in order to lead, instruct, empower, and sanctify them. We believe that He came to convict the world of sin and reveal the righteousness and judgment of God.

4. The Bible
We believe that the Bible, consisting of the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, was written by divine inspiration as the Word of God. We believe that it is inerrant in all that it reveals, providing the perfect standard for all doctrinal truths and practices.

5. Creation
We believe in the Genesis account, which proclaims that God created the heavens and the earth with His Word. We believe that all things were created good, revealing the Creator’s power and divine glory. We believe that God continues to sustain the created order through the power of His Word.

6. Humanity
We believe that humanity was created in the image of God for His glory and designed for eternal life. We believe we have been created to love God, love our neighbors, and care for creation as His stewards.

7. The Fall and Sin
We believe that the entire human race fell due to Adam’s sin and participated in willful rebellion against God. We believe that our transgression has separated us from Him, subjecting us to eternal death—both physical and spiritual. We believe that all human beings are born with a sinful nature and are utterly incapable of saving themselves. We believe that the corruption resulting from the Fall pervades every aspect of humanity, human culture, and the created order.

8. Salvation
We believe that our Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins as an atoning sacrifice and that He rose back to life. We believe that Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation, and that all those who repent and believe in Him become born again of the Holy Spirit as a new creation, receiving salvation and eternal life. We believe that all who believe may live holy lives through the infilling of the Holy Spirit and that we will be glorified on the day of Christ’s return, when all things are restored to their original glory.

9. The Church
We believe in the universal Church, which is the community of all believers throughout history, made manifest in local churches throughout the world. We believe that the Church, as the community of the followers of Jesus, is the Body of Christ and that Christ is the head of the Church. We believe that those who belong to the Church mature as Christians by the sharing of joy in worship, in the declaration of the Word, in baptism and Holy Communion, in education, in fellowship, and in service to others.

10. World Missions and the Kingdom of God
We believe that we have been called to proclaim the gospel to the ends of the earth and further the Kingdom of God. For this purpose, we believe that we have the mission to care for all creation, pursue the welfare of humanity in all cultures, and redeem them with God’s love, justice, and wisdom.

11. Academics and Education
We believe that Jesus Christ is Lord over all areas of learning and that the Word of God must be the foundation of all academic disciplines. We believe that the educational goal of a Christian university is to provide a holistic education in all disciplines—including all the major studies and encompassing spiritual, moral, intellectual, emotional, physical, and social aspects—for the purpose of nurturing talented individuals who serve God and their neighbors in all areas of life.

12. The Second Coming of Christ and Eternal Life
We believe that Jesus Christ Himself will return visibly and historically, in power and in glory, to consummate His Kingdom and bring about the final victory over sin, death, and Satan. We believe in the resurrection of the body and the Last Judgment, in the eternal punishment of the unrighteous and the eternal joy of the faithful.
Handong Standard
 
Handong Global University, as a Christian institution of higher education, is a community where all students, faculty, and staff pursue a Christ-centered life based on the Bible. This purpose, which has been made manifest in Handong’s unique history and distinctive mission, continues to unfold through divine providence.

HGU was established in 1995 as an institution that fosters character in addition to academic excellence. In a world dominated by secular values, where moral responsibilities are fading, our objective is to educate students who will serve as exemplary leaders who demonstrate integrity, wisdom, and moral courage in their lives.

This vision comes with a holy challenge, calling all people of Handong to live by a Biblical value system that is set apart from the culture of the world. It is an invitation to follow the eternal values of the Kingdom of God set forth in the Bible and the life of Jesus Christ. The various programs and communities in Handong are designed to educate these “Kingdom values” in the lives of our students.

Following are some of the fundamental Biblical virtues pursued by the Handong community.

Love
Love is expressed when we are willing to welcome, cherish, respect, forgive, and humbly serve others, sometimes at the cost of personal sacrifice. The love that overflows in our hearts in response to God’s own holy love has the incredible power to heal and transform the lives of both the bestower and the recipient.

Wisdom
Wisdom is manifested in the ability to discern what is good, what is right, and what is true. The fear of the Lord and our knowledge of Him (Proverbs 2) provide insight into the true nature of all things. Wisdom enables us to make the right choices in our daily lives and exercise proper discretion in dealing with the world around us. True wisdom produces good fruit and protects us from descending into lives of futility and meaninglessness.

Integrity
Integrity is embodied in people whose thoughts, words, and actions consistently align with the truth and moral principles. To have integrity means to be “pure in heart” and have “truth in the inward being.” (Matthew 5:8; Psalms 51:6, 10) Sincere integrity before God and others gives us the courage to stand firm against injustice and ungodliness.

Purity
Purity can be considered an extension of integrity. Purity of heart leads to sexual purity, which celebrates God’s gift of sexuality. Sexual purity—as a form of honoring God, ourselves, and others—preserves and enables the mystical union between two partners in the covenant of marriage. The misuse of sexuality undermines character and leaves deep scars on the souls and lives of those who fail to preserve its purity.

Self-Control
Self-control refers to the way we control our desires, emotions, thoughts, and actions through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. Because we are prone to self-indulgence, self-control is essential to our growth into maturity. Without discipline or sustained effort, the virtues of love, wisdom, integrity, and purity will falter, and our gifts will be of no avail.

The virtues provided above are not attributes that can simply be regulated, as they are born of a godly character. While all people, as image-bearers of God, may develop these qualities to a certain extent, it is only through the help of the Holy Spirit working in us that these virtues may be fully realized. Accordingly, Handong endeavors to provide many opportunities for students to personally encounter Jesus Christ and to grow as His disciples as they prepare themselves to change the world.

There may be members of the Handong community who do not believe in the Christian faith and worldview. However, we believe that these guidelines will be beneficial not only to Christian believers but to all people of Handong. Therefore, we expect all members to honor the Standard provided here and to willingly participate in the programs and activities through which these virtues may be fostered.

In order to foster a firm Christian ethos, Handong Global University is dedicated to providing a safe and healthy community environment that is conducive to the personal, intellectual, moral, social, and spiritual growth of our students. For this purpose, the Handong community stands firmly against the following behaviors and practices that damage the lives of both individuals and the community at large.

1. Possession, consumption, and being under the influence of alcohol
2. Premarital sex, cohabitation, sexual harassment, pornography, and homosexual conduct
3. Obscene expressions in the form of speech and writing, manner of dress, public performances and display, etc.
4. Abortion
5. All forms of academic dishonesty, including but not limited to cheating and plagiarism
6. Illegal acts, including but not limited to the sale and use of narcotics, theft, violence, and gambling

Handong’s motto of “Why not change the world?” is, above all else, a call to change ourselves, to submit to the rule of Jesus Christ in our lives, to grow in grace, wisdom, and knowledge, and to bring about transformation through moral virtues and the power of the truth that sets us free.
Honor Code
 
Preamble
Handong Global University has a mission to foster 21st-century leaders who change the world and its nations with the Christian spirit. A distinguished life of integrity and virtue is required of such leaders. The Handong Honor Code stipulates how to live a sanctified life that is pleasing to God in all spheres of life. Its fundamental purpose is to foster distinguished leaders with both academic excellence and Christian character. Through the Honor Code, all people of Handong contribute to achieving the vision of Handong Global University. Accordingly, all students, faculty, and staff are responsible for maintaining and developing this Honor Code.

“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
Romans 12:2

Handong Honor Code
1. The people of Handong take responsibility for all we do, say, and write.
1. The people of Handong are honest and faithful in our academic and social lives.
1. The people of Handong help and serve others with humility.
1. The people of Handong sacrifice ourselves for others.
1. The people of Handong respect the personal dignity and rights of all members of the community.
1. The people of Handong value and respect the property of others and the university.
Handong Professors Honor Code
 
Handong Global University, God’s university for higher education, seeks to serve the society, the nation and the world by cultivating men and women of God equipped intellectually, morally, and spiritually.

We, the professors of HGU, form the core component of the university to fulfill such an objective. As scholars and educators with the Evangelical Christian Worldview, we are to pursue the integration of faith, life and academia.

Upon its twelfth anniversary, the Handong Professors Honor Code is established in order to present a model of the HGU professorship. It is to be taken as a standard of ethics specifying both the responsibilities and rights of the professors. This Code is not to be used as a ground to regulate or punish professors’ behavior and thought. Rather, it is to be used autonomously as a code of conduct to help discern what proper actions are to be taken in situations where such ethical discernment is needed.

We, the professors of HGU, shall take the initiatives to participate in the growth of HGU as God’s university by realizing their spiritual, academic and moral responsibilities as Christian scholars and respecting the intent and objectives of the Handong Professors Honor Code.

Article I. Responsibility to ourselves
We, the HGU professors, with the assurance of salvation and calling to professorship, are to do our best to lead holy and honest lives as new creation in Christ with continual endeavor for more maturity.

1. We believe in the triune God. Having received Jesus as Christ the Savior, with the assurance of salvation, we place our hope in the resurrection, the eternal life and the Kingdom of heaven.
2. Being called to professorship for the glory of God, we are acutely conscious of our vocation to serve students and the society in the present age.
3. We strive to live a godly life of worship in the presence of God.
4. We guard against any value systems or behavioral habits that impede the desired godly life (such as smoking, alcohol abuse, drug abuse, gambling, and sexual promiscuity).
5. In accordance with our conscience we strive to be honest and courageous in words and deeds.

Article II. Responsibility to our families
We, the HGU professors, assume the duties and responsibilities of taking care of our own families with the love of Christ.

1. We are faithful to our spouses in performing our duties and responsibilities for them.
2. We are faithful in nurturing our children according to the Word of God.
3. We respect our parents and assume the duty of supporting them.
4. Through family devotions, we cultivate a family filled with grace and love.
5. We foster our family to be a community living in conjunction with neighbors.

Article III. Responsibility to education and research
We, the HGU professors, take education as our primary responsibility. We seek to conduct research in accordance with the educational objectives, to integrate faith and learning with the integrity of Christian scholarship, to pursue academic excellence, and to contribute to the society at large through the processes and results of our professional work.

1. We, as Christian educators, do our best to provide high quality lectures by thorough and timely preparation.
2. We, as professors of an education-oriented university, conduct research in relation to the education we provide, in order to find God’s truth.
3. The processes and the results of our research are to be in line with the objectives of HGU, and as such they are to make contribution to the welfare of the society.
4. As conscientious Christian scholars integrating faith and learning, we pursue the truth and truthful values.
5. By actively participating in various academic seminars and conferences, we engage in our own professional development as well as the advancement of academia at large.

Article IV. Responsibility to our students
We, the HGU professors, maintain the honor and dignity of teachers with love and patience towards students. We assume the responsibility of teaching students for their intellectual, moral and spiritual development in order for them to participate in the work of changing the world.

1. We consider the honor and dignity of teachers as valuable as we educate students with the love and patience of God.
2. We respect all students (as God’s image-bearers) and treat them with fairness under all circumstances.
3. As we conduct teams, the core of our character education, we counsel students through various means for their current study programs, for their spiritual journey and for their future careers.
4. With the heart of godparents, we provide care for the students so that they would adjust well in the life of a team, a new home away from home.
5. In a student-faculty relationship, we do not seek private benefits nor do we get involved in any indecent ties.

V. Responsibility to the school
We, the HGU professors, understand and take initiatives to fulfill the vision and the educational philosophy of the university, respect and honor the colleagues for shalom of the community, observe all the rules and regulations, and act responsibly outside the university as representing HGU.

1. We understand the vision of the university and strive to put it into practice in order to strengthen and enlarge its capacity for the Kingdom of God.
2. We respect and honor our colleagues in order to establish a community of faith and love.
3. We strive to develop, refine and abide by all the rules and regulations for shalom of the community.
4. According to the educational philosophy of the university, we do our best to educate students in order for them to develop intellectually, morally and spiritually.
5. Externally, we conduct ourselves appropriately as representing the university.

Article VI. Responsibility to Church
We, the HGU professors, commit ourselves to local churches in order to fulfill the will of the Christ, the head of Church.

1. We commit ourselves to the membership of a local church either inside or outside HGU.
2. We attend regular services and meetings of a local church as well as serve in a department or a committee of the church.
3. We actively participate in the networking of local churches.
4. We actively participate in various ministries of the local churches such as almsgiving and social services.
5. We actively join the church ministries such as evangelical and missionary works.

Article VII. Responsibility to our society and the world
We, the HGU professors, as the salt and light of the world, seek the Kingdom of God in our society and the world.

1. We endeavor to contribute to the welfare of the society and the world through our professional expertise.
2. We do our best to promote the ecological, social, and global conditions of our environment based on creation science.
3. Under emergent circumstances of the society and the world, we actively participate in the problem solving processes.
4. We participate actively in establishing systems and policies for the justice of the society and the world.
5. We commit ourselves to global evangelism by preaching the gospel of Christ to all societies and nations.
Handong Staff Honor Code
 
Preamble
Handong Global University is God’s institution of higher education that fosters talented men and women of God who change the world with the spirit of love, humility, and service. We, as the proud Staff of Handong, are fellow workers alongside professors and students in realizing the vision of the university. We will not conform to the pattern of this world but will wholeheartedly contribute to the development of the university as faithful stewards of God. For this purpose, we hereby establish the Staff Honor Code to stipulate our duties and mission as the Staff of Handong and provide a code of conduct for proper behavior. This Honor Code has been enacted in accordance with the educational values of Handong Global University, which was founded as God’s university based on the Christian spirit of loving God and our neighbors. We, the Staff of Handong, pledge to respect this Code and faithfully abide by it throughout our lives.


1. We, the Staff of Handong, actively serve with a sense of calling and pride to fulfill the vision of the university.
1. We, the Staff of Handong, recognize that the work entrusted to each of us is a holy calling by God and that our ministry is our worship made manifest in service. Accordingly, whatever we do, we serve faithfully as to the Lord.
1. We, the Staff of Handong, strive to serve the members of our community with love and humility in accordance with the teachings of Christ, who did not come to be served, but to serve.
1. We, the Staff of Handong, respect one another as equal beings, treating each other with dignity and courtesy.
1. We, the Staff of Handong, pursue transparency and justice in our administration in accordance with God’s good will and Handong’s rules and regulations. For this purpose, we strive to develop expertise in our duties.
1. We, the Staff of Handong, as fellow workers in Christ, do not set aside our duties to others, but grow together through cooperation as a threefold cord that is not easily broken. 1. We, the Staff of Handong, train ourselves for godliness and in bodily exercise, so that we may maintain a healthy mind and body.
1. We, the Staff of Handong, do not turn a blind eye to the problems facing the world, including, but not limited to, the environment, peace, human rights, and poverty. We love our neighbors as ourselves and take initiative in good deeds, service, and social engagement.
1. We, the Staff of Handong, practice the spirit of this Honor Code not only in our university, but also in our homes, churches, communities, nations, and the international community as the aroma of Christ.
1. We, the Staff of Handong, in imitation of Christ, encourage one another and build each other up as we faithfully fulfill this Staff Honor Code.


I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.
Handong Global University
558 Handong-ro Buk-gu, Pohang Gyeongbuk 37554 Republic of Korea
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