David Jang

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.).[8] 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.[8] While he was studying, Jang participated in missions and teaching, serving in campus fellowships and churches, and lectured in theology.[12]

In 2000, Jang founded Christian Today, which came to have the highest number of visitors among religious news websites in Korea.[13] Jang aimed for the media company to provide online in-depth coverage across all areas in Christianity,[14] encourage a spirit of unity and reconciliation within the church, promote international recognition of Christian culture, and contribute to global mission work.[14]

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.[12]

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.[15] Dr. Ralph D. Winter advised Jang on the relocation and expansion plan, and later served as the honorary chairman of Olivet University.[16][17] The university moved into the former University of California, Berkeley Downtown Extension Campus, near the Moscone Center in 2005.[18] They also founded Olivet Business School, which offers MBA programs[19] 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 ).[20] Olivet combines Winter's focus on training men and women in biblical scholarship and leadership with Jang’s emphasis on practical skills for preaching.[21]

In 2006, Jang handed over the presidency of the university to Dr. David James Randolph in order to concentrate on mission field work.[22] Jang continues to serve at Olivet University as a professor of theology and international president.

In 2014, a Mother Jones story documented that former religious followers of Mr. Jang said that they were recruited from China and brought to the U.S. on student visas to study at Olivet University, but spent most of their time working illegally, for very little pay, churning out clickbait for the International Business Times, which was started in 2006 by two of David Jang’s followers, Etienne Uzac and Johnathan Davis.[23][24]

In 2018, the Manhattan District Attorney charged it in a fraud and money laundering scheme. Olivet pled guilty to several charges and paid a $1.25 million fine. Tracy Davis, the president of Olivet University at the time of the guilty plea, was recently Dean for Academic Affairs. Her husband Johnathan Davis owns 50 percent of Newsweek.[25][26][27] Two former executives of Jang-affiliated enterprises pleaded guilty to money laundering and fraud in 2019.[28][29][30]

In June 2022, a North Carolina judge ordered the arrest of Rev. JianGang "Frank" Lan in a counterfeit goods case that has drawn the attention of federal investigators looking into whether a church led by Jang was laundering money for criminals in the United States and China.[31][32] On June 30, the New York State Education Department officially ended Olivet's authorization to operate in the state citing that their failings "are part of a larger pattern of poor administration and addressing such problems only after being caught in a criminal conspiracy."[33][34] In March 2023, it was widely reported that California's Attorney General had filed a complaint to close down Olivet University due to several violations.[35][36][37]

From 2007 to 2018, Jang served as a member of the North American Council of the WEA.[3][38] Also in 2007, he 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."[7] Over the years, he has engaged in discussions about helping to establish churches in difficult mission fields such as China.[39]

In 2012, a Christianity Today article[40] raised questions whether Jang had any connections with the Unification Church and his being seen by some people as the "Second Coming of Christ",[41] accusations that have been disputed as baseless by the Christian Council of Korea[42][43][44][45] and the World Evangelical Alliance,[46][47] among others. The Christian Post, founded by students from Olivet University, issued a detailed response[48] to the various allegations raised in the Christianity Today article, raising doubts about the sources and also questioning the timing of the publication during a review of an offer Olivet University made to Lifeway for the purchase of a campus property.

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.[49] Jang runs the Olivet world assembly and is under investigation by US Dept of Homeland Security, HHS and Attorney General of California Source Riverside News, olivetwatch.com.

• Official website
• About Founder - Olivet University

Olivetwatch.com