These are excerpts from the Inaugural Address of Dr. Shimmyo, president of UTS, June 26, 1994, Barrytown, New York.

Today I am honored to deliver this inaugural address as the second president of the Unification Theological Seminary, an educational institution with an important providential mission and purpose in the Completed Testament Age. I am especially indebted to the training which Dr. Kim, the first president, gave me in the past nine years here at the seminary.

By way of being His instrument, I will make sure that this seminary serves the rest of the Unification community, this nation and the world, with a desire to shoulder their burdens. Therefore you will see me and my associates serving beyond the boundaries of this seminary. I am convinced that God is a God of true love who is always available to take pains to restore the world.

I believe that we humans cannot transform ourselves or this world without the real power of God. In the long history of humanity we have done many, many things, but unfortunately we have not been able to restore the world yet. For most of the things we have done in history have turned out to be merely human endeavors not involving the power of God. Consequently, we have created numerous idols which have prevented us from reaching God. I strongly feel that now is the time when we need revolutionary thinking which leads us to be truly humble before God, so that His real power may be generated. This power of God will definitely transform everything, solving all kinds of difficult problems.

As you know, the important task of the Unification movement is to build the heavenly kingdom here on earth. Therefore we Unificationists have to have direct contact with the real world, not escaping from it. This makes the Unification movement different from traditional Christianity, which basically has sought after spiritual salvation only. But when we are engaged in the real world to build the heavenly kingdom here, we must never lose sight of God. If the real world is very important for us, then the input and power of God are even more important. Only when what is more important is taken into consideration can all the other things be taken care of in a successful manner. As long as I am president of UTS, I will make absolutely sure that what is more important is always emphasized, so that the real transformation of the world will come.

Some of you might say that this seminary should maintain its integrity as an academic institution, seeking after knowledge. In my opinion, however, knowledge is hardly useful in and of itself. It even misguides people. In order for knowledge to have value, it should be supplemented by wisdom which comes from our commitment to God. Only when our connection to God is right can our seminary become a truly successful academic institution.

I have learned all this from the teachings of our True Parents, Reverend and Mrs. Sun Myung Moon, the founders of this seminary. Recently they visited this institution to give very serious guidance about its mission and its future. I pledge to implement it in order to make this seminary a place where leaders for the world are truly educated. But again I am humbled by the realization that I am just a small man. So I stand in from of God and True Parents with the spirit of humility and dedication, in order to experience the real divine power which will transform everything.

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