Beyond the Page: Why True Reading Requires Looking Inward and Outward

Yung Suk Kim, PhD 

One of the biggest challenges for contemporary readers is that while they focus heavily on analyzing the text itself, they often neglect to read their own minds or the world around them. True reading is not merely about the words on the page; it is an engagement with both the self and society. Interpretation is never a one-way street, but a dynamic, multifaceted, interdisciplinary conversation.

A defining challenge for contemporary readers lies in a pervasive methodological blind spot. While modern literacy places a premium on close textual analysis and critical deconstruction, it frequently neglects two equally vital dimensions of the reading process: the interiority of the reader and the socio-historical realities of the external world.

Reading, in its fullest sense, is never merely an isolated engagement with words on a page. Rather, it is a simultaneous negotiation between the text, the self, and society.

When we approach a work, we do not do so as neutral observers; we bring our own cognitive frameworks, implicit biases, and lived experiences to the encounter. Without the metacognitive discipline to "read" our own minds—interrogating why a particular argument compels or alienates us—our critical reading remains incomplete. Concurrently, no text exists in an ideological or historical vacuum. To divorce a work from the broader cultural, political, and material conditions that produced it is to strip it of its vital context.

Consequently, interpretation cannot be reduced to a linear, one-way extraction of meaning from an author to a passive recipient. It is a dynamic, multi-directional, and inherently interdisciplinary endeavor. True comprehension occurs at the intersection of literary analysis, psychology, sociology, and history.

To cultivate a more rigorous and holistic reading practice, we must expand our analytical lens. Critical engagement requires us not only to interrogate the text before us, but also to examine the mind that interprets it and the world that shapes them both.

Self-Exegesis: Why Authentic Preaching Needs a Soul in the Age of AI

Yung Suk Kim, PhD

In the age of AI and the internet, crafting a well-structured sermon with compelling illustrations has never been easier. Yet, this effortless production masks a profound danger: if a sermon lacks the writer’s soul and lived experience, it becomes nothing more than a resounding gong.

Authentic preaching requires what we might call "self-exegesis." This is not simply about the intellectual sweat or hard effort poured into the writing process; it is fundamentally about lived experience. The preacher’s self must be deeply present, melting into the text so that the scripture and the lived reality of the writer become intertwined. The self serves as a vital lens: it is through our own human experiences, vulnerabilities, and everyday realities that we begin to truly understand both God and our neighbor.

Because preaching is delivered to real people in a specific context, it is not just about transmitting information—it is about engaging with the congregation and the larger world. Without this self-exegesis, without the preacher bringing their own life to the text, it is impossible to communicate with genuine confidence and resonance.

This is not to say that AI has no place in the study. When used constructively, AI is a powerful, creative tool. Much like browsing a library, a preacher can use it to research themes, brainstorm topics, or explore cultural issues.

However, the preacher must ultimately take uncompromising ownership of their writing. AI cannot write the sermon for you, nor can it deliver it, because preaching demands the flesh-and-blood context of human experience. Your unique voice, your theological judgment, and your personal spiritual journey are irreplaceable.

A new volume on Jesus and Paul

I am uniquely positioned to write this volume, Jesus and Paul: Shared Visions, Divergent Paths, having researched, taught, and published extensively on both the historical Jesus and the Apostle Paul for over two decades. My previous monographs range from introductory textbooks on both figures to advanced monographs on their political and theological ethics. The following selected publications demonstrate the sustained scholarly foundation that directly supports the methodology and arguments of this book:

Books on Jesus and the Gospels
-Justice and the Parables of Jesus: Reading Gospel Stories through Political Philosophy (T&T Clark, 2026).
-How to Read the Gospels: An Introduction (Rowman & Littlefield, 2024).
-Resurrecting Jesus: The Renewal of New Testament Theology (Cascade, 2015).

-Truth, Testimony, and Transformation: A New Reading of the “I Am” Sayings of Jesus in the Fourth Gospel (Cascade, 2014).

Books and Articles on Paul
-How to Read Paul: A Brief Introduction to His Theology, Writings, and World (Fortress, 2021).
-A Theological Introduction to Paul’s Letters: Exploring a Threefold Theology of Paul (Cascade, 2011).
-“Reclaiming Christ’s Body (soma christou): Embodiment of God’s Gospel in Paul’s Letters,” Interpretation 67, no. 1 (2013): 20–29.

-“'Imitators' (Mimetai) in 1 Cor. 4:16 and 11:1: A New Reading of Threefold Embodiment,” Horizons in Biblical Theology 33, no. 2 (2011): 147–170.

-"The Logic, Structure, and Efficacy of Empathy in Paul’s Undisputed Letters: Christ Crucified, the 'Body of Christ,' and Union with Christ, in Empathy in Antiquity: Sympathetic Emotion in the Ancient Mediterranean World, edited by Courtney Frisen. Routledge, 2028 forthcoming.

Words of Wisdom: Test Everything

Test Everything: The Journey of Graduate Theological Education

What It Means to Be in a Graduate School of Theology
To step into graduate theological education is to embark on a journey of profound deconstruction and beautiful reconstruction. It is not merely a retreat to shelter and strengthen your faith, but a crucible where faith is critically and fearlessly examined. Continue to read ...

A new page on Philosophy, Phenomenology, Science, and Wisdom

I created a new page on this blog, which primarily deals with matters of philosophy, science, and wisdom. 

The Sense of Something

Something happens—be it good or bad, a changing mix of both.
It unfolds right now, and it will happen again tomorrow.
My purpose is not to prevent it, though I may tend to what is preventable.
Opportunities bloom everywhere, just as misfortune remains ubiquitous.
In all of this happening, what really matters is now.

We must perceive this now inside, outside, and far beyond us.
Always, remain mindful of that presence there and respond to it, or simply watch it with a quiet, calm eye.
To feel the true sense of being alive means keeping this awareness of something.

Interesting Videos about Justice and Transformation

My Scholarly Journey: Justice, Mercy, and Transformation

What does it truly mean to live a life of transformation? After two decades of research, teaching, and writing, I’ve come to realize that the core of meaningful change lies in a single, complex concept: Justice.

In this video, I share my personal journey as a scholar and a follower of Jesus, exploring how the "Good News" is inextricably linked to God’s righteousness. We will dive deep into the ten different facets of justice—from distributive and social to environmental and restorative—and look at how the subversive parables of Jesus challenge our normative thinking about fairness, work, and even the "weeds" within ourselves.

If you have ever asked "What is God?", "What am I?", or "What is the right thing to do?", I invite you to join me in this reflection on the value of today and the ongoing process of transformation.
 

Hannah's Transformative Journey (1 Sam 1:1-2:11)

I want to share a unique perspective on a well-known biblical narrative: the story of Hannah from the first book of Samuel.

The ideas I am sharing today are based on my research published in 2008 in the journal The Bible and Critical Theory, titled "The Story of Hannah (1 Sam 1:1–2:11) from a Perspective of Han: The Three-Phase Transformative Process."

In biblical scholarship, we often read Hannah’s story through spiritual, feminist, or liberation lenses. While these are valuable, they can sometimes fall into the trap of "identity politics"—a rigid "us versus them" mentality that can inadvertently exclude others. In my work, I propose an 'intercultural' reading. By using the Korean concept of Han, we can see Hannah’s experience not just as a personal struggle for a child, but as a three-phase process of holistic transformation that involves the self, the community, and society at large.

The One Rule That Unites the World: Jesus, Hillel, and Confucius
Is there a single truth that transcends time, geography, and culture? In this video, we explore the "Golden Thread" of human ethics—a principle discovered independently by the greatest minds of the East and West. From the teachings of Jesus on the Mount to Rabbi Hillel’s famous challenge while standing on one leg, and Confucius’s profound concept of reciprocity (Shù), we discover a shared moral compass. Join us as we break down these ancient texts to see how empathy and the "Golden Rule" serve as the foundation for human civilization. It turns out that despite our differences, we have always been guided by the same simple truth.

People Over Pillars: Reclaiming Human Agency from Ancient Wisdom
Do we exist to serve the system, or does the system exist to serve us? In a modern world filled with rigid rules and faceless institutions, it’s easy to feel like a cog in a machine. This video dives into a revolutionary "Human-Centered" philosophy shared by Jesus and Confucius. We examine Jesus’s radical claim that the Sabbath—a sacred divine institution—was made for the benefit of humankind, not the other way around. We then look at Confucius’s empowering insight that "The Way" (the Dao) only becomes great through the people who walk it. This video is a reminder that you are the subject of your life, not an object of the rules.

Rethinking the "Body of Christ"

In this short video, Dr. Yung Suk Kim — author of the debut book Christ’s Body in Corinth: The Politics of a Metaphor — offers a fresh reading of Paul’s "body of Christ" language as a Christic formation: a community shaped by Christ’s faithfulness rather than merely an organizational unity. Watch to learn why the traditional organism model can enforce conformity, what a Christ-like (Christic) community looks like in practice, and three concrete steps congregations can take to prioritize the vulnerable.

The Illusion of Identity: Why Your Labels Don't Define You

Who are you, really? Is your identity just a collection of labels—your job, your ethnicity, or your citizenship—or is it something deeper? In this video, Dr. Yung Suk Kim explores the "Illusion of Identity." Drawing from his unique life journey—from a businessman representing a Korean company in Panama and Miami to becoming a U.S. citizen and a Professor of New Testament—Dr. Kim challenges the way we categorize ourselves and others. In this video, we discuss: The Limit of Labels: Why terms like "Korean American" only explain a small fraction of who a person is. Identity as Construction: Why you must be the architect of your own identity rather than letting society "label" you. The "Second Career" Perspective: How moving from the business world to biblical scholarship reshaped Dr. Kim’s understanding of the self. Beyond Identity Politics: Acknowledging the commonalities we share while honoring the vast differences in how we view justice, life, and purpose. "I often tell my students: 'Don't judge me based on what you know about me. I am more than what you describe.' This applies to all of us. We are all more than the boxes the world tries to put us in."

Newtonian Mechanics and Criticisms

The core of Newtonian mechanics is the predictability of a deterministic universe governed by universal laws of motion and gravitation, where time and space are absolute.

At its foundation are four fundamental pillars formulated by Isaac Newton in his 1687 work, Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica (Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy):

The Three Laws of Motion
These laws describe how forces affect the movement of physical objects:

• The Law of Inertia (First Law): An object will remain at rest or move at a constant speed in a straight line unless acted upon by an external force.
• The Law of Acceleration (F=ma) (Second Law): The acceleration of an object depends directly on the net force acting upon it and inversely on its mass.
• The Law of Action and Reaction (Third Law): For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Forces always occur in matched pairs.

The Universal Law of Gravitation
Newton unified earthly and cosmic physics by demonstrating that the same force causing an apple to fall from a tree also keeps the moon in orbit around the Earth. Every mass exerts an attractive gravitational force on every other mass, proportional to their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. 

Absolute Space and Time
In the Newtonian worldview, space and time are rigid, unchanging frameworks:

• Time flows uniformly across the entire universe, completely independent of any observer or external influence.
• Space is an infinite, three-dimensional "stage" or container that remains completely stationary and unaffected by the matter within it.

Determinism and the "Clockwork Universe"
Conceptually, the core of Newtonian mechanics is deeply tied to determinism. If you know the exact position, mass, and velocity of every object in a closed system at one precise moment, Newton’s equations allow you to calculate their exact positions and movements at any point in the past or the future. This gave rise to the philosophical metaphor of a "clockwork universe"—a grand, predictable machine operating under fixed mathematical laws.

Criticisms

However, the primary criticism against Newtonian mechanics is that it describes a localized, macroscopic approximation of reality rather than the fundamental nature of the universe. Both Albert Einstein (via Relativity) and the founders of Quantum Mechanics demonstrated that Newton's foundational pillars collapse at extreme scales—specifically at the speed of light and at the subatomic level.

The core criticisms from both perspectives reveal major limitations in the Newtonian worldview:

Albert Einstein’s Criticisms (Relativity)
Einstein challenged Newton’s fundamental assumptions about space, time, and gravity, proving that they are not absolute frameworks.

   The Illusion of Absolute Time and Space: Newton assumed time ticks at the same rate everywhere. Einstein proved that time and space are relative and intertwined into a four-dimensional fabric called spacetime. Time slows down (time dilation) and space contracts depending on an observer's speed and proximity to a gravitational mass.

   The Flaw of "Action-at-a-Distance": Newton’s law of gravitation suggested that gravity acts instantaneously across empty space. Einstein criticized this because nothing can travel faster than the speed of light. He replaced it with General Relativity, showing that gravity is not an invisible pulling force, but the structural warping of spacetime by mass and energy.

   The Variable Nature of Mass: In Newtonian physics, mass is a fixed, unchanging quantity (F=ma). Einstein’s Special Relativity demonstrated that as an object approaches the speed of light, its relativistic mass changes, showing that mass and energy are interchangeable (E=mc2).

Quantum Mechanics’ Criticisms
Quantum mechanics dismantled the deterministic, predictable machine of the Newtonian "clockwork universe" when applied to the micro-world.

   The Breakdown of Strict Determinism: Newtonian mechanics states that if you know an object's initial position and velocity, you can perfectly predict its future. Quantum mechanics proves this is fundamentally impossible at the atomic scale. Werner Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle establishes that you cannot simultaneously know both the precise position and momentum of a subatomic particle.

   The Replacement of Certainty with Probability: While Newton's world is governed by precise, predictable trajectories, the quantum world is governed by statistical probabilities. Particles do not occupy a single fixed "groove" or path; instead, they exist in a cloud of potential states (superposition) described by a wave function until an observation forces a specific outcome.

   Discontinuity vs. Continuity: Newtonian physics views energy and motion as continuous changes. Quantum mechanics showed that energy transitions occur in discrete, indivisible packets called quanta.

Superposition and Entanglement

Graphic summary of superposition and entanglement (AI-generated)

Quantum Mechanics and Hermeneutics

Toward a Quantum Hermeneutic: 

Reconceptualizing Textual Meaning through Superposition and Entanglement

Yung Suk Kim, PhD

In a classical understanding of art, a line drawn in ink stays exactly where it was placed, singular and defined. But imagine dropping multiple watercolors onto wet paper—the pigments bleed, blend, and create new, unpredictable hues depending on how the water flows. For centuries, traditional textual hermeneutics operated on the ink-line premise: a text was treated as a static object containing a fixed, extractable payload of meaning, put there by an author and waiting for a passive scholar to uncover it. However, anyone who has spent years wrestling with complex, multi-layered literary or sacred texts knows that meaning behaves much more like blending watercolors.

When we apply the core principles of quantum mechanics—specifically superposition and entanglement—not as mere stylistic metaphors, but as a conceptual framework for critical interpretation, we witness a profound transformation: hermeneutics shifts from a static extraction of frozen facts to a dynamic, relational field event.

The Text in Superposition: Preserving the Uncollapsed State

In quantum mechanics, superposition dictates that before a measurement occurs, a physical system exists in a combination of all its possible states simultaneously. Think of a spinning coin: while it is in motion, it is neither exclusively heads nor tails, but a blur of both possibilities at once. It is only when the coin is slapped down onto a table that it is forced to resolve into a single state.

Before an interpreter opens a book, the text rests in a similar state of hermeneutical superposition. It is a cloud of semantic potentiality. Its historical contexts, narrative motifs, structural tensions, and lexical ranges exist concurrently:

• Polyvalence as State, Not Error: In a classical model, conflicting readings of a single passage are often viewed as a problem to be solved—one must be right and the others wrong. In a quantum model, those readings represent different co-existing vectors within the text's total wave function.
• The Horizon of Potentiality: The unread text is not an empty vacuum; it is everything it can validly be within its textual parameters.
• The primary task of critical scholarship is not to rush to flatten this complexity, but to map the full cloud of potentiality before an interpretive choice is made.

The Act of Reading as Measurement: Collapsing the Wave Function

If the unread text sits in superposition, what happens when we read it? In physics, introducing a measuring apparatus forces a wave function to collapse into a single, concrete outcome. In hermeneutics, the reader acts as the measuring apparatus. When an unread text, resting in a superposition of possible meanings, interacts with a reader's specific methodological lens, an act of measurement occurs. This critical reading forces the cloud of semantic possibilities to collapse into a single, realized reading.

An interpreter never approaches a text from a neutral vacuum. We bring specific cognitive structures, socio-historical locations, and methodological lenses—whether historical-critical, narrative, structural, or psychological. The moment we ask a specific question of the text, we "measure" it, causing its cloud of semantic possibilities to collapse into one articulated reading for that specific instance.

Hermeneutical Entanglement: Bypassing Spatiotemporal Separation

If superposition describes the internal potential of the text before reading, entanglement describes the non-local relationality between texts, contexts, and the interpreter during reading.

In quantum mechanics, two entangled particles share a unified state such that measuring one instantaneously conditions the state of the other, regardless of distance. In critical interpretation, entanglement manifests across three key dimensions:

• The Reader-Text System: Subject and object cannot be neatly separated. Hans-Georg Gadamer’s "fusion of horizons" reflects this reality: the outcome of reading is a property of the entangled system (Reader + Text), rather than an isolated attribute of the text alone.
• Correlated Canonical Intertextuality: When texts within a canon or literary tradition share a dense network of symbols, motifs, or theological themes, they become hermeneutically entangled. Resolving or "flipping the spin" of a key motif in one passage instantaneously reconfigures the probability amplitudes of paired motifs across the entire corpus, regardless of the historical years separating their composition.
• The Non-Locality of Symbol and Mind: Entanglement bypasses temporal estrangement. An ancient symbol produced thousands of years ago and a contemporary mind evaluating it today entangle during the interpretive event. The modern context measures the ancient text, while the ancient symbol simultaneously structures modern consciousness.

Moving Beyond Newtonian Hermeneutics

Synthesizing these quantum principles provides a unified matrix for understanding the interaction between text and mind. In this framework, the unread text begins in a state of superposition, holding a cloud of multi-layered semantic potential simultaneously. When the reading event occurs, entanglement takes over, as the reader's cognitive and methodological framework inextricably intertwines with the text to form a single, unified system. The moment an articulated meaning is reached, we witness a wave function collapse: formulating a specific interpretive question forces the text's superposition to settle into one concrete outcome. Finally, across broader intertextual networks, non-local correlation ensures that determining the reading of one textual node instantly shifts the interpretive spin across related texts, no matter the historical distance between them.

Viewing interpretation through this lens shifts the goal of the critical scholar. The objective is no longer merely to extract a single collapsed reading and claim it as the exclusive truth, but to master the art of mapping the text's full superposition—all while remaining acutely aware of how our own entangled lenses shape the reality that emerges.