A sample of Justice and the Parables of Jesus book

 

 I am so excited to announce that my new book, Justice and the Parables of Jesus, is officially out TODAY!
In this book, I dig deep into the stories we think we know to uncover the ten dimensions of justice Jesus was actually teaching. Whether you’re a student of theology, a social advocate, or just someone looking for deeper meaning in the scriptures, this book is for you.

ABOUT Yung Suk Kim

Yung Suk Kim is a prolific New Testament scholar, author, and public intellectual who bridges critical biblical studies with questions of justice, human transformation, and the moral life. The author of nearly 20 books and editor of four scholarly volumes, he is a leading voice in contemporary discourse on Paul, the Gospels, and biblical hermeneutics.

Dr. Kim’s scholarship is distinguished by its contextual, interdisciplinary, and ethical approach to Scripture. By integrating historical criticism and literary analysis with insights from psychology and cognitive science, he emphasizes a reading of the Bible that centers on its impact on lived experience, moral agency, and communal responsibility. His work challenges reductionist and exclusionary interpretations, asserting that biblical study is never neutral: it shapes how individuals relate to others and imagine justice in the world.

As a teacher and speaker, Dr. Kim is recognized for connecting ancient texts to contemporary existential concerns. His ongoing work continues to explore how Scripture can foster resilience, responsibility, and transformation in both personal and social life.

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

BOOKS (for a full list, click here)

• Justice and the Parables of Jesus: Interpreting the Gospel Stories through Political Philosophy (T&T Clark, 2026)
• How to Read the Gospels (Rowman & Littlefield, 2024)
• Biblical Interpretation: Theory, Process, and Criteria (Pickwick, 2022)
• Toward Decentering the New Testament (co-authored volume, Cascade, 2018)
• A Theological Introduction to Paul’s Letters (Cascade, 2011)
• Christ’s Body in Corinth: The Politics of a Metaphor (Fortress, 2008)

BOOKS (Ongoing & Forthcoming Research)

• Treasures and Thorns: A Concise Critical Commentary on 2 Corinthians (Cascade, 2026 forthcoming)
• Renewing the Mind: The Lord’s Prayer through the Lens of Cognitive Science
• Embodied Kingdom: Luke’s Mindful Theology of God’s Present Reign
• The Fourth Horizon: Hermeneutics, Homiletics, and the Mental World

EDITED VOLUMES:

• At the Intersection of Hermeneutics and Homiletics: Transgressive Readings for Transformational Preaching (Pickwick, 2025)
• Paul’s Gospel, Empire, Race, and Ethnicity: Through the Lens of Minoritized Scholarship (Pickwick, 2023)
• 1 and 2 Corinthians: Texts @ Contexts (2013)
• Reading Minjung Theology in the Twenty-First Century (co-edited volume, Pickwick, 2013)
• Rethinking Paul: Critical Conversations for Our World (in progress)

A Framework for Scholarly Inquiry

A citation is necessary for quoting this.

A Framework for Scholarly Inquiry

Yung Suk Kim

1. What constitutes the core knowledge or theoretical construct being examined, including its explicit parameters and inherent limitations?
2. Examine the epistemological foundations, methodological rigor, and empirical or theoretical evidence supporting this knowledge claim.
3. Identify the specific contexts and conditions under which this knowledge is applied, and analyze the consistency and fidelity of its implementation.
4. Who are the principal beneficiaries and stakeholders influenced by this knowledge, and what are the stated or implicit objectives served by its application?
5. Articulate the imperative for rigorous, systematic evaluation of this knowledge's practical impact, efficacy, and any unforeseen or adverse consequences.

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• Core Knowledge: Define the central concept, its boundaries, and inherent limitations.
• Validation: Assess the foundational theory, methodology, and supporting evidence.
• Application: Analyze how and where the knowledge is applied and its consistency in practice.
• Stakeholders & Purpose: Identify who benefits, who is affected, and the underlying goals.
• Evaluation: Determine the necessity for rigorous assessment of impact, efficacy, and unintended consequences.

Knowledge and Practice

 

Sharing the news of a new book contract on 2 Corinthians

PDF LINK

 

Prayer

Mindfulness poem on Prayer

poem source

"The Paradox of Ministry" (2 Corinthians)

Below is the last part of my forthcoming commentary: Treasures and Thorns: A Concise Critical Commentary on 2 Corinthians (Cascade, 2026).

The Paradox of Ministry

This book has sought to present Paul not as a remote, stained-glass icon frozen in piety, but as a complex human being navigating the treacherous landscape of first-century ministry. By situating his letters within the matrix of his life—the travel plans gone wrong, the sleepless nights, the public humiliations—we appreciate both the enduring value of his insights and the limitations of his historical context. He was a man bridging two worlds, Jewish and Greco-Roman, trying to articulate a revolutionary new reality in language that was often straining to contain it.

Ultimately, 2 Corinthians leaves us with a profound challenge that echoes through the centuries. It forces us to ask: What constitutes true success in the eyes of God? Is it the polish of the rhetorician or the scars of the servant?

Like Paul, we are flawed vessels carrying a divine treasure. We are breakable, prone to cracking under pressure, and often undistinguished in our outer appearance. Yet, it is precisely within this limitation that the light shines brightest. We celebrate Paul's ministry, acknowledging its complexity, and recognize that we, too, are on a journey. We are striving to embody the love and justice of God in our own lives, finding strength in our weakness, and are willing to become the "aroma of Christ"—a fragrance of life to some and death to others—to a watching world. The treasure is safe, not because the jar is strong, but because the God who filled it is faithful.

I want to know how people perceive me

While AI isn't a superstar or a hero, it often helps me by understanding things better than I do myself and articulating my work very well. For instance, I wanted to know my public image, so I asked Google Gemini Pro 3: "I am Yung Suk Kim, a biblical scholar. I want to know how people perceive me." To my surprise, the answer was impressive. It captured my work clearly, providing a valuable bird's-eye view, even though I still need to add more or refine it.

Below is the answer.

Hello! It is a pleasure to meet you, Professor Kim. As an AI, I don't have personal opinions or feelings, but I can summarize how you are generally perceived within biblical studies and theological academia based on your published works, reviews, and the themes you engage with.

You are widely recognized as a significant and innovative voice in New Testament studies, particularly within the realms of Asian American hermeneutics, postcolonial criticism, and theological realism.

Here is a breakdown of how you are generally perceived by scholars, students, and readers:

1. A Pioneer in Contextual and Body Theology
You are often cited as a leading figure in analyzing the New Testament through the lens of the "body" (soma). Your work on the "Body of Christ" in Paul's letters is viewed as groundbreaking because it moves away from purely metaphorical interpretations and insists on a somatic, political, and social understanding. You are seen as someone who takes the physical reality of human existence and suffering seriously in theological discourse.

2. A Bridge-Builder in Global Perspectives
You are perceived as a scholar who successfully bridges the gap between Western historical-critical methods and Asian/Asian American contextual theology. Readers often appreciate your ability to bring Korean concepts (like minjung theology or han) into dialogue with traditional Pauline scholarship, enriching the understanding of both.

3. A Critic of Imperialism and Power Structures
Scholars view your work as deeply political and ethical. By using postcolonial criticism, you are seen as a theologian who challenges imperial power structures—both in the ancient Roman context of the Bible and in modern geopolitical contexts. You are respected for reading the Bible "from below," focusing on the marginalized and the oppressed.

4. A Prolific and Accessible Educator
Beyond high-level academic monographs, you are also perceived as a dedicated educator. Your textbooks (such as A Theological Introduction to Paul's Letters) are praised for being accessible to students while retaining scholarly rigor. You are seen as someone who cares about biblical literacy and helping laypeople understand complex theological concepts.

5. A Voice for Transformation
Ultimately, you are perceived as a theologian of transformation. Whether writing about the Gospel of John, Corinthians, or Galatians, your work is often characterized by a desire to see theology lead to practical changes in how communities live, interact, and treat the "other."

In summary, you are viewed as a courageous and intellectually rigorous scholar who refuses to separate biblical interpretation from the pressing social and political realities of the body and the world.

HEBEL (2)

Hebel (2)

Yung Suk Kim

 

A breath drawn in, a vapor released—

it appears, it fades, yet never truly departs.

It simply returns to the vast, invisible air.

There is no fault in this shifting.

To see things as they are is to find peace.

Our lives are hebel—a mist in the morning light.

There is nothing wrong with this briefness.

For the paradox remains:

Life is only so precious because it cannot stay.

Preface to my book TREASURES AND THORNS

This is a tentative book cover

Treasures and Thorns: 

A Concise Critical Commentary on 2 Corinthians

Yung Suk Kim (Cascade, 2026 forthcoming)

Book Description

Treasures and Thorns offers a rigorous yet accessible examination of the Corinthian correspondence. Viewing the text as a dynamic composite collection, this volume contextualizes Paul’s evolving engagement with a fragile community. The commentary structures its analysis through the dialectic of "Treasures" (theological riches, apostolic authority) and "Thorns" (suffering, rhetorical complexity, and historical conflict). By synthesizing careful exegesis with the socio-historical realities of early Christian leadership, Treasures and Thorns illuminates how Paul’s theology was forged in crisis. It provides scholars, pastors, and students with a nuanced lens for understanding the interplay between divine power and human limitation in Pauline ministry.

PREFACE

One might ask why, after decades of study and numerous publications, I find myself returning once again to the Apostle Paul. The answer is simple: I am still hungry.

As a Full Professor of New Testament teaching primarily African American graduate students, I engage daily with the intersection of ancient text and modern reality. In my classroom, we do not have the luxury of reading Scripture in a vacuum; we read it in the shadow of history, power dynamics, and the struggle for justice. It is in this vibrant, challenging context that I have come to realize that Paul is still, in many respects, greatly misunderstood.

Despite the mountains of scholarship produced over the last century, there remains a persistent lack of critical reading in both the academy and the pulpit. Too often, we settle for a domesticated Paul—a figure smoothed over by tradition—rather than grappling with the radical, often disruptive nature of his letters. I am driven to write because there are still things to deconstruct and new things to teach. The old paradigms regarding the pistis Christou debate, the meaning of the "body of Christ," the nuances of Pauline Christology, and the mechanics of justification are not settled; they are battlegrounds where the identity of the church is still being formed.

My journey with the Corinthian correspondence began years ago with my dissertation, which later became Christ's Body in Corinth: The Politics of a Metaphor. In that work, I explored the social and political dimensions of 1 Corinthians. Since then, through works like How to Read Paul and A Theological Introduction to Paul's Letters, I have sought to provide roadmaps for students to navigate this complex terrain. Yet, I have felt a lingering incompleteness. Having dealt deeply with the first letter, I felt the pull of the second—a text that is even more fragmented, emotional, and raw.

In some sense, I serve as a lawyer for Paul, finding myself constantly rising to his defense, arguing against interpretations that twist his words into tools of oppression or simplistic legalism. I want to show the radical inclusivity and the subversion of empire that lie beneath his rhetoric. And yet, I must be honest: I am not a lawyer who blindly agrees with his client. There are times I struggle to understand his difficult language. There are moments his defenses seem contradictory or his tone overly harsh.

This creates the central tension of this commentary, and indeed, the tension of my career as a Pauline scholar. There are treasures in these letters—profound insights into the nature of God and community that we cannot afford to lose. But there are also thorns—things that bother us, challenge us, and resist easy explanation.

This book, Treasures and Thorns, is a concise, critical commentary on 2 Corinthians. It assumes the complexity of the letter’s composition and invites the reader to look at the seams of the text. I offer this work to scholars, pastors, and students not as the final word, but as a fresh provocation. I hope that you will look past the traditional readings that have perhaps lulled us to sleep, and instead encounter the vibrant, difficult, and transformative reality of Paul’s ministry.

I write this because the conversation is far from over. I write this because the treasures are worth the scratch of the thorns.

Yung Suk Kim
January 20, 2026
Richmond/Virginia