JUSTICE AND THE PARABLES OF JESUS

EXCERPTS: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HJesz_3_cdBnP-c8gtdjM1FtZoFfaYYB/view

SAMPLE SYLLABUS: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QPOYRQW_zghCSO4CjhtPfY7FiipBX3K_/view

METANOIA

 

FROM DUST TO MYSTERY

Just do it if you believe in something

"If you believe in something or give your word, see it through. Deliver for yourself with all your effort." 

-Yung Suk Kim

THE DOUBLE EMBRACE

I completed the first draft of my book, The Double Embrace: Theological Anthropology, Cognitive Science, and Psychological Integration. Now, I am waiting for initial feedback from some of my colleagues. I am excited. While I don't think I am completely done, this is a crucial milestone.

I will walk my path

"Whatever the circumstances, I will walk my path. I may meander and falter, yet I will keep moving forward." -Yung Suk Kim (Jun 2026)

"어떠한 상황 속에서도 나는 나의 길을 걸어갈 것이다. 때로 방황하고 비틀거릴지라도, 나는 계속해서 앞으로 나아갈 것이다." -김영석

 

Endorsement by Demetrius Williams

Treasures and Thorns

A Concise Critical Commentary on 2 Corinthians

Yung Suk Kim (Cascade, July 2026 forthcoming)

In Treasures and Thorns, seasoned New Testament scholar Yung Suk Kim models the kind of honest and courageous scholarship Pauline studies needs. Refusing both uncritical admiration and dismissive rejection, he wrestles thoughtfully with the complexities of 2 Corinthians, illuminating its liberating vision while confronting its difficult passages. Combining intellectual rigor, pastoral sensitivity, and theological insight, Kim invites readers into a deeper engagement with Paul's heartfelt letter. It’s an indispensable resource for scholars, students, clergy, and thoughtful readers alike.

-Demetrius K. Williams, Professor of Comparative Literature and Religious Studies
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Mapping a New Journey: Biblical Interpretation, the Human Mind, and Mental Health

-Yung Suk Kim

PDF

For more than 20 years, my life has been deeply rooted in the classroom and the archives, teaching biblical interpretation and New Testament studies in a theological seminary. It has been a profound privilege to walk alongside students, dissecting ancient languages, exploring historical contexts, and unearthing the radical, transformative messages of early Christian texts.

Yet, scholarship is not static. If the texts we study are truly alive, they must continuously speak to the immediate realities of human existence.

Lately, I have felt a strong pull toward a new horizon. Moving forward, I see myself aiming for a more innovative, interdisciplinary, and incisive scholarship. Specifically, I am turning my focus toward the profound intersections between biblical interpretation, the human mind, and mental health.

Why the Human Mind?

Ancient writers did not possess modern psychological terminology, but they were deeply preoccupied with the inner life. When Paul speaks of the renewal of the mind, or when the Gospels address anxiety, despair, and peace, they are touching on foundational aspects of the human experience.

By bringing theological anthropology into direct dialogue with contemporary cognitive science, we can begin to understand how we read and how those readings shape our inner architecture. The human mind is the bridge through which ancient text becomes modern meaning. Understanding its mechanisms allows us to approach scripture with greater awareness, nuance, and critical depth.

Scripture as a Space for Mental Health and Healing

We cannot ignore that biblical interpretation has a dual nature. Historically, rigid or dogmatic readings of text have sometimes been weaponized, causing deep psychological distress, guilt, and spiritual trauma.

But it does not have to be that way.

I believe that an ethical, critical, and compassionate approach to scripture can be a powerful catalyst for mental health, personal healing, and human transformation. My goal in this next phase of my research is to explore how text and reader interact. How can biblical narratives help us navigate modern anxieties? How can a healthy theological framework foster resilience, emotional well-being, and a deeper sense of wholeness?

The Road Ahead: Ongoing Book Projects

This intellectual shift is already taking shape in my current writing. I am actively working on two book projects that anchor this new direction:

• The Fourth Horizon: The Mental World as a Critical Lens for Hermeneutics and Homiletics – This project introduces a new interpretive dimension, exploring how the mental world of both the text and the reader reshapes how we understand and preach scripture.
• The Double Embrace: Theological Anthropology, Cognitive Science, and Psychological Integration – This volume directly bridges the gap between theology and modern science, examining how our understanding of the human person benefits from cognitive science and psychological wellness.

To my long-time readers, students, and colleagues: I am incredibly excited to share this new chapter with you. We will be asking hard questions, breaking down the walls between disciplines, and looking at familiar texts through an entirely new lens.

Thank you for walking this path with me for over two decades. The journey continues, and the best conversations are still ahead.

Expanding Horizons: Integrating Cognitive Science, Psychology, and Biblical Interpretation

-Yung Suk Kim

Four years ago, I could not have anticipated that my research would expand into publishing books at the intersection of biblical interpretation, cognitive science, psychology, and neuroscience. Today, I view my work as fundamentally interdisciplinary. This integrative approach allows me to examine our place in the cosmos through a broader lens and raise critical questions about human existence. At the heart of this quest lie several central questions: What constitutes a good life? How do we live it? How can we repair past damages to achieve restoration? Ultimately, what is the role of religion, and how does Christianity speak to this human condition?

Driven by this inquiry, I am currently developing two book projects. The first explores the mental landscape within scriptural texts, examining how we can read the Bible through the perspective of the mental world and how this lens can transform contemporary preaching. The second project focuses on psychological integration, synthesizing theological anthropology, cognitive science, and psychology to offer a holistic framework for human restoration.

PRSt special issue, Fall 2027

I am glad to serve as the guest editor for the Fall 2027 special issue of Perspectives in Religious Studies (PRSt), where I am also a member of the editorial board. The issue will focus on the theme: "Reading a Samaritan Story in Luke 10 from Racialized Scholars’ Perspectives: Reclaiming People, Rebuilding Community, Pursuing Justice." For some time, my colleagues and I had been discussing this topic with plans to produce a book. Thanks to this special invitation, we are turning it into a journal issue instead. It is a wonderful match that brings our ideas to a highly accessible platform for readers.

Rethinking Paul

I grew up with a Presbyterian church background. Because of this, I always wished to publish with a Presbyterian publisher during my academic career, even though I have already published many books with other presses. Finally, my edited volume project was approved by Westminster John Knox Press. The project title is timely and important: Rethinking Paul: Critical Conversations for Our World. If all goes well, the book will be out in 2028. It is very exciting!

This collection features critical, contextual scholarship on Paul by seasoned scholars who offer fresh readings and bring them into dialogue with our contemporary world. It explores Paul’s life, theology, and identity; his relationship to Jesus’ teaching; and his views on the cross, politics, gender, ethnicity, and sexuality. I hope it will become a milestone contribution to Pauline scholarship and to our understanding of Paul, who is often misrepresented or, at best, only shallowly understood. This book seeks to fill important lacunae in the field.

I extend my sincere thanks to the contributors for their commitment to producing such high-quality chapters.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Introduction
—Yung Suk Kim

2. Who Is Paul? Biography, Calling, and Letters
—Efraín Agosto

3. Did Paul Invent Christianity? Continuities and Discontinuities between Jesus and Paul
—Greg Carey

4. How Does Paul Portray Jesus and the Cross? Salvation, Empire, and Imitation
—Demetrius K. Williams

5. What Did Paul Teach about Faith, Communities, and the Spirit?
—Jung Choi

6. What Is Paul’s Teaching on Gender and Sexuality?
—Janelle Peters

7. How Does Paul Address Politics, Economics, and Ethnicity?
—Sze-kar Wan