"The Body of Christ" (soma christou)

Since my debut book's publication in 2008, I have not changed my thesis about the body of Christ. I still believe it.

Choose the way of life (Psalm 1)

Psalm 1 (NRSV Updated Edition)

1 Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked or take the path that sinners tread or sit in the seat of scoffers, 2 but their delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law they meditate day and night. 3 They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither. In all that they do, they prosper. 4 The wicked are not so but are like chaff that the wind drives away. 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous, 6 for the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

Psalm 1 points out the two ways of life: the life of righteousness and that of sinners. Whereas the blessed people meditate on the law of God, the wicked seek their own will. The former live like trees planted by streams of water and yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither. In all they do, they prosper. The wicked are not so. They are like chaff and will not stand in judgment.

When I meditate on the law of God, the first thing that comes to my mind is the acknowledgment that God is sovereign and merciful. We must see and honor God as God, which means we must allow for the power of God in our lives and acknowledge our utter dependence on God.

Every morning, every moment, our life depends on the grace of God. Every walk we take, every inhale and exhale we have, every word we say, and every smile we make are possible because of the grace of God. We should not allow negative energy to overwhelm or ruin us. We must see shining hope amid despair. We must visualize the moment that the stormy clouds will part soon and recognize the sun already shining above them. At a time of distress or turmoil, seek God and the Spirit. Listen to your body and attend to each breathing. Thank God for each inhale and exhale. Life is a gift. If there is night, there comes also day.

Every morning, I remember that I am a gift of God and embrace the spirit of God, which fills me with an active mind imbued with positive thinking, curiosity, and creativity.

I won’t focus on yesterday or tomorrow. My time is today, and I focus on the present moment. I do my best today and every day. Tomorrow will be the grace, but today is a true gift I received.

Lastly, I quote a neuroscientist, Jaime A. Pineda, who argues that we must choose each time the AAECC impulse (active, adaptable, energetic, curious, and creative) rather than the AFRAID impulse (avoidant, fearful, resistant, arrogant, inflexible, and distrustful). He argues that these two impulses are within us (Jaime Pineda, Controlling Mental Chaos: Harnessing the Power of the Creative Mind by Rowman & Littlefield, 2023). They are like the two sides of the same coin. Choosing the AAECC means appreciating the positive side of life and thanking God for such a gift in our lives. 

I pray:

Dear loving and gracious God, we celebrate your presence, your grace, and your power every moment. Thank you for your boundless, bountiful energy that surrounds us. Help us to choose the way of life amid negative realities in the world. Empower us to seek justice and righteousness as we navigate uncertainties and hurdles in our world. Inspire us to see the needs of others and stand in solidarity with them across the globe. In turmoil and chaos, sustain our body and mind through your everlasting love and care. Amen.

Be curious and creative

I will be curious and creative in all things I process in my daily life. I will embrace both critical thinking and a nonconscious, intuitive mind. 

Allow a curious and creative mind to enter into your body and mind. Respect your body rhythm and attend to things surrounding you. Hear your inner voice. 

What you think is not absolute. Don't be hasty. Stroll and ponder everything deeply. Never stop wondering. 

Morning Psalm

Thank God
Every morning is a miracle. There is no guarantee that I would wake up in the morning after conscious or unconscious journeys of my soul or mind during the night sleep. Back to my conscious mind, I must thank God for saving me and giving me another day. Slowly, I put myself in the bosom of God, feeling his love and soft touch on my soul. I am like a child again and dependent on the limitless love of God.

Be active
I am filled with an active mind, imbued with positive thinking, curiosity, and creativity. I also feel the energy, spirit, and inspiration from my inner soul and the external environment.

Focus on the present moment
I don't focus on yesterday or tomorrow. My time is today, and I live in the present moment. Even though I may be doing many things with a busy mind, I keep focusing on the present moment. I count the blessings I receive from God and feel the power of God every moment.

God is love (Dios es amor)

Dios es amor. Si preguntas dónde está Dios, puedo decir que no está sólo en el cielo sino aquí y en todas partes. De hecho, Dios es la fuente de nuestra vida. Donde quiera que vayas, hagas lo que hagas, Dios siempre está contigo. Debemos ser conscientes de la presencia de Dios en nuestras vidas. Debemos sentirlo en cada momento. Dios no es una idea sino el poder que nos permite vivir en abundancia.

Mix-up

[Skyline Drive, Virginia 2023]

I am a Latin-Afro-Korean-American. I traveled throughout Latin America because of my job, living in Panama in the 1990s. I still remember many good things about the culture, food, and Corazon que viene de America del Sur. Later, I moved to the States and met more culturally diverse people. I have been working with an African-American institution for almost twenty years. Deep in my soul, I enjoy salsa, hip-hop, pop, and Arirang (Korean folk song). I need a constant mix-up—a third space to grow.

Virtue of Self-control

I don't know when the word "self-control" disappeared from my mental dictionary to apply to everyday life. I forgot about it for some time. Although I used it in lectures or books, it did not come into my daily life consciously enough. Usually, my pendulum has swung back and forth between a soft, malleable mind that personalizes or internalizes things I face and an ironclad confidence coupled with high self-esteem that often results in hurts and defensiveness when things do not turn out favorably. But today, in my trail walking, the word "self-control" abruptly came to my mind. It was like a lightbulb moment when I recovered a dormant concept of self-control---a virtue that helps to control one's thoughts and emotions and establishes the critical role of autonomy and agency.

More than ever, I also realize that self-control needs flexibility and a strong will about one's relation to self, others, and the world. It is a capacious yet self-determined response to things and people. In the end, robust mental health needs a balanced mode of rule between self, Other, and relationality. While self-rule is a sine qua non to human agency, it would be never complete because human conditions are uncertain and uncontrollable in many cases. What makes us whole is not merely a keen sense of self apart from other beings or realities but a sense of viable connection with them. Now the question is, How can one relate to them effectively and healthily while maintaining a robust self?

Philosophy of Today

 

 

  

How Does “Getting in Front of the Text” Speak to Issues of Black Liberation and Social Transformation?

[Courtesy of FreeBibleImages.org]

“Getting in Front of the Text” for Liberation and Social Transformation

Ellison-Jones Convocation Faculty & Alumni Panel (2023)

Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology

Virginia Union University

Yung Suk Kim

Professor of New Testament & Early Christianity

Biblical texts do not mean, but we mean with the texts. No interpretation is neutral. All readings are contextual to a different degree. Our task is not to make a perfect or complete meaning but to engage with them critically. No meaning is everlasting or fixed forever. 

Given this nature of contextual interpretation, we need to know who we are as readers, what we read in the text, and how we read it. So when we talk about meaning in front of the text, we must recognize all these three elements—reader, reading lens, and text. I wrote this view of interpretation in my book, Biblical Interpretation: Theory, Process, and Criteria (Pickwick, 2013).  

With these in mind, we can engage with biblical texts and focus on liberation or social transformation. For example, we can read the Exodus story as a model of liberation for the oppressed. So much of this reading goes well with Jesus’s teaching and ministry for the marginalized and oppressed. Black theology, or liberation theology in general, goes on in this direction. But there is another story we must read alongside it: How can we read Joshua’s conquest narrative of Canaanites? How come Israelites who once were oppressed could become oppressors? Do all Canaanites and animals deserve death? There were some innocent people, children, and babies. Is the God of liberation merely a tribal God for Jews? 

Compare this view of God with Paul’s understanding that God is the God of Jews and the God of Gentiles also (Rom 3:29). Ultimately, the question is: How do we understand God in the Bible? Whose God or what kind of God do we read? Essentially, the reader must decide. The bottom line is that the true God is more than what the Bible says or goes beyond it. We, the readers, must engage with various texts responsibly and take a stand. 

Think about Matthew 15:21-28. Jesus forcefully denies the Canaanite woman’s request for her daughter’s healing. Not one time but three times with a Jew-first mission or Jewish exclusivism. He said: “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” and “It is not fair to throw the children’s food to the dogs.” His saying is wrong or ethically problematic even though he finally allows for her request because of her faith. He represents a perspective of imperialism or triumphalism. At the end of the story, he reverses his view and praises her faith. This story is not merely about the woman’s great faith, which needs explaining, but about the narrow vision of the mission of Jesus and his disciples. The readers must investigate the historical context of Matthew’s Gospel and the historical Jesus’s time and his ministry. They must see the power dynamics in the story, conflicting ideology, and matters of race, gender, class, economics, religion, and culture. By the way, all people in this story need transformation, including Jesus.

The typical reading of this story emphasizes the woman’s faith, especially “submissive, docile faith.” But this kind of obedient, tractable faith condones injustices and evil acts. What bothers me most is not so much the lack of faith as the lack of justice. The woman needs justice! Justice for healing. Justice for family and community. She asked for it through her faith in God. She believed Jesus, the Son of God, was supposed to advocate for the marginalized (italics for emphasis).  

The lesson is how we stand on God’s side, not merely having God by our side. Apostle Paul is helpful here, as he presents his radical view of God and politics in 1 Cor 1:27-29: “But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to abolish things that are, so that no one might boast in the presence of God” (1 Cor 1:27-29).

Liberation movement or social transformation must address all kinds of marginalization, locally and globally, economically and socially, religiously and politically, personally and communally, psychologically and spiritually. Readers of texts must recognize multilayered, intersectionality-woven marginality, stand in front of the text, and witness the power of the gospel in our world today. 

Daily spiritual practice

Vincent van Gogh (Dutch, 1853 - 1890) Irises, 1889 

Oil on canvas Unframed: 74.3 × 94.3 cm (29 1/4 × 37 1/8 in.), 

 The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, 90.PA.20

(Courtesy of Getty Museum Collection)

Every day is a new day, which needs to start fresh. Since anything may happen unexpectedly—sometimes in messy ways—personal readiness is always a key to any situation. I suggest three kinds of attitudes that might be helpful every day. One can practice these three adjective attitudes in diverse ways according to one's choice. 

CAPACIOUS (self-expanding): roomy mind, spacious, broad, capable of accepting many things, going slow, and not impatient. Like the sky or the earth. Anything is allowed in the sky. Anything is accepted by the earth. (여유있게)

CALM (self-control): quiet, still, placid, unruffled, tranquil, serene, self-possessed. Like a pond or a lake, my mind needs to stay the same or relaxed. See waving trees or flowers. They are still there to take their place. (담담하게)

CONFIDENT (self-determination): sure of oneself, bold, positive, intrepid, self-confident, trusting God and self, and loving others. All things in the world have their place and they must believe in themselves. I am a gift of God. (덤덤하게)

Remembering my promotion to full professor

Two years have passed since my promotion to full professor. I don't set ambitious goals for myself anymore. I ask, "Why do I teach? For whom do I write? Can my teaching affect real people?"

I cherish the promotion letter I received on June 15, 2021.

[PDF Promotion letter]

June 15, 2021

Dear Dr. Yung Suk Kim:

Congratulations! As Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs at Virginia Union University (VUU), it is my great honor to provide official notice that you have been promoted to the rank of Full Professor (hereafter, "Professor"), effective July 1, 2021.

In keeping with the University's policies through the Division of Academic Affairs, outlined in the Faculty Handbook, initial recommendations were made by the Faculty Advancement (i.e., "Tenure & Promotion") Committee after its Fall 2020 meeting to the Provost, who then conducted a thorough review and evaluation of all cases and recommendations. The Provost's recommendations were presented to the President in Spring 2021 and were subsequently approved by the Academic Affairs Committee of the VUU Board of Trustees at the May 2021 meeting.

Promotion reflects the strength of your accomplishments in teaching, research/scholarship, professional engagement, and service to VUU. As your Provost, I want to acknowledge the significance of your achievement and thank you for your dedicated commitment to academic excellence, student success, and our quest to become "Best in Class." 

Tenure and/or promotion are time-honored rewards in the academy that affirm the valuable contributions of individual faculty members to achieving VUU's vision, advancing its mission, and ensuring its graduates receive "the promise of a limitless future." I know you will continue to contribute to the University in years to come and I look forward to celebrating this achievement at our Fall Faculty/Staff Awards reception. More information about that special event is forthcoming.

Again, congratulations.

Dominus Providebit,

Terrell L. Strayhorn, PhD
Provost & Senior Vice President, Academic Affairs
Professor of Urban Education
Director, Center for the Study of HBCUs

Hard work

My hard work paid off when I received this email from my editor:

I’ve finally finished reading your manuscript. I love it! It’s well-written, engaging, inspiring, comprehensive, entertaining—and offers readers/students so many new ways to think about each Gospel, and the Gospels as a whole. I couldn’t be more pleased. And there’s nothing like it, that I know of.

Typically at this stage I ask authors if they’d like for me to facilitate another round of peer review. Of course I’m happy to do that. But given the fact that you’ve had lots of input from your peers, and that the manuscript hangs together, I honestly don’t think another round is necessary. But please let me know if you feel otherwise.

Ask questions of why or why not

Asking questions is all about interpretation. 

Human lives and realities in the world are so complex that we need to address an all-entangled web of life intersecting with personal identity, family, health, social life, economics, politics, and religion, to name a few.

Likewise, we can reread Matthew 15:21-28 ("A Canaanite woman's encounter with Jesus") and ask many varied, intersectional questions. We can explore the Canaanite woman's situation imaginatively and critically, considering her gender, ethnicity, occupation, marital status, social standing, other families, daughter's situation involving simple illness, mental illness, or any other sickness), religion, and community.

We also need to see Jesus's and the disciples' attitude toward a gentile woman either in the historical context of Jesus or in Matthean situations. What kind of ideology do they have? Why are they mean to her? Why does Matthew portray Jesus and the disciples in this way that excludes Gentiles from salvation? Why does Jesus later allow for the healing of her daughter? Did the woman impress him with her submissive faith or challenge him to extend his narrow faith?

Questions continue: Have we asked about the possible cause and situation of the woman's daughter tormented by a demon? What kind of a demon is this? Does it have to do with mental illness? What is the possible cause of it---trauma, malnutrition, or anxiety? How did the woman know about Jesus? What is her faith like? Did she give up on her Canaanite identity by meeting Jesus? Why did she seek only her daughter's healing even though she was supposed to be in ill health or extreme poverty? Her loyalty to the daughter?

Shalom

I finished reading The Bible and Mental Health: Towards a Biblical Theology of Mental Health (SCM, 2020). I have a lot to digest. It is an excellent sourcebook to further engage in the intersection of the Bible and mental health issues.

While there are many good ideas, one thing that captures my mind most is shalom (שָׁל֑וֹם), which is not the absence of illness or disorder. It denotes the right relationship with God. John Swinton observes:

Shalomic mental health care has to do with helping people to hold on to God's presence at all times, even in the midst of symptoms and difficult experiences that may be interminable. The ultimate goal of mental health care is not simply the eradication of symptoms, but the facilitation of God's presence (p. 163).

This observation rings true as long as we live in this world, experiencing dark moments of life without resolutions. Job's final realization must be like this too. With his life's burdens and pains ongoing, his peace/shalom can come through the presence of God, not because anything was resolved but because there were no other options but to depend on God's presence.

[Courtesy of FreeBibleImages.org]

The Bible and God

[Courtesy of FreeBibleImages.org]

Can the Bible contain all things about God? The answer might be easily "no" because human language is imperfect. God cannot be put in a box. Moreover, some representations of God in the Bible are tendentious. Therefore, we must interpret it carefully and discern what is good. We must avoid biblicism in all our efforts. The Bible is neither a weapon that attacks innocent people nor a knowledge book that subsumes all other books.

Currents in Theology and Mission (October issue, 2023)

I am glad to be part of the current issue of the journal Currents in Theology and Mission: Vol. 50 No. 4 (2023): "Jesus, Materialism, and the Women Who Teach and Preach Mark's Gospel"

My contribution:
Yung Suk Kim, Currents Focus: “The Gospel as the Power of God for Salvation (Rom 1:16)”

Do the ends justify the means?

 

[Courtesy of FreeBibleImages.org]

Do the ends justify the means? What do you think about Naomi's plan to seduce Boaz through Ruth? Is it her faith that God provides security and the future through Ruth and Boaz? Ruth was obedient to her mother-in-law. The other day, I read a sad, weird episode about a teenage girl in the Philippines. She lived with prostitution and supported her family. She said she was a Christian. A Western journalist interviewed her: "Why do you live with prostitution while you are a Christian?" She said that Ruth also supported her family through sex. So, I support my family just like Ruth.

Why do I teach?

As a professor, I am not merely interested in knowledge of the past but in today's world. I must tackle issues and help people today. That is why I study and teach history, literature, and religion. 

Realistically speaking, biblical interpretation is about or for today's world because while we engage with the text and the past, we don't live for the past but live in the present. Likewise, it is not about the future that is yet to come because there is no future separated from the present.

Critical questions are essential to interpretation. You can ask anything. But don't forget to ask about yourself as much as you ask about others. Talk to yourself as much as you talk to others.

The more you know, the more you know you don't know.

More often than not, I hear people saying, "As the Bible says." Strictly speaking, it does not say. Even if you believe that way, it speaks of multiple things with multiple meanings. Rather than saying, "The Bible says," it would be better to say: "I have read this part, and my interpretation is this." Otherwise, sometimes, people may kill or destroy others in the name of the Bible or God. We should avoid all forms of biblicism (idolatry of the Bible) and naive interpretations supporting one's ego or ideology. We should not worship the Bible but honor it by interpreting it carefully, critically, contextually, and faithfully.

Time

What is time? Are there past, present, and future, each separated from the other? But strictly speaking, time is not separated. There are no three distinct realities of time. Stephen Crites writes: "Only the present exists, but it exists only in these tensed modalities." [See Stephen Crites, "The Narrative Quality of Experience," The Journal of the American Academy of Religion 39 (1971): 291-311 (301)]. He goes on to say: "They are inseparably joined in the present itself. Only from the standpoint of the present experience could one speak of the past and future. The three modalities are correlative to one another in every moment of experience." [Ibid.] 

Jerome Bruner writes: "Narrative imitates life and life imitates narratives." [J. Bruner, "Life as Narrative," Social Research 54.1 (1987): 11-32]. Jocelyn Bryan similarly observes: "We are living narratives." [J. Bryan, Human Being: Insights from Psychology and the Christian Faith (London: SCM, 2016), 44; 51-74]. 

I agree that there is no past or future separated from the present. We only live in the moment, while reflecting on the past and the future. Namely, "our narrative of the past and our imagined future narrative impact on our every moment." [Jocelyn Bryan, "Narrative, Meaning Making, and Mental Health," in The Bible and Mental Health: Towards a Biblical Theology of Mental Health, edited by Christopher C.H. Cook and Isabelle Hamley (London, SCM: 2020), 4]. 

I cannot change the past. But it affects me today. I can change the future because I can reimagine myself today. We live in the present as always.  

Language of "world"

We often talk about the "world" in an educational setting. 

Do you work for what kind of world? 

Is it for today's world or tomorrow's world? For instance, when we educate people or develop leaders, are we preparing them for today's ever-changing world or for tomorrow's world? 

I argue that it must be today's world because tomorrow is naught without today. While we may say we prepare next-generation leaders, it is odd to say we develop them for tomorrow's world because their workplace for transformation is in the here and now, which is none other than today's world.  

Trails

I love to walk in a forest. Usually, I take a paved trail when I walk and meditate. But at times, I have a tendency to deviate from the main path and walk the small, often unprepared or untrodden, trails. From a paved route, I see the tall trees and all the visible beauty displayed above the ground. But with an intentional detour, I am just surprised at the devastated fallen trees and other remnants of the dead plants. The trees and plants also die. Some trees lay down with roots up. Other trees leaned on the branches of other small trees. Storms, winds, rains, snow, and all kinds of natural forces affect the life of a forest. My ultimate question is philosophical: How can human societies live, as we think about forests? 

Stand on God's side

People say they love God but we must check whether their way of loving is truly the love of God that God affirms. We must stand on God’s side by studying what God wants. Don’t simply have God by your side to magnify yourself or your community only.

"O mortal, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" (Mic 6:8)

 

Podcast for this episode

Love builds up

What makes us whole or holistic is not knowledge but love. Love empowers others and ourselves. It never brings us down but lifts us up. Paul says, "Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up" (1 Cor 8:1). Love is neither like engulfing waters nor like dreadful lightning. It is like the streams of water, which look weak but strong. It nourishes life without roaring or striving. Love is life. No love, no life. Those who seek more knowledge, wealth, and power without love will crush into their vanity like moths flying toward the light.

Podcasters

Five religious responses

There were five religious responses to anomalies in the first century Palestine under the Roman imperial world. 

1. Essenes withdrew to a desert called Qumran, waiting for their own messiahs in the near future. The characteristics of this group are twofold: apocalyptic orientation plus sectarian in nature. 

2. Jewish aristocrats (Sadducees and Jewish elite) accommodated foreign domination and maintained their prerogatives. They sought their prerogatives and kept their status by cooperating with the imperial power.

3. Pharisees emphasized Torah observance with a coexistence mode with the power. They were moderate reformers who did not directly oppose the imperial government.

4. Militant opposition groups such as Zealots formed armed resistance against the empire and took revolutionary action.

5. Jesus (also John) focused on the moral and spiritual transformation of people.

The above types of reaction are not limited to first-century Palestine. In different ways, they may be seen in other cultures throughout history: 1) an apocalyptic-emphasis group denying this world and leadership; 2) local leaders and elites seeking to maintain their status; 3) educated middle-class people seeking to reform society with co-existence with the power; 4) radical activists and reformers; 5) those who seek non-violent transformation of people and society. 

 

new interest

I am reading this book now. Someday, I will forge a new book on the topic of mental health and the Bible.

A brief analysis of Gal 2:20 translations

According to the Bible Gateway, there are sixty-two English translations of Gal 2:20, and 49 out of them show the objective genitive translation of the Pistis phrase: "by faith in the Son of God." Only 13 of them, as in the table below, have the subjective genitive translation: "by the faith of the Son of God." Among these 13, two of them (see "red" color below in the table) translate the preposition "en" as "in or within." The other noticeable thing is the NEB translates the preposition as "because of." Some translations emphasize the adjectival form of the noun "faithfulness" in place of the simple noun "faith." What do you think is the best translation?

Version	Translation
KJ21 (21st Century King James)	I live by the faith of the Son of God,
BRG (Blue Red and Gold Letter)	I live by the faith of the Son of God,
CEB (Common English Bible):	I live by faith, indeed, by the faithfulness of God’s Son,
CJB (Complete Jewish Bible):	I live by the same trusting faithfulness that the Son of God had,
ISV (International Standard Version):	I live by the faithfulness of the Son of God
JUB (Jubilee Bible):	I live by the faith of the Son of God,
KJV (King James Version):	I live by the faith of the Son of God
NET (New English Translation):	I live because of the faithfulness of the Son of God
NMB (New Matthew Bible):	I live by the faith of the Son of God
NRSVue (New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition):	I live by the faith of the Son of God
NTE (New Testament for Everyone):	I live within the faithfulness of the son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
VOICE (The Voice Bible):	I live by the faithfulness of God’s Son,
WYC (Wycliffe Bible):	I live in the faith of God's Son

For more about translation matters in the New Testament, see Chapter 8 in Toward Decentering the New Testament.

 

Resurrecting Jesus: Mock Interview

I was quoted in someone's blog post. Below is an excerpt from it.

Today, as Christianity stagnates in Europe and North America, the most vibrant expressions of faith are to be found in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. The Korean New Testament scholar Yung Suk Kim was asked what he thought was the primary work of Jesus. Here is how he replied. I love how he translates the two verses from Mark. Below is Kim's reply:

I believe that Jesus’ primary message is well summarized in Mark 1:14-15: “After John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and God’s rule has come near; change your heart and believe in the good news.” As we see here, Jesus proclaims the good news of God; it is God’s good news. Good news is about God. God’s time and God’s rule has come in the here and now (perfect tense). For God’s time and rule to be effective, people have to accept it by changing their minds, which is what metanoia means.

Note the differences between his translation of Mark 1:14-15 from the more conventional translation in the Revised Standard Version of the Bible: "Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel.” Note how Kim renders the words in the RSV which I have italicized.

*Note: My reply quoted above is not in a book. It is part of a book promotion mock interview. 

For more about that idea of mine, see Resurrecting Jesus: The Renewal of New Testament Theology.

FULL CONTENTS OF THE MOCK INTERVIEW

1. Your book title "Resurrecting Jesus" is very interesting. To be blunt, why did you write this book?

I wrote this book to tell the people that the historical Jesus must be brought back to our discussion of New Testament theology. The traditional New Testament theology has not seriously taken into account the work of the historical Jesus. For example, people have no interest in the question of what brought him to death. His crucifixion is the result of what he did. We have to know what he proclaimed and why he was willing to die. Otherwise, he was not born to die. Jesus is a historical figure who should not be domesticated by anyone.

2. What do you think is the primary work of Jesus?

I believe that Jesus' primary message or teaching is well summarized in Mark 1:14-15: "After John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, 'The time is fulfilled, and God's rule has come near; change your heart and believe in the good news." As we see here, Jesus proclaims the good news of God; it is God's good news. The good news is about God: God's time and God's rule have come in the here and now (perfect tense). For this God's radical time and rule to be effective, people have to accept it by changing their minds, which is what metanoia means. So it is impossible to talk about Jesus without God-talk in first-century Judaism. New Testament theology would be misleading if we do not look at God to whom Jesus points his finger. Jesus does the works of God, not his own.

3. As you know, there is a big divide between history and theology, or between the historical Jesus and New Testament theology. For example, some historians say that the New Testament is not based on the historical Jesus. How is it possible for you to do theology by drawing attention to both of these seemingly irreconcilable areas of study?

I believe that it is possible by redefining New Testament theology in which we can engage the historical Jesus. I broadly redefine New Testament theology as our explorations about God, the Messiah, and the world. New Testament theology is not constructed deductively (from heavenly revelation, for example), but can be constructed by readers who critically reevaluate not only the work of the historical Jesus but also various writings in the New Testament. So in my book, I define New Testament theology as follows:

New Testament theology involves both what the New Testament says about God, the Messiah, and the world, and how the reader evaluates, engages, or interprets diverse yet divergent texts of the New Testament, including difficult, sexist, and oppressive texts. The reader's task is not merely to discern what is good and acceptable in the New Testament, but also to surface its limitations by examining early Christians' disparate positions about God, the Messiah, and the world. Consequently, New Testament theology is constructed by the reader who deals with both the divergent texts of the New Testament and the historical Jesus to whom they refer. By carefully sifting through the layers of NewTestament witnesses while acknowledging unbridgeable gaps between them and the historical Jesus, the reader, in view of all aspects of life in the first century CE and today, has to explore relevant relationships among God, the Messiah, and the world.

4. Once again, why is the historical Jesus important to your New Testament theology?

Let me use a body analogy. Just as the body without the spirit is dead, New Testament theology without the historical Jesus is dead because the former is built on the work of the latter. No matter how many gaps exist between the historical Jesus and the New Testament, New Testament theology needs a solid understanding of the historical Jesus.

5. Can you give us a few examples of your critically reconstructed contents of New Testament theology?

Yes. For example, the"righteousness of God" will be redefined as God's righteousness rather than as an individual justification. "Faith of Christ Jesus" will be also redefined as his faithfulness through which he proclaims and embodies God's rule in the here and now. Accordingly, "the kingdom of God" will be redefined as God's rule in the here and now that challenges Rome's rule or any obstacles that occlude the flow of God's justice. In the end, Christians will be redefined as Christ-followers who do the works of God.

6. What do you want to say to your readers if they ask why this book should be a must-read?

I like to list three important benefits for readers:
-Getting a better, clearer understanding of the historical Jesus and the New Testament writings that refer to him. 
-Exploring the significance of Jesus' life, teaching, and death, based not on doctrine but on his work of God in first-century Judaism and Palestine.
-Redefining New Testament theology as a process of discerning and engaging the historical Jesus and the New Testament writings.

 
7. Do you believe your newly defined New Testament theology can help improve human conditions?

Yes, very much so. We can learn from Jesus and follow his footsteps that embody God's presence in the here and now. Jesus' death is the result of his costly proclamation of God's rule in the here and now. It is not somewhere else than here. However, there are lots of people who see Jesus' death merely as salvific, vicarious atonement that does not look into the evil hands responsible for his crucifixion. By the way, Jesus' death is the form of crucifixion, capital punishment by Rome. So when we see Jesus' crucifixion, we have to see both God's love that he embodies at the risk of his life and God's judgment that brings evil people and power to justice. Condoning evil is not the point of Jesus' crucifixion.

Unreading the New Testament

Un-reading means resistance to a dominant traditional reading that subjugates the voices of the marginalized. Jesus unreads familiar texts during his time. His parables are good examples of unreading: For example, Leaven, Mustard Seed, Vineyard Workers, and “Father and Two Sons.” Society reads the text in a certain way, but Jesus unreads (reverses) it, forging a new meaning. I have one article about the Father and Two Sons (Lk 15:11-32), available here: By definition, “a parable is a story cast alongside life for the sake of leading the audience to see something differently.” [Marcus Borg, Jesus: The Life, Teaching, and Relevance of a Religious Revolutionary (New York: HarperCollins, 2008), 259].


C.H. Dodd also defines it similarly: “At its simplest the parable is a metaphor or simile drawn from nature or common life, arresting the hearer by its vividness or strangeness, and leaving the mind in sufficient doubt about its precise application to tease it into active thought.” [C. H. Dodd, The Parables of the Kingdom (New York: Scribner, 1961), 5]


We, modern readers, also must unread certain texts in the New Testament. Among others, some of the post-Pauline texts may be good cases that involve repressive social relations, which are expressed with the so-called household codes: regulating various household relationships between master and slave, between husband and wife, and between parents and children. Women’s subordinate position in 1 Tim 2:11-15 is also a good case. In all of these household codes or in women's degradation texts, one has to read, reread, and unread the texts because the ultimate meaning is not controlled by the past or by any authorities today. Interpretation is a politically self-conscious business in that one has to take a stance. Namely, abusive or sexist texts should be named and rejected. In the stages of reading and rereading, one has to ask why these seemingly unnecessary texts for today’s readers are there in the early church. This process will help readers to see what happened in the past and to engage us in critical contexts then and today.


Another text is 1 Cor 14:33b-36, which is considered “interpolation” (meaning an inserted text by the later editor of the church, possibly much time after Paul’s death, as we see similar kinds of texts in 1 Tim 2:11-15. Except for this particular passage, Paul’s overall letters (I mean his undisputed letters, a total of 7 of them) do not have women degradation passages. Rather, the opposite is the case that Paul calls a woman apostle (Rom 16:7); also Gal 3:28 is radical in terms of gender relation. So readers have to unread 1 Cor 14:33b-36 because it is not Paul’s voice or theology.


When it comes to the Gospels, I may think of one particular place; Mark 9:1 will be a different case that readers have to read, reread, unread, and tell their positions. While some consider it as Jesus’s own saying, others render it Markan addition or creation. In either case, readers have to struggle to understand what it means to hear this apocalyptic saying in the first century CE and now. Eventually, one must decide about this text and interpret it for today’s world by unreading all previous interpretations. I think this text is more technical in nature so it may not be easy to come to a conclusion.


In Resurrecting Jesus: The Renewal of New Testament Theology, I attempted to show how to read the New Testament and what it means to read it today. I focused on the historical Jesus on one hand and the New Testament as a literary product on the other.


Regarding a critical understanding of biblical interpretation, my book Biblical Interpretation: Theory, Process, and Criteria will be helpful.

Teaching the Bible in a Different Culture

I am teaching in the area of biblical studies, and New Testament in particular, at the school of theology, Virginia Union University where I am the only faculty member of Asian (Korean) heritage and my students are predominantly African-American.


Most of my students, full-time employees in the private or public sectors, come to study in the evenings during the weekdays or on weekends. In this unique environment, teaching the Bible or theology is a daunting task, partly because I am a cultural stranger to the students and partly because my students are divergent even within their African culture.


Some are more marginalized than others. There are also issues regarding gender and class. More importantly, their theological spectrum is broader than I had assumed, ranging from liberationist to fundamentalist positions. However, one thing I have discovered again and again is that I could share my own marginalized experience with them.


I also found that the students are very open to new learning and challenges in biblical studies. Over the years, I have come up with the following teaching philosophy that tells who I am or what I am doing in this vocation of theological education:


I teach to engage in the knowledge of who we are in this world where we see one another as diverse. Diversity is not taken for granted but utilized as a source of critical engagement with others. I value both a critical and self-critical stance toward any claim of knowledge, truth, and reality and emphasize the following as pedagogical goals: learning from others, challenging one another, affirming who we are, and working for common humanity through differences. All in all, the goal of my teaching is to foster critical diversity and imagination in their learning process.


Most recently, I taught Introduction to Biblical Studies to first-year students. The contents and design of the course focused on helping students to become critical contextual biblical theologians. I explained the processes and complexities of biblical interpretation in which the reader takes the center stage. I also emphasized three elements of critical contextual interpretation: how to read (the text), what to read (textual focus or theology), and why to read (contextuality of the reader), which will be the topics of my future book.


In my teaching, I reiterate the importance of the role of the reader, who has to engage not only the text but also his or her life in a particular life context. At the same time, I help students to be critical of all readings because not all are equally valid or helpful. The oft-cited verse in my classroom is: “Test everything; hold fast to what is good” (1 Thess. 5:21).


We not only unpack the texts from many perspectives but also deconstruct our familiar readings and reconstruct them in new life contexts. Students are refreshed because of their new learning experience in biblical studies. They also find themselves loving the scripture not simply because of what has been written there but also because they can engage it critically and faithfully in their lives. Oppressive theologies are rejected and the students are reaffirmed as the people of God. In this way, the Bible is deconstructed and reconstructed through their lives, because God is the God of all. God is not the God of the past alone, but of the present amidst their turmoil.


In one of my classes, I asked each group (made up of six or seven people) to discuss and answer this question: “Who is Jesus to you and your community? Portray him, using all kinds of methods or approaches that you have learned so far.”


Each group worked hard, and all were genuinely engaged. They used pencils, colored pens, and a poster board. Afterward, members of each group stood alongside each other and presented their works creatively and faithfully. I was very impressed by their comprehensive understanding of Jesus in context and by their skills in portraying him from their particular life contexts.


One group said Jesus is water because he is the source of life for Africans and others. After the presentation, I added one thing: Water is a great metaphor since I could relate to my experience of water in my culture. I briefly talked about the image and metaphor of water in Daoism and my cultural experience. The experience here is cross-cultural, spiritual, and contextual.


The other group said Jesus is the sun, because he shines upon all people, showing God’s love to all in the world. The idea here is that Africans need the light and that they become a light for others. I added one more thing: Jesus as the sun is like the power plant, which runs with nuclear fusion, giving energy and light to others (centrifugal). In contrast, the Empires gather power for themselves at the expense of others (centripetal). There are three more groups that presented nicely. I could see all of my students were engaged in the exercise and they were excited by what they had done. Finally, all said amen.

Poem

Grass Flowers

by Na Taeju

trans. Yung Suk Kim

See things closely 

to see pretties.

See things long

to feel love.

It is with you too.

 

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