Paul’s Gospel, Empire, Race, and Ethnicity
Through the Lens of Minoritized Scholarship
Edited by Yung Suk Kim (Pickwick, 2023)
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Contributors to this volume, who represent diverse cultures and perspectives of Asian descent, African American heritage, and Latin American culture, explore Paul’s gospel in critical contexts and its implications for race/ethnicity. Key questions include: What is Paul’s gospel? Is it for or against the Roman imperial order? Does Paul’s message foster true diversity and race relations? Or does it implicate a racial hierarchy or racism? This volume engages readers in conversation with the politics of interpretation in Paul’s gospel. How much is it political? Which Paul do we read? This collective volume is the clarion call that biblical interpretation is not an arcane genre in the ivory tower but engages current issues in the real world of America, where we must tackle racism, the Western imperial gospel, and the rigid body politic.
“In this impressive volume edited by Yung Suk Kim, minoritized scholars make key Pauline texts come alive by placing them in conversation with some of the major issues of our time: race/ethnicity, empire, and diaspora. Contributors deftly challenge traditional, spiritualized readings of Paul and reclaim Paul for liberative purposes without essentializing or idealizing him. Paul’s gospel emerges as a powerful paradigm for resisting empire and affirming dignity and diversity. A brilliant and timely volume.”
—Raj Nadella, associate professor of New Testament, Columbia Theological Seminary
“The essays in this volume are full of powerful exegetical and theological possibilities for reading Paul. In a corner of the discipline so in need of more diverse voices and perspectives, this collection of essays is an important intervention as we are invited anew to ponder how the pressing realities of empire, race, and ethnicity shape not just how Paul’s letters were written and read in antiquity but also how their interpretation today is so deeply inflected by these powerful social and cultural forces.”
—Eric D. Barreto, associate professor of New Testament, Princeton Theological Seminary
“The essays in this volume are valuable contributions from some of the important voices in biblical studies today. These scholars demonstrate why the discipline of biblical scholarship, particularly Pauline studies, needs to be in dialogue with pressing contemporary concerns. Each essay, in its own way, provides insight into the critical connection between Scripture and social justice.”
—Lisa M. Bowens, associate professor of New Testament, Princeton Theological Seminary
“In this impressive volume edited by Yung Suk Kim, minoritized scholars make key Pauline texts come alive by placing them in conversation with some of the major issues of our time: race/ethnicity, empire, and diaspora. Contributors deftly challenge traditional, spiritualized readings of Paul and reclaim Paul for liberative purposes without essentializing or idealizing him. Paul’s gospel emerges as a powerful paradigm for resisting empire and affirming dignity and diversity. A brilliant and timely volume.”
—Raj Nadella, associate professor of New Testament, Columbia Theological Seminary
“The essays in this volume are full of powerful exegetical and theological possibilities for reading Paul. In a corner of the discipline so in need of more diverse voices and perspectives, this collection of essays is an important intervention as we are invited anew to ponder how the pressing realities of empire, race, and ethnicity shape not just how Paul’s letters were written and read in antiquity but also how their interpretation today is so deeply inflected by these powerful social and cultural forces.”
—Eric D. Barreto, associate professor of New Testament, Princeton Theological Seminary
“The essays in this volume are valuable contributions from some of the important voices in biblical studies today. These scholars demonstrate why the discipline of biblical scholarship, particularly Pauline studies, needs to be in dialogue with pressing contemporary concerns. Each essay, in its own way, provides insight into the critical connection between Scripture and social justice.”
—Lisa M. Bowens, associate professor of New Testament, Princeton Theological Seminary