Queer Interpretation

Today, I highlight Rhiannon Graybill’s chapter, "Love Makes a Family: Queer Kinship in Ruth," from my edited volume, At the Intersection of Hermeneutics and Homiletics. Graybill, a professor of Hebrew Bible at the University of Richmond, explores queer interpretations of the text while resisting fixed definitions. She ultimately challenges readers to remain attentive to the nuances and complexities of queer kinship throughout the story of Ruth. #bookofruth #queerreading #homiletics #interpretation

When It Rains, We Meander: The Quiet Call to Look Inside

There is a profound reason why a rainy day turns our thoughts inward, pulling us into a space of quiet sentimentality. As gray skies dim the natural light, a gentle biological shift occurs: our serotonin dips while melatonin rises, lowering our emotional volume and nudging us toward introspection. Simultaneously, the steady, low-frequency rhythm of falling rain acts as a natural sedative, slowing our heart rates and triggering an evolutionary instinct to seek shelter, let our guard down, and pause from the frantic pace of the outside world. Cloistered safely indoors, the physical world grows quiet, and the scent of petrichor—the earthy aroma of rain hitting dry soil—unlocks the brain's deepest memory centers. In this beautifully suspended moment, free from immediate distractions, our minds naturally meander backward, transforming a simple weather event into a deeply restorative, nostalgic journey.

Decolonizing Ruth: Postcolonial African Perspectives

Today, I highlight a chapter by Robert Wafawanaka, a Hebrew Bible professor at Virginia Union University: "Decolonizing Ruth, Reading and 'Un-reading' Ruth with African Eyes: Masculinity, Disability, and Survival," from my edited volume, At the Intersection of Hermeneutics and Homiletics. Wafawanaka brings a postcolonial Zimbabwean perspective to the text, exploring the intersections of ancient tradition, modern African contexts, masculinity, disability, and survival. Viewing Naomi and Ruth as victims of a male-dominated world, he powerfully argues that women should be empowered to thrive without being shackled by patriarchal traditions.

Faith

Faith cannot fabricate facts. Faith is not a panacea. While it has positive functions, we must also caution against uninformed claims that contradict clear evidence or science. In many cases, faith's primary function is to shape how we respond to reality.

Revisiting My Review of Paul Was Not a Christian: Why It’s a "Half Success"

When I first reviewed Pamela Eisenbaum’s provocative book, Paul Was Not a Christian: The Original Message of a Misunderstood Apostle, for the Review of Biblical Literature, I walked away with a mixed verdict. It is a book I frequently recommend for its historical grounding, but one where I must firmly draw the line at its core theological conclusion. I call the book a "half success."

Where I Fully Agree: Restoring Paul to Second Temple Judaism

Eisenbaum masterfully hits the mark when it comes to Paul’s identity. As I noted in my review, she successfully demonstrates that Paul lived and died an unambiguous Jew. He never abandoned Judaism, never rejected the Torah, and never intended to found a new religion in opposition to his heritage.

She also does a brilliant job critiquing the traditional Western, post-Reformation lenses (influenced deeply by Augustine and Luther) that project an anachronistic "introspective conscience" onto Paul's letters. Paul's mission can—and should—be understood through the framework of radical Jewish monotheism and covenant theology.

 

Where I Must Disagree: The "Two-Ways Salvation" Problem

Where the book falls short for me is its insistence on a "two-ways salvation" model. Eisenbaum claims that because the Jews are already justified through the covenant, they have no theological need for Christ—meaning Jesus is strictly an expiation for lawless Gentiles. 

To be absolutely clear: Paul did not exempt Jews from needing Christ.

As a Pauline scholar, I find Eisenbaum's "two-ways" position scripturally unsustainable. Paul’s letters consistently stress the word "all". Both Jews and Greeks are under the power of sin (Rom 3:9), meaning no group is exempt from the need for redemption. Furthermore, Paul’s deep personal anguish in Romans 9:2–3 over his fellow kindred who had not accepted Christ makes absolutely no sense if he viewed Christ as merely an optional path for the Jewish people. While Paul certainly did not require Gentiles to become Jewish to enter God's household, he absolutely maintained that Christ is the fulfillment and Lord of all—Jews and Gentiles alike (1 Cor 8:6, Rom 10:4).

The Missing Context: Pistis Christou and the Roman Empire
Furthermore, I find Eisenbaum's view of Christ’s faithfulness (pistis christou) to be far too restrictive. By confining it strictly to a theological expiation on the cross, she sacrifices the vital sociopolitical, historical, and counter-imperial context of the Gospel. Christ’s faithfulness was a transformative message of peace and justice that directly challenged Caesar’s kingdom.

 
Because this is left out, the concept of a believer's "participating faith"—how Gentiles actually live out and emulate that transformative faith in their daily lives under empire—remains vastly underdeveloped in her work.

The Bottom Line

Eisenbaum succeeds in making Paul more Jewish than normally expected, but she fails to persuade me on "two-ways salvation". Nevertheless, it remains a highly valuable text for anyone looking to strip away centuries of Western bias and see Paul's apocalyptic vision clearly. 

I extensively wrote about Paul and his theology during my over 20 years of scholarship. For example, see How to Read Paul (2021, Fortress Press). 

"Invisible Labor and the Erasure of Ruth"

Today, I highlight the essay written by Song-Mi Suzie Park, a Korean American professor of Hebrew Bible at Austin Theological Seminary: "Invisible Labor and the Erasure of Ruth," featured in my edited volume, At the Intersection of Hermeneutics and Homiletics. As the essay title suggests, Park argues that despite Ruth’s rigorous labor, she remains invisible in the end—her substantial efforts unrecognized and her identity erased. She also points out an isomorphic parallel between invisible labor in ancient times and modern society, particularly in America, where many immigrants work tirelessly only to remain invisible, often at the expense of their human dignity. This is a poignant reality that calls for a critical rereading of the Book of Ruth.

A Journey of Faith, Scholarship, and Love

I see myself as an all-around scholar in the field of biblical studies. At times I write monographs; at others, I edit volumes, curating central themes and bringing diverse scholars together. I am a fervently passionate educator, dedicated to my students, and I frequently lecture for church communities, leaders, and broader audiences. Beyond scholarship, I am a poet. I love to dance, I love talking with others, and I love life itself. Ultimately, in everything I do, love remains my true life and vocation.

Reading Scripture, Reading the Self

I am working on an ongoing edited volume, Reading Scripture, Reading the Self: Critical Autobiographical Interpretation. This book will mark a distinctive juncture in biblical studies by taking the self seriously, effectively deepening and extending the foundations of contextual interpretation.

The Ultimate Hermeneutic: Why Reading Requires the Self

Autobiographical biblical interpretation culminates in the most robust and engaging hermeneutic possible because it embraces the interpreter's subjectivity as an essential asset rather than a liability. The reasons for this are manifold. First, it offers methodological freedom, holistically integrating textual, historical, and contextual elements without artificial boundaries. Second, it practices epistemological honesty; recognizing that there is no reading without a reader, it demands that the interpreter critically examine their own complex identity. Third, this self-awareness fosters a deeply authentic and vulnerable engagement with scripture. Finally, autobiographical interpretation aligns with the true purpose of hermeneutics: the goal of reading is not merely to reconstruct the ancient past, but to actively explore and generate life meaning through a transformative dialogue with the text.

At its core, critical autobiographical interpretation is a dialogical process. It is the space where the reader’s subjectivity engages directly with the text, allowing for mutual challenge and transformation. But to say it is simply a way to read is to undersell it. I argue that autobiographical interpretation is the ultimate hermeneutic—the necessary culmination of the interpretive process. Here is why interpretation is never truly finished until the self is brought to the table.

Methodological Integration: The Capstone of Exegesis
Autobiographical interpretation is often unfairly dismissed as pure subjectivism, a way of ignoring historical context or literary structure in favor of "what this means to me." But true critical autobiographical interpretation does exactly the opposite: it requires methodological integration.

It does not abandon historical-critical, literary, or linguistic methods; rather, it builds upon them. We still do the hard work of understanding the text's original context and structural nuances. However, autobiographical interpretation serves as the capstone. It takes the raw data uncovered by these traditional methods and bridges the gap between the ancient world and the modern reader, integrating rigorous scholarship with lived reality.

 
Epistemological Honesty: Abandoning the "View from Nowhere"
For a long time, the academic ideal was total objectivity—the belief that a reader could act as a blank slate, absorbing a text without any personal bias. We now know this "view from nowhere" is a myth. Every reader comes to a text with baggage: cultural background, gender, race, economic status, and personal trauma or triumph.

Autobiographical interpretation is the ultimate hermeneutic because it demands epistemological honesty. Instead of pretending our biases do not exist, we name them. By explicitly acknowledging our social location and personal experiences, we actually protect the text from hidden agendas. It is far more honest to lay our subjectivity on the table than to mask our personal interpretations as "universal, objective truth."

Authentic Engagement: The Text as a Dialogue Partner
If we only read a text for its historical data or literary form, we treat it like a dead artifact under a microscope. But profound texts—especially sacred, philosophical, or deeply artistic ones—are meant to be living dialogue partners.

Authentic engagement requires vulnerability. We cannot have a true dialogue if one party is hiding behind a wall of academic detachment. Autobiographical interpretation invites the reader to step out from behind the safety of "objective" analysis and risk something of themselves. The text asks questions of the reader just as the reader asks questions of the text. This mutual interrogation is where the true vitality of reading is found.

The True Telos of Interpretation: Information vs. Transformation
Finally, we have to ask: what is the actual goal (the telos) of reading and interpreting texts? If the goal is merely to accumulate historical trivia or master ancient languages, then traditional methods are sufficient. But if the goal of interpretation is wisdom, ethical formation, or spiritual growth, then those methods fall short on their own.

The true telos of interpretation is transformation. The reading process remains incomplete until the words on the page intersect with the flesh and blood of the reader's life. Autobiographical interpretation insists that we haven't actually finished interpreting a text until we have allowed it to challenge our assumptions, reframe our narratives, and change how we live in the world.

Quiet Companions: What My Houseplants Taught Me About Just Existing

For me, houseplants are far more than just plants. They keep me company beside my desk, constant and unwavering. They speak to me without words, smiling and dancing in moments unnoticed. I greet them every morning and whisper goodbye at night.

Caring for them is a gentle ritual. Recently, I gathered some acorns from the oak tree in my garden and placed them in the soil so my plants might find extra companionship and support. Together, we simply exist.

My role is small—just occasional watering, watching, and loving. The rest belongs to nature, as they grow through the simple gifts of sunshine, water, and earth.

  

The Decisive Difference Between Humans and AI

The Decisive Difference Between Humans and AI

A fundamental difference between human beings and artificial intelligence lies in their modes of existence. AI depends on electricity and technological infrastructure to operate, whereas human beings are self-organizing biological organisms capable of maintaining their own living processes. We do not need an external power grid to remain alive. Our minds, too, are embodied in this ongoing biological process.

Human existence is therefore not simply a matter of processing information; it is a living, self-organizing, and environmentally embedded process. While AI operates through externally powered computation, human beings live through the continuous self-organization of a biological organism and its embodied mental activity.

This distinction raises a deeper philosophical question: Is intelligence fundamentally the processing of information, or is it an activity that emerges from being alive? AI demonstrates that sophisticated information processing can occur without biological life. Yet human intelligence is inseparable from our embodied existence as living organisms. For more, see the AI page on my blog.

The Ontological Boundary

What truly distinguishes life from death is not merely the passage of time, but the act of inhabiting the present moment.

Death seals existence into a static state—an unyielding permanence where all motion ceases, choices end, and the narrative is forever closed. It does not place us into an eternity we inhabit, but rather strips us of our capacity to change. What has been can no longer become otherwise.

Life, by contrast, is inherently unfinished and exists exclusively in the fluid realm of the "now." While the past survives as memory and the future opens as expectation, neither can be accessed except through the present. We remember in the present, hope in the present, and act in the present. Therefore, the current moment is the sole territory where consciousness, agency, and possibility reside.

To live fully is to actively participate in the dynamic friction of this unfinished existence. Memory and foresight must serve what is still possible right now. When we instead drift continuously into past regret or future anticipation, treating our lives as already settled or not yet begun, we surrender to a "pseudo-eternity"—a static state that mimics death while we are still breathing.

Living in the present is not simply a mindfulness exercise; it is the fundamental ontological boundary between being and non-being. It is the only space where a choice can still be made, the story remains open, and life asserts itself against the vast finality of death.

The Rawness of the Soul: Why Truth Needs No Eloquence

Truth is rarely dressed in beautiful language. While masters of eloquence can easily manipulate words to sound profound, polish often masks a lack of substance. If we cannot trust beautiful words, what can we trust? The answer lies in the rawness of human expression—in the utterance of a deep, uncovered soul.

This tension between elegance and authenticity is perfectly illustrated in the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector (Luke 18:9–14). The Pharisee offers a long, well-articulated prayer of thanksgiving. He is not necessarily a hypocrite; he is a genuinely moral person who fasts, tithes, and follows the law. Yet, his polished prayer overflows with pride. In his presence at the Temple, he shows a profound lack of humility and empathy toward a tax collector who stands behind him. In contrast, the tax collector offers no eloquent preamble. He speaks only a few raw words: "God, have mercy on me, a sinner" (Luke 18:13).

The defining difference is self-awareness. Truthful words require a deep soul that sees itself clearly and stands humbly before the divine. Truth does not need a grand vocabulary; it is best expressed in concise moments of absolute vulnerability.

Long ago, the ancient Chinese sage Laozi captured this exact paradox in Chapter 81 of the Dao De Jing: “Truthful words are not beautiful; beautiful words are not truthful.” True language transcends mere rhetoric. It is not measured by the elegance of the tongue, but by the raw honesty embedded in the spirit.

The paradox of truth

For as long as humanity inhabits the earth, Laozi’s ancient observation remains poignantly true: "Truthful words are not beautiful; beautiful words are not truthful" (Dao De Jing 81).

The Ultimate Hermeneutic

The Ultimate Hermeneutic: Why Reading Requires the Self

Autobiographical biblical interpretation culminates in the most robust and engaging hermeneutic possible because it embraces the interpreter's subjectivity as an essential asset rather than a liability. The reasons for this are manifold. First, it offers methodological freedom, holistically integrating textual, historical, and contextual elements without artificial boundaries. Second, it practices epistemological honesty; recognizing that there is no reading without a reader, it demands that the interpreter critically examine their own complex identity. Third, this self-awareness fosters a deeply authentic and vulnerable engagement with scripture. Finally, autobiographical interpretation aligns with the true purpose of hermeneutics: the goal of reading is not merely to reconstruct the ancient past, but to actively explore and generate life meaning through a transformative dialogue with the text.

At its core, critical autobiographical interpretation is a dialogical process. It is the space where the reader’s subjectivity engages directly with the text, allowing for mutual challenge and transformation. But to say it is simply a way to read is to undersell it. I argue that autobiographical interpretation is the ultimate hermeneutic—the necessary culmination of the interpretive process. Here is why interpretation is never truly finished until the self is brought to the table.

Methodological Integration: The Capstone of Exegesis
Autobiographical interpretation is often unfairly dismissed as pure subjectivism, a way of ignoring historical context or literary structure in favor of "what this means to me." But true critical autobiographical interpretation does exactly the opposite: it requires methodological integration.

It does not abandon historical-critical, literary, or linguistic methods; rather, it builds upon them. We still do the hard work of understanding the text's original context and structural nuances. However, autobiographical interpretation serves as the capstone. It takes the raw data uncovered by these traditional methods and bridges the gap between the ancient world and the modern reader, integrating rigorous scholarship with lived reality.

 
Epistemological Honesty: Abandoning the "View from Nowhere"
For a long time, the academic ideal was total objectivity—the belief that a reader could act as a blank slate, absorbing a text without any personal bias. We now know this "view from nowhere" is a myth. Every reader comes to a text with baggage: cultural background, gender, race, economic status, and personal trauma or triumph.

Autobiographical interpretation is the ultimate hermeneutic because it demands epistemological honesty. Instead of pretending our biases do not exist, we name them. By explicitly acknowledging our social location and personal experiences, we actually protect the text from hidden agendas. It is far more honest to lay our subjectivity on the table than to mask our personal interpretations as "universal, objective truth."

Authentic Engagement: The Text as a Dialogue Partner
If we only read a text for its historical data or literary form, we treat it like a dead artifact under a microscope. But profound texts—especially sacred, philosophical, or deeply artistic ones—are meant to be living dialogue partners.

Authentic engagement requires vulnerability. We cannot have a true dialogue if one party is hiding behind a wall of academic detachment. Autobiographical interpretation invites the reader to step out from behind the safety of "objective" analysis and risk something of themselves. The text asks questions of the reader just as the reader asks questions of the text. This mutual interrogation is where the true vitality of reading is found.

The True Telos of Interpretation: Information vs. Transformation
Finally, we have to ask: what is the actual goal (the telos) of reading and interpreting texts? If the goal is merely to accumulate historical trivia or master ancient languages, then traditional methods are sufficient. But if the goal of interpretation is wisdom, ethical formation, or spiritual growth, then those methods fall short on their own.

The true telos of interpretation is transformation. The reading process remains incomplete until the words on the page intersect with the flesh and blood of the reader's life. Autobiographical interpretation insists that we haven't actually finished interpreting a text until we have allowed it to challenge our assumptions, reframe our narratives, and change how we live in the world.

Life may bend, but it will never break

Life may bend, but it will never break. Life always meanders. If it moves in a perfectly straight line, something might be wrong, because life naturally faces uncertainty. It is not something unbreakable like stone; rather, it should be flexible like water.

A truly strong person understands the essence of strength, which comes from embracing one's own weakness while recognizing life's inherent resilience and hope. I believe we truly mature by learning this realization. Thus, when life bends, it is completely natural—just as streams and rivers follow winding paths. Even when bending feels like a failure, it is never a decisive end or a final defeat; it is simply part of the river flowing, part of life being lived. Ultimately, life is not about remaining unbreakable, but about learning how to flow endlessly through every up and down.

Laozi captured this truth long ago:

-Straightforwardness is like curving (Dà zhí ruò qū / 大直若屈).
-Bending becomes whole (Qū zé quán / 曲則全).
-Keeping flexibility becomes strong (Shǒu róu yuē qiáng / 守柔曰强).
-The highest excellence is like water (Shàng shàn ruò shuǐ / 上善若水).
-Weakness is the way of the Dao (Ruò zhě dào zhī yòng / 弱者道之用).

Environmental anthropology

While walking along the neighborhood paths, it occurred to me that humans are deeply embedded in nature. More specifically, local communities can be viewed as products of their immediate ecosystems. For instance, I observed that the towering pine trees in this area—reaching heights of roughly 50 feet—seem to mirror the tall stature of the local residents. Of course, this is not an absolute law. In the Korean village of my youth, the landscape was entirely different; the native pine trees grew to only a few feet in height, and the local villagers, similarly, tended to be shorter in stature. Though I am uncertain whether this exact parallel aligns with formal botanical or anthropological models, it raises a compelling philosophical question: Can we truly consider humans to be an extension of nature in this way?

 

Autobiographical Interpretation

--Yung Suk Kim

As I reflect on biblical hermeneutics, I believe autobiographical interpretation represents the culmination of the field. It encompasses all interpretive elements—the multidimensionality of texts, various analytical angles, and the reader's specific context—while maintaining a clear focus on the self's subjectivity in dialogue with these elements. Ultimately, no interpretation is possible without the reader, whose agency is grounded in the self.

Throughout my career, I have employed diverse methods, ranging from historical-critical to literary to reader-driven approaches. Yet, autobiographical interpretation remains the most engaging and comprehensive form of reading. Increasingly, I realize that critical autobiographical interpretation can be profoundly transformative, allowing people to genuinely engage with the text, themselves, and the world. This kind of reading serves as a powerful exercise in strengthening renewed identities and fostering mental well-being.

This does not mean reading the text out of context or arbitrarily. Rather, autobiographical interpretation takes all dimensions of the text seriously, whether historical, literary, or reader-engaged. Therefore, here is my working definition:

"Autobiographical biblical interpretation is a hermeneutical approach that examines scripture through the lens of the reader's lived experience and social location. It is a dialogical process in which the interpreter critically engages their own subjectivity to read the text, while simultaneously allowing the text to read, challenge, and transform their relationship to themselves, others, and the world."

My lecture series idea

AI-generated image

Public image of my scholarship

AI-generated image

At the Intersection of Hermeneutics and Homiletics: Transgressive Readings for Transformational Preaching

A profound book always leaves a lasting impact on its readers—not merely because it is well written, but because its substantive depth touches them deeply. I encouraged my students to engage with a volume I edited: At the Intersection of Hermeneutics and Homiletics: Transgressive Readings for Transformational Preaching. This edited collection brings ten scholarly voices into conversation with the assigned scriptures: the book of Ruth and Matthew 15:21–28. The result is extraordinary. I am deeply moved by their narratives and the implications they draw for these texts, especially as they speak to the unresolved, thorny issues of our day. Ultimately, how we interpret scripture is inextricably linked to how we read our times.

Ten Important Lessons from the Parables of Jesus

Unlock the subversive power of Jesus’s parables. Jesus was a master storyteller whose parables did more than comfort—they challenged the status quo and disrupted the wisdom of the first-century world. In this insightful volume, Dr. Yung Suk Kim explores ten transformative lessons buried within these ancient, radical stories, offering a fresh lens for contemporary faith and action. Ideal for serious Bible study in any setting—whether personal reflection, small groups, or academic classrooms—this book unpacks a decade of profound wisdom:

• Sow Abundantly: Scatter seed on the ground evenly and widely.
• Embrace Grace: Acknowledge God’s absolute sovereignty and unmerited grace.
• Navigate Complexity: Recognize and live with the coexistence of good and evil.
• Nurture the Hidden: See the immense importance of hidden potential.
• Value the Minor: Do not ignore or underestimate smallness.
• Practice Empathy: Learn to think deeply from the other person’s perspective.
• Resist Rivalry: Reject the cultural pressure to compete with others.
• Pursue the Ultimate: Search relentlessly for what is most valuable.
• Trust the Outcome: Boldly use your talent and leave the rest to God.
• Cultivate Stillness: Empty your ego and do not overfill your mind.

Rediscover the parables not as passive moral fables, but as urgent calls to a deeper, more faithful way of living.

The Sense of Something

-Yung Suk Kim

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.

Yung Suk Kim's Strategic Signature Courses

I will develop new courses:

1. Paul's Letters and His Theology

2. Justice and the Parables of Jesus
3. Biblical Interpretation and Mental Health
4. The Intersection of Hermeneutics and Homiletics
5. The Fourth Gospel and Ecology

6. Wisdom for an Uncertain World from Biblical and East Asian Perspectives

A Personal Motto

The Two Enduring Realities: The Body and The Work

When we strip away life's fleeting distractions and look toward the days ahead, we find that we are ultimately left with only two things that truly matter.

The Two Enduring Realities: The Body and The Work

• The Body as the Lifelong Vessel: Our body is our one inevitable, lifelong companion, and no one else can maintain it for us. The quality of the old age waiting for us is directly dictated by our habits today. By committing to daily exercise, meditation, and care, we actively protect our future selves from the suffering of present negligence.
• The Work as a Living Legacy: What truly lasts is not what we accumulate, but what we set into motion. As I tell my students: "You are the fruits of my scholarship, not the books that I published." True work transcends static artifacts or accolades; it is found in the people we influence. When our experience and teachings are carried forward by others, our work becomes a living, breathing force that outlasts us.

MINDCEVAAAEFA

The core principle of mind

구글 전자책 출판

  

• 다시 시작하는 성경공부: 예수의 비유 편 Paperback through Lulu.com, E-book from Google Play
• 태초와 나, 그리고 삶과 죽음 (시집) Paperback through Lulu.com, E-book from Google Play
• 도덕경 명상집: 살아있는 고전을 성서학자의 시선으로 Google e-book

Memories back to 1980s

An AI-generated image representing my college years in 1980s. I like the long-hair style with a serious look.

Ask Their Husbands at Home? The Absurdity of 1 Corinthians 14:35

It is fascinating to find such impractical advice in the biblical text. In 1 Corinthians 14:35, we find this instruction: "If there is something they want to learn, let them ask their husbands at home." This verse, along with the broader passage of 1 Cor 14:33b–36, is widely considered by scholars to be a post-Pauline interpolation, meaning Paul himself likely did not write it. Whether written by a later editor or an early scribe, the advice is simply logically untenable, and I cannot help but smile at its absurdity every time I read it. First, the instruction completely ignores social reality: not all women in the community had husbands, as many were widows or unmarried. Second, even for those who did, it assumes an impossible epistemic authority: how could every husband inherently know the answers to whatever theological questions their wives might ask? 

The Body of Christ and the Body of Empire: Historical and Philosophical Contexts of Oneness in 1 Corinthians

When we state that we are one, it does not necessarily imply absolute ideological uniformity or an organic unity that reinforces hegemonic structures, such as a traditional head-to-body relationship. Instead, oneness can signify a mutually beneficial relationship that sustains diversity and individual differences. When Paul speaks of being united with Christ, he does not mean that believers are merely structural components of a conventional social body; rather, they are ethically and spiritually aligned with Jesus, embodying his spirit and faith. Thus, when Paul tells the Corinthians, "you are the body of Christ and individually members of it," he rejects the contemporary "social body" model found in Stoicism and Roman imperial ideology. Instead, he conceptualizes Christ's body as a "real body" or a living site—a somatic metaphor for an active way of life, echoing his appeals to "Glorify God in your body" and recognizing that "you are the temple of the Spirit" (1 Cor 6:12–20). Ultimately, it is this shared Christic lifestyle and common faith that constitutes the true oneness of the community.

For more about the Christic body, see my books: (1) Christ's Body in Corinth: The Politics of a Metaphor (Fortress, 2008); (2) How to Read Paul: A Brief Introduction to His Theology, Writings, and World (Fortress, 2021).

"The Danger of a Singular Order"

Check out the new issue of Currents in Theology and Mission: Vol. 53, No. 4 (2026), titled "Telling Messiah Stories in Times Like These." My article is featured in this issue: Yung Suk Kim, "The Danger of a Singular Order: Engaging with Controversial Texts," Currents in Theology and Mission 53, no. 4 (2026): 35–38. 

Abstract
Some biblical narratives involve challenges and controversies because of their complexities about ethnic conflict and oppression. The movement of Christian nationalism is a growing threat not only to democracy but also to critical, transformative biblical interpretation. Their ideology represents some aspects of ideology met in Joshua’s conquest narrative and Jesus’ conversation with a Canaanite woman. Oppressors are external and also found internally within the community, often masquerading with a cause of liberation. Revealing their ideology is essential to biblical interpretation. True liberation and transformation may happen when one faces opacities of enemies all around oneself—from outside, within, and even within oneself—not by defeating others or feeling superior to them, but through accepting human weakness and embracing God’s impartial grace.

Wisdom for an Uncertain World

This project is designed as a concise, highly focused intervention in the field of comparative religion and theological psychology. I aim to provide a sharp, accessible, and theoretically dense argument that functions as both a scholarly bridge for experts and a pedagogical tool for graduate seminars. Rather than simple parallel-hunting, the book provides a structural hermeneutic that brings biblical literature (Proverbs, Job, Ecclesiastes) into dialogue with East Asian sacred texts (the Analects, Dao De Jing, Four Noble Truths, Heart Sutra) through the lens of human development.

To provide some background, I am a Full Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology, Virginia Union University. My research explores the intersections of Scripture, justice, faith, and human transformation. I have authored and edited over twenty books, including Treasures and Thorns (2026), Justice and the Parables of Jesus (2026), and How to Read the Gospels (2024). In addition to my academic work, I hold a Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University and bring a global perspective shaped by a prior decade-long corporate career with LG in Seoul, Panama, and Miami.

The Fourth Gospel and Ecology

As I refine and evaluate sample chapters for my new book project, I address a central question: Is it possible to read the Gospel of John ecologically? The answer is a qualified yes. It must be carefully thought out, bypassing simple binaries. My book, The World God Loves, uncovers the profound potential of an ecological reading when the Fourth Gospel is interpreted with care, while simultaneously warning that the text is not an ecological blueprint. Ultimately, the critical issue hinges on hermeneutics—the reader must take a decisive stand. 

Shareable wisdom

"The desire to live and the desire to die always coexist. However, whether living or dying, I simply let go of greed, humble myself, and live each day with gratitude; what more could I greedily crave? Knowing this is wisdom."

(Yung Suk Kim)

"Without a heaven in the present, tomorrow merely inherits yesterday's hell. Peace and spirituality are not distant destinations, but immediate realities forged in how we live, love, and coexist. We cannot expect a sacred future to bloom from a present we leave barren."

(Yung Suk Kim)

  

Faith and Politics in South Korea

In this video, we take a deep dive into the complex intersection of faith and politics in South Korea. We explore the historical roots of protest and the shifting religious landscape that has led to the current sociopolitical paradoxes. Join me as we analyze these critical issues from a scholarly perspective, examining how enduring political structures continue to shape and be shaped by the nation's faith.

Key topics:
The history of protest movements in South Korea
The evolution of religious influence on political life
Analyzing the "paradox" of contemporary Korean society
Future implications for faith and justice in the region

[특강] 예수의 비유속에 나타난 다양한 정의의 개념

 

한신대학교 신학대학원에서 진행된 김영석 교수의 특별 강연입니다. 23년 만에 한국을 방문하여 신학생들과 함께 '예수의 비유와 정의의 문제'를 심도 있게 고찰하다. 

우리가 흔히 알고 있는 달란트 비유, 포도원 주인의 비유, 그리고 과부와 불의한 재판관의 비유를 통해 성서가 말하는 귀속적, 배분적, 보복적 정의의 다양한 층위를 탐구한다. 단순히 종교적인 교훈을 넘어, 작금의 한국 사회와 신학이 마주한 정의의 과제는 무엇인지 함께 생각해보는 시간이 되길 바라며. 

#예수비유 #정의론 #한신대특강 #김영석교수 #성서해석 #신학강의 #달란트비유 #사회정의

Timestamps 

00:00 23년 만의 한국 방문, 역사적인 첫 강연의 감동 

03:13 오늘 강연의 주제: 예수의 비유와 정의의 문제 

04:12 정의란 무엇인가? 다양한 정의의 개념들 (귀속적, 보복적, 배분적 정의) 

08:38 성서에서 찾는 정의의 기준: 하나님과 예수의 '오름' 

11:41 예수 비유의 진정한 목적: 청중을 놀라게 하고 도전하라 

13:52 [비유 1] 달란트 비유와 귀속적 정의: 노력과 책임의 문제 

20:08 [비유 2] 포도원 주인의 비유와 배분적 정의: 균등한 기회와 선함 

29:35 [비유 3] 과부와 불의한 재판관: 기도가 아닌 '법적 정의'의 회복 

34:42 용서와 처벌: 세월호 참사와 보복적 정의에 대한 단상 

37:43 맺음말: 정의가 살아있는 사회와 진정한 행복

성서해석과 렌즈: 변화를 향한 렌즈의 점검과 적용

아래 강연은 2024년 12월에 한국방문시, 아주 추운 어느 겨울날, 전주에서 했던 강연이다. 강연 제목은 "성서해석과 렌즈: 변화를 향한 렌즈의 점검과 적용." 전체적 행사를 기획하고 후원하신 성경과설교연구원 우진성 박사에게 감사드린다. 서울과 전주에서 한 강연중 이 비디오는 전주의 강연을 담은 것이다. 장소를 허락하신 전주 중앙교회 노병진 목사님께 감사한다.    

하나님의 말씀은 우리를 어떻게 변화시킬까요? 2025년 전주에서 진행된 이번 특강에서는 '성서 해석과 렌즈'라는 주제를 통해, 우리가 어떤 마음의 안경을 쓰고 말씀을 대해야 하는지 깊이 있게 살펴본다.

단순히 지식을 쌓는 것을 넘어, '나'라는 존재를 발견하고 하나님과의 관계를 회복하는 진정한 변화의 여정에 보탬이 되길 기도한다. 

[강의 주요 내용]

말씀과 렌즈: 하나님 말씀은 어떻게 우리에게 다가오는가 

해석의 세 가지 종류: 역사, 문헌, 그리고 독자 중심 

나의 렌즈 점검하기: 나는 누구인가에 대한 근본적인 질문 

실전 적용: 한나의 기도와 시편을 통해 보는 영적 변화

#성서해석 #말씀의변화 #김영석교수 #전주특강 #성경공부 #영적성장 #기독교강연 #자기발견

[타임라인]

00:00 강연 소개 및 인사말

01:48 오늘의 주제: 성서 해석과 렌즈

02:44 하나님의 말씀은 어떻게 우리에게 다가오는가?

04:45 창세기와 복음서로 보는 하나님/예수의 다양한 모습

10:02 우리 각자가 가진 '렌즈'의 중요성

15:25 성서 해석의 세 가지 길 (역사, 이야기, 독자 중심) 

21:10 본문 적용: 가나안 여인의 믿음 재해석 

28:08 본문 적용: 선한 사마리아인 비유와 심리적 접근

34:32 나의 실존에 대한 질문: "나는 누구인가?" 

37:25 한나의 기도를 통해 보는 영적 변화의 3단계

46:17 시편: 탄식에서 신뢰로 바뀌는 감정의 롤러코스터 

48:59 맺음말: 내가 변해야 말씀이 들린다 

56:04 나를 찾는 여정: 매일의 감사와 묵상

Keep moving

 

주기도문 특강 Clips

특강 전체 동영상은 여기에 있다.

아래는 클립과 쇼츠 영상들.

1) 생각이 있는 기도, 감정이 있는 기도, 의지가 있는 기도: 지정의 결합

2) 하나님의 이름이 거룩히 여김을 받으시옵시고

3) 기도의 비밀은 인정, 수용, 확신이다. 

주기도문 속에 담긴 놀라운 기도의 원리와 비밀을 학문적, 실천적 관점에서 재해석 

단순히 외우는 기도가 아니라, 우리의 지정의(知情意)가 모두 담긴 '살아있는 기도'를 위한 구체적인 가이드라인을 제시한다. 이번 강의를 통해 기도의 본질을 깨닫고, 하나님과 더 깊이 소통하며 매일의 삶 속에서 하나님의 나라를 누리는 신앙의 전환점을 맞이하였으면.

주기도문의 재발견: 기도의 본질과 "인수확" 원리

"기도는 내 뜻을 이루는 게 아닙니다" 주기도문의 충격적인 진실 

주기도문 속에 담긴 놀라운 기도의 원리와 비밀을 학문적, 실천적 관점에서 재해석합니다. 단순히 외우는 기도가 아니라, 우리의 지정의(知情意)가 모두 담긴 '살아있는 기도'를 위한 구체적인 가이드라인을 제시합니다. 이번 강의를 통해 기도의 본질을 깨닫고, 하나님과 더 깊이 소통하며 매일의 삶 속에서 하나님의 나라를 누리는 신앙의 전환점을 맞이하시길 바랍니다.

참고: 버지니아 유니언대학교의 김영석 (Yung Suk Kim) 신약학 교수가 시카고 에버그린장로교회에서 행한 신학특강 내용이다. 2025년 10월. 왜 기도해야 하는가, 기도의 형태, 그리고 주기도문을 비평적으로 분석하며 어떻게 기도하는 것이 우리의 영성과 정신건강에 도움이 될까를 탐색한다. 특히 주기도문에 나타난 주제와 원리를 깊이 다루며 구체적 방법론도 제시한다.

#기도 #주기도문 #신학강의 #영성 #신앙성장 #인수확 #비채활 #성경공부 #정신건강 #버지니아유니언 #김영석교수 #신약학

  
타임스탬프 (Timestamps) 00:00 이번 강의를 시작하며: 기도의 목적과 개요 00:56 기도는 내 뜻을 이루는 것이 아니다 01:17 지정의를 갖춘 기도: 생각, 감정, 의지의 조화 02:17 하나님과 대화하며 자기를 재발견하는 시간 03:51 주기도문에 담긴 놀라운 기도의 원리 04:55 파트 1: 기도의 정의와 종류 (일반론) 07:01 우리가 기도해야 하는 근본적인 이유: 우리의 약함 09:12 일상 속에서 실천하는 다양한 기도의 형태 12:39 기도하면 다 이루어지는가? 하나님의 뜻 분별하기 16:09 바리새인과 세리의 기도: 진정한 기도의 태도 19:53 파트 2: 주기도문 상세 분석 및 재해석 21:02 마태복음과 누가복음 주기도문의 차이점 25:17 주기도문의 구조와 핵심 주제 27:42 '나라가 임하옵시며': 하나님의 통치와 현재성 33:51 후반부 세 가지 요청: 양식, 용서, 보호 39:26 핵심 키워드 1: 인정(Acknowledgment) - 하나님이 누구신가 42:35 핵심 키워드 2: 수용(Acceptance) - 나를 있는 그대로 받아들이기 45:18 핵심 키워드 3: 확신(Assurance) - 의지적으로 나아가는 삶 47:00 결론: '인수확'과 '비채활'로 건강한 신앙 지키기