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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Letter to President Trump (2017)

Yung Suk Kim
Associate Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity
Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology
Virginia Union University, in Richmond, Virginia


March 14, 2017


Dear President Trump, Vice President Pence, Members of the Trump Administration, and the 115th
Congress,

I love this country, my new home, and about a year ago all my family members became US citizens. That was our glad choice to join millions of immigrants who already become citizens of this great country—a place of opportunities, cultural diversity, and high moral values embodying more justice and freedom for all people. But recently, I and others have felt uncertain about this joyful expectation about our country’s ideals and achievements. I hear that diversity and otherness are seen as suspicious and checked at many corners of this country. Though there is a long way to go, our country has made conscious efforts to embrace more diversity, free thought, and human dignity. There are many colors on earth, named or unnamed; but all of them are beautiful. There are many flowers in the world, named or unnamed; no question that all are splendid. All of them are flowers, small or big, short or tall. The flower is the flower. There are many people of color on our globe, documented or undocumented; all of them are God’s masterpieces. Yellow is color, black is color, and white is also color. All races are colored and cultured. Some are more distinctive than others. Yet all represent a colorful representation of God’s world where different thoughts and lifestyles coexist.

As a biblical scholar, author, and professor teaching at a graduate theological school, in Richmond, Virginia, my vocation is to communicate the love of God to all, advocating diversity in our lives. Diversity is the way that the world exists and prospers. Differences, whether personal or cultural, are not wrong by themselves but can be a moment of engagement with one another through the love of God. In God’s creation, there are many colors, many races, many cultures, many stories, and many histories. One cannot represent all. It is the imperial culture that does not embrace diversity.


Sincerely,

 Yung Suk Kim

No Longer Bound

A Short Book Review by Yung Suk Kim

James Henry Harris is Professor and Chair of Preaching and Pastoral Theology at Virginia Union University and Senior Minister at the Second Baptist Church, both in Richmond, Virginia. His earlier works include The Forbidden Word (2012), The Word Made Plain (2004), and Preaching Liberation (1996).

In this book No Longer Bound, as the title implies, Harris freely engages the word of God in a still race-divided society where freedom is shackled, love is superficial, faith is idolatrous, and hope is groundless. He deftly combines the art of preaching with interpretation theory, ethics, and theology. Harris claims that preaching involves an act of love based on the love of God and the love of self and community.

This book asks what preaching is, why it matters, and how it can be holy and holistic in the preacher's community and beyond. I have never seen a book like this in the field of homiletics; this book has souls of preaching that engage everything. As Paul has a spirit of test, the preacher must test everything (1 Thess 5:21). The preacher is not bound to anything because of this responsibility; in fact, there is no boundary for the preacher because everything is a topic. Harris argues that everything must be tested and interpreted for the real people today in various communities. This book asks readers who they are as preachers, and it is a must-read for all who preach and teach scriptures.

"How to Read the Gospels"

I received good news from my editor:
"Yung Suk, Greetings. I’ve just emerged from our editorial board meeting, and I’m extremely happy to report that your proposal was approved with unanimous and enthusiastic support. Congratulations! This gives me a green light to offer you a contract."

There has been a tedious process until now. This book is an introductory text for the Gospels, tentatively titled "How to Read the Gospels." Along the way, if you have supported me, thank you, and thank you. The publisher is Rowman & Littlefield.

Who says Jesus is yes, and Paul is no?

Oftentimes I hear from my academic circles: "Jesus is yes, but Paul is no." This statement has a history. Some dislike Paul because they think he is a misogynist, a betrayer of Judaism, a social conservative, or a not-a-true follower of Jesus.

All of these understandings are problematic. He never repudiates women's leadership or participation in the church (1 Cor 11; Rom 16). Both men and women are free to participate in worship and receive the gifts of the Spirit. Phoebe is a pastor of the church. Priscilla is also an important leader of the church. Junia is an important apostle (Rom 16:7).

Paul is not a betrayer of Judaism; rather, he affirms the place of Israel and believes that all Israel will be saved (Rom 11:26). Otherwise, he never repudiates the law; rather, he says it is good and perfect. Even faith cannot overthrow it. His only point is Jesus is the Messiah and that faith is more important than any other thing.

Paul is not a social conservative. His view of the community is egalitarian. Gal 3:28 says: "In Christ, there is no longer Greek or Gentile, free or slave, or male and female." His gospel challenges Rome's good news, the Emperor's sonship, and a hierarchical system. He proclaims God's good news, not Rome's good news; God's power rather than Rome's power. He also proclaims that Jesus is the Messiah and Son of God. Rome says the emperor is the son of God.

Obviously, Paul is not a political revolutionary, so his method of the gospel program is not violent. For this matter, Jesus is not a political revolutionary, either. Paul is an apocalyptic theologian who believes that God would intervene in the world sooner or later through the coming of the Lord. So he feels his job is to let people turn to God through Jesus. Otherwise, he does not say this world is not important or that salvation is only in the future. Rather, he asks people to show good conduct to the world until the end. His position is: A new life already began with Christ, yet it is not completed. As a new creation in Christ or a letter of him, followers of Jesus must continue to live like Christ and demonstrate God's love and justice in the world.

So he says God's weakness is stronger than human strength and God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom (1 Cor 1:25). Paul's point is that people have to embrace the weak and the foolish because God cares for them. So he says: "God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are" (1 Cor 1:27-28). Is he a social conservative? Absolutely not!

Paul is a true follower of Jesus. He understands well what Jesus taught and why he was put to death. As Jesus emphasizes God's rule or reign in the world, Paul also starts with God's good news, which is the power of God for salvation (Rom 1:16-17; 1 Cor 1:18-25).

Both Jesus and Paul point fingers at God. While Jesus does not talk about himself, Paul talks about Jesus and accepts him as the Messiah and Son of God. That is a big difference between them. Otherwise, for both of them, God is the starting point.

The new book that I am working on now will deal with some of these issues.

Reflections on life and death

I was reading a Doctor of Ministry thesis document dealing with issues of death for the terminally ill. As a result of this, I came to think about the topic of death and life. Here is my thought.

Death is part of life. When we are born, we are meant to die as well. Death can occur anytime, and indeed, death and life are intertwined. Death is also an end of life. We should accept it, as biblical texts tell us so (c.f., Eccl 3:2, 19; Heb 9:27). It is nothing wrong with it. Denial of it, in some sense, is a characteristic of Western culture.

Yet, death cannot have dominion over us, not because we are stronger than that, but because God is the source of us. Our hope is not rooted in us but in God. That must be the basis of our faith. "In life and in death we belong to God" (The Brief Statement of Faith by PC USA).

*Note: There is an interesting phrase in Dao De Jing: "To come out is birth and to enter is death" (出生入死). The implication is that birth and death are paired with each other. There is also similar yet deeper thinking about this in the Buddhist text: "There is no birth and no end" (不生不滅). This means our existence or things we see are not a new creation. They simply came from somewhere, called the source in the universe. Likewise, when things disappear or our life ends, it does not disappear forever. It just returns to the source. It must be noted that modern science confirms that matter does not disappear, but it changes to energy. Energy and matter only interact with each other.

At the Intersection of Hermeneutics and Homiletics

My edited volume proposal At the Intersection of Hermeneutics and Homiletics: Transgressive Readings for Transformational Preaching was accepted (Pickwick). This ambitious project carries my fresh imagination, love, and care for study and people. I am blessed and joined by 15 conscientious, seasoned scholars who will bring their expertise, transgressive insight, and love to this milestone volume that explores the intersection of hermeneutics and homiletics (see the list below). The target publication date is August 2025. We are one team and on target. We also plan various book publicity activities, including book review panels at both SBL and the Academy of Homiletics.

At the Intersection of Hermeneutics and Homiletics: 

Transgressive Readings for Transformational Preaching

(Pickwick, projected 2025)

Edited by

Yung Suk Kim 

Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity

Virginia Union University

Contributors:
Teresa L. Fry Brown, Bandy Professor of Preaching; Associate Dean of Academic Affairs at Candler School of Theology, Emory University

Jung Choi, Associate Dean for Global and Intercultural Formation; Director, Asian House of Studies; Consulting Faculty at Duke Divinity School

Rhiannon Graybill, Professor of Religious Studies, Marcus M. and Carole M. Weinstein & Gilbert M. and Fannie S. Rosenthal Chair of Jewish Studies at the University of Richmond

James H. Harris, Distinguished Professor and Chair of Homiletics and Practical Theology and Research Scholar in Religion at the School of Theology, Virginia Union University

Cheryl A. Kirk-Duggan, Professor (retired) of Religion and Director of Women’s Studies at Shaw University

Jacob D. Myers, Wade P. Huie, Jr. Associate Professor of Homiletics at Columbia Theological Seminary

Hugh R. Page, Jr., Professor of Theology and Africana Studies; Vice President, Associate Provost, and Dean of the First Year of Studies at the University of Norte Dame

Song-Mi Suzie Park, Associate Professor of Old Testament at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary

Daniel S. Schipani, Professor Emeritus of Pastoral Care and Counseling at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary

Katherine A. Shaner, Associate Professor of New Testament, Wake Forest University

Carolyn J. Sharp, Professor of Homiletics at Yale Divinity School

Mitzi J. Smith, J. Davison Philips Professor of New Testament at Columbia Theological Seminary

Drew Strait, Associate Professor of New Testament and Christian Origins at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary

Robert Wafawanaka, Associate Professor of Biblical Studies and Old Testament at Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology, Virginia Union University

Demetrius K. Williams, Associate Professor in the Department of French, Italian, and Comparative Literature and participating faculty in the Religious Studies Program, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee

Paul's Gospel, Empire, Race, and Ethnicity

Paul’s Gospel, Empire, Race, and Ethnicity

Through the Lens of Minoritized Scholarship

Edited by Yung Suk Kim (Pickwick, 2023)

*Order from Amazon

 

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

The good news begins with God, not with Jesus

As for Paul, the good news begins with God, not with Jesus.

The gospel (good news) is about or from God.
It is also God's good news that he intervenes in the world.
Jesus is the Son of God who demonstrated God's good news through faith.
Jesus's work of God constitutes "the gospel of Christ."

However, I often see theological schools' mission statement that elevates only "the gospel of Christ." Of course, what the gospel of Christ means is a bone of contention.

Now Christians are those who follow Jesus and his faith. They are set right with God. They must bring good news to all as "a letter of Christ" (2 Cor 3:3).