"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).

"Why some anxiety is good, even though it feels bad"

I was listening to the NPR program "On Point" and the topic was anxiety. Anxiety as an emotion brings data about uncertainties in life. The key is how we can use it wisely, developing life skills.

*Excursus 

1) Anxiety is an emotion caused by uncertainties in life.
2) Stress is extreme tension/feeling caused by one's situation that one can hardly find options to deal with it. 
3) Affliction includes all kinds of hardships, tragedies, and difficulties in life. 

Wisdom

My working definition of wisdom:

 
"Wisdom is practical, insightful knowledge, experience, attitude, life skills, or abilities conducive to wise living in various contexts. It responds to complex human conditions and deals with all spheres of life. It has existed ever since humanity lived, but its manifestations differ from culture to culture." (Yung Suk Kim)

 

Meditation on 1 Cor 12:12-27: Deconstruction and "the Body of Christ"

My alternative interpretation of 1 Cor 12 may be summarized as follows: 

Paul's point is not that the church is the body of Christ but that "you (ὑμεῖς, plural "you") are the Christic body." The key is the ethical union with Christ, not merely existential or mysterious relationships with him. That is, the Corinthians must follow Christ and honor one another. Then, they can maintain a Christ-like community. Christ is not the owner of the church, but its foundation. The point is not mere membership to the church but impregnable participation in Christ and his faith. --From my talk on "Deconstruction and the body of Christ"

Also see my books: Christ's Body in Corinth and How to Read Paul.

Cross-cultural Wisdom

Simple truth
-Jesus: “In everything do to others as you would have them do to you, for this is the Law and the Prophets" (Golden Rule, Matt 7:12).
-Hillel: "What is hateful to you, do not do to others. This is the whole Torah, and the rest is commentary" (Talmud Shabbat 31a).
-Confucius: Zi Gong asked: “What is the single word that we can take as a moral guide for our whole life?” Confucius said, “Is it not reciprocity? What you don't desire don't impose on others” (Analects 15:24). 子貢問曰。有一言而可以終身行之者乎。子曰。其恕乎。己所不欲、勿施於人。

Human-centered thought:
-Jesus: “The Sabbath was made for humankind and not humankind for the Sabbath" (Mark 2:28).
-Confucius: The person unfolds the way; it is not the way that unfolds the person" (Analects 15:29). 子曰。人能弘道、非道弘人。