Yung Suk Kim is Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology, Virginia Union University. Dr. Kim is committed to transformative teaching, indomitable scholarship, and effective public service. He has a passion for human transformation, rooted in self-knowledge and self-criticism.

Traveling to many Latin American countries during his business career, he learned a great deal about cultural diversity and the need for human solidarity. What does it mean to live in this world with each other (i.e., the meaning of the Other, which resonates Emmanuel Levinas’ “the face of the other,” Paul Ricoeur’s “inter-subjective narrative identity,” or Jacques Derrida’s “relationless relation”)? How can we do theology in our thoughts and deeds, while moving pointedly away from individualism? And how can we read biblical stories with each other when we differ?

Kim received a Ph.D. in New Testament study from Vanderbilt University and an M.Div. from McCormick Theological Seminary. He was a recipient of the Lilly Theological Scholars Grant for research on John’s Gospel in the context of pluralism. He also received a research fellowship from Wabash Center for research on the Bible and transformation. Dr. Kim received a presidential citation for outstanding service and unselfish commitment from the VUU. In 2019, he received the Scott & Stringfellow Outstanding Professor Award from the VUU.

Dr. Kim is the author of more than 15 books and edited two volumes. His most recent book is How to Read Paul: A Brief Introduction to His Theology, Writings, and World (Fortress, 2021). He also co-authored Toward Decentering the New Testament with Mitzi Smith (Cascade, 2018). This is the first introductory text to the New Testament written by an African American woman biblical scholar (Mitzi J. Smith) and an Asian-American male biblical scholar.

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