Messiah in Weakness

Yung Suk Kim is Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology, Virginia Union University. He is committed to transformative teaching, accessible scholarship, and effective service. He is passionate about human transformation, rooted in self-awareness, self-criticism, and human solidarity. During his business career, he traveled to many Latin American countries, where he came to realize the importance of 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 with Emmanuel Levinas' "The Face of the Other," Paul Ricoeur's "inter-subjective narrative identity," and 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 together when we differ?



Dr. Kim earned his Ph.D. in New Testament studies from Vanderbilt University and an M.Div. from McCormick Theological Seminary.



With a prolific output of over 20 books, Dr. Kim explores various dimensions of biblical interpretation and New Testament studies. His acclaimed works include Christ's Body in Corinth: The Politics of a Metaphor (2008), Toward Decentering the New Testament (Cascade, 2018, co-authored with Mitzi J. Smith), and How to Read Paul: A Brief Introduction to His Theology, Writings, and World (2021). His scholarship often offers ethical readings of biblical texts, focusing on justice, inclusion, and the voices of the marginalized. His most recent book continues with this scholarly direction: Justice and the Parables of Jesus: Interpreting the Gospel Stories through Political Philosophy (2026).







Dr. Kim's academic and public service contributions have been recognized with several prestigious awards, receiving the Scott & Stringfellow Outstanding Professor Award from VUU in 2019 and the President's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2024. These accolades underscore his dedication to education, scholarship, and societal impact.







Dr. Kim actively participates in the academic community, inviting colleagues to contribute to monumental volumes such as At the Intersection of Hermeneutics and Homiletics: Transgressive Readings for Transformational Preaching (Pickwick, 2025) and Paul's Gospel, Empire, Race, and Ethnicity: Through the Lens of Minoritized Scholarship (Pickwick, 2023). He reaches wider audiences through lectures and publications that connect historical texts with contemporary issues, emphasizing cultural diversity and global solidarity.







Dr. Kim's well-rounded academic background, substantial scholarship, and active engagement in both academic and public circles establish him as a respected and influential authority in biblical studies.