A Transformative Reading of the Bible - Paperback

by Yung Suk Kim (Author)

In A Transformative Reading of the Bible Yung Suk Kim raises critical questions about human transformation in biblical studies. What is transformation? How are we transformed when we read biblical stories? Are all transformative aspects equally valid? What kind of relationships exists between self, neighbor, and God if transformation is involved in these three? Who or what is being changed, or who or what are we changing? What degree of change might be considered "transformative"?

Kim explores a dynamic, cyclical process of human transformation and argues that healthy transformation involves three kinds of transformation: psycho-theological, ontological-theological, and political-theological transformation. With insights gained from phenomenological studies, political theology, and psychotheology, Kim proposes a new model for how to read the Bible transformatively, as he dares to read Hannah, Psalm 13, the Gospel of Mark, and Paul as stories of transformation. The author invites Christian readers, theological educators, and scholars to reexamine the idea of transformation and to engage biblical stories from the perspective of holistic human transformation.

Author Biography

Yung Suk Kim is Associate Professor of New Testament at the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology, Virginia Union University in Richmond. Kim is the author of three books: Christ's Body in Corinth (2008); A Theological Introduction to Paul's Letters (2011); and Biblical Interpretation (2012). Kim is editor of the Journal of Bible and Human Transformation.