Virginia Union University Professor Dr. Yung Suk Kim Publishes Groundbreaking Book "How to Read the Gospels"

June 17, 2024

Virginia Union University(VUU) is proud to announce the release of How to Read the Gospels, a new book by Dr. Yung Suk Kim, Professor of New Testament & Early Christianity. This accessible and comprehensive introduction to the Gospels is set to become an essential resource for students and scholars alike, providing deep insights into the distinctive messages of the Gospel texts and offering a wide range of interpretative methods.

How to Read the Gospels is expected to significantly impact seminary and graduate students who study the Gospels critically and comprehensively. It provides user-friendly summaries, such as the basics of each Gospel—authorship, history, essential parables, the Jesus of each Gospel, and notable interpretation and translation issues. By fostering a close reading of each text, the book sensitizes students to historical and literary issues, helping them better understand various ways to interpret these formative stories.

“This book results from my teaching at VUU, and my conviction is that the Gospels are more than history, affecting our thinking and life today," Professor of New Testament & Early Christianity Dr. Yung Suk Kim said. "Traditionally, the Gospels have been read with much focus on history. But this book opens up all kinds of possibilities of reading lenses through which we can explore multiple dimensions of the text, which bear on our lives today, whether personal or political."

This book uniquely engages various readings of the Gospels, from traditional to deconstruction approaches, including womanist, disability, and ecological interpretations. It prompts readers to consider alternative perspectives and methods, making it a transformative tool for students and scholars aiming to understand the Gospels' multifaceted dimensions.

"All readers can interpret the Gospels carefully from their context and discern what is good. The Gospels are ongoing stories inviting us to read them through our stories,” Dr. Kim said. “The purpose is never to be triumphant toward others but to respond to the good news that Jesus and the early Christian communities proclaimed."

How to Read the Gospels encourages students to approach the texts from their perspectives, ranging from postcolonialism to environmentalism, and includes discussion questions to help focus reflections on Gospel narratives, their theology, and methods of reading them.

"Readers will gain insight into the historical and literary aspects of the Gospels. Readers will understand distinctive theological themes interlocked with the portrayal of Jesus,” Dr. Kim said. 

Click to access all available formats and editions of Dr. Kim's book!