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Kim, Hyun Woo; Cho, Eunil David
doi: 10.1177/00405736251358473pmid: N/A
This contextual re-reading of Esther explores how Asian American individuals and communities can use their agency and voice to protect and uplift one another amid the global pandemic, systemic racism, and rising xenophobia. Anti-Asian hate and violence surged during the COVID-19 crisis in North America, culminating in the shootings in Atlanta on 16 March 2021, where eight people, six of them Asian women, were killed. In response, Asian American theologians and faith leaders began asking: How can we find belonging in this nation? How can we, as Asian American Christians, break our silence and raise our voices for compassion and justice? Turning to Esther 4, we explore how the Jewish community in exile embraced bicultural identities and how Mordecai and Esther used their agency to protect their communities in Persia. In conversation with Asian American reading of the Bible, immigration studies, and practical theology, this cross-disciplinary analysis and reflection highlight how the diasporic experience in Esther mirrors the struggles of Asian American faith communities and offer theological insight into seeking belonging and building solidarity in the midst of shared struggles.
doi: 10.1177/00405736251358477pmid: N/A
This essay begins with the premise that the proper “subject” of theology, or “God-talk,” lies in an ineffable realm, but that human beings cannot avoid using language in referring to this realm that is itself beyond language, as we ask fundamental questions of the meaning and purpose of our human existence, and questions of ultimate reality. Given this premise, the essay maps out three areas that Christian theological reflection is called to consider and address if it is to be relevant to the urgent demands of our twenty-first century world. The first is a need for theology to reconnect with spirituality, from which it had been “divorced” since the so-called Western Enlightenment with the predominance placed on reason in human endeavors. The second is a need for a shift from an anthropocentric perspective to a creation-centered approach, in the light of the severe ecological crisis faced by our contemporary global society. The third is a need for Christian theology to take into account, and learn from other faith traditions, as sources of discovering divine revelatory activity as manifested in and through the world’s different religions and their various cultural manifestations.
doi: 10.1177/00405736251358478pmid: N/A
This article discusses Klaus Bonhoeffer, the elder brother of Dietrich Bonhoeffer by five years. Whereas Dietrich has received worldwide recognition as a theologian and resistance fighter in Nazi Germany, his brother Klaus has so far gone almost unnoticed. Yet he preceded Dietrich on the path to conspiracy and was murdered by the Nazis two weeks after Dietrich, just a few days before the end of World War II (on 23 April 1945). Based on previously unpublished source material and interviews with Klaus Bonhoeffer’s three elderly children, the book Wer war Klaus Bonhoeffer? [Who was Klaus Bonhoeffer?] is the world’s first and only monograph on this person. It tells the impressive story of his life and opens up unexplored territory. Klaus Bonhoeffer performed a special function as a bridge builder of the resistance movement, because he maintained contact with different, even conflicting groups and managed to connect them (i.e., monarchical, conservative, ecclesiastical, socialist and military resistance). Though he was a lawyer by profession, the Christian value system was decisive and guiding for Klaus (no less than for Dietrich, the theologian). With his political alertness, his courage to resist and the willingness to pay the price of his life, he is an inspiring role model and can be considered as a kind of modern “saint for our time.”
doi: 10.1177/00405736251358474pmid: N/A
Contemporary discussions of evangelism often conflate its theological and practical dimensions into a single communicative mode, overlooking the New Testament's more textured vision. This study investigates the biblical and communicative foundations of evangelism through a comparative analysis of two key Greek terms: kērygma (κήρυγμα) and euangelizomai (εὐαγγελίζομαι). While frequently conflated, these terms represent distinct yet interdependent aspects of gospel witness—kērygma emphasizing declarative proclamation and euangelizomai highlighting relational and contextual engagement. The study traces the theological trajectories of both terms through lexical analysis of the Septuagint and New Testament texts, supported by biblical narratives involving Jesus, Peter, Philip, and Paul. Drawing on receptor-oriented communication theory, particularly frameworks developed by Paul Hiebert and Charles Kraft, it proposes a dual-structured theology of evangelism that integrates content and context, clarity and compassion. Historical patterns—ranging from the relationally embedded Celtic missions, to the proclamation-centered Reformers, to John Wesley's integrated evangelistic approach—further illustrate the enduring relevance of a dual-structured theology of evangelism. This model equips the church for faithful and credible gospel witness in an age of digital mediation, cultural fragmentation, and institutional skepticism. Rather than reinforcing a dichotomy between proclamation and presence, the study affirms their theological integration as essential to New Testament evangelism.
doi: 10.1177/00405736251358476pmid: N/A
Why would an omnipotent and omnibenevolent God allow, fail to prevent, or cause natural or moral evil and the resultant suffering? This question lies at the heart of the problem of evil, implying that God is either loving but does not have the power to stop evil, or God has the power to do so and is not characterized by love. Some thinkers also include omniscience when expressing the problem. Theodicy and antitheodicy are theological responses to evil and suffering, frequently expressed in the technical language of the academy. Pastoral caregivers must translate the language of the academy in practical and empathic ways for the care of others outside of the theological language game. Doing so requires mastering a variety of theodicies and antitheodicies in their training and lifelong learning. This mastery creates an internal frame of reference in addition to a path for providing care. Yet, it would rarely if ever be helpful to recite an academic rendition of a theodicy or antitheodicy during an active crisis intervention. This essay offers a metacognitive theological methodology that can be accessed spontaneously by pastoral caregivers in the midst of a crisis. I claim that this strategy will be helpful to any caregiver, but especially to seminary, divinity school, and Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) students during their early formation.
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