November 2, 2020 (LOUISVILLE, Ky.) – Sung Soo Hong has been named Visiting Assistant Professor of New Testament at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. His professorship is through a Postdoctoral Fellowship he received from the Louisville Institute, a Lilly Endowment Inc.-funded program which supports the formation of ecclesiastically engaged academics for teaching and scholarship that serves the church and its ministries.
“It is a dream come true,” said Hong, who currently serves as a Teaching Fellow at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. “Teaching has been my passion, and I have wanted to teach at a seminary. I see that the Louisville Seminary community actually cares about its members and seeks justice and inclusion. I am thrilled to be part of it!”
Hong will complete his Ph.D. in Religion in the Ancient Mediterranean (New Testament, Christian Origins, and Ancient Christianity) at the University of Texas at Austin. He earned a Master of Arts degree in Religion from Yale Divinity School and a Master of Divinity degree from Drew Theological School.
“The Louisville Institute is grateful to Lilly Endowment for providing a $3.9 million grant for the placement of 20 additional Louisville Postdoctoral Fellows, including Professor Hong at Louisville Seminary,” said Edwin David Aponte, Executive Director of the Louisville Institute. “Professor Hong’s academic preparation is exceptional as is his teaching experience in both the academy and in the church. In Sung Soo Hong’s calling as a theological educator, he embodies the Louisville Institute goal to bridge church and academy.”
While at Louisville Seminary, Hong will develop his research project that he introduced in his dissertation, “Epistolary Psychagogy in the Letter of James.” In his dissertation, Hong examines how the author of James conveys the central message of the writing, “Sharing is caring,” by drawing on ancient letter writing conventions and by employing some pedagogical techniques and ideas in Hellenistic moral philosophies. Hong analyzes the ways in which the author guides the audience to pursue moral perfection both on the individual level and on the communal level. In addition, Hong will continue his research on Hellenistic Jewish wisdom texts and early Christian martyrdom literature.
“We are excited to have Sung Soo teaching with us,” said Louisville Seminary Academic Dean Debra Mumford. “He brings to Louisville Seminary not only his stellar credentials in biblical scholarship, but he also brings his commitment to calling students’ attention to the religiously ‘justified’ hate, violence, and oppressions in history, which they may have not been acutely aware of - especially if they are not one of the victims. After highlighting the history of oppression, he then equips students to develop their own academically sound and ethically responsible interpretations.”
Hong will begin his professorship at Louisville Seminary in January 2021.
###
