Hermeneutical Theology and the Imperative of Public Ethics

"The voice of Chung has burst upon the theological landscape over the last decade in a series of publications that demand our attention for their theological breadth, interreligious engagement, and prophetic power."

― from the foreword of Craig L. Nessan



"What a rich book built on in-depth studies of classical church fathers like Luther, Barth, and Bonhoeffer, of recent public and liberation theology, Bible research, and of other religions like Buddhism and Confucianism. It offers a new emancipatory, universal understanding of God's Trinitarian mission from the perspective of the other, particularly the victims of capitalism. It equips church and theology to be a blessing in a globalized world."

--Ulrich Duchrow, Professor, University of Heidelberg



"In this book, Paul Chung makes the case for a public ethical approach to God, humanity, and the world. In rich and complex readings of classic and contemporary thinkers, he argues for a Trinitarian understanding of God's mission as God's economy―calling for a new approach to ethical discipleship that takes seriously the reality of world Christianity and the postcolonial challenges it presents."

―Lois Malcolm, Associate Professor of Systematic Theology, Luther Seminary



"This book is a crowning achievement for Chung's ongoing work to build a truly Lutheran, confessional mission that is neither insulated denominationally nor a mere repetition of past mistakes of the church as an extension of a colonial empire. Chung's voice is unique and reaches its highest note in this text in which he finally brings out the effect of God's mission for public theology--one that will not merely interpret the world, but truly change it."

--Steven D. Paulson, Professor of Systematic Theology, Luther Seminary



"Paul Chung takes up pressing questions facing the church in a pluralist, globalized world: what is the shape of faithful public witness? How do we understand God's activity in and through the neighbor and stranger? What kind of ethics is adequate to contemporary contexts? He weaves together diverse sources in order to offer a rich and provocative argument for renewing Christian witness in the twenty-first century."

--Dwight Zscheile, Assistant Professor of Congregational Mission and Leadership, Luther Seminary