Grace Ji-Sun Kim: Before There Was a Bible & the Messy Origins of Spirit Doctrine
Homebrewed Christianity
Intro
This chapter delves into the complexities of the Holy Spirit within Christian doctrine and its evolution in early church history. It highlights the challenges Protestants encounter in reconciling the role of the Spirit with Christology and the Trinity amidst the historical negotiation of scriptural texts.
This week Grace and I dove deep into the messy, fascinating history of how the early church wrestled with the Holy Spirit - and let me tell you, it's way more complicated than most of us realize. We're talking about a time when there was no canonized New Testament, no creeds, just a bunch of monotheistic folks trying to figure out what to do with the fact that God raised Jesus from the dead and they were experiencing God through the Spirit. Grace brilliantly walks us through why it took centuries to develop clear doctrine about the Trinity (spoiler: the word isn't even in the Bible!), how Roman imperial politics shaped these theological debates, and why context absolutely matters when we're doing theology. We tackle some killer questions from our class participants about everything from explaining the Trinity to Muslims and Jews, to how we discern when the Holy Spirit is actually working versus our own emotions and desires. Plus, we discuss how theology is always a second-order discourse from the actual life of God's people - which means our language about God better be accountable to how God is actually present with us. If you want to understand where our doctrines come from and why they matter (or don't), this conversation is essential listening.
You can join the class and get Grace's lectures here and watch the conversation on YouTube here.
Grace Ji-Sun Kim is a professor of theology at Earlham School of Religion and host of the Madang podcast.
Previous Episodes with Grace
- Jumping Vatican Barriers and Chasing the Spirit
- Feminist Christology
- When God Became White
- Surviving God
- Godly QnA
- a Theology of Visibility
- What is Intersectional Theology
- The Prophetic Life of the Spirit
- Embracing the Other and Reading the Bible
- Keeping Hope Alive
Upcoming Online Class: Rediscovering the Spirit: Hand-Raisers, Han, & the Holy Ghost
"Rediscovering the Spirit: Hand-Raisers, Han, and the Holy Ghost" is an open-online course exploring the dynamic, often overlooked third person of the Trinity. Based on Grace Ji-Sun Kim's groundbreaking work on the Holy Spirit (pneumatology), this class takes participants on a journey through biblical foundations, historical developments, diverse cultural perspectives, and practical applications of Spirit theology. Moving beyond traditional Western theological frameworks, we'll explore feminist interpretations, global perspectives, and innovative approaches to understanding the Spirit in today's world. Whether you've felt the Spirit was missing from your faith journey or are simply curious to deepen your understanding, this class creates space for thoughtful discussion, personal reflection, and spiritual growth.
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