Kim
Named to Faculty Of
Hartford Seminary
The
Board of Trustees of Hartford Seminary and President Heidi Hadsell
have named Uriah Kim to the faculty at Hartford Seminary.
Kim
will be Professor of Hebrew Bible, and join the Seminary’s Center
for Faith in Practice. He will start teaching in the fall.
“I
am pleased that Uriah Kim is joining the faculty at Hartford
Seminary,” Hadsell said. “Uriah has an obvious love of the
subject matter, and I am confident he will offer our students new
perspectives on the Hebrew Scriptures that connect scholarship to
their life contexts.”
“While
he was studying for his Ph.D., Uriah was active in the community. I
expect that likewise in Hartford he will spend time serving the
community and its congregations,” Hadsell said.
Kim
received his Ph.D. from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley,
CA, in 2004. Currently he is Assistant Professor of Religious
Studies at Canisius College in Buffalo, NY, where he teaches
“Introduction to Hebrew Bible/Old Testament” and “Introduction
to Biblical Hebrew.”
When
asked why he is coming to Hartford Seminary, Kim said, “First, I
heard good things about Hartford Seminary from the people I respect
and like very much. After
learning more about and visiting the Seminary, I knew it was a place
for me. I felt comfortable with the Seminary’s openness to the
interdisciplinary approach and commitment to interfaith dialogue.
I felt at home. I was convinced that I’d blossom as a scholar at Hartford
Seminary. I was also
pleased with the opportunity to teach the ethnically, racially, and
religiously diverse constituencies the Seminary serves.”
“I
believe that Hartford Seminary occupies a unique and special place
in the world of theological education,” Kim said. “Its
commitment to dialogue across religions and cultures and to bridge
the gap between academia and the public is a mission that is
necessary to prevent the theological world from becoming parochial
and isolated from the public sphere.
“Without
an institution like Hartford Seminary, the networks of theological
institutions are in danger of becoming one dimensional and a
univocal entity that ignores the voices and concerns outside the
center. I am thrilled
to be part of an institution that is innovative, people-friendly,
and has the courage to deal with difficult issues that matter to the
world at large.”
Kim
has a book about to be published, “Decolonizing Josiah: Toward a
Postcolonial Reading of Josiah, which he describes as “a
passionate postcolonial reading of Josiah, that, on the one hand,
critiques the failure of biblical studies to come to terms with its
colonialist legacy, and, on the other hand, connects the world of
biblical studies to the world at large.”
His
next book project will deal with David and his relationship with his
God, women, men, children, and people.
Kim
was an adjunct faculty member at San Francisco Theological Seminary
and Pacific School of Religion from 2000 to 2004. He was a visiting
lecturer at Graduate Theological Union in Summer 2003.
Kim
earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy at New York
University, a Master of Divinity degree at Princeton Theological
Seminary and a Master of Theology degree at Emory University.
In
the community, Kim was pastor of English Language Ministry (Young
Adults) at the Oakland Korean United Methodist Church in 2001 and
2002 and Youth Group Director at the Korean United Methodist Church
of Santa Clara Valley in 2000 and 2001.
Outside
work, Kim says, he is “a news junkie, spending a lot of time
surfing the Internet for the latest stories on current events and to
read up on whatever interests me.
I am a sports fanatic and love to watch all types of sports
and am excited about moving closer to ESPN’s headquarters in
Bristol, CT. But most of all I enjoy spending my time with my two
wonderful children and lovely wife.”
