When God Became White with Grace Ji-Sun Kim

When Western Christians think about God, the default image that comes to mind is usually White and male. How did that happen?

Christianity is rooted in the ancient Near East among people of darker skin. But over time, European Christians cast Jesus in their own image, with art that imagined a fair-skinned Savior in the style of imperial rulers. Grace’s book, When God Became White, explores the historical origins and theological implications of how Jesus became White and God became a White male. The myth of the White male God has had a devastating effect as it enabled Christianity to have a profoundly colonialist posture across the globe.

Grace’s talk will examine some of the roots of the distortion, and its harmful impact on the world, and show what it looks like to recover the biblical reality of a nonwhite, nongendered God. Rediscovering God as Spirit leads us to a more just faith and a better church and world.

Q and A to follow.

THIS IS A HYBRID EVENT

Location: Vitali Lounge, King's University College

Virtual Webinar link: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_7jwQheGUTAivbKk4amjp6Q

Grace Ji-Sun Kim (Ph.D. University of St. Michael’s College) was born in Korea, educated in Canada and now teaches in the USA as Professor of Theology at Earlham School of Religion, Richmond, Indiana. She is the author or editor of 24 books, most recently, When God Became White, Suffering God, Invisible, and Spirit Life.

Kim is the host of Madang podcast which is sponsored by the Christian Century. She blogs on her substack: Loving Life: Loving Life and has written for Huffington Post, The Nation, Sojourners, Baptist News Global, Faith and Leadership and TIME. Kim has appeared on MSNBC, PBS and C-Span. She has been a guest on BBC Radio, Soul Search Radio, WBEZ Radio, and Keep Hope Alive Radio. She is an ordained PC(USA) minister and enjoys being a guest preacher on most Sundays. She is a book series Co-Editor for Palgrave Macmillan Series, “Asian Christianity in the Diaspora,” and has served on the American Academy of Religion’s Board of Directors.

Kim is honored to be included in the Englewood Review of Book‘s list of “Ten Important Women Theologians That You Should Be Reading” and Sojourners included Kim as one of “8 Christian Women Shaping the Church in 2023.”

ASL interpretation provided

Host or Publisher King's Author Series Planning Committee