Sebastian Chang Hwan Kim (born 18 October 1955) is a Korean theologian specialized in

public theology Public theology is the Christian engagement and dialogue within the church and especially with the larger society. It seeks the welfare of the state and a fair society for all by engaging issues of common interest to build the common good. This is ...

and Korean Christianity. He is currently Professor of

Theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

and Public Life and assistant provost for the Korean Studies Center at

Fuller Theological Seminary Fuller Theological Seminary is an interdenominational Evangelical Christian seminary in Pasadena, California, with regional campuses in the western United States. It is egalitarian in nature. Fuller consistently has a student body that compri ...

Education and academic career

Kim earned his bachelor of electronic communication engineering at

Hanyang University Hanyang University (Korean: 한양대학교) is a private research university in South Korea. The main campus is located in Seoul and its satellite campus, the Education Research Industry Cluster (ERICA campus), is in Ansan. ''Hanyang'' (한양, ...

in 1980 and his master of divinity at

Presbyterian University and Theological Seminary The Presbyterian University and Theological Seminary (PUTS) is a university and seminary located in the Gwangjin District, Seoul, South Korea. PUTS is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church of Korea. Its school motto is ‘Pietatis et Scientia� ...

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

in 1991. After obtaining a master of theology at Fuller Seminary in 1993, he worked as a visiting lecturer at

Union Biblical Seminary Union Biblical Seminary (UBS) is a theological seminary founded by Wesleyan theology , Wesleyan and Methodist denominations in Pune, India. UBS started as a Marathi-medium Bible School opened by the Free Methodist Church and was finally establi ...

Pune Pune (; ; also known as Poona, (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

for four years. In 1997, he started his PhD in theology at

Fitzwilliam College Fitzwilliam College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college traces its origins back to 1869 and the foundation of the Non-Collegiate Students Board, a venture intended to offer academically excellent students of all ...

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

and graduated in 2001. After completing his PhD, Kim taught

world Christianity World Christianity or global Christianity has been defined both as a term that attempts to convey the global nature of the Christian religion and an academic field of study that encompasses analysis of the histories, practices, and discourses of C ...

at the University of Cambridge and was the director of the Christianity in Asia project. He joined the faculty of

York St John University , mottoeng = They may have life and have it more abundantly , established = , type = Public , administrative_staff = 618 , chancellor = Reeta Chakrabarti , vice_chancellor = Professor Karen Bryan , student ...

in 2005 and was the Chair in Theology and Public Life in the School of Humanities, Religion and Philosophy for 12 years. In July 2017, he moved to Fuller as Professor of Theology and Public Life and assistant provost for the Korean Studies Center. Kim was the founding editor of ''

International Journal of Public Theology ''International Journal of Public Theology'' (''IJPT'') is a peer-reviewed academic journal that investigates the idea and practice of public theology. From its foundation in 2007 until 2017, the journal was edited by Sebastian Kim. Since 2017, th ...

'', a journal he edited from 2007 to 2017. With Katie Day, he co-edited ''The Companion to Public Theology'', which was named one of 2017’s Outstanding Academic Titles by ''Choice'' magazine.

Personal life

He is married to

Kirsteen Kim Kirsteen Kim (born 21 September 1959) is a British theologian and Professor of Theology and World Christianity at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, CA. Her research interests are Korean Christianity, Pneumatology, and world Christianity. ...

, a pneumatologist and professor of theology and world Christianity at Fuller Seminary. Together they have two children.

Writings

* * * * * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kim, Sebastian 1955 births Hanyang University alumni Fuller Theological Seminary alumni Alumni of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge Fuller Theological Seminary faculty Living people World Christianity scholars Public theologians South Korean theologians Academic staff of Union Biblical Seminary, Pune