Ken Stone

Professor Stone, a Lambda Literary Award winner, focuses his research on the relationship between critical theory and biblical interpretation and matters of gender, sexuality, animals, and ecology.

“I always encourage students to question their own assumptions about the content and interpretation of the Bible.  Such a process of questioning need not be destructive, but rather creates opportunities for pursuing a two-fold goal.  On the one hand, we must obtain a thorough knowledge of both the surprising diversity of the biblical writings and their historical and socio-cultural contexts. On the other hand, we must reflect critically on the difficult process of interpreting and teaching those writings in a manner that will help us transform our own world toward greater justice and mercy.”

Bo Myung Seo

Professor Seo’s research focuses on theology and contemporary culture, comparative religions and philosophy of religion. Recent writings have focused on theological interpretations of contemporary cultural phenomena.

“How we understand specific passages of the Bible and the nature of prophecy often depends on how we view the world. Whether we seek to transform or merely to understand the world, we proceed with a prior conception of how the world is or is meant to be.  So being open to and learning from the achievements of other ‘worldly’ disciplines, as it helps us understand today’s world, is an important part of how we do theology today.  Also, geographically, the West is no longer the dominant center of Christianity, and the growth of churches in the Third World should be accompanied by a different theological consciousness.  I have come to see the central issue facing today’s world as that of domination.  Domination is always based on power, forcing its will, interest and logic unto others. How to speak for the dominated of the world is an important theological question. Theology can longer dwell comfortably in the realm of the sacred. As we are called into the world, our task is to start with the realities of the world.”