Episode Details

This week's Q&A dives deep into expanding our pneumatological horizons with Grace Ji-Sun Kim as we gear up for Pentecost Sunday. We tackle some fantastic questions about the Hebrew "ruach" versus Greek "pneuma," unpack how Greco-Roman philosophy (thanks, Plato!) shaped early Trinitarian debates, and explore the fascinating gender fluidity of Spirit language throughout church history - spoiler alert: the Spirit was feminine in early Syriac and Hebrew texts before patriarchal translations masculinized everything. Grace brilliantly connects the Asian concept of chi to global understandings of life-giving spirit found everywhere from Africa to indigenous Hawaiian traditions, making the case that syncretism isn't scary when you realize Easter and Christmas are already pagan mashups. We discuss how starting with pneumatology instead of Christology opens up interfaith dialogue, since everyone from Muslims to Buddhists has some concept of divine breath or energy. Plus, we get into the nitty-gritty of how embodied Spirit theology intersects with liberation work - because apparently all roads lead to the Spirit, whether you're fighting for climate justice, racial justice, or just trying to figure out why we keep praying "Come, Spirit, come" when the Spirit's supposedly already here.

You can ⁠join the class and get Grace's lectures here⁠ and ⁠watch the conversation on YouTube here.⁠

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⁠⁠Grace Ji-Sun Kim⁠⁠ is a professor of theology at Earlham School of Religion and host of the ⁠⁠Madang podcast⁠⁠.

Previous Episodes with Grace

• Before There Was a Bible & the Messy Origins of Spirit Doctrine⁠
• 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

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