Heart of the Cross: A Postcolonial Christology

191 Pages·2006·5.689 MB·English

by  Wonhee Anne Joh

Heart of the Cross

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Heart of the Cross
A Postcolonial Christology
Wonhee Anne Joh
Westminster John Knox Press
LOUISVILLE • LONDON
© 2006JWonhee Anne Joh
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by
any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the
publisher. For information, address Westminster John Knox Press, 100 Witherspoon
Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40202-1396.
Book design by Sharon Adams
Cover design by Night and Day Design
First edition
Published by Westminster John Knox Press
Louisville, Kentucky
This book is printed on acid-free paper that meets the American National Standards
Institute Z39.48 standard. ©
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15—10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Con­
gress, Washington, D.C.
ISBN-13: 978-0-664-23063-0
ISBN-10: 0-664-23063-6
For my parents, Charles and Young .
and always for Joshua and Alex

Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction xiii
A Postcolonial Preamble xiii
Searching for Roots xv
“Resident Alien”: Displacement(s) xvii
Complex Route/Deep Roots xix
Argument of the Book xxi
Mapping This Book xxiv
1 IDENTITY OUT OF PLACE 1
Out of Place 1
Essentialism on Trial 5
Politics of Home 9
Feminist, Postcolonial Identity—Toward Jeong 13
*/l HAN AND JEONG 19
Psychoanalysis of Han and Jeong 19
Tales of Jeong 11
Translated Translator 30
Joint Security Area: Life and Struggle at the DMZ 31
Sa-I-Gu: Life and Struggle in the LA. Riots 41
vii
viii Contents
3 POSTCOLONIAL THEORY AND
KOREAN AMERICAN THEOLOGY 49
Alien/nation 49
Identity as a “Sweeping Force” 51
Hybridity . 53
Mimicry 55
Interstitial Third Space 62
Debating “Postcolonialism” 66
THE CRUCIFIED GOD: THE WAY OF JEONG 71
Violent Undertones and Radical Solidarity 71
Jurgen Moltmann’s The Crucified God and
Trinitarian Christology 75
Emancipatory Praxis of Jeong 81
^ 5 A CHRISTOLOGY OF JEONG 91
Destabilizing the Patriarchal Divinity 91
Han/Sin and J^orag/Salvation 101
The Powers of Jeong and the Horrors of Han 105
Julia Kristeva’s Abjection and Love 106
CONCLUSION: HEART OF THE CROSS 117
Notes 129
Index 153
Acknowledgments
It is always difficult to discern exactly where and when one began one’s theo­
logical journey. Mapping my own journey seems daunting because the routes
I traveled have been convoluted and nonlinear. But, I do know that my
thoughts did not generate ex nihilol My theological reflections in these pages
benefited from numerous conversations and multiple contexts over the years.
Some I am able to recollect clearly, and some have become hazy in my mem­
ory. Nonetheless, I am aware that the complex layers of different constella­
tions of mentors, friends, colleagues, and family have all contributed to my
theological reflection. So, taking a deep breath, I would like to offer my appre­
ciation to the following people.
My deepest respect, admiration, and gratitude to my mentor, sister, friend,
and teacher, Catherine Keller, for making this project possible in so many ways
that only my heart knows but balks at using inadequate words to express them.
It has been and always will be my honor and privilege to have learned so much
from you.
My abiding respect and gratitude to pioneer Asian American feminist theo­
logian Rita Nakashima Brock, for her groundbreaking work in feminist Chris­
tology, which was an impetus for beginning my “formal” theological journey.
Thank you.
I could not have made it this far without the mentorship, support, and
encouragement of many other scholars. They have at one time or another heard
or read various versions of my work and offered the gift of their critical read­
ings. They have challenged and stretched the limits of my critical theopolitical
reflection and imagination in significant ways. They have also provided me with
food, music, and poetry for the soul and the body on many occasions. Here I
want to specifically thank Kwok Pui-lan, Fumitaka Matsuoka, Andrew Sung
Acknowledgments
X
Park, Aristotle Papanikolaou, Seung-Ai Yang, Letty Russell, Otto Maduro,
David Kwang-sun Suh, Jung Ha Kim, Su Yon Pak, Henry Rietz, Frank Yamada,
Kathy Talvacchia, Hyun Ju Bae, Jane Iwamura, Marion Grau, Mayra Rivera,
Jean Hee Kim, Sigridur Gottmarsdottir, Grace Kim, Nami Kim, Trish Shef­
field, and Michael Nausner. I have benefited tremendously from their pas­
sionate and keen theological insights, but most importantly their friendship
and collegiality continue to sustain and nurture my work. I have come to rec­
ognize that theological reflection is always and cannot help but be a commu­
nal process. Thank you.
I’d like also to thank my sisters who walked the journey with me through
the valleys of both bitterness and sweetness at different times. From the bot­
tom of my heart, for holding me up through thick and thin, I offer deep appre­
ciation to Korean American women of NYC: Constance Pak, Eun Joo Kim,
Mari Kim, Hannah Chon, Jeanne Jang, and Nichole Yim. Thank you for being
living witnesses to the power of jeong. Our stickiness held me together and
lifted me up many times.
Special thanks to KPCOW women. Their burgeoning hybrid feminist sen­
sibility and commitment to being critical and faithful practitioners of their
faith tradition have been a tremendous source of hope and strength. Their
jeong for one another and for the world is impressively palpable.
I send thankful vibrations to Tallman State Park in Palisades, New York. It
was my haven during the most turbulent yet exciting times of my life and writ­
ing. Thank you for life-giving and healing energies through the miles of your
path I was privileged to run while theological imagination ran wild. It was
while running along the Hudson River and through the trails that I saw the
seasons of my life with the seasons in nature.
I offer sincere appreciation to my editor, Jon Berquist. His insights and sug­
gestions were invaluable for the improvement of this text. He, Julie Tonini,
and many other members of the editorial and production staff made this
process very friendly to navigate. They have done a marvelous and superb job
of making this work what it is. I only wish I had provided them with a better
raw material. Thank you for believing in this project and for shepherding it
through the entire process.
I want to thank Don Pittman, my Dean, and members of the faculty, admin­
istration, staff, and especially the students of Phillips Theological Seminary for
welcoming this latte-slurping New Yorker into their midst. Deep appreciation
and gratitude to the participants in my first Feminist Theology course for their
creative and powerful presence to make that course so very rich. For pouring
themselves out for each other, for finding ways to honor and hold up each
other’s differences and commitment to solidarity and resistance, I want to say
thank you for your efforts to give birth to a person on her way to becoming a