Blog

New publication: “Shifting Geographies of Proximity” in Ethnographies of U.S. Empire

“Politically and theologically conservative Korean Protestantism — which constitutes the dominant mainstream and political leadership of Korean Christianity, and is especially prominent among immigrant Korean Americans in the United States — is inextricable from its Cold War collusion with religious and geopolitical-economic reaches of the American empire. This discussion of history — not as a bygone past but as an enduring present — gestures toward my contention that Korean evangelicals are producing Islamophobia as a geopolitical-religious and world orientation project. By aligning Korea with the “Free World” even as Korea reaches out to the developing world, world evangelical missions not only consolidate and reinforce existing affinities and alliances, but also engage in an ongoing calibration of distance and proximity in relation to the empire.”… more →

In Solidarity – “I Must Become a Menace to My Enemies”

This is an urgent request from dear friends at Rainbow Yesu, a group of courageous Christians and allies in Korea working to end homophobia. They are under heightened attack for advancing social justice and embracing LGBTQ folks in their church communities and beyond.… more →

Religion, Protest and Social Upheaval Conference at the College of the Holy Cross

Dr. Tatsiong Benny Liew and the McFarland Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture at the College of the Holy Cross has convened a great conference on “Religion, Protest and Social Upheaval” this week (November 15-17, 2017). I’ll be presenting a paper titled “Between Dissent and Heresy: Queer Politics in Korea,” discussing events that have led up to the preposterous recent charge by a major Korean Presbyterian denomination that affirming queer sexualities and nonconforming gender identities constitute heresy.… more →