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Hope in Disarray
"In her urgent call for solace in a world caught in the crux of disorder and chaos, Dr. Grace Ji-Sun Kim offers this anthology of meditations on our individual plight to nurture hope. Hope in Disarray imparts the architecture of hope through pieces of the modern world, giving relevance to our effort to enhance the relationship between the mind, the spirit, and the divine." --Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr., President and Founder of Rainbow PUSH Coalition With practicality and vulnerability, author and public theologian Grace Ji-Sun Kim reflects on the practice of sustaining hope during turbulence and injustice. Hope in Disarray is a collection of essays that invite a conversation on culture and faith, creation and identity, as the author appeals to readers to engage life's troubles with the conviction of God's goodness. Hope in Disarray takes the world's pain seriously in order to ignite our intentional, revolutionary, and integrated living.
- GenresNonfictionTheology
244 pages, Paperback
Published December 4, 2020
10 people are currently reading
57 people want to read
About the author
Grace Ji-Sun Kim
42 books33 followersGrace Ji-Sun Kim (PhD, St. Michael's College, University of Toronto) is associate professor of theology at Earlham School of Religion. She is author or editor of thirteen books, including Embracing the Other,Christian Doctrines for Global Gender Justice, and Intercultural Ministry. She is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA).
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 2, 2021
We live in a world that is filled with disarray. There are so many challenges facing this earth and its residents. So, where do we find hope? That is the question that Grace Ji-Sun Kim takes up in this book that ranges widely over the many questions of the day, from racism to sexism. She speaks as a woman and as a Korean American. Both of these realities offer their own challenges. As to the latter, she wrote this book before the surge in anti-Asian sentiment that has come with the COVID-19 pandemic.
This is a very personal book, which is reflective of Grace's view of the way theology works -- it emerges from personal experience of the world and of God's presence. She organizes this book around three themes: Living in Church, Living in Culture, and Living in Relationships. Under each of these thematic sections, one will find a series of chapters. So, in the first section, Grace reflects on the way in which the church lives in the rhythm of the liturgical year, from Advent to the coming of the Kingdom. In the second section, she deals with questions of race and sexism. Regarding race, she focuses on what it means to be Asian-American, including the socialization of beauty. Finally in the third section, "Living in Relationship," she dives deeper into a variety of relationships, including parent-child relationships. As we proceed through these sections and the chapters within them, we are led to recognize the realities of this life, the fact that we live in a world that is in disarray. So, the question is, where does God come in? What does faith have to say to these various realities?
It might seem as if there is no hope, and yet there is. So, Grace writes near the end of the book:
"Hope is our growing commitment to faith, and faith challenges us to remain certain despite uncertain circumstance. Hope is what sustains us and strengthens our spirits of shared humanity. Hope is what I intended to impart in this book and impart in my life. If there is one thing I have learned in basing this book on hope in the real world, it is that hoping is not about being the beneficiary of good fortune but about putting desire into action. Hope requires us to be the agents in our own fates and anticipations before this life comes to an end. [(p. 139) Kindle Edition]
May we join Grace in becoming agents of hope!
This is a very personal book, which is reflective of Grace's view of the way theology works -- it emerges from personal experience of the world and of God's presence. She organizes this book around three themes: Living in Church, Living in Culture, and Living in Relationships. Under each of these thematic sections, one will find a series of chapters. So, in the first section, Grace reflects on the way in which the church lives in the rhythm of the liturgical year, from Advent to the coming of the Kingdom. In the second section, she deals with questions of race and sexism. Regarding race, she focuses on what it means to be Asian-American, including the socialization of beauty. Finally in the third section, "Living in Relationship," she dives deeper into a variety of relationships, including parent-child relationships. As we proceed through these sections and the chapters within them, we are led to recognize the realities of this life, the fact that we live in a world that is in disarray. So, the question is, where does God come in? What does faith have to say to these various realities?
It might seem as if there is no hope, and yet there is. So, Grace writes near the end of the book:
"Hope is our growing commitment to faith, and faith challenges us to remain certain despite uncertain circumstance. Hope is what sustains us and strengthens our spirits of shared humanity. Hope is what I intended to impart in this book and impart in my life. If there is one thing I have learned in basing this book on hope in the real world, it is that hoping is not about being the beneficiary of good fortune but about putting desire into action. Hope requires us to be the agents in our own fates and anticipations before this life comes to an end. [(p. 139) Kindle Edition]
May we join Grace in becoming agents of hope!
June 20, 2025
This is a different perspective for me. She does a very good job helping us find HOPE in difficult times.
We used this book in a group in which I belong. It was effective and worked well with a small group of women where discussion is the point.
We used this book in a group in which I belong. It was effective and worked well with a small group of women where discussion is the point.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews