Preview Response

Flourishing / Theology

K. K. Yeo

Harry R. Kendall Professor of New Testament at Garrett-Evangelical Seminary

Affiliate Professor, Department of Asian Languages and Cultures, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois

My first impression of the Flourishing preview is one of awe as to its density and clarity. It provokes me to raise two cross-cultural hermeneutical questions about framing its thesis by using the specific language/text in the brief (theological, philosophical, and that of Marcus, Marx, Mond). Firstly, I find the language of Marcus, Marx, and Mond “foreign” with respect to biblical exegesis. I wonder if, or to what extent, Paul meant righteousness as agency, peace as circumstances, and joy as emotions in Romans. Have the authors of the brief have already done a “cross-cultural interpretation” on this Romans 14:17 text? Secondly, using the intertextual (one of the cross-cultural readings) method of Confucianist moral language and biblical text on fruit(s) of the Spirit, similar conclusions about what is called a “A Christian Vision” in the preview could also be derived (see my Musing with Confucius and Paul) from early Confucian thought. Yet, I wonder then if Marcus, Marx, and Mond make sense to those outside the Euro-American academic traditions? Since I’m committed to the cross-disciplinary and global conversation of this Initiative, I hope to find ways to bridge the gaps toward meaningfulness, say between Marcus and Mencius, Marx and Confucius, Mond and Zhuangzi via the biblical texts.