Mitch Kim, Ph.D. 2011

Recipient of the Clarence and Ruth Sallberg Fellowship

Lead Pastor
Wellspring Alliance Church, Warrenville, IL

Dr. G. K. Beale supervised my dissertation on “The Blessing of the Curse: Fulfilling Genesis 1:28 in a Context of Suffering,” exploring how the curse of Gen 3:16–19 introduces suffering into the fulfillment of the blessing of Gen 1:28. Specifically, I discuss whether a latent understanding of Gen 1:28 and 3:16–19 as it is fulfilled in Exod 1:7, 12 informs the articulation of the fulfillment of Gen 1:28 in the NT. Allusions to Gen 1:28 chronicle the growth of the church in Acts (6:7; 12:24; 19:20) and Colossians (1:6, 10), so the role of suffering in this growth is discussed against this OT background. Since Gen 1:28 provides the foundational call to mission in the Bible, the blessing of the curse provides a lens on a theology of suffering in mission.

Wheaton provided an ideal environment for the inter-canonical and theological nature of my dissertation. Its rigorous training in academic research was balanced by a supportive environment of a small cohort of doctoral students and dedicated faculty from a variety of disciplines. Many professors gave generously of their time to read my work critically and constructively, and seminars both at Wheaton and the University of Chicago helped prevent an overly myopic focus on my dissertation alone. My time at Wheaton indelibly formed me as a pastor-scholar, drawing upon the resources of biblical theology for the life of the church.