As we mark the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, we invite you to join us in reflecting on a special ecumenical worship service hosted at Knox College this past week. This annual gathering is a profound reminder of the beauty and strength found in the diversity of Christ’s body. Representing various traditions, perspectives, and experiences, we came together to worship, pray, and celebrate our shared faith in Christ’s vision of love, peace, and reconciliation.

Our service included a powerful sermon by the Rev. Dr. Pablo Young-Gi Kim Soon, whose unique ecumenical and intercultural journey offers insights for navigating theological differences with humility and openness. Dr. Kim Soon’s message, rooted in Acts 10, challenged us to embrace “epistemological humility” — the ability to approach our convictions with curiosity and remain open to transformation through encounters with others.

We’d love it if you’d watch the full livestream below or take some time to read the transcript of Dr. Kim Soon’s sermon (also below). We invite you to join us in prayer and reflection. Together, let us continue to pursue unity and deeper fellowship as followers of Christ, trusting in the Spirit to guide us toward healing and reconciliation in our fractured world.

Good afternoon, everyone. It is a joy and honour to stand before you today in this ecumenical worship service hosted here at Knox College as we gather here, representing different traditions and theological background we embody the richness and the diversity of the Body of Christ.

Yet with this diversity comes the challenges of navigating our differences with openness, curiosity and humility. I come to you today, not just as a representative of the Presbyterian Church in Canada, but as someone whose faith journey has taken me across various denomination and theological landscapes. So, to start, my home church was a Korean Presbyterian Church in Paraguay. I attended a Baptist seminary for my undergrad then moved to Fuller Theological Seminary in an interdenominational institution, where I became a Mennonite. My journey continued to Boston College, a Jesuit school, Roman Catholic. And during my time there, I worshiped at a Methodist Church. Later, I completed my PhD at Emmanuel College, which is part of  The United Church of Canada and I worked with the Canadian Council of Churches, a deeply ecumenical space. I spent three years with the Christian Reformed Church in Canada, and now serve at the Presbyterian Church in Canada.

As you can see, my journey has not only been intercultural, but profoundly ecumenical.

One interesting dynamic about this various connection is that I have been deeply, deeply enriched by them at the same time, I often find myself not fully belonging anywhere. Another phenomenon I have encountered is that every denominational group, explicitly or implicitly holds the belief that they have the right theology, the right way of being a faithful, follower of Jesus, the truest expression of Christianity.

Christianity, I'm not saying everyone, but there's this ethos that goes around that every time I engage with a different denominational group, that somehow there's this understanding that “we’ve got a bit more right than others, don't we?” Like that kind of ethos goes around. And so, during the early stage of my ecumenical journey, this was confusing. I thought, if this group is right, I must learn from them. So, then I will study all these Baptist theologians. Then I encountered another tradition, and thought, “wait, maybe they have it more correct - the Mennonites”, and I will study them. 

Eventually I realized that everyone seemed to think they were right. I then said to myself, “if everyone is right, except for one denomination, the rest must be lying, or at least they're wrong.” This led me to start the deconstructing of my theology of each denomination I encountered.

As I pursued my academic studies, I used critical, anti-racist, post-colonial and decolonial lenses to scrutinize traditions. Sometimes, as I read the theological books, I would say, “Oh, this theology are just a lot of white old man people saying something” or “what a Colonial and Eurocentric way of doing theology.”

But then another shift started to happen within me. I began to see that while each tradition had its limitations, each also carries a unique gift and insight that enrich the Universal Church of Christ. This realization led me to the concept of epistemological humility, the ability to acknowledge the limits of our own knowledge and to remain open to the wisdom of others. For church leaders and theologians, epistemological humility means recognizing that our knowledge of God, faith and truth is always partial, shaped by our historical, cultural and theological context. No single tradition, denomination or theological framework has a complete graph of the divine truth. This humility calls us to learn from others, to question our assumptions and to be attentive to how the Holy Spirit may be working beyond our own perspectives. It invites us to engage in theological inquiry with curiosity rather than arrogance, to embrace dialog rather than dogmatism, and to be willing to be corrected and transformed through encounters with other traditions, cultures and experiences. It does not mean relativism or abandoning our conviction, but rather holding conviction with openness and discernment, recognizing that theological growth often comes through mutual engagement.

The encounter between Peter and Cornelius in Acts 10 is a powerful example of mutual transformation through epistemological humility. By the way, I don't go to church and talk about epistemological humility. I'm just saying because we're in a seminary here, just to let you know epistemological theory, it sounds smart. Peter, a Jewish follower of Jesus and Cornelius, a Roman centurion, represent two groups that were not supposed to associate.

Peter, shaped by Jewish custom, experience of Roman centric oppression would have every reason to reject Cornelius, and Cornelius, as a Roman soldier, was part of the empire that subjugated Peter's people. Yet God somehow mysteriously brings them together. Cornelius, despite his high status, humbly invites Peter into his home. Peter, though uneasy, responds with hospitality and openness by inviting Cornelius’ messenger to stay for a night. When Peter arrived at Cornelius’ house and began to preach, something astonishing happens. The Holy Spirit falls upon Cornelius and his household. Peter and his Jewish companion are stunned learning that God's grace extends beyond their preconceptions. Some scholars describe this event as the conversion of Peter rather than Cornelius, but I see it as a mutual transformation. Cornelius and his household get a deeper understanding of the gospel, while Peter learns that God's Spirit is not confined to his own tradition, what enabled this moment was epistemological humility, the willingness to be surprised by God, to recognize that one does not have the full picture, and to be open to the gift of the others, but humility is difficult when we are filled with certainty. 

Throughout scriptures, we see people resisting God's work because of their rigid conviction. We see this in the book of Exodus, where Pharaoh hardened his heart despite witnessing miracles, the Pharisee refused to acknowledge Jesus’ divine power, even accusing him as being in leagues with demons, calling him belzebel, the prince of demons. At Pentecost, some dismissed the outpouring of the Holy Spirit as mere drunkenness.

Seeing God at work requires openness, attentiveness and a willingness to admit that we might not have all the answers. This is the challenge and the gift of ecumenical engagement. As you encounter different traditions, you may be surprised and even disturbed. You may think “they believe what?” “their tradition does what?” and deep down, you might wonder - and I confess I have said this before, but of course, quietly  “are they even Christians?”. You will also uncover painful histories, racist theologians, tradition that supported colonialism and slavery. Churches complicit in imperialism and oppression, you will realize the theologists we respect were involved in moral failings, including sexual abuses.

As leaders in the church, we must engage this reality with sensitivity and integrity.

But alongside the brokenness of each denominational tradition, we will find beauty, wisdom and profound expressions of faith. To recognize this gift, we need to cultivate again, epistemological humility.

As you all know TST, the School of Theology is a profoundly ecumenical space, and I encourage you to embrace this opportunity, not just to study alongside people from different traditions, but to engage, listen and form deep friendships. Challenge others and be prepared to be challenged in return. Allow yourself to be shaped and transformed by others.

And what I find particularly surprising in the final verse of Acts 10, where Peter and his group stayed at Cornelius house for several days. Peter could have simply left after completing his mission, He could have left, but he chose to stay and remember they didn't have social media - smartphones, TV or Netflix, they actually spent time together. These details highlight something crucial.

Peter's transformation wasn't just about changing his mind or adopting a new theological framework, it led to a deeper relationship with Cornelius and the gentiles. In the same way, I hope that our ecumenical engagement does not just enrich us theologically by giving us new perspectives and paradigms. I hope it also leads to lasting friendships and network so that what began here at TST becomes the foundation for a lifelong journey of learning, connection and shared faith as theologians and leaders.

And of course, navigating these relationships won't always be easy. Engaging deeply with different tradition means encountering disagreements, misunderstandings and even discomfort, but this is precisely where epistemological humility is most needed. It required us to approach differences with curiosity rather than defensiveness, with a willingness to be challenged rather than simply affirmed, or worse, disengaging altogether.

Dr. David Augsburger, who passed away two years ago, who used to be my mentor and who taught pastoral counseling at Fuller Theological Seminary, wrote this in his book, Caring Enough to Confront. And this is his quote, of course:

“I differ from you. To differ is not to reject. Sometimes I disagree with you.
To disagree is not to attack. When necessary I will confront you. To confront is to compliment. When confronting our first connect to confront, well, we must first connect when it matters. I will invite change. To change is to grow. We can go through conflicts, and confrontation is a healthy part.”

So, let's explore where we differ and complement. If we agree on everything one of us is unnecessary. May we walk this ecumenical journey with humility, openness and a willingness to be transformed by the Spirit and each other Amen.

About The Rev. Dr. Pablo Kim Sun

The Rev. Dr. Hyung Jin (Pablo) Kim Sun takes up the Intercultural Liaison position within The Presbyterian Church in Canada on August 1, 2024. This is a General Secretary appointment of the General Assembly.

Before joining the PCC, Pablo served as the Senior Leader for Anti-racism and Intercultural Conciliation with the Christian Reformed Church (CRC) within Canada and as an Intercultural Leadership Program Consultant with the Tyndale Intercultural Ministries (TIM) Centre. In his role with the CRC, he has collaborated with a national anti-racism and decolonization committee to plan, execute and lead systemic and cultural changes within the denomination. His work includes fostering a network of connected organizations and church leaders nationwide and promoting programs that build relationships, particularly with minority communities. At the TIM Centre, he has been instrumental in redesigning and developing new content to equip Christian leaders for diverse and inclusive ministry.

Before these two significant roles, Pablo served as a Mennonite pastor at Toronto Mennonite New Life Church. There, he ministered to a Spanish-speaking congregation, where, in addition to performing pastoral duties, he provided social-emotional support to several members who came to Canada as refugees. Other pastoral roles include being the Lead Pastor at Church for Others in Temple City, California and a chaplain at Fuller Theological Seminary. He has also been an academic mentor at Northwest Baptist College and Seminary in British Columbia, a Louisville Scholar at the Louisville Institute in Kentucky and a Teaching, Research and Program Assistant for Intercultural Leadership and Learning at Forum for Intercultural Leadership and Learning, a reference group of the Canadian Council of Churches.
In addition to three journal articles and a book chapter, Pablo is the author of Becoming a Critical Intercultural Church: A Mennonite Ecclesiology in Contemporary Canadian Multicultural Society (recommended by peer reviewers and the editorial board and is presently under final review for contract issuance) and Who Are Our Enemies and How Do We Love Them? published by Herald Press in 2020.

Pablo is of Korean descent, grew up in Paraguay and came to Canada by way of the United States. His academic studies began with a Licenciatura en Teologia at the Universidad Evangelica del Paraguay, followed by an M.A. in Intercultural Studies and an M.Div. (emphasis in Christian Ethics) at Fuller Theological Studies. He has a Th.M. from Boston College with an emphasis in Christian Ethics and a Ph.D. in Theological Studies from Emmanuel College, University of Toronto.

He is married with a young daughter.