California Baptist University

While California Baptist University produces many passionate students, many wouldn’t thrive without equally passionate professors such as Dr. Tae Sung, associate professor of English and founding director of the University Writing Center. A pastor before working at CBU, Sung shares on his calling to be a professor and volunteering with the nonprofit organi zation Prison Fellowship, the largest prison ministry in the United States.

Serve YOUR PURPOSE

How long have you been a professor at CBU?

What got you started in prison ministry?

Seven years, since fall of 2014. Before that, I was a pastor.

This all goes way back 20 years to when I was a college student. That’s when I came to Christ. What I would like to say was my “spiritual born again experience” coincided with an intellectual born-again experience, where, right after I came to Christ, I ended up taking this English class that changed my life. It was on prison autobiographies. Since then, I don’t think there’s been a year that went by without teaching a

What led you to become a professor?

Well, one of my frustrations as a preacher was that nobody raised their hands to interrupt my sermons. At some point, I just wanted somebody to say, “What do youmean by that?” It’s still a part of

my life and calling to be minister, but I love the dynamism of the classroom. I was also offered this job around the same time my family was called to move here and become a foster family, which also coincided with the opportunity to volunteer with Prison Fellowship.

course or preaching a message related to criminal justice reform.

For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me. Matthew 2 5: 35-36

Are you still continuing during COVID-19?

We’ve had to put all programming on pause recently. COVID has really devastated the prison population. Things have not been handled well in the prisons in terms of trying to protect people. This ministry

Tell me about the Prison Fellowship.

takes Matthew 25 quite seriously, when Jesus says, “When I was hungry, did you give me something to eat, when I was thirsty, did you give me something to drink,” and so on. Jesus came to seek and save not just the lost, but sinners, those on the margins of society, who society deems forgettable, including those who are incarcerated.

For the past few years, I have been teaching a class with Prison Fellowship, which was founded by Chuck Colson. The class is specifically called “Men of Purpose,” about what it means to be a man. We talk about issues of relationships, trauma, addictions, and so on and so forth — big life issues. It’s a very, very powerful experience.

WORDS Joanna Ingold

PHOTO Kengkue Her

DESIGN Elijah Martinez

105 ㅇㄱㅇDr. Sung Tae