Dialogues in Asian American Theology and Ministry
A New Narrative for Theological Education from the Chinese Diaspora
Featuring Dr. Chloe Sun
MARCH 27, 2024 • 6:00–7:30PM EST • Hybrid Event
Cooper Room, Erdman Center
Register to Attend VirtuallyRegister to Attend In Person
While the dominant narratives in many Western seminaries are narratives of decline, Chloe Sun offers a counter-narrative from the Chinese diaspora, with Logos Evangelical Seminary as a case study. She invites a broader vision and conversation in theological education that includes voices from the majority world in diverse contexts.
Featured Speaker
Chloe T. Sun is the Professor of Old Testament and the Program Director of the Chinese Studies Center at Fuller Seminary. Previously, she has taught and served as the Academic Dean at Logos Evangelical Seminary, a Chinese language seminary in the United States targeting Chinese-speaking students. She publishes in both Chinese and English as well as conducts Bible seminars internationally. Her recent publications include Attempt Great Things for God: Theological Education in Diaspora (Eerdmans, 2020) and Conspicuous in His Absence: Studies in the Song of Songs and Esther (IVP Academic, 2021). Her passion is to communicate Scripture creatively so that lives can be transformed.
Host
Dr. David C. Chao is director of the Center for Asian American Christianity at Princeton Theological Seminary. He teaches courses on Asian American theology, organizes academic programs in Asian American theology and ministry, and mentors Asian and Asian American students. His research and writing focus on Asian American theology, the uses of Christian doctrine for liberation, the convergence and divergence of Protestant and Catholic dogmatics, and the theology of Karl Barth. His first book, titled Concursus and Concept Use in Karl Barth's Doctrine of Providence, is under contract with Routledge. He is grant co-author and project editor for the $300,000 translation grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities to the Karl Barth Translator’s Seminar. He is also developing a multi-volume project on Asian American theology. Chao is a graduate of Yale University (BA), Regent College (MDiv), and Princeton Theological Seminary (ThM, PhD). He is a member of the American Academy of Religion and the Association for Asian American Studies. Chao has a wide range of pastoral experience with Chinese American, Korean American, and Pan-Asian churches and ministries and is an active member of the Presbyterian Church (USA).
Easten’s research focuses on lived theology, religious pluralism, and public life in the context of contemporary China, the Global East, and the larger Sinophone world. He completed his doctorate in theological and religious studies from Georgetown University in 2020 examining how Chinese Christian faith is experienced, negotiated, and expressed in everyday life across cultural and religious boundaries. Easten also earned an M.Div. at Wesley Theological Seminary, and an M.A. in Intercultural Studies at Wheaton College. He is currently pursuing ordination in the American Baptist Church.
Easten has published articles and co-edited special issues on the intersections between theology, qualitative research, world Christianity, and interreligious learning in journals like The Journal of World Christianity and Theology Today. He is co-editor, with Alexander Chow, of Ecclesial Diversity in Chinese Christianity (Palgrave Macmillan, 2021) and is currently revising his dissertation for publication with Penn State University Press.
Previously, Easten taught intercultural relations at American University’s School of International Service in Washington, D.C., and Anhui Normal University in Wuhu, Anhui Province, China. In addition, Easten has also provided training, lectures, and curriculum design for intercultural communication with a variety of ministries and NGOs in the United States, Switzerland, and China.
Attend in Person
Time: 6:00–7:30PM ET
Location: Cooper Room, Erdman Center
Address: 20 Library Pl, Princeton, NJ 08540
Center for Asian American Christianity
The newly expanded Center for Asian American Christianity at Princeton Theological Seminary comes at a critical time in the life of Asian America. Asian Americans are the fastest-growing racial-ethnic demographic in the United States. The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed the persistence of anti-Asian racism. Moreover, minority and immigrant churches are poised to transform the face of Christianity in the United States in the next few decades. The Center for Asian American Christianity seeks to equip and empower the next generation of Asian American leaders for service in church, society, and academy.
Princeton Theological Seminary has been a leading voice in Asian American theology and ministry through the work of Professor Emeritus Sang Hyun Lee, the Center for Asian American Christianity, and the establishment of the Kyung-Chik Han Chair of Asian American Theology.
The Overseas Ministries Study Center
For over 100 years, the Overseas Ministries Study Center has served as a hub of hospitality, research and ministry for Missions Studies and World Christianity. From our early years on the Jersey shore welcoming North American missionaries on furlough to our expanded role as a research center for global church leaders and scholars in New Haven, OMSC has built a powerful legacy dedicated to spiritual rest and intellectual renewal for God’s mission.
In summer 2020, the OMSC relocated its operations and programs to Princeton Theological Seminary. After a two-year transitional period, OMSC became an official program of the Seminary.
Today, OMSC seeks to continue this legacy and innovate for the future to engage in God’s mission by amplifying the voices of the World Christian movement.
