Safe Spaces and Storytelling: Developing the Emerging Indian Leader
I was about six years old (or so I’m told) when my dad signed me up to sing in front of a sea of brown people at a local Indian Christian conference. Unsure about the experience, I, a young Indian girl, stood before the mic. I looked at the mic…
“Lord, We Are Coming”: Creating a Spiritual Haven for AAPI Activist Ministry Leaders
For each of us, God’s invitation to “Come and talk with me,” and our response, “Lord, I am coming,” takes place in our own contexts, in our own lived and imaginative landscapes. I hope that we will all have more opportunities to take a holy pause with others in our…
Imagining What’s Possible: Reflecting on AAPI Women’s Leadership in the Vineyard Association
How can we identify the unique gifts of the AAPI community – seeing what and who is overlooked by the church at large, to serve those unseen in ways missed by the broader Vineyard movement, and also gather their gifts in ways that create a stronger Vineyard movement overall? How…
The “Model Minority” Myth in the Chinese American Church
Chinese Americans (and Asian Americans) continue to live in the liminal space of the margins. This is not to say that much hasn’t been gained in both secular and religious life. However, as the “model minority,” they remain on the outside, looking to the majority for guidance and direction in…
Telling Our Stories, Telling God’s Story: the Ministry of Spiritual Direction and Being Asian Canadian
The story of my own formation, as a spiritual director, and a Christian of Asian Canadian heritage is an integral part of the story of the Church and the story of God. The stories of others in my community, their stories of immigration, of belonging and not belonging, of racism,…
Two authors of the Asian American discipleship book Learning Our Names further develop the themes of their chapters as they’ve engaged with readers and furthered their studies. Being Asian American for most of us means there is no return to our pre-immigration stories, lands, or even pre-colonial identities. Resisting our…
CAACApril 16, 2024
Back then, I could not name this deep longing I had as a minority in this country, but what I was constantly searching for was representation: to be visible and to have a voice, to be seen and to be heard. This basic human need to be recognized and to…
Eun Joo KimApril 10, 2024
Christ Among the Classes (Orbis Books) paints a picture of Jesus among the rich and the poor of his day and calls the church to imitate Christ among the rich and the poor of our day by the power of the Spirit. In light of Asian and Asian-American cultures, where…
CAACMarch 19, 2024
To truly embrace the transformative work of the Holy Spirit in humanizing humanity, it is essential to speak up authentically and from the heart (corage). Through prayer and vocal expression, we can challenge the myths of the "model minority" and "perpetual foreigner" that have silenced Asian American voices in racial…
Steve (Young Dong) KimFebruary 27, 2024
In this plenary talk, we open-heartedly explore what it might look like to take an honest look at the “both-and”: the narratives of resilience, strength, and success alongside our family narratives of trauma, grief, and loss. How can we, in community, honor and own the fullness of our Asian American…
CAACFebruary 9, 2024
Trapped between my parents’ theology and the more expansive theology that I’ve embraced, and needing to mediate disagreements when my kids—who are developing their own beliefs—push back against my parents’ worldview, I don’t know if I’ll ever stop feeling caught in the middle. I may feel trapped, but discovering a…
Kristin LeeFebruary 6, 2024
This lecture is from the 2024 Mental Health Conference "Intergenerational Wholeness for Asian Americans: Integrative Approaches to Christian Spiritual and Mental Health Formation." Opening remarks by David Chao, recorded on January 12, 2024.
CAACFebruary 6, 2024
I was about six years old (or so I’m told) when my dad signed me up to sing in front of a sea of brown people at a local Indian Christian conference. Unsure about the experience, I, a young Indian girl, stood before the mic. I looked at the mic…
Sabina PappuJanuary 25, 2024
In this episode of the Dialogues Podcast, David C. Chao interviews Sharon Wada. Sharon is director of Sustainable Faith, a collective of spiritual directors and pastors working to create a spiritually healthy culture among leaders and their communities, and is a workshop leader for the upcoming conference "Intergenerational Wholeness for…
CAACDecember 22, 2023
This is a question that I have asked myself many times over the past few years as I have observed the landscape of the Church in America, and more specifically the Indian Church in America. What does it mean to be a Christian? What does it mean to be American?…
Alexander ThomasDecember 6, 2023