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,…
Dr. Jeung’s lecture in the Mental Health and Asian Americans Conference discusses the collective racial trauma that our communities are facing during COVID-19, its historic precedence, and indigenous approaches toward healing. Listen on all streaming platforms here. https://open.spotify.com/episode/5wr8vFFRs3tlvJ8pC9B4pq?si=13935f8c548d4e54
CAACFebruary 28, 2022
In the Parable of the Prodigal Son, we see shame dynamics at play. The prodigal son acts shamelessly in disrespecting his father, spending his inheritance in excessive display, and wallowing with pigs. He eventually returns, but recognizes he is “no longer worthy” to be called a son. Although the older…
Russell JeungFebruary 28, 2022
Dr. Carolyn Chen, Associate Professor of Asian American and Asian Diaspora studies and Comparative Ethnic Studies at UC Berkeley, discusses what happens when work becomes religion—the subject of her forthcoming book Work Pray Code. https://open.spotify.com/episode/27iBmIO0zR3llxlKk9GW5p?si=fc8fcc0e742c4257
CAACFebruary 21, 2022
Is the Model Minority Myth true? Have Asian Americans collectively found a way to use wealth and success to mitigate our experiences of racism in the US? In this article, Dr. Michelle Reyes unpacks the history of the model minority myth, consider four negative effects this myth has on Asian…
Michelle Ami ReyesFebruary 21, 2022
On January 24, 2022, Dr. David Chao gave his opening remarks to the 2022 Mental Health and Asian Americans Conference. Listen here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2ryVQVV4tudjVqCZ236hKz?si=b295ddca2ac44da5
CAACFebruary 14, 2022
The first and most important task of our two churches was to pray. We walked out onto the streets and prayed that God would lead our next steps. These prayer walks opened our eyes and hearts to the concerns of the community including food insecurity, violence, and rising crime. We clearly sensed that…
Mia ChangFebruary 14, 2022
I’ve realized since that the Five Love Languages are not the only fundamental, universal ways to express love. Rather, European Americans often write as if their ways are normative for all, or that their interpretations of Scriptures are orthodox. Clearly, the Five Love Languages are helpful ways of communicating affection, but I believe God…
Russell JeungFebruary 7, 2022
I had decided then that there is a mutual responsibility. Through baptism, I was incorporated into the body of Christ, and thus I was indeed responsible, in the communal way in which all modern Christians are, for the atrocities in the Church’s history. However, this also meant that my fellow…
Julia ZhaoJanuary 31, 2022
This series explores the God-given splendor of the Asian American church that we can offer to the rest of the body. My hope for these posts is that not only will Asian Americans experience gratefulness and perhaps healing of our group identities, but also that we might collectively and intentionally…
Russell JeungJanuary 25, 2022
I cannot emphasize enough the importance of Asian-American Theology in my own formation. Studying Asian-American Theology has given me a lot of support I never really had when I first started graduate school. It opened doors to opportunities that I never imagined would happen and it gave me the confidence to engage…
Reese GrosfeldJanuary 18, 2022