Report on the Asian American Symposium at Fuller Seminary: Young Lee Hertig

November 16, 2009
Apologies to Young Lee Hertig for the delay in posting this report… Tim Tseng

The Inaugural AAES Epiphany
By Young Lee Hertig, Director of ISAAC-SoCal/AAWOL (Asian American Women On Leadership)

The dream of gathering one of the most scattered group, Asian American Christian leaders, came true when the inaugural Asian American Equipping Symposium kicked off on November 2-3 at Fuller Theological Seminary.  Initial idea came from ISAAC’S Executive Director, Timothy Tseng, who began lectureship circuits in Northern California with various Universities.  In implementing the vision, as fellow African American pastors would say, “When you don’t have teeth to chew, gum it” relying on daily divine whispers and riding along the whimsical wind of the Spirit.

The first whisper in implementing the dream came through a meeting with Howard Loewen, Dean of School of Theology at Fuller Theological Seminary.  When the Dean announced his fall Sabbatical, the new partnership emerged with Fuller’s Office of Alumni/ae and Church Relations turned  dream possible.  Tirelessly everyone in Mary Hubbard Given’s office devoted their time to the details of the two-day event—lecture, panel, breakout session, banquet, and luncheon.

The Program Highlights

The keynote speaker, Dr. Jonathan Tran, an Assistant Professor of Christian Ethics,  framed the lectures of the past and future of Asian American churches with “both and” paradigm, not “either or.”  It was the right frame to contain multiple facets of bridging the inaugural AAES aimed.  Bridging both theologies with the Asian American churches, the past with the future, and diverse intra Asian American ethnic groups, Tran walked us through the interpretive path that was so rich in its contents and candor in delivery.  Participants were captivated by vivid biblical narratives resonant with Asian American journeys.  The panel responses on Monday included three school faculty and Asian American pastors: Jehu J. Hanciles, Mark Lau Branson, Miyoung Yoon Hammer, Ken Fong, and Michael Lee.   We are so grateful for panelists taking their busy time off to deliver their insights.

Monday evening was the Asian American Leadership Banquet  and 160 people filled the room, Payton 101 at Fuller Theological Seminary.  At the 11^th hour, the Women of Four (Mary Hubbard Given, Bert Jacklitch, Bonnie Stevens, and Young Lee Hertig) decided to change the banquet venue from the Rose Tournament House to Payton 101 to accommodate everyone who wanted to come to the banquet.  We apologize for those who didn’t have time to check the last minute email sent out when we changed the venue for the banquet.  At the banquet, President Rich Mouw almost turned his keynote address, Theological Imagination With Asian American Churches” in interpretive dance after Ashley Thaxton’s liturgical dance to the song, “In This Very Room,” sung by Debra Williams.  We almost believed that he might since Mrs. Phyllis Mouw was present

On Tuesday Tran covered why Asian American Churches are the Future.  The panelists were Charlene Jin Lee, Timothy Tseng, Charles Lee, Melanie Mar Chow, and Benjamin Shin.   Gender issues in Asian American Churches, addressed by Charlene Jin Lee, in particular captivated everyone.  Tran continued dialogue by email exchanges with Jin Lee even after his return to Texas.

The breakout sessions with Jonathan Wu and Melanie Mar Chow’s leadership, were divided into four To let you know, we will have four topics for discussion and strategic thinking:
1.  The future of AA pastoral leadership
2.  The future of AA women in ministry
3.  The future of the intergenerational AA church
4.  The future of theological formation in AA churches

Jonathan and Melanie expressed their appreciation of the deep level of engagement and learning happening in all of the groups as Jonathan Tran and the panelists paved the way for some serious interactions in our breakout groups.  We are grateful to you all for navigating the direction toward constructive conversations and substantive outcomes.  We deeply appreciate participants recommendations with the clarity to keep traction and momentum going forward.

Last but not the least, the inaugural AAES was possible through sponsorships of local churches, para-church organizations and friends.  ISAAC appreciates all of your financial support that made our collective dreaming possible.

“Look before you leap” Timothy Tseng

As ISAAC’s most productive program year draws to a close this Thanksgiving, we are grateful for all of our supporters. We have learned many lessons. The one that stood out most to me is the necessity of resisting the urge to “leap-frog” Asian America. Asian American Christians are used to being “leap-frogged” by the academia, seminaries, and mainstream church anyway. After all, Asia is considered more exciting, exotic, and enticing than Asian America. Many well meaning friends have urged ISAAC to become more international because of the availability of greater resources. I agree that there is great benefit to engaging an emerging Asian Christianity. My research, teaching, and ministry interests have broadened to include Asia, but for ISAAC, it would be a mistake to “leap-frog” Asian America.

Because Asian American Christians are so deeply impacted by being “leap-frogged,” we are tempted to evade our own experiences in North America. It is easier to “leap-frog” challenges such as intergenerational church conflicts and diversity or poverty, racism, and other social ills in the wider American society. Today, the average South and East Asian immigrant family and their children have “leap-frogged” the inner city and settled in the suburbs. The average immigrant pastor is ill-equipped to minister to inter-generational congregations, having “leap-frogged” any training about the North American context. The average North American Asian Christian is encouraged to participate in cross-cultural ministries overseas or in urban America but “leap-frogs” the Asian American experience. The average Asian seminary professor is trained in Western theological education but is more comfortable with Asia as his or her primary context, thus “leap-frogging” Asian American Christian communities. The average university Asian American studies program “leap-frogs” Christian studies. Most Asian American evangelicals “leap-frog” the Asian American experience because they are taught that culture is to be avoided because it is sinful or that Christianity is beyond culture.

The “leap-frogging” phenomenan goes on and on – even in my personal experiences. I’ve discovered that I’m more valuable to colleges and seminaries when I teach about Asia or the traditional Euro-American curriculum, but not Asian American religion. Many of my second-third generation Asian American friends have told me that they would rather address multi-cultural issues and question ISAAC’s focus on Asian Americans. Most of my immigrant friends focus solely on Asia because they believe that the need is greater there. In the end, Asian American Christianity always winds up being more frog than prince. Is it any wonder that Asian American Christian leaders find it easier to “leap-frog” their Asian American experience?

But the truth is that “leap-frogging” Asian America is short-sighted and hurts everyone – not just Asian Americans. We’ve already witnessed the pain caused by Zondervan’s Deadly Viper curriculum that was quickly cancelled after protests by Asian American evangelical leaders. To me the biggest problem with Deadly Viper was that its authors “leap-frogged” real Asians by using pop culture representations of Asians without realizing that these images have been used in demeaning ways. Reinforcing these particularly stereotypes (which arguably may be better than “heathen” stereotypes) will render American evangelicals culturally incompetent in a global and multi-cultural world. But wait a minute! Acculturated Asian Americans also “leap-frog” when they reinforce stereotypes of immigrant church leaders as authoritarian and backward-looking. Indeed, Dr. Jonathan Tran expressed this concern during his lecture at the Asian American symposium co-sponsored by ISAAC and Fuller Seminary earlier this month. Have Asian American Christians who define themselves as over against, leaving behind, and separating from immigrant churches “leap-frogged” Asian America? Many immigrant leaders, on the other hand, “leap-frog” by romanticizing Asia, disrespecting Asian Americans, and condemning American culture. So when Zondervan invites Asian American leaders to advise them on future publications, I hope that these leaders are not “leap-froggers.” I hope that they have taken time to engage and learn about Asian Americans more fully before they are asked to represent Asian Americans. “Leap-frogging” leaves stereotypes in place, but does little to change them. It is one thing to protest negative stereotypes, it is another to create a more realistic and positive representations of Asian Americans.

We cannot afford to conveniently “leap-frog” uncomfortable situations. All of ISAAC’s work this year – our publications, co-sponsored lectures at U.C. Berkeley and University of San Francisco, the symposium at Fuller, consultations with congregations, pastoral support groups, and advocacy for research – is about Asian American Christian culture making, for the sake of the Church and the world. We invite our current Asian American Christian leaders to join us. We challenge the next generation to stay and build. It has not been not easy for us at ISAAC, but we are glad that we resisted the temptation to “leap-frog” Asian America. Instead, join us in kissing the frog! Who knows – it may be nobility in the making!

Have a happy Thanksgiving!

Tim Tseng

Zondervan Issues a Statement: Update from Andrew Lee

I’m grateful to receive news that Zondervan has issued an apology for its role in the publication of  Deadly Viper: Character Assassins and has taken remedial action.  Here is the statement as posted by Soong-Chan Rah on his blog (http://profrah.wordpress.com/):

From Moe Girkins, President and CEO

Hello and thanks for your patience.

On behalf of Zondervan, I apologize for publishing Deadly Viper: Character Assassins.  It is our mission to offer products that glorify Jesus Christ.  This book’s characterizations and visual representations are offensive to many people despite its otherwise solid message.

There is no need for debate on this subject.  We are pulling the book and the curriculum in their current forms from stores permanently.

We have taken the criticism and advice we have received to heart.  In order to avoid similar episodes in the future, last week I named Stan Gundry as our Editor-in-Chief of all Zondervan products.  He will be responsible for making the necessary changes at Zondervan to prevent editorial mistakes like this going forward.  We already have begun a dialogue with Christian colleagues in the Asian-American community to deepen our cultural awareness and sensitivity.

Zondervan is committed to publishing Christian content and resources that uplift God and see humanity in its proper perspective in relation to God.  We take seriously our call to provide resources that encourage spiritual growth.  And, we know there is more to learn by always listening to our critics as well as our advocates.

It would be unfair to take these actions without expressing our love and support for the authors of this book, Mike Foster and Jud Wilhite.  Both gentlemen are gifted writers and passionate about their ministry. We do believe their message is valuable and plan to work with the authors to come up with a better presentation of that message.  We will jointly ensure we do our due diligence on the appropriateness of the creative side.  This will include reaching out to a broad spectrum of cultural experts.

Finally, I want to personally thank Professor Rah, Ken Fong, Eugene Cho and Kathy Khang for their input and prayers during this discussion.   We appreciate everyone’s concern and effort and look forward to working together for God’s kingdom.

Warmly,
Moe

Response to “Deadly Viper” from Andrew Lee, ISAAC East Region Director

The Power of Zondervan

While many blogs, opinions, and letters have been aimed toward the authors of Deadly Viper, the number of comments directed toward the role of the publisher, Zondervan, pales in comparison.  The publication of this book is an indication that Zondervan and its editorial board deemed its content appropriate.  And while the authors, Mike Foster and Jud Wilhite, have taken responsibility and issued personal apologies, two weeks have passed and Zondervan has yet to take an official stand.  Why the delay in acknowledging and rectifying the wrongs, however unintentional, which have occurred?

In his blog, Professor Rah references Said’s Orientalism, explaining how the West describes, dominates and rules.  Asian culture plays an unflattering second fiddle to western primacy. Numerous examples have already been cited by others regarding the errors in the representation of Asian culture in Deadly Viper.  Suggestions have been offered for editorial changes that would not alter the essential content of the book but would remove offending aspects of its presentation.  Sadly, if corrective actions are not taken to make major changes to the book, this will be yet another example of modern day colonialism. The cultures of the marginalized will again be referenced and exploited for economic gain by the corporate empire.

If colonialism in its current incarnation is defined as the acceptance of cultural, political and economic marginality, then these conditions will clearly be present should the book be allowed to remain in its existing format:

1. Cultural exploitation, i.e., hegemony—The dissemination of this publication with its flawed portrayal of Asian culture will only serve to reinforce the stereotypes that currently exist and led to their usage in this work in the first place.  The purchasing of Deadly Viper by Asian Christians underscores its cultural captivity to Western evangelicalism.  Accepting this book serves to reify Western dominance.
2. Political exploitation, i.e., dominance—The inability and unwillingness of the Asian Christian community to galvanize and garner enough support to compel changes to be made by the publisher signifies its continuing political impotence.  Asian Christians do not constitute a powerful bloc unlike the African American community.  While the presence of the Asian Christian community is vital to the survival of many evangelical seminaries, its lack of political power is a sad reflection of its unwitting assent to white privilege.
3. Economic exploitation, i.e., marginality—The loss of profit from making editorial changes and republishing the book would be more important to Zondervan than its image in the eyes of Asian believers.  Public perception would not be as critical as corporate earnings.  Control of the means of production for economic gain is yet another reflection of the power of the empire.

On the Deadly Viper website, the book is self-described as being concerned with the issue of “radical integrity” and the development of “leaders who will have intentional, transparent, and honest conversations about key character issues.”  What better way for Zondervan to present itself as being allied with similar values than through recognition of the voice of the Asian Christian community?  While the protests that have been raised against caricatures of its culture have resulted in apologies from the authors, the cycle will not be complete without remedial action on the part of the publisher.  While we are one in Christ, cultural diversity and how such distinctions are perceived and presented are highly significant.  Honoring one another, rather than demeaning one another, clearly takes precedence over economic gain.

Rev. Andrew Y. Lee, Ph.D. <– Contact Andrew directly here

Asian American Equipping Symposium at Fuller Theological Seminary (Nov. 2-3, 2009)

REGISTER ONLINE HERE

Some highlights from Dr. Young Lee Hertig (scroll down to view updated schedule)

October 22, 2009

Dear Participants,

We are so excited about your participation in the first Asian American Equipping Symposium co-sponsored by Fuller Theological Seminary and ISAAC (Institute for the Study of Asian American Christianity) on November 2-3, 2009.  On Monday November 2, onsite registration will start at 1:00pm just outside of Payton 101 at Fuller.  On Tuesday, we will meet at the University Club on campus.

Let me share with you some highlights of the AA Equipping Symposium:

1)    Dr. Jonathan Tran will offer us inspiring lectures on both challenges and hopes of Asian American Christianity which will generate wider discourse both in Academia and Asian American churches.

2)    Panelists will be followed by Dr. Tran’s lecture interacting with the themes covered in his lecture.  The panelists include faculty from Fuller’s three schools and local Asian American Pastors.  On Monday the panelists include Dr. Jehu J. Hanciles (School of Intercultural Studies), Rev Dr. Mark Lau Branson (School of Theology), Dr. Miyoung Yoon Hammer (School of Psychology), Rev Dr. Kenneth Fong (Evergreen Baptist Church LA), Rev Dr. Michael Lee (YoungNak Celebration Church).  On Tuesday the panelists include Dr. Charlene Jin Lee (Faculty at SFTS), Rev. Dr. Timothy Tseng (Executive Director of ISAAC), Rev. Melanie Mar Chow (USC Campus Pastor for JEMS), Rev Benjamin Shin (Talbot Seminary, and EM Pastor of Open Door Church), Rev. Charles Lee (the lead cultural catalyst and pastor for New Hope South Bay Church and Los Angeles).

3)    At the Monday night banquet, President Richard J. Mouw will address a keynote speech on “Theological Imagining With Asian American Churches.”  Also Drs. Se Yoon Kim and Yea Sun Kim will be awarded the “Asian American Scholarship/Leadership Legacy Award.

4)    There will be special music and liturgical dance at the banquet (Ashley Thaxton and Noah Lau Branson, and Debra Williams)

5)    Closing Worship will take place on Tuesday at 2:15 with a Charge from President Richard J. Mouw.

6)    There will be a Business meeting at 3:00pm on Tuesday, November 3 for those who want to collaborate with next year’s Summer Equipping Program and the second annual Asian American Equipping Symposium in the fall of 2010.

In God’s grace,

Rev Young Lee Hertig, PhD

Director of ISAAC-SoCal and AAWOL (Asian American Women On Leadership)

OVERVIEW

This year’s symposium, “Living Out the Gospel,” will address continuity and change in the on-going development of Asian American church ministries. It will specifically question the difficult and often painful relationship between innovation and faithfulness in the lives of Asian Americans and Asian American churches. What reconciliation is possible between generations that define themselves by, on the one hand, immigration, tradition, and family, and on the other hand, individualism and autonomy, integration, and friendship by internet? If newly emerging Asian American churches remain loyal to their first-generation predecessors, will they be able to continue to move forward? What are Asian Americans sacrificing by leaving behind their mother churches and striking out on their own? What will “the Gospel” look like within the “living” context of changing Asian American identities, problems, and dreams? Richly theological and deeply personal, this year’s symposium will prove to be constructive.

This year’s lecturer will be Dr. Jonathan Tran (PhD Duke University) who is assistant professor of theological ethics in the Department of Religion at Baylor University, one of the largest Christian universities in the world. A former ministry practitioner with Asian American churches and InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, he is author Faith on the Edge (IVP, 1999), The Vietnam War and Theologies of Memory: Time and Eternity in the Far Country (Blackwell, Fall 2009) and Theology and Foucault (T & T Clark International, Fall 2010). Emigrated from Vietnam at an early age, Dr. Tran’s journey into Christianity has been coupled with an ethnic awakening that has thoroughly influenced his theological life.

2009 Symposium Schedule

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 2

1:00 pm   Registration

1:30   Introduction and Announcements (Young Lee Hertig and Mary Given)

1:35   Welcoming address by the President Richard J. Mouw

1:45   Dr. Jonathan Tran, lecture 1: “Why Asian American Christianity has no future: The Over Against, Leaving Behind, and Separation from of Asian American Christian Identity”

2:45   Break

3:15   Panel & Q&A

4:15   Break out session

6:00   Banquet at the Tournament of Roses House/Wrigley Mansion

Banquet Schedule­

6:00   Reception at the Tournament of Roses House
6:30   Congregational Songs led by Fuller Asian American Worship Team (Elisa Oh, Elliot Chung, and Rebekah Chang)
6:40   Welcome & Announcements: Young Lee Hertig and Mary Hubbard Given
6:50  Invocation by Rev Dr. Heemin Park
6:55   Dinner
7:30   AA Scholarship/Leadership Legacy Award to Drs. Se Yoon Kim & Yea Sun Kim (Presented by President Richard J. Mouw)
7:35   Dr. Se Yoon Kim’s Response
7:40   Inspirational music and liturgical dance, “In This Very Room” (Ashley Thanxton, Noah Lau Branson, Debra Williams)
7:45   Keynote address, Dr. Richard J. Mouw, President, Fuller Theological Seminary: “Theological Imagining with Asian American Churches”
8:00   Introduction to Lecture II “Asian American Church as Future” (Dr. Jonathan Tran)
8:20   Words of Encouragement & Benediction (Bishop Steven Leung)
8:30   Inspiration music: Ashley Thanxton, Debra Williams, Noah Lau Branson

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3

9:00 am   Dr. Jonathan Tran, Lecture II: “Why Asian American Christianity is the future: Holding it together in Yellow Christianity”

10:00   Break

10:15   Panel & Q & A

11:15   Break

11:30   Breakout session

12:30    Lunch

1:45p    Break out session plenary

2:15p    Closing worship led by (Angel Wu,  Dave Yu, Hannah Lee)

2:15    Congregational songs led by Asian American Worship Team

2:25     Charge by President Richard J. Mouw

2:40    Congregational response

2:45     Announcement and Benediction

2:55    Closing Hymn

3:00    Business meeting (open to all who would like to support ISAAC So. Cal.’s future programs)

Online Registration: CLICK HERE

The Symposium

The Asian American Christianity Symposium has been established in order to address the unique challenges facing Asian American Christians and churches in all their generational, cultural, and theological differences. Co-sponsored by the Institute for the Study of Asian American Christianity (ISAAC), the Urban Initiative, Fuller Theological Seminary, and Fuller’s Office of Alumni/ae and Church Relations. Fuller Seminary serves the largest and most diverse Asian American population in the United States, the annual symposium will provide an invigorating series of lectures by leading Asian American voices in theology and ministry.

The Objectives of the Symposium

• To engage in conversation with Asian American theologians and practitioners.
• To investigate and invest in the complex relationships between Asian American Christians, Asian American churches, and predominantly white seminary education.
• To challenge and construct Asian American theologies for the church.

REGISTER ONLINE

Just Desserts: Russell Yee reflects on immigration policy, hard work, and fancy desserts

Russell Yee is a pastor at New Hope Covenant Church in Oakland and teaches at Fuller Seminary – Northern California. He also serves as a member of ISAAC’s Board of Directors. Here are his reflections on KQED-FM 88.5, a San Francisco Bay Area public radio station (KQED airs short opinion segments from listeners called “Perspectives”):

www.kqed.org/epArchive/R909150737

N.B. He did NOT write the online intro that uses that “a” word (“assimilation” . . . )

September 15, 2009

There I was, invited as a guest aboard a full-sized cruise ship plying North American waters. While on board I found myself thinking about our attitudes towards immigration.

On this particular ship, the crewmembers were mostly Indonesian and Filipino nationals in their 20s and 30s. Talking to them, I learned that they work 11 or more hours a day every day for up to a year, with no days off.  Many of them spend these long seasons away from their own young children, who are left with relatives.

These crewmembers are hired in their respective homelands at differing market-rate wages, often after paying large sums to hiring brokers and training schools.  There on the high seas, on ships flying flags of convenience, the only labor law is the law of supply and demand.

As an Asian American man with young children, I couldn’t help but notice how much I and these crewmembers resembled each other–indeed, there was a moment when someone mistook me for a crewmember.

So why was I the one on the asking end of a request for another fancy dessert? Mostly because two and three generations ago my ancestors and my wife’s ancestors had taken risks and made sacrifices to immigrate to these shores, and worked hard here, and raised our parents and then us in turn to do the same.

Of course we need well-regulated borders and fairminded, enforceable immigration laws. But I believe we have so much to give and to gain from still being the destination of hope that America was for my ancestors and so many of yours too.

I believe we have so much to give and to gain by investing in the education and lives of immigrants, as well as investing in the lives of everyone already here for however many generations.

Meanwhile I hope my own kids will learn the values of thrift, sacrifice, service, and hard work.  Maybe I’ll send them to work on a cruise ship.

With a perspective, this is Russell Yee.

The Task of the Postcolonial Theologian by Steve Hu

Some thoughts from Steve Hu, an ISAAC volunteer. Steve is currently a pastoral intern at Rutgers Community Christian Church where he also serves as a leadership coach. He received his dual Master’s of Arts in Old Testament and Missional Theology from Biblical Seminary (Hatfield, Pennsylvania) in 2007. This commentary was originally posted on the Postcolonial Theological Network on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/topic.php?uid=23694574926&topic=10504

Almost 30 years have passed since Edward Said’s Orientalism was first published in 1978. What first emerged as a school of literary criticism, postcolonialism came to embody a field of critical discourse and analysis centered on power, privilege, identity, and the relationship between East and West. Postcolonial theory has gained prominence as a critical methodology in secular disciplines, yet it is still making headways within the walls of the Church. When postcolonial theory is employed as a methodology in theological discourse, the resultant product is always categorized as “third-world” theology. Such categorization, Franz Wijsen notes, renders any theology that employs postcolonial theory as “exotic fruit” that merely supplements “traditional” European theology. This delineation only perpetuates colonialism in theological discourse and the dualistic categories of what’s normative and marginal. The theologian who employs Western categories is often blind to such colonialism, and the theologizing that he practices is all but irrelevant to the colonized.

The dualistic categorization of the normative and marginal obfuscates the enterprise of theology by predetermining what is acceptable theological discourse. This act is inherently political, and by delineating theological discourse, theologians are no longer theologians, but they become powerbrokers who mute the voice of those in the margins. While the number of postcolonial theologians remains few, recent works by Mayra Rivera, Joerg Rieger, Kwok Pui-Lan, and Jonathan Tan indicate theologians are seriously examining this methodology as a source for theology. The number of scholars working in this field is on the rise, yet the majority of these scholars still remains in the Catholic and mainline segments of the Church. Evangelicals are slow to take seriously postcolonial theory as a starting point for theology. The reasons for this are too many and complex to describe here. However, in this essay I hope to encourage my fellow evangelicals to cease regarding postcolonial discourse as an accessory of theology. Postcolonial discourse should no longer remain in the theological periphery. Rather, engaging and listening to those in the margins will further inform and enrich our theological enterprise. It is out of a personal commitment that I say this: as an Asian American evangelical, I’ve discovered that postcolonial discourse grants me voice that is normally not heard by those sitting at the theological roundtable, a table that long has been the domain of Westerners and privy only to those who can speak its predetermined discourse. This table has been so embedded in Western forms and categories that when I attempt to converse, my words, as Tite Tiénou notes, “are perceived as threats to orthodoxy.” Yet no one will disagree that theological enterprise is conversational in nature, that it is an ongoing multi-lateral exchange between the biblical text, tradition, reason, and context among various dialog partners. It is time that those sitting at the theological roundtable cease to exclude marginal voices from this conversation. The inclusion of marginal dialog partners not only will give voice to the voiceless, it will also produce rich fruit for our theological conversation.

As an Asian American evangelical residing in North America and as one who represents those voices in the margins, I ask my fellow evangelicals to consider seriously postcolonial discourse as a starting point for theologizing. In our globalizing world, the Church cannot afford not to consider the multiple contexts in which theology begins. The task of theology always has its origins in a particular context, and is done for that context, by that same context so that the result is always something relevant in that context. If our discourse continues to remain in the domain of the West, the resultant theology would be powerless to address the issues of the global church. What will this new theologizing look like? Here I will describe five starting points necessary for the new kind of theologizing to be done for today’s world. This list of loci is by no means exhaustive, but they must be incorporated into our theological enterprise in order for it to be relevant.

1) The life, death, and resurrection of Christ. The beginning of any theology must consider the life, death, and resurrection of Christ himself. Incarnate in human flesh, Christ embodies all aspects of the postcolonial: contextuality, marginality, and hybridity. Christ came not as a man without a cultural heritage, but as a first-century Jewish carpenter who lived and breathed the Mosaic laws of the Old Testament. He was not culture-less, but was fully embodied in a cultural context in which he knew and engaged so well. Christ was an outsider, a working class average joe, and was not privy to the roundtable of privilege, power, and the ruling class. Yet he continuously challenged the systemic evils that the elites perpetuated, questioning their piety and bringing to light their hypocrisy. Lastly, Christ in his personhood concretized both God and man, divinity and humanity, and yet he was sure of his mission and purpose on earth. In Christ there was no confusion of purpose and identity. Christ’s hybridity points us toward the multiple identities which postcolonial theology must consider, that even our own identity in this world is fluid, not monolithic.

2) Contextuality. Today’s theologian must think and act like a cross-cultural missionary and take into account the place in which his reflections are located. As Wijsen observes, today’s theology must be constructed in “the context of multicultural societies and a globalizing world.” Theology is at once global and local, and it reflects upon the divine and speaks to the unique earth-bound locale from which theology begins. No one can escape the contextuality of theology. Contextuality is necessary for the theologian to faithfully appropriate the message of the Gospel in culturally relevant forms so his audience may understand what he is attempting to communicate regarding the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The theologian’s task is never done in a vacuum; he is always guided by his context, mindful that he is always theologizing from that context.

3) Marginality. As globalization continues to shrink the world through economic, political, and technological advances, it simultaneously creates new local conditions. Those who do not have the means to adapt and change with the dynamic processes of globalization are left behind and pushed to the margins. In these locales, marginality may also result from exclusion from the political process. Another situation in which marginality arises is the process of migration. As the son of immigrants from Asia, I know very well what it means to live in the social and economic margins of mainstream society. I am always questioned by others about my origins and never accepted as part of the majority culture. Nevertheless, my experience has given me a unique perspective of the world, a perspective that Christ himself had when he lived as an outsider in first century Palestine. Yet, as Gary Okihiro notes, the struggles of disenfranchised minorities have helped preserve the egalitarian ideals of liberal democratic societies. This important contribution by the disenfranchised has been missed by those engaged in theological discourse. It is the dialectics between the margins and mainstream that fuels fruitful conversation. Theologians would gain much insight if they lend a listening ear to marginal voices. Thus, today’s theologians must identify with those in the margins and recognize that their voices add insightful reflection to the theological process.

4) Heterogeneity and hybridity. The issue of identity should also have a place in today’s theological discourse. As globalization continues to create new realities for humanity, individuals must negotiate, navigate, and bridge multiple contexts in order to live and belong. In this dynamic process, new identities are forged, often from various sources. Thus, identity in the age of globalization is one of hybridity and synthesis. Speaking from my own social location as an Asian American, my identity is multi-faceted and cannot be relegated to a monolithic category. I stand to have my feet in different worlds, one in the old and the other in the new, and I posses a hybridized identity that is informed by my unique social location. In a word, I am in-between, or “betwixt,” embodying both worlds at once. This hybridized identity informs me how my faith is perceived, conceptualized, and practiced in my community. The relationship between faith and identity is bilateral, with faith informed by my identity and my identity maintained by faith. Any theologian engaged in today’s theological enterprise cannot disregard the hybridized identities individuals embody. Our theological enterprise must take into account the various social locations from which identities are synthesized so we may remain relevant to speak the truth of Christ’s life into those contexts.

5) Activism and service. Lastly, the postcolonial theologian must make his theologizing an act of service in order to give voice to the voiceless. As Jonathan Tan points out, this theologizing can never be “abstract” that remains in “the intellectual arena” removed from the realities of people’s lives. He goes on to say that “one problem about classical academic theologies as conceived in the Christian West is that they are often either articulated apart from, or in priority over community life, practice, and spirituality.” A theology espoused in this manner actually does disservice to the people. Any practicing theologian must take into consideration the “struggles, dreams, and aspirations in a particular place and time.” Such theology will indeed give voice to those who are hurting, to those who are oppressed, to those who are victimized and alienated, to those living in the margins. The theologian is not just a scholar who sits in the ivory tower; he is an advocate, a voice for the unheard, one who betters humanity through his work.

What I have described are five simple and fundamental starting points for any theologian who wishes to engage today’s world. Gone are the days when theologians sit alone and dream up categories for their systematic theologies. Today’s new theological enterprise requires collaboration among different perspectives and conversational partners who reside in the margins of society. Until theologians can engage and listen to multiple perspectives and utilize postcolonial insights, our theological enterprise will remain provincial at best, with our theologies developed only for the Western ghetto. Such theologies will also be powerless to speak to the contexts of our globalized world. Only engagement with postcolonial methodology will result in a theology that is relevant and capable to embody the truth, the person, and the diversity of God.

Contact Steve Hu

Summary of ISAAC 2009 Internship Program (East Coast)

by Andrew Lee, ISAAC East Coast Regional Director [contact Andrew]

In order to help meet the need for leaders for second-generation English language ministries in Chinese churches, ISAAC initiated a paid internship program this summer in the New York metropolitan area. This program was funded by a grant from the Fund for Theological Education.   Students contemplating the prospect of vocational ministry were offered the opportunity to serve in their respective churches in order to sample a taste of full-time ministry.

ISAAC FTE internship program

The five ISAAC interns this summer were college students Rosalie Chung (Long Island Alliance Church), Jason Lee (Monmouth Chinese Christian Church), Daniel Shih (Boon Church, OCM), Jin Tian (Brooklyn Community Christian Church) and Joyce Wong (New York Chinese Baptist Church).  Jesse Eng (Grace Faith Church), a student at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, joined the interns for their weekly meetings.

The congregations represented by the interns are geographically diverse, ranging from suburban New Jersey to inner city New York to suburban New York.  It was an eye-opening experience for the interns to visit each other’s churches to see how ministry was conducted in a different setting and to learn how church space could be utilized in a new manner.

pastors and mentors

The students were guided and mentored throughout the summer by their pastor, by a lay leader in their church and by ISAAC Eastern Regional Director, Dr. Andrew Lee.  At the weekly meetings led by Rev. Lee, the interns discussed selected readings from ISAAC’s Asian American Christianity Reader, deliberated on the meaning of call, and bonded together as they shared, encouraged, prayed and fellowshipped together.

As a result of this summer experience, the concept of calling took on new meaning for each intern.  For some, the end of the internship does not signal the end of their service.  Jason, a spring graduate of Rutgers University, informed his church leaders that he was quitting his part-time job and volunteering the rest of this year to serve full-time in his church because his part-time job “gets in the way of ministry.”  Likewise Daniel, a recent graduate of Gordon College, will continue serving at his church until he leaves for a two-year pastoral apprenticeship in Australia next January.   Jin, a junior at Philadelphia Bible University, committed to returning to Brooklyn each weekend to assist at her church.

The participating pastors and lay mentors also had uniformly positive evaluations of the summer experience.  Each felt it was a worthwhile investment of their time.  It provided them an opportunity to guide, teach and train their interns and to get to know them better.  In turn, their own skills were sharpened by the experience of mentoring another person.

Another facet of this summer program included a worship service at each church where calling was the theme for that day.  Each church was challenged to instill a culture of encouraging its own members to consider vocational ministry.  Here, too, the pastors and lay mentors believe their churches were positively impacted.  Moreover, the entire internship experience has opened the eyes of church leaders and young people to the potential of leadership through young adults.  ISAAC will offer this internship program in the New York City Metropolitan Area again in the summer of 2010.

3rd Annual Bay Area Pastors’ Retreat for Asian American English Ministry leaders

Theme:  Renewal!
When:  Mon.-Tues. (Sept. 21-22, 2009)
Where:  San Damiano Retreat Center, Danville, CA
Guest Speaker:  Doug Stevens, Founder of The Renewal Project will be speaking on his favorite theme of renewal!
Cost:  $130/person

We’re excited about everyone getting together to learn and grow in a concentrated time together.  This year we will have Doug Stevens, the founder of The Renewal Project to share with us from his experience and life.  Doug has been a longtime friend and has been in pastoral ministry as well as parachurch ministry for more than 30 years.  Sensitive to the cultural and changing nature of our times, Doug lends a biblical and prophetic voice to what God is doing in and through his church. You can read more about Doug’s ministry here: http://www.renewalproject.org/ .

Please register by September 7 if you will be attending the Sept. 21-22 retreat as that will help us with planning, etc.

Blessings,

Johnson Chiu

To Register, clink this secure link and complete the on-line registration form: https://fs16.formsite.com/sanacs/form662985063/secure_index.html

ISAAC sponsored lectures and talks – Fall 2009

ISAAC will co-sponsor the following lectures, panels, and symposiums.

Wed., Sept. 23 | 4 PM | UC Berkeley, Moses Hall, 223, IIS Conference Room
Religious Policies in the People’s Republic of China featuring Dr. Fenggang Yang Associate Professor of Sociology and Anthropology, and Director of the Center on Religion and Chinese Society, Purdue University. Dr. Fenggang Yang is the author of Chinese Christians in America: Conversion, Assimilation, and Adhesive Identities (Penn State University Press 1999), co-editor (with Tony Carnes) of Asian American Religions: The Making and Remaking of Borders and Boundaries (New York University Press 2004), and co-editor (with Joseph B. Tamney) of State, Market, and Religions in Chinese Societies (Brill Academic Publishers 2005).
This lecture is co-sponsored by U.C. Berkeley’s Religion, Politics, and Globalization Program, Institute of East Asian Studies, Center for Chinese Studies, and Department of Sociology. For more information, go to the RPGP website or contact Tim Tseng.

Sept. 24

ISAAC Research Seminar featuring Dr. Fenggang Yang and local researchers in Berkeley, CA. Contact James Chuck.

Oct. 21

Oct. 21 | 4 PM | UC Berkeley, Moses Hall, 223, IIS Conference Room
Filipino Faith: The Role of Religion in Diasporic Communities in America and Beyond featuring:
- Joaquin Jay Gonzalez III, Associate Professor of Politics; Director of the Yuchengco Philippine Studies Program, University of San Francisco and author of Filipino American
Faith in Action (New York University Press) and Religion on the Corner of Bliss and Nirvana (Duke University Press).
- Benjamin Pimentel, Author of Pareng Barack: Filipinos in Obama’s America; former reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle
Co-sponsored by U.C. Berkeley’s Religion, Politics, and Globalization Program. For more information go to the RPGP website or contact Tim Tseng.

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Nov. 2-3

Nov. 2-3 | Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, CA
Living Out The Gospel: Asian American Perspectives and Contributions: An Asian American Equipping Symposium featuring Dr. Jonathan Tran, Assistant Professor of Christian Ethics at Baylor University, and local pastors and scholars. Co-sponsored by Fuller Theological Seminary and the Urban Initiatve. Download informational flyer: AAEquipping Symposium_Nov 2-3. To register click this link or contact Young Lee Hertig.