Intersecting Realities: Race, Identity, and Culture in the Spiritual-Moral Life of Young Asian Americans
Ebook
Overview
Experiencing racial marginalization in society and pressures for success in family, Asian American Christian young adults must negotiate being socially underpowered, culturally dissonant, and politically marginal. To avoid misunderstandings and conflicts within and without their communities, more often than not they hide their true thoughts and emotions and hesitate to engage in authentic conversations outside their very close-knit circle of friends. In addition, these young adults might not find their church or Christian fellowship to be a safe and hospitable place to openly struggle with all of these sorts of questions, all the while lacking adequate vocabulary or resources to organize their thoughts. This book responds to these spiritual-moral struggles of Asian American young people by theologically addressing the issues that most intimately and immediately affect Asian American youths' sense of identity--God, race, family, sex, gender, friendship, money, vocation, the model minority myth, and community-- uniquely and consistently from the contexts of Asian American young adult life. Its goal is to help young Asian Americans develop a healthy, balanced, organic sense of identity grounded in a fresh and deeper understanding of the Christian faith.
“As cultural and generational norms are shifting, Asian American
Christians are wrestling with their identity formation and what it
means to be thoughtful Christians today. Intersecting
Realities is a must-read resource for those Christians who want
to live out their faith in a theologically faithful and culturally
relevant way.”
—Tom Lin, President/CEO of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship
“Lee and his colleagues here not only name the oftentimes very
painful realities confronted by young Asian Americans, but also
provide concrete practical guidelines for navigating a racialized
North American world. What is additionally potent for use in
CCCU-affiliated institutions and theological seminary classes
devoted to race and ethnicity is the vision of scriptural and
covenant faithfulness that provides a sure ground upon which to
tread in walking out the unavoidably ambiguous choices demanding
navigation, and in persisting through the messy outcomes that will
follow in our real world. The way forward will not be easy anytime
soon, but that is why those serving in and ministering to the
present generation of Asian American Christian communities ought to
read Intersecting Realities.”
—Amos Yong, Professor of Theology & Mission, Fuller
Seminary
“Intersecting Realities employs the perfect
combination of personal narrative, cutting-edge thinking, and sharp
biblical reflection to explore today’s key issues facing Asian
American Christians. Subsequently, it’s a readable, intelligent,
and applicable book that is both pastoral and prophetic. I’m very
grateful for the wisdom shared by each of the contributing authors
and know that it will bless its readers.”
—Russell Jeung, author of At Home in Exile: Finding Jesus Among
My Ancestors and Refugee Neighbors
Product Details
- Title : Intersecting Realities: Race, Identity, and Culture in the Spiritual-Moral Life of Young Asian Americans
- Authors:
- Lee, Hak Joon
- Fong, Ken
- Publisher: Cascade Books
- Publication Date: 2018
- ISBN: 9781532616242
Hak Joon Lee is the Lewis B. Smedes Professor of Christian Ethics at Fuller Theological Seminary. Lee has published several books, including Shaping Public Theology: The Max L. Stackhouse Reader, The Great World House: Martin Luther King, Jr. and Global Ethics, and We Will Get to the Promised Land: Martin Luther King Jr.’s Communal-Political Spirituality. For over a decade, he has been deeply involved in curriculum projects for pastors and Asian American youths with a view to furthering church renewal and intergenerational bridge-building in a pluralistic society.