Dialogues in Asian American Theology and Ministry Podcast

January 24, 2022 | Mental Health and Asian Americans: Contexts and Strategies for Faith Leaders  

Speaker: Dr. David Chao, director, 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.  

Learn more about the Center for Asian American Christianity at https://www.ptsem.edu/academics/center-for-asian-american-christianity

To view the conference blog, visit https://ltiaa.com/blog/

Dr. Geomon George, Dean and Co-Director of the MA program and Coordinator of the Thriving in Ministry Initiative at City Seminary of New York, discusses how the Indian American church navigates "being, becoming, and belonging" amid the circumstances of immigration and COVID-19. 

This episode was recorded on November 12, 2021.

The Center for Asian American Christianity at Princeton Theological Seminary invites you to join the dialogue on Asian American faith, identity, social engagement, and ministry through our newsletter, blog, and upcoming conferences at ltiaa.com

On September 16, 2021, Rev. Dr. Mia Chang presented at the first Asian American Theology and Ministry Colloquium at Princeton Theological Seminary of the academic year. As Lead Pastor of a multicultural church community, Rev. Dr. Mia shares about her journey as a church planter and her vision for the church. To Rev. Dr. Mia, the church points to the Kingdom of God in all its mosaic hues and sounds—guiding a broken and divisive world to wholeness and healing. 

Rev. Dr. Mia was ordained as a pastor by the American Baptist Churches of New Jersey upon completing her studies at Alliance Theological Seminary in New York. She obtained her doctorate in ministry studies at Palmer Theological Seminary of Eastern University in PA. In 2008, she founded NextGen Church in West Windsor, NJ.

The Center for Asian American Christianity at Princeton Theological Seminary invites you to join the dialogue on Asian American faith, identity, social engagement, and ministry through our newsletter, blog, and upcoming conferences at ltiaa.com. 

On October 28, 2021, Rev. Dr. Al Tizon presented at the second Asian American Theology and Ministry Colloquium at Princeton Theological Seminary of this academic year. Rev. Dr. Al discusses how a journey back to his homeland of the Philippines led him to a crisis of identity that continues to this day—confronting colonialism and paternalism on the one hand and his dignity as and sense of solidarity with Filipinos on the other. 

The Center for Asian American Christianity at Princeton Theological Seminary invites you to join the dialogue on Asian American faith, identity, social engagement, and ministry through our newsletter, blog, and upcoming conferences at ltiaa.com

Dr. Jerry Park discusses his sociological research on the public narratives behind Asian American Christian political engagement. This episode was recorded August 27, 2021.

The Center for Asian American Christianity at Princeton Theological Seminary invites you to join the dialogue on Asian American faith, identity, social engagement, and ministry through our newsletter, blog, and upcoming conferences at ltiaa.com

Dr. Jane Hong discusses how Asians and Asian Americans participated in the entanglement of race, religion, and politics in the post-1965 immigration wave and the rise of the religious right. This episode was recorded September 17, 2021.

The Center for Asian American Christianity at Princeton Theological Seminary invites you to join the dialogue on Asian American faith, identity, social engagement, and ministry through our newsletter, blog, and upcoming conferences at ltiaa.com

Dr. Easten Law, Assistant Director of the Overseas Ministries Studies Center at Princeton Theological Seminary, discusses the relationship between Asian identity, American identity, and Christian identity. Dr. Law's research focuses on lived theology, religious pluralism, and public life in the context of contemporary China. This episode was recorded July 7, 2021.

The Center for Asian American Christianity at Princeton Theological Seminary invites you to join the dialogue on Asian American faith, identity, social engagement, and ministry through our newsletter, blog, and upcoming conferences at ltiaa.com. 

Dr. Helen Jin Kim discusses the role of Korean Christians in the making of modern evangelical America in her forthcoming book Race for Revival: How Cold War South Korea Shaped American Evangelical Empire. This episode was recorded July 15, 2021. 

The Center for Asian American Christianity at Princeton Theological Seminary invites you to join the dialogue on Asian American faith, identity, social engagement, and ministry through our newsletter, blog, and upcoming conferences at ltiaa.com

Dr. Russell Jeung discusses with us the current state of anti-Asian hate in 2021 and the path to restorative justice. This episode was recorded on June 24, 2021.

The Center for Asian American Christianity at Princeton Theological Seminary invites you to join the dialogue on Asian American faith, identity, social engagement, and ministry through our newsletter, blog, and upcoming conferences at ltiaa.com.

In this conversation, David Chao, Melissa Borja, and Jonathan Tran share why the 2021 Asian American Theology Conference is important and why they look forward to it.

Conference registration is free: https://ltiaa.com/

To learn more about the Asian American Program at Princeton Theological Seminary: https://www.ptsem.edu/student-life/asian-american-program/overview

0:00 Why have an Asian American theology conference? Its pragmatic function and the need for a space to turn pain into power. 

4:29 Presbyterians and Asian Americans.

5:58 Racism and antiracism as theological issues: How do we talk about God in the midst of extraordinary forms of injustice? “The fight for justice is natural because justice is natural to God.”

7:22 Ethnography and the church.

8:24 Lots of positive energy for conversation and building relationships at these conferences.

9:12 Theological formation that connects justification and justice, especially for the next generation of Asian American churches.

11:11 The importance of conferences for exchanging ideas and for building relationships esp. during the social isolation intensified by the pandemic. We need resurrection hope!