Dialogues in Asian American Theology and Ministry Podcast

In this episode, Nate Samayo reflects with David Chao on his journey back to Guam and explores the deep connection between land, indigenous practices, and community. He discusses how traditional practices like weaving, carving, and medicine walks help reestablish a relationship with the land, challenging imperial and colonial structures. Nate shares his personal experiences and the importance of reclaiming Chamorro culture, values, and history in the face of modern challenges.

In this episode, David C. Chao talks with Sangeetha Thomas, psychotherapist and owner of Nepsis Counseling. They discuss the topics of death and grief and how this relates specifically to an Asian American Christian audience.

In this episode of the Dialogues Podcast, Dr. David Chao and Dr. Easten Law discuss World Christianity, ethnography, and migration. Dr. Law explains his research with Chinese Christians and the idea of lived theology. They discuss how ethnography can affect how we understand the use of doctrine in our theology.

We had some audio difficulties so we apologize for the poor sound quality.

In this episode of the Dialogues Podcast, David C. Chao interviews Albert Chu and Ross Lockhart, co-authors of Christianity: An Asian Religion in Vancouver. They discuss the religious context of Vancouver and the ways in which Christianity is changing alongside the growing migration of Christians from Asia.

In this two-part episode of the Dialogues Podcast, David C. Chao interviews Aaron Stauffer, Associate Director of the Wendland-Cook Program in Religion and Justice at Vanderbilt University Divinity School. David and Aaron discuss the importance of attending to the spirit of our communities toward the pursuit of better solidarities, relationalities, and reciprocities along lines of difference.

In this episode of the Dialogues Podcast, David C. Chao interviews Aaron Stauffer, Associate Director of the Wendland-Cook Program in Religion and Justice at Vanderbilt University Divinity School. David and Aaron discuss the importance of attending to the spirit of our communities toward the pursuit of better solidarities, relationalities, and reciprocities along lines of difference.

In this episode of the Dialogues Podcast, David C. Chao interviews Nathan Samayo, PhD student at Princeton Theological Seminary. Nathan Samayo is pursuing a PhD in Religion and Society. David and Nathan discuss his current trip to Guam, where Nathan is originally from. They discuss his personal history and how it intersects with his current research interests.

Additional resources:
Kelly Brown Douglas’ Stand Your Ground: Black Bodies and the Justice of God
https://orbisbooks.com/products/stand-your-ground

Asian Pacific American Religions Research Initiative (APARRI)
https://aparri.org/

Rev. Gail Song Bantum at Quest Church
https://www.thebantumspace.com/gailbantum

Dr. Brian Bantum
https://www.thebantumspace.com/brianbantum

Dr. Mayra Rivera
https://hds.harvard.edu/people/mayra-rivera-rivera

To Hell With Drowning (The Atlantic article about Guam, Militarism, and Climate Change)
https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2021/11/oceania-pacific-climate-change-stories/620570/

The America that Americans Forget (New York Times Article on the political status of Chamorro people in Guam and the current relocation efforts of U.S. military personnel from Okinawa to Guam)
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/07/magazine/guam-american-military.html

Prutehi Litekyan (social movement organizing against U.S. military infrastructure development in the village of Litekyan/Ritidian).
https://www.saveritidian.org/

This workshop is from the 2024 Mental Health Conference “Intergenerational Wholeness for Asian Americans: Integrative Approaches to Christian Spiritual and Mental Health Formation.” Discernment and the Will of God by Sharon Wada and Carrie Myers, recorded on January 13, 2024. Find out more about the conference here: https://caac.ptsem.edu/events/2024-mental-health-conference/. Abstract: Wise decision making in the life of the disciple builds on becoming a discerning person who is sensitive to God’s ongoing guidance. Explore what discernment and decision-making look like for those who pursue a deepening Christian spirituality and hold AAPI cultural values.

This workshop is from the 2024 Mental Health Conference "Intergenerational Wholeness for Asian Americans: Integrative Approaches to Christian Spiritual and Mental Health Formation." “Kingdom Values-Driven Parenting” by Ming and Mako Nagasawa, recorded on January 13, 2024. Find out more about the conference here: ⁠https://caac.ptsem.edu/events/2024-mental-health-conference. Abstract: What is good about Asian parenting styles? What needs redeeming by Christ? If Asian parents are too demanding, are White families too permissive? What are some important Scriptures to consider? We will talk about telling stories and giving verbal affirmation vs. silence; educating kids as missionaries vs. as capitalist competitors; and motivating kids through persevering joy and intrinsic virtues vs. needing to be better or best. We will also share stories of how our children, raised in Christian community and with a love for creation and justice, challenged their non-Christian grandparents about “success”: personal success is inseparable from community and global flourishing, because climate change makes clear that separating them was a mistake. We will also address how we as parents have handled disappointment as our kids go through faith and character struggles.

This workshop is from the 2024 Mental Health Conference "Intergenerational Wholeness for Asian Americans: Integrative Approaches to Christian Spiritual and Mental Health Formation." Cultivating a Culture of Care: Pastoral Practices for Counseling in the local Asian American Church by Enoch Liao, recorded on January 13, 2024. Find out more about the conference here: ⁠https://caac.ptsem.edu/events/2024-mental-health-conference. Abstract: As servant leaders in a local Christian church, we already encounter a range of challenges and opportunities when it comes to a ministry of counseling. In many Asian churches in America, we not only have the typical challenges that most American churches face, but also have challenges presented by the compounding factors of multiple cultures, languages, and generations. In this workshop, a local church pastor in a Chinese heritage church shares some of the struggles he has observed in both his church and other churches. Come to hear stories and learn practices for pursuing intergenerational wholeness through cultivating a culture of biblical care and counseling in the local church.