Faith Hope Love Asian American History

Faith, Hope, Love & the Asian American Christian Story

2009 N.A. Bridging ConferenceThursday, February 19, 2009

* * * *

Dr. Timothy Tseng 曾祥雨Institute for the Study of Asian American Christianity

Castro Valley, California

Sunday, March 1, 2009

2Sunday, March 1, 2009

isaacweb.org

My family

Overseas Chinese Journey 華僑

30.7 million overseas Chinese in 1990

30.7 million overseas Chinese in 199040 million overseas Chinese today

Regions with Significant Chinese Populations

Singapore: 3,496,710Indonesia: 7,566,200Thailand: 7,153,240 Malaysia: 7,070,500United States: 3,376,031Canada: 1,612,173Peru: 1,300,000Vietnam: 1,263,570Philippines: 1,146,250Burma: 1,101,314Russia: 998,000Australia: 669,896Japan: 606,889

Cambodia: 343,855France: 230,515India: 189,470Laos: 185,765Brazil: 151,649New Zealand: 147,570Italy: 144,885Netherlands: 144,928South Korea: 137,790Panama: 135,000Spain: 124,022Cuba: 114,242Germany: 100,000

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is

love.I Cor. 13:13 (NIV)

Period of Faith: 1850s-1970s

Period of Faith: 1850s-1970s Period of Hope: 1959-present

Period of Faith: 1850s-1970s Period of Hope: 1959-present Period of Love: ?

The Period of Faith: 1850s-1970s

• Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.- Heb. 11:1, NIV

Otis Gibson and the SF Chinese Methodist Mission - 1870s

The Period of Faith: 1850s-1970s1855-1930: “foreigners” and “sojourners”

Male dominant - a religious fraternity?

1855-1930: “foreigners” and “sojourners” Anti-Chinese sentiment, racial segregation

1855-1930: “foreigners” and “sojourners”

1855-1930: “foreigners” and “sojourners” Mainline Protestant missionary dependent (high

interracial relationships)

1855-1930: “foreigners” and “sojourners” Religious nationalism - revolutionary

1930-1968: Chinatown family churches

Emerging families

The Period of Faith: 1850s-1970s1930-1968: Chinatown family churches

San Francisco centered

Mainline denomination and seminary

Chinese Christian Union, SF & CONFAB

Rise of second generation.English speaking - U.S. orientationImage: assimilated Americans

Empowerment of women•Dr. Mabel Lee, New York Chinese Baptist Church (1930s-1950s)

Civic Protestant ethosPresbyterian Church in SF Chinatown - protesting Iraqi invasion

The Period of Faith: 1850s-1970s Salvation Army,

San Francisco Chinatown

Longer history, but part of evangelical tradition

Community making - impacting Chinese and wider culture

Build Community

Renew Chinese

American Christian Culture

Build Community

Renew Chinese

Build Community

Impact Society and World for

Christ

Renew Chinese

The Tipping Point

The Tipping PointCommunist victory in

ChinaCold War

ChinaCold WarAsian nation-state

formation

formationMainline Protestant -

racial integration, assimilation

formationMainline Protestant -

racial integration, assimilation

CONFAB 1955

Before and after 1950

Before

Trans-nationalnetworks

Before

Local familynetworks

Before

GlobalDiasporanetworks

Before

Period of Hope: 1959-present

Period of Hope: 1959-present• Not only so, but we also rejoice in our

sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us – Romans 5:3-5

Since 1965Asian American Population Growth

Year Chinese Japanese Filipino Korean Indian 1860 34,933 -- -- -- -- 1870 64,199 -- -- -- -- 1880 105,465 -- -- -- -- 1890 107,488 -- -- -- -- 1900 118,746 85,716 -- -- -- 1910 94,414 152,745 2,767 5,008 5,424 1920 85,202 220,596 26,634 6,181 -- 1930 102,159 278,743 108,424 8,332 3,130 1940 106,334 285,115 98,535 8,568 2,405 1950 150,005 326,379 122,707 7.030 -- 1960 237,292 464,332 176,310 11,000 12,296 1970 436,062 591,290 343,060 69,150 72,500 1980 812,178 716,331 781,894 357,393 387,223 1990 1,645,472 847,562 1,406,770 798,849 815,4447 2000* 2,858,291 1,152,324 2,385,216 1,226,825 1,899,590 *Source: U.S. Census

Asian American Population

Other Asians 1990 2000 Vietnamese 615,000 1,212,465 Cambodian 128,000 212,633 Pakistani 209,273 Laotian 196,000 196,893 Hmong 184,842 Thai 150,093 Indonesian 63,073 Bangladeshi 57,412 Sri Lankan 24,587 Malaysian 18,566 Burmese 16,720 Other Asian 561,485**

Growth of Chinese Churches in 20th Century America

Year Los Angeles San Francisco United States

Pre-1950 151950s 4 18 621960s 17 311980s 88 112 5231990s 173 158 819Today 197 1,000+?

Since 1965: Second Wave

Since 1965: Second Wave1. Porous ethno-burb communities (Monterey

Park, Little Saigon, Koreatown, etc.)

Park, Little Saigon, Koreatown, etc.)2. Astronaut families (multiple homelands)

Park, Little Saigon, Koreatown, etc.)2. Astronaut families (multiple homelands)3. Asian language dominance

Park, Little Saigon, Koreatown, etc.)2. Astronaut families (multiple homelands)3. Asian language dominance4. Low interaction with white Christians

Park, Little Saigon, Koreatown, etc.)2. Astronaut families (multiple homelands)3. Asian language dominance4. Low interaction with white Christians5. Separatist theology - roots in Fundamentalism

Park, Little Saigon, Koreatown, etc.)2. Astronaut families (multiple homelands)3. Asian language dominance4. Low interaction with white Christians5. Separatist theology - roots in Fundamentalism6. Evangelical seminaries & “trickle down” of

Americanized evangelical ethos

Park, Little Saigon, Koreatown, etc.)2. Astronaut families (multiple homelands)3. Asian language dominance4. Low interaction with white Christians5. Separatist theology - roots in Fundamentalism6. Evangelical seminaries & “trickle down” of

Americanized evangelical ethos7. Disempowered women & professionalization of

ministry

Period of Hope: 1959-present1. Chinese Evangelical

Separatism

Separatism Independent-minded

Separatism Independent-minded Anti-denominational

Separatism Independent-minded Anti-denominational Called out of the world

Separatism Independent-minded Anti-denominational Called out of the world Personal holiness

Period of Hope: 1959-present2. Diasporic

Immigration

Immigration Diasporic roots (e.g.,

Andrew Gih and EFC, Rev. Philip Lee)

Bible study groups (international students)

Indigenous Chinese denominations (EFC, CCIC, CFC, HOC, etc.)

3. American-born Bible church movement

3. American-born Bible church movement Liberal-fundamentalist split: Bible Conferences

3. American-born Bible church movement Liberal-fundamentalist split: Bible Conferences Sen Wong and the Chinese Bible church movement

3. American-born Bible church movement Liberal-fundamentalist split: Bible Conferences Sen Wong and the Chinese Bible church movement Oakland Chinese Independent Baptist Church and

Dallas Theological Seminary

3. American-born Bible church movement Liberal-fundamentalist split: Bible Conferences Sen Wong and the Chinese Bible church movement Oakland Chinese Independent Baptist Church and

Dallas Theological Seminary Shift towards pan-Asian and multi-ethnic orientation

Period of Hope: 1959-present4. Congregational

Conflicts

Conflicts Evangelical takeover

(Chinese Christian Church & Center, Philadelphia; Chinese Christian Union Church, Chicago)

Conflicts Evangelical takeover

(Chinese Christian Church & Center, Philadelphia; Chinese Christian Union Church, Chicago)

Splits (Boston Chinese Evangelical Church, Chinese Congregational Community Church, San Diego )

Period of Hope: 1959-present5. Para-church ministries

and leaders

and leaders◗ Thomas Wang 王永信牧師

and Chinese Christian Mission

◗ Moses Chow and Ambassadors for Christ

◗ NACOCE and CCCOWE-NA

Hopeful Consequences

Hopeful Consequences1. Revitalization of historic

Chinese missions (Philadelphia, Chicago, Boston).

2. Bible study groups became new churches.

3. Global Diasporic Para-church networks.

4. Contribute to mainstream evangelicalism (e.g. IVCF, Campus Crusade, etc.)

5. Potential to globalize American Evangelicalism.

Potential Pitfalls

1. Fragmentation around theology, personality, and generations

Potential Pitfalls

1. Fragmentation around theology, personality, and generations2. Continued Isolation and self-marginalization

Potential Pitfalls

1. Fragmentation around theology, personality, and generations2. Continued Isolation and self-marginalization3. Lack of wisdom in engaging civic responsibilities & global church

Period of Love ?A renewal of heart and practices

1. We are called to live in and transform the world, not separate and isolate ourselves from the world

2. We are called to care for our host society, therefore invest in second generation, Asian American, and American needs also (not just Asia)

3. Spiritual maturity = community making across differences (cross-cultural, inter-generational, historical awareness)

What about our Asian Culture and History?

Think Apple MacIntosh

Think Apple MacIntoshMac OS in PC world

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There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.I John 4:18, NIV

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