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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 135
SOUNDINGS
FROM THE
ASIAN AMERICAN
DIASPORA
T he Fu tu r e o f
EVANG EL ICAL THEOLOG Y
A M O S Y O N G
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 235
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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The Futur e o f
E V A N G E L I C A L T H E O L O G Y
S O U N D I N G S
FRO M T H E
A S I A N A M E R I C A N
D I A S P O R A
A M O S Y O N G
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PO Box 983089983092983088983088 Downers Grove IL 983094983088983093983089983093-983089983092983090983094
World Wide Web wwwivpresscom
Email emailivpresscom
copy983090983088983089983092 by Amos Yong
All righs reserved No par o his book may be reproduced in any orm wihou writen permission fom InerVarsiy Press
InerVarsiy Pressreg is he book-publishing division o InerVarsiy Chrisian FellowshipUSAreg a movemen o sudens and
aculy acive on campus a hundreds o universiies colleges and schools o nursing in he Unied Saes o America and a
member movemen o he Inernaional Fellowship o Evangelical Sudens For inormaion abou local and regional aciviies
visi wwwinervarsiyorg
Scripure quoaions unless oherwise noed are fom he New Revised Sandard Version o he Bible copyrigh 983089983097983096983097 by he Division
o Chrisian Educaion o he Naional Council o he Churches o Chris in he USA Used by permission All righs reserved
See pages 983089983093-983089983094 or addiional permissionsCover design Cindy Kiple
Inerior design Beh McGill
Images Easer weekend Easer Weekend by Willie Rodger Privae Collecion Te Bridgeman Ar Library
Chinese ar illusraion copy koeyiStockphoto
ISBN 983097983095983096-983088-983096983091983088983096-983092983088983094983088-983089 (prin)
ISBN 983097983095983096-983088-983096983091983088983096-983097983094983095983093-983090 (digial)
Prined in he Unied Saes o America
As a member o he Green Press Iniiaive InerVarsiy Press is commited o proecing he environmen and ohe responsible use o naural resources o learn more visi greenpressiniiaiveorg
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A caalog record or his book is available fom he Library o Congress
P 983090983093 983090983092 983090983091 983090983090 983090983089 983090983088 983089983097 983089983096 983089983095 983089983094 983089983093 983089983092 983089983091 983089983090 983089983089 983089983088 983097 983096 983095 983094 983093 983092 983091 983090 983089
Y 983091983094 983091983093 983091983092 983091983091 983091983090 983091983089 983091983088 983090983097 983090983096 983090983095 983090983094 983090983093 983090983092 983090983091 983090983090 983090983089 983090983088 983089983097 983089983096 983089983095 983089983094 983089983093 983089983092
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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CONTENTS
P983154983141983142983137983139983141 11
A983139983147983150983151983159983148983141983140983143983149983141983150983156983155 15
P983154983151983148983151983143983157983141 A983157983156983151983138983145983151983143983154983137983152983144983145983139983137983148 R983141983142983148983141983139983156983145983151983150983155
983137983150983140 A983150983156983145983139983145983152983137983156983145983151983150983155 983151983142 983137983150 A983155983145983137983150 A983149983141983154983145983139983137983150
P983141983150983156-983141983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 S983151983146983151983157983154983150983141983154 17
983089 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148983145983155983149 983137983150983140 G983148983151983138983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161 E983149983141983154983143983145983150983143
A983155983145983137983150 983137983150983140 C983151983150983156983141983160983156983157983137983148 V983151983145983139983141983155 33
heology in a Globalizing World Evangelical and Asian Inersecions 37
Asian Evangelical heology Ramping Up 47
Evangelical heology as Conexual heology Possibiliies
and Challenges 57
983090 A983155983145983137983150 A983149983141983154983145983139983137983150 C983144983154983145983155983156983145983137983150983145983156983161 W983145983140983141983154 T983154983141983150983140983155 983137983150983140
T983154983137983146983141983139983156983151983154983145983141983155 67
he Asian American Religious Experience A Selec
Review o he Lieraure 68
Asian American Scholarly Currens Emerging Discourses 77
Asian American heologies he Sae o he Quesion 87
3 T983144983141 L983141983143983137983139983161 983151983142 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161 A983155983145983137983150
A983149983141983154983145983139983137983150 R 983141983139983141983152983156983145983151983150 983137983150983140 I983150983156983141983154983154983151983143983137983156983145983151983150983155 97
Asian American Evangelical heology Whence and
W(h)iher 98
he Burden o Evangelical heology A Minoriy Repor 106
he Mandae o Asian American Evangelical heology 117
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 635
4 P983141983150983156983141983139983151983155983156983137983148 V983151983145983139983141983155 T983151983159983137983154983140 983137983150 A983155983145983137983150 A983149983141983154983145983139983137983150
E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161 125
Asian Penecosal heology Wha and W(h)iher 127
A Pen-evangelical Imaginaion Speaking in
Many ongues 135
Asian American Pen-evangelical heology Inerpreing
Dieren Discourses 144
983093 T983144983141 I983149983149983145983143983154983137983150983156 S983152983145983154983145983156 T983151983159983137983154983140 983137983150 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148
T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161 983151983142 M983145983143983154983137983156983145983151983150 159
Conemporary Migraion A Fusion o Horizons 161
Lukan Migraion A Pen-evangelical Reading 168
An Evangelical heology o Migraion Asian
American Modulaions 177
6 T983144983141 S983152983145983154983145983156 983151983142 J983157983138983145983148983141983141 A983150 A983155983145983137983150 A983149983141983154983145983139983137983150I983149983149983145983143983154983137983150983156 C983151983150983155983145983140983141983154983137983156983145983151983150 187
Inormaliy and Immigraion he Chinese American
Experience 189
Jubilee and Migraion A Pen-evangelical Re lecion 197
Money Migrans and Minisry in Asian American
Evangelical Perspecive 206
7 T983151983159983137983154983140 983137 G983148983151983138983137983148 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161 A983155983145983137983150
A983149983141983154983145983139983137983150 I983150983156983151983150983137983156983145983151983150983155 217
Nex Seps or Asian American Evangelical heology 218
Nex Seps or Norh American Evangelical heology 224
Nex Seps or Global Evangelical heology 229E983152983145983148983151983143983157983141 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161 983145983150 983156983144983141
T983159983141983150983156983161-F983145983154983155983156 C983141983150983156983157983154983161 235
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 735
S983157983138983146983141983139983156 I983150983140983141983160 250
A983157983156983144983151983154 I983150983140983141983160 253
S983139983154983145983152983156983157983154983141 I983150983140983141983160 254
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3
THE LEGACY OF EVANGEL ICAL THEOLOGY
Asian American Reception and Interrogations
In his chaper we drill deeper ino he inner logic o Asian American evan-
gelical heology Why has he Asian American naure o evangelical heology
been relaively underplayed when compared o Asian evangelical heology
and o Asian American heology in mainline Proesan and Roman Caholic
circles Tis chaper argues ha here are many reasons or his and ha hey
relae boh o he legacy o he (whie) Norh American evangelical endeavor
as a whole and o how his radiion has been received and inernalized by
Asian American Evangelicals
Te hree secions o come inroduce he whence o Asian American evan-
gelical heology and is largely conservaive ehos explore how his conser-
vaism is he resul o inernalizing he heo-logic o he dominan (Wesern)
evangelical culure and conclude by urging Asian American Evangelicals o
live more inenionally ino and ou o he pariculariy socialiy and hiso-
riciy o heir experiences While Asian American evangelical heology has
been by and large consonan wih ha o he (whie) evangelical esablishmen
i has no ound much o is own voice Par o he goal is o clariy why and
how he curren generaion o Asian American Evangelicals aces a ork in he
road o allow nonehnic (read whie) Evangelicals o coninue o se he
heological agenda ha minimizes or marginalizes heir perspecives or o
asser why he hisoriciy and pariculariy o he Asian American hisory and
experience is imporan no only or Asian American evangelical heology
specifically bu also or he evangelical heological ask as a whole
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 935
983097 983096 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
I he firs wo chapers have atemped o map he broader global and wider
Asian American heological landscapes his chaper conducs a sel-criical
analysis o aspecs o Asian American evangelical hinking While here is morediversiy underneah he Asian American evangelical label han many hink
here is also some jusificaion or discussing i in erms I presen Tis chaper
probes some o hese aken-or-graned eaures o he Asian American evan-
gelical menaliy ha have inhibied creaive and consrucive heological re-
flecion Noe however ha he poin is no o merely be criical o he whie
evangelical heological esablishmen raher he poin is o highligh how in
our conemporary global conex he evangelical radiion can be expandedrenewed and developed in dialogue wih non-Euro-American conversaion
parners Posiively pu hen he ollowing inends o open up a way orward
or he pen-evangelical heological pah ha chapers our and ollowing char
A983155983145983137983150 A983149983141983154983145983139983137983150 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161 W983144983141983150983139983141
983137983150983140 W(983144)983145983156983144983141983154
I is air o say ha we are sill a he very beginning sages o Asian Americanevangelical heologizing983089 As we shall see we can only speak abou Asian
American evangelical heology i undersood in a very broad sense Te ol-
lowing skeches hree sreams o such reflecion which enables compre-
hension o is largely conservaive insincs
Paricularly or Asian Americans rom an Eas Asian background he Con-
ucian emphasis on filial piey plays ou in heir evangelical spiriualiy Some
o he earlies works on Asian American evangelical heology hereore wereocused on how especially second-generaion Asian Americans could honor
heir parens while ollowing Chris983090 Tis was and remains an especially
imporan mater i he immigran generaion were non-Chrisians Beyond
his is he pressure o perecionis expecaions by parens no o menion
having also o live ino he ldquomodel minoriyrdquo sereoype ouside he home
1One o he ew orays ino he quesion remains Young Lee Herig ldquoWhy Asian American Evan-gelical Teologiesrdquo Journal o Asian and Asian American Teology 983095 (1048626983088983088983093ndash1048626983088983088983094) 1048625-10486261048627
2See Jeanete Yep ed Following Jesus Wihou Dishonoring Your Parens Asian American Discipleship (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 1048625983097983097983096) and Nikki A oyama and racey Gee eds More
Tan Serving ea Asian American Women on Expecaions Relaionships Leadership and Faih (Downers Grove IL IVP Books 1048626983088983088983094)
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983097 983097
When combined wih he deerenial Eas Asian posure many Asian Amer-
icans develop a sel-inerioriy complex991252devasaing wihin a culure o
shame991252paricularly when having also o conron linguisic challenges innavigaing hrough school and hen a career
Te ecclesial or congregaional domain is also one where Asian American
Evangelicals have expended some effor Tis is o be expeced given he long
hisory o ehnic churches and he many debaes no o menion challenges
relaed o assimilaion o he dominan culure Wihin he lieraure on Asian
American Evangelicalism we find works on pasoral minisry (designed o
equip minisers o cross generaional culural ecclesial gender and oherdivides)983091 congregaional healh and effeciveness (which provide models
or ehnic-dominan bilingual and even mixed ecclesial communiies)1048628 and
even a growing number o pan-Asian or pan-ehnic visions o he uure
(which ofen deal wih he issues o race and racializaion wihin an evan-
gelical paradigm)1048629 Asian American Evangelicals have ocused some o heir
energies on hese ecclesiological maters Wha can be hoped or is ha hese
more pracical miniserial and missional emphases will also ranslae in duecourse ino more robus ecclesiological and heological reflecion
Recent developments in Asian American evangelical theologyI is a he more
properly undersood heological level ha Asian American Evangelicals can be
said o be barely ou o he saring gae Sill even in hese gesaional imes some
poenial roues or developmen can be discerned One is a collecion o essays
ha appeared in 9830909830889830889830941048630 Published by he L983090 Foundaion an organizaion devoed
o Asian American leadership and legacy developmen his is he firs book oappear on he opic o Asian American evangelical heology Te six essayiss reflec
3Eg Ken Uyeda Fong Pursuing he Pearl A Comprehensive Resource or Muli-Asian Minisry (Val-ley Forge PA Judson Press 1048625983097983097983097) and Russell Yee Worship on he Way Exploring Asian Norh
American Chrisian Experience (Valley Forge PA Judson Press 104862698308810486251048626)4See Peer Cha S Seve Kang and Helen Lee eds Growing Healhy Asian American Congregaions (Downers Grove IL IVP Books 1048626983088983088983094) and M Sydney Park Soong-Chan Rah and Al izon edsHonoring he Generaions Learning wih Asian Norh American Congregaions (Valley Forge PA Judson Press 104862698308810486251048626)
5Elizabeh Conde-Frazier S Seve Kang and Gary A Parret A Many-Colored Kingdom Mulicul-ural Dynamics or Spiriual Formaion (Grand Rapids Baker Academic 1048626983088983088983092) and Kenneh AMahews and M Sydney Park Te Pos-Racial Church A Biblical Framework or Muliehnic Rec-
onciliaion (Grand Rapids Kregel Academic 104862698308810486251048625)6D J Chuang and imohy seng eds Conversaions Asian American Evangelical Teologies in
Formaion (Washingon DC L1048626 Foundaion 1048626983088983088983094)
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983089983088983088 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
he diversiy o he AAE communiy David Yoo a hisorian a Claremon
McKenna College surveys (wih wo collaboraors) he prendashWorld War II his-
ories o Japanese and Korean American Chrisians and urges ha religion needso be acored ino immigraion and race analyses o hese communiies even as
im seng a hisorian o American Chrisianiy and ounder o he Insiue or
he Sudy o Asian American Chrisianiy exposes he ldquocolor blindnessrdquo o
American church hisory and provides some hermeneuical opions or moving
beyond orienalis or assimilaionis models o he Asian American Chrisian
experience A pracical heologian a riniy Evangelical Diviniy School Peer
Cha discusses he challenges involved in ideniy ormaion among second-generaion Korean Americans An inriguing chaper is missiologis James Zorsquos
(affiliaed wih Logos Evangelical Seminary in El Mone Caliornia) insighul
analysis o how srucural and power issues complicae he assessmen o racism
prejudice and discriminaion on boh sides o he American and Asian American
equaion For a volume on evangelical heology he wo explicily heological
conribuions are by hisorical heologians Paul Lim (who specializes in early
modern England has augh a Gordon-Conwell Teological Seminary and nowis as o he ime o his wriing a Vanderbil Universiy) reveals he imporance
o biography in he consrucion o any Asian American evangelical heology and
Jeffrey Jue (a pos-Reormaion hisorian a Wesminser Teological Seminary)
seeks a way beyond boh modernis experienialism and posmodernis subjec-
ivism by reurning o he gospel Te conversaional approach o each chaper
in he volume invies ohers o join in he discussion
A second line o developmen lies wih Asian American evangelical womenmany o whom are also working in he area o biblical sudies1048631 A recen volume
includes en chapers mos springing off emale biblical characers all se wihin
wha Young Lee Herig calls a ldquoyinis paradigmrdquo ha is neiher merely eminis
(nor womanis nor mujerisa) nor ye acquiescen o he pariarchal srucures
dominan wihin Asian American Evangelicalism in paricular and (whie) evan-
gelical heology in general1048632 Mirrored Reflecions is hus a groundbreaking and
7See Young Lee Herig and Chloe Sun eds Mirrored Reflecions Refaming Biblical Characers (Eugene OR Wip amp Sock 10486269830881048625983088)
8See Herigrsquos lead chaper ldquoTe Asian American Alernaive o Feminism A Yinis Paradigmrdquo inHerig and Sun eds Mirrored Reflecions pp 1048627-1048625983092
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088983089
paradigmaic book no only or Asian American heology bu also or evan-
gelical biblical hermeneuics I opens up space or Asian American womenrsquos
readings o he Bible wihou mimicking oher eminis agendas i embracesreader-response approaches while honoring he scripural horizon i boldly
explores a counerculural conexualism polyphonous mulivocalism and in-
ersubjecive perspecivism wihou lapsing ino relaivism and i insiss on he
need or us o come o erms wih pluralism globalizaion and ransnaionalism
in he pursui o aihul Chrisian discipleship in our ime Arguably his is
biblical inerpreaion and heological reflecion a is bes engaging subversive
ransormaive and salvific991252or women and men1048633 Such pahs opened up by Asian American evangelical women may well be wha is mos generaive and
producive or Asian American evangelical heology in he longer run
Te conribuions o Herig and company run parallel o oher Asian
American evangelical voices ha find hemselves bewix-and-beween he
cener o he evangelical movemen and he mainline Proesan commu-
niies Soong-Chan Rahrsquos work mediaes hese spaces as represenaive o a
promising pah in conemporary Asian American evangelical heology9830891048624 Tepoency o Rahrsquos argumen is ha he speaks no only o Asian American
Evangelicals bu also o he evangelical heological esablishmen as a whole
Tis is because his is a call or he church o le go o is individualism con-
sumerism maerialism and racism991252all effecs o Wesern culure991252in order
o be reed rom is culural capiviy983089983089 Rahrsquos analysis however can find
deeper Asian American racion paricularly i wedded o he uncompro-
mising call or living ino he Asian American ideniy by heologians suchas Jonahan ran983089983090 Te later empowers a disincive Asian American voice
9Perhaps in conras o he dominan srands o Asian American evangelical biblical inerpreaionha have swallowed Wesern hermeneuical mehods almos hook line and sinker see Andrew Yueking Lee ldquoReading he Bible as an Asian American Issues in Asian American Biblical Inerpre-aionrdquo in Viji Nakka-Cammau and imohy seng eds Asian American Chrisianiy A Reader (Casro Valley CA Te Insiue or he Sudy o Asian American Chrisianiy 1048626983088983088983097) pp 983094983088-983094983097
10Soong-Chan Rah Te Nex Evangelicalism Freeing he Church fom Wesern Culural Capiviy (Downers Grove IL IVP Books 1048626983088983088983097)
11From a hermeneuical perspecive see he similar argumen o E Randolph Richards and Bran-don J OrsquoBrien Misreading Scripure wih Wesern Eyes Removing Culural Blinders o Beter Un-
dersand he Bible (Downers Grove IL IVP Books 104862698308810486251048626)12See Jonahan ran ldquoA Few Tings I Wan rom Asian American Evangelicalsrdquo in Nakka-Cammau
and seng Asian American Chrisianiy pp 10486269830921048627-9830931048625 c also ran ldquoIdeniy as MissiologyrdquoSANACS Journal 1048625 (1048626983088983088983097) 1048626983097-983092983088
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983089983088983090 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
albei one ha is no parochial since i addresses larger ecclesial (and perhaps
even social) concerns983089983091
Te ac o he mater is however ha here is litle else available on Asian American evangelical heology and ha Asian American Evangelicals are sill
a long way off rom hinking heologically as Asian Americans Par o he
reason is ha many Asian American Evangelicals even hose who are heo-
logically rained have basically replicaed he majoriy evangelical (whie)
approaches o Scripure Furher many second-generaion Asian Americans
have adoped he assimilaionis experience as heir model and have presumed
ha an ldquoAmerican universalismrdquo maps ono a biblical universalism9830891048628 Teresul is he subordinaion o heir racial and ehnic ideniies and modes o
hinking Among he many reasons or his is he dominan conservaism o
Asian American culure especially wihin ecclesial communiies o Eas Asian
descen (eg Chinese Korean Japanese and Vienamese churches) As such
Asian Americans are conen o persis wih he saus quo o evangelical he-
ology inheried rom heir (whie) evangelical eachers
Asian American evangelical conservatism Te phenomenon o Eas Asianor Conucian culural conservaism is o course a complicaed one o un-
angle On he one hand here is somehing o he sereoype o Eas Asian
Conucianism as essenially androcenric (in subordinaing women o men)
pariarchal (susained by he radiionrsquos emphasis on filial piey) and auhori-
arian (preserved in he king-subjec and older-younger broher aspecs o he
ldquofiveold relaionsrdquo) On he oher hand like mos exended culural radiions
Conucianism has been neiher saic nor ree rom dissening rends ha haveatemped o rerieve reappropriae and when necessary jetison hese radi-
13Mathew Soerens and Jenny Hwang Welcoming he Sranger Jusice Compassion and ruh in he
Immigraion Debae (Downers Grove IL IVP Books 1048626983088983088983097) is anoher example o Asian AmericanEvangelicals speaking ino wider conversaions precisely he hrus o his book and par o is goalin erms o moivaing Asian American evangelical heological inquiry I will reurn o discuss heproposals o his volume in more deph in chaper six
14Tis is my way o puting wha oher Asian American scholars have also observed see boh Anony W Alumkal ldquoTe Scandal o he lsquoModel Minoriyrsquo Mind Te Bible and Second-Generaion Asian American Evangelicalsrdquo and imohy seng ldquoSecond-Generaion Chinese Evangelical Use o heBible in Ideniy Discourse in Norh Americardquo boh in a-siong Benny Liew Te Bible in Asian
America Semeia 983097983088-9830971048625 (Alana Te Sociey o Biblical Lieraure 10486269830889830881048626) pp 10486261048627983095-983093983088 andpp 10486269830931048625-983094983095 respecively
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088983091
ional docrines or he lae modern world9830891048629 Cerainly in he Norh American
conex here are progressive orces a work especially among second and laer
generaions o Asian Americans bu equally cerainly he weigh o porableculural and philosophical radiions like Conucianism (see chaper wo)
means ha change occurs slowly
Wihin he Asian American evangelical communiy he gradual ransor-
maion o he inheried culural conservaism is cerainly being played ou
even i a a much slower pace han in nonevangelical conexs One he one
side he gospel is undersood as providing a criical perspecive on culure991252
on which I will say more momenarily on he oher side however here arecerain biblical hemes such as honoring o parens and he submission o
women (read off he surace o some Pauline exs) ha resonae wih he filial
piey o especially Conucian culures and hese have ineviably become
cenral issues or he orging o Asian American ideniies9830891048630 Hence Asian
American immigrans who are atraced o Chrisianiy are ofen drawn o
evangelical Proesanism because i provides a similarly conservaive
worldview one ha enables heir acculuraion ino American sociey Forhese reasons Conucian conservaism morphs among Asian American Pro-
esans ino a orm o evangelical conservaism
o be sure he exac role o Conucianism behind Asian American evan-
gelical conservaism migh be debaed among scholars paricularly since he
appropriaion o he Conucian radiion across he Asian American diaspora
is no all o one sripe A he same ime even i oher Asian radiions were o
be acored ino he marix o Asian American lie many are inormed by akind o pariarchal hierarchical and auhoriarian conservaism ha uncions
similarly in Eas Asian Conucian culure In shor perhaps he ldquomodel mi-
noriyrdquo sereoype as conesed as migh be such a designaion ha charac-
erizes much o he Asian American experience conribues o he conser-
vaism ha permeaes Asian American Evangelicalism
North American evangelical conservatism and its implications Bu high-
15See here Daniel A Bell Chinarsquos New Conucianism Poliics and Everyday Lie in a Changing Soci-
ey (Princeon NJ Princeon Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983096) chap 104862716Eg om Lin Losing Face and Finding Grace 983089983090 Bible Sudies or Asian Americans (Downers
Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 1048625983097983097983094) esp par 1048625
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 1535
983089983088983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
lighing Eas Asian conservaism ells only one side o he sory abou why
Asian Americans end o be conened wih and passive recipiens o he he-
ology o he dominan evangelical culure Te oher hal o his ale has o do wih Norh American conservaism as well O course hisorically Norh
American Evangelicalism was ormed ou o a long hisory o reacion o
mainline Proesan liberalism By definiion o be conservaive means o
resis he orces o change insoar as such changes are hough o compromise
he received values o a paricular radiion So while some changes have been
embraced evangelical conservaives have long resised wha are perceived as
adjusmens o hisoric Chrisian orhodoxy oised upon he Norh Americanchurch by heir liberal counerpars9830891048631 More recenly Evangelicals have also
enered ino he culure wars in deense o radiional amily values and oher
aspecs o he agenda o he Republican Pary
Over ime hen Evangelicals have been led o develop heological argu-
mens or heir conservaive sances Mos relevan or he Asian American
experience is how he dominan evangelical culure has acceped while
slighly redefining a leas more recenly he basic caegories o he classicalChris and Culure sudy o H Richard Niebuhr9830891048632 Ye hisorically Evangel-
icals have embraced he ldquoChris agains culurerdquo sance albei more recenly
shifing oward he ldquoChris ransorming culurerdquo posure Tis involves eiher
a wors he rejecion o culure which has radiionally characerized evan-
gelical secarianism (especially among undamenaliss he close cousins o
Evangelicals)9830891048633 or a bes an ambiguous relaionship wih culure one ea-
uring wha migh be called a culural hermeneuic o suspicion ha is alwaysconcerned abou syncreism wih he world Culure in popular evangelical
parlance is almos equivalen o he world and in ha sense is wha humans
need o be saved rom raher han parake o
17Tere are many versions o his sory my own elling is here ldquoTe Word and he Spiri or heSpiri and he Word Exploring he Boundaries o Evangelicalism in Relaionship o Modern Pen-ecosalismrdquo riniy Journal 10486261048627 no 1048626 (10486269830889830881048626) 10486261048627983093-9830931048626
18See H Richard Niebuhr Chris and Culure (10486259830979830931048625 repr San Francisco Harper orchligh1048625983097983093983094) c Glen H Sassen D M Yeager and John Howard Yoder Auhenic ransormaion A
New Vision o Chris and Culure (Nashville Abingdon 1048625983097983097983094)19Ie as manies in missionary and evangelisic sraegies ha called on convers o abandon heir
culural belies and pracices in ollowing Chris991252eg Birgi Meyer ranslaing he Devil Religion
and Moderniy Among he Ewe in Ghana (renon NJ Arica World Press 1048625983097983097983097)
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088983093
So how has his played ou in Asian American evangelical communiies
Mos poinedly Asian American Evangelicals have radiionally undersood
heir Chrisian conversion o involve eiher a urning away rom heir Asianculural roos or a minimizing o such aspecs o heir ideniy Ta Chrisian
conversion acually involves Americanizaion is quie prevalen across he
Asian American scene In my own case growing up as already indicaed in he
prologue we never alked abou he imporance o Chinese culure he em-
phasis a home (my parens were firs-generaion convers o Chrisianiy)
was always on embodying Chrisian culure Many Asian Americans hus end
o view heir Asian hisorical and culural legacies in binary erms ood dressand music migh be reained because hey concern he ouward aspecs o lie
which are incidenal anyway o rue human ideniy bu lierary philosophical
and religious ideas are o be cauiously approached (a bes) since hey are
probably represenaive o ldquohe worldrdquo and hus aniheical o he gospel
Tis confluence o Conucian and evangelical conservaism has been
srenghened hrough he process o heological educaion Asian American
Evangelicals end o atend solidly evangelical seminaries because o heirconservaive commimens So whereas mainline Proesan seminaries are
much more ocused on corporae ideniies evangelical seminaries and
heir curricula ocus more on personal ideniies paricularly he or-
maion o spiriual lives in relaionship o Chris9830901048624 Wha his means is ha
ehnic ideniies are minimized as having no more han biological signifi-
cance and hisorical and culural aspecs o Asian ideniy are acceped
only as accidenal o ideniy in Chris Asian American Evangelicals arefirs and oremos Chrisians and only secondarily i a all Asians (al-
hough ineresingly he prevalence o naionalism among Evangelicals
means ha American ideniy is much more imporan han evangelical
rheoric usually les on) Evangelical heological educaion hus provides
he philosophical and heological apparaus o make sense o such modes
o ideniy consrucion
20Russell Jeung ldquoEvangelical and Mainline eachings on Asian American Ideniyrdquo in Liew and Yee Bible in Asian America pp 104862610486251048625-1048627983094 reprined in Nakka-Cammau and seng Asian American
Chrisianiy pp 1048625983097983095-10486261048625983094
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 1735
983089983088983094 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
T983144983141 B983157983154983140983141983150 983151983142 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161 A M983145983150983151983154983145983156983161 R983141983152983151983154983156
In he ollowing I highligh he major episemological hermeneuical meh-
odological and docrinal aspecs o (whie) evangelical heology embraced bymany Asian American Evangelicals I argue no ha hese are he only ways in
which Asian American Evangelicals have accommodaed o he dominan
(whie) evangelical subculural worldview nor ha Asian American evan-
gelical heology can be reduced o hese eaures I sugges however ha hese
provide some explanaion or how many Asian American evangelical heolo-
gians view he Asian dimension o heir work in conexual erms bu do no
also undersand he dominan whie heological consrucs similarly Teresul is ha Asian American concerns are no only subordinaed bu also e-
ecively silenced in many cases In he ollowing I criically assess his dom-
inan view rom he marginal horizons o he Asian American experience
A (putatively) global epistemology I begin wih he Enlighenmen epis-
emology and is ques or or presumpion o have atained he universal per-
specive In heir batle agains liberalism Evangelicals have highlighed he
imporance o developing a biblical worldview983090983089 Worldview consrucion isineviably an inellecual exercise983090983090 Wha mos Evangelicals do no ofen
inerrogae is how rooed he worldview ques is in he Enlighenmen projec
As such evangelical worldview ormulaion operaes episemologically ac-
cording o modernis canons o raionaliy Tis is reinorced in evangelical
seminary educaion variously no leas in he embrace o some orm o oun-
daionalism characerisic o he Enlighenmen ques or cerainy hough
o secure evangelical claims o universal ruh983090983091
Foundaionalism classically undersood is he view ha all belies can be
jusified direcly (ounded upon) sense experience or reason available o all991252
hence universal991252raher han inerred rom oher (subjecively held) be-
lies9830901048628 While Evangelicals are philosophically jus as sophisicaed as anyone
21Tus InerVarsiy Press has jus published in 1048626983088983088983097 he fifh ediion o James Sirersquos Te Universe Nex
Door A Basic Worldview Caalog a esimony o is populariy a evangelical colleges and universiies22 Anoher popular ex among Evangelicals noes is concepual naure David K Naugle World-
view Te Hisory o a Concep (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048626)23 As refleced in anoher popular evangelical exbook J P Moreland and William Lane Craig
Philosophical Foundaions or a Chrisian Worldview (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 10486269830889830881048627)24Noe ha he dualism beween objeciviy and subjeciviy is isel a modernis consrucion I
discuss hese maters as well as evangelical orms o oundaionalism in my ldquoTe Demise o Foun-
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088 983095
else in heir deense o oundaionalism9830901048629 more ofen han no hey are epis-
emological oundaionaliss or wo reasons Negaively pu episemic oun-
daionalism is a deerren o wha hey see as he hreaening alernaive oepisemological skepicism philosophical i no moral relaivism and reli-
gious and heological pluralism Posiively pu he oundaions o Chrisian
knowing are given in he Bible I will reurn in a momen o address he her-
meneuical issues involved wih such an appeal For he momen however I
simply noe ha evangelical oundaionalism in whaever is guise butresses
is claims o have access o a universal sandpoin or (heological) knowledge
Such a universal vanage poin is o course relaed o he Enlighenmenques or cerain knowledge Hence he undermining o oundaionalism
opens up o perspecivism Evangelicals resis episemic perspecivism or he
same reasons ha hey deend oundaionalism because ha is el o be he
only way o secure raionally he sabiliy o ruh claims Opening he door
o perspecivism invies he mulipliciy o views ha characerizes he rela-
ivism o he posmodern siuaion Conservaive Evangelicals are hus very
concerned abou he ascendency o he posmodern agenda9830901048630
Wha does his have o do wih Asian American Evangelicalism My claim is
ha Asian Americans educaed a conservaive evangelical seminaries have un-
witingly embraced no only he oundaionalis episemology o heir eachers
bu also is atendan applicaions In order o ward off episemic skepicism
moral relaivism and heological pluralism Asian American Evangelicals have
also uncriically rejeced he perspecivism cenral o posoundaionalis epis-
emology9830901048631 More o he poin he deense o oundaionalism is also he de-ense o he saus quo he universal rame o reerence claimed by evangelical
daionalism and he Reenion o ruh Wha Evangelicals Can Learn rom C S Peircerdquo Chrisian
Scholarrsquos Review 1048626983097 no 1048627 (Spring 1048626983088983088983088) 9830939830941048627-98309698309625Eg J P Moreland and Garret DeWeese ldquoTe Premaure Repor o Foundaionalismrsquos Demiserdquo
in Millard J Erickson Paul Kjoss Helseh and Jusin aylor eds Reclaiming he Cener Confon-
ing Evangelical Accommodaion in Posmodern imes (Wheaon IL Crossway 1048626983088983088983092) pp 9830961048625-104862598308898309526Tus par 1048626 o Millard J Erickson Posmodernizing he Faih Evangelical Responses o he Chal-
lenge o Posmodernism (Grand Rapids Baker Books 1048625983097983097983096) is iled ldquoNegaive Responses o
Posmodernismrdquo and discusses a number o conemporary and recen deenders o classical evan-gelical aih David Wells Tomas Oden and Francis Schaeffer
27 As argued eg by Sanley J Grenz and John R Franke Beyond Foundaionalism Shaping Teology in
a Posmodern Conex (Louisville Wesminser John Knox 10486269830889830881048625) he criical and apologeic responsehas been he recogniion ha his akes us ldquobeyond Evangelicalismrdquo991252see Seven Knowles Beyond
Evangelicalism Te Teological Mehodology o Sanley J Grenz (Burlingon V Ashgae 1048626983088983088983097)
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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983089983088983096 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
heology Simulaneously so he argumen goes he abandonmen o ounda-
ionalism opens he door o perspecivism and pluralism And i he later are
problemaic so are heir ideological movemens especially and including muli-culuralism (wih some advocaes o such having reinerpreed Chrisian eaching
in ligh o a poliics o ideniy insead o vice versa)9830901048632 Asian American Evan-
gelicals are hus armed oundaionally o conron engage and resis he perils
o cynicism relaivism and pluralism Unbeknowns o hem however his no
only undercus he ideology o muliculuralism bu also assails he basis upon
which hey can reclaim heir own hisorical and culural ideniies O course
Evangelicals have more recenly recognized a leas in general he imporanceo embracing he diversiy o culures even o celebraing hem bu only so
long as doing so does no hreaen he oundaions o evangelical ceriude
An (allegedly) a-cultural hermeneutic Tis presumpion o having a uni-
versal perspecive while undergirded as biblical raher han recognized as
ounded on an Enlighenmen paradigm bleeds over ino evangelical herme-
neuics In he Asian American evangelical landscape such hermeneuical pre-
supposiions bracke Asian America wheher inenionally (more ofen) or noIn his way Asian American Evangelicals have imbibed no only he oundaion-
alism o heir classical seminary educaion bu also he biblical hermeneuic ha
works o secure such an episemic sance Unsurprisingly a he hear o he
evangelical inerpreaion o Scripure is anoher insrumen rom he modernis
oolki ha o hisorical criicism Tis ime however such a hermeneuical
approach is deployed o access he auhorial inen o he Scripures and i is
his ha is cenral (oundaional) o ideniying he biblical message which inurn enables he Bible o serve as he unshakable norm or Chrisian belie
Tere is much o unpack in he preceding brie descripion o evangelical
hermeneuics classically considered Bu I wan o ocus insead on he prin-
ciples o biblical exegesis as emphasized in evangelical seminary educaion9830901048633
Te goal o exegesis is o draw ou o or o cull rom he Bible wha he original
auhors mean o communicae Tis involves undersanding firs and
28Tus have some Evangelicals harangued agains muliculuralism as an ideology or example991252Dennis McCallum ed Te Deah o ruh Wharsquos Wrong wih Muliculuralism he Rejecion o
Reason and he New Posmodern Diversiy (Minneapolis Behany House 1048625983097983097983094)29Eg Waler C Kaiser oward an Exegeical Teology Biblical Exegesis or Preaching and eaching
(Grand Rapids Baker Books 1048625983097983097983096)
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088983097
oremos how he biblical auhors were undersood by heir iniial audiences
in he ancien conex Exegesis accesses hese primordially inended biblical
principles Wha he Bible means oday is hereby a secondary issue de-penden primarily on wha i originally mean o he firs hearers and readers
o he Scripures Conemporary applicaion hus involves idenificaion o
he original and or some single meaning o he biblical exs9830911048624
Te flip side o he emphasis on exegesis hen involves he rejecion o
eisegesis he inserion o conemporary perspecives ino he meaning o he
biblical ex I he burden o biblical hermeneuics is o ake away rom he
Scripures wha is auhors inended o communicae he bane o evangelicalinerpreaion is o read ino he Bible whaever our presen viewpoins may
dicae Tis o course is a violaion o he cardinal rule o evangelical herme-
neuics readers should leave heir prejudices and biases a he door and allow
he Bible o inorm hem insead Oherwise he concern is ha he reader
will find whaever he or she is looking or and his inecs conaminaes
skews and disors he prisine message o he Bible983091983089
Te problem here is no jus ha he lines beween exegesis and eisegesis aremuch more blurred han Evangelicals usually acknowledge983091983090 bu ha he per-
sisen applicaion o such an approach o he Bible dicaes ha evangelical
readers inenionally bracke or a leas atemp o hold in abeyance heir own
hisories experiences and perspecives as being o secondary impor i o any
relevance a all or heir reading o Scripure Now I am cerainly no suggesing
ha we all willy-nilly inser our biases in appropriaing he biblical ex Simul-
aneously I urge ha he cos o such hermeneuical brackeing is oo high or
30See Rober L Tomas Evangelical Hermeneuics Te New Versus he Old (Grand Rapids Kregel10486269830889830881048626) chap 983094 iled ldquoTe Principle o Single Meaningrdquo which argues ha he pluralism po-lyphony and plurivociy o meaning advocaed by recen progressive Evangelicals reflecs more heeffecs o humaniyrsquos all ino sin han i does he classical assumpions o evangelical biblical in-erpreaion For a counerargumen one ha I am largely sympaheic wih see James K ASmih Te Fall o Inerpreaion Philosophical Foundaions or a Creaional Hermeneuic (DownersGrove IL InerVarsiy Press 1048626983088983088983088)
31For evangelical concerns regarding reader-response hermeneuics see Norman R Gulley ldquoReader-
Response Teories in Posmodern Hermeneuics A Challenge o Evangelical Teologyrdquo in DavidS Dockery ed Te Challenge o Posmodernism An Evangelical Engagemen (Wheaon IL VicorBooks 1048625983097983097983093) pp 1048626983088983096-1048627983096
32In mainline Proesan circles o course here has long been recogniion ha he radiional line beween exegesis and eisegesis is much blurrier han previously hough see Jay G WilliamsldquoExegesis-Eisegesis Is Tere a Differencerdquo Teology oday 1048627983088 no 1048627 (10486259830979830951048627) 10486261048625983096-1048626983095
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2135
983089 983089983088 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
ehnic minoriies who are Evangelicals since his in effec rejecs heir quesions
and concerns as perinen o heir engagemen wih he Bible In addiion such
presumpive brackeing blinds whie Evangelicals o he ac ha heir own ho-rizons and perspecives are involved in any reading o ancien exs and his lack
o awareness makes i doubly difficul o recognize moderae or correc
I would urge insead ha we recognize and embrace he ension involved
in he usion o biblical and conemporary horizons bu do so in a way ha
boh allows conemporary readers o ener ino he world o he Bible on he
one hand (ldquohis is hardquo) and or he Bible o map ono our conemporary lives
on he oher hand (ldquoha is hisrdquo)983091983091 Tis no only allows or an Asian American reading o he Bible somehing ha is barred in he evangelical
environmen i also invies even encourages such an approach and his in
urn gives Asian Americans991252all people acually991252permission o read he
Bible as i i really matered o heir lives
A (presumably) biblical-theological method Enlighenmen assumpions
hus inorm no only Asian American evangelical episemology and herme-
neuics bu also heological mehod and hey do so in ways ha marginalize Asian America Tis is consisen wih he general evangelical ear o licensing
wha hey see as merely subjecive readings o he Bible or he same reasons
ha hey are wary abou enabling heological mehodologies ha consciously
acknowledge he role o experience In oher words he saus quo in evan-
gelical approaches o he Bible (wih is accenuaion o exegesis and rejecion
o eisegesis) has is counerpar in evangelical approaches o heological re-
flecion his ime wih he emphasis on he Bible as he primary i no solesource or heology over and agains hisory radiion culure and experience
A one level he sola scripura commimens o Reormaion radiions have
a very specific hisory and should be undersood according o he nuances
wih which his idea has developed in he pas five hundred years9830911048628 A anoher
33I explicae some aspecs o he ldquohis is hardquo hermeneuic rom a Penecosal perspecive in myldquoReading Scripure and Naure Penecosal Hermeneuics and Teir Implicaions or he Con-
emporary Evangelical Teology and Science Conversaionrdquo Perspecives on Science and ChrisianFaih 9830931048627 no 1048625 (104862698308810486251048625) 1048625-10486251048627
34Reflecing developmens rom he publicaion o Te Fundamenals o he ldquoChicago Saemen onBiblical Inerrancyrdquo (1048625983097983095983096) many conservaive Norh American Evangelicals991252eg rom NormanL Geisler Inerrancy (Grand Rapids Zondervan 1048625983097983096983088) o James R Whie Scripure Alone (Min-neapolis Behany House 1048626983088983088983092)991252have seen and coninue o see boh sola scripura and he doc-
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2235
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2335
983089 983089 983090 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
Te problem however is ha Asian Americans have rarely i ever ques-
ioned more rigid applicaions o his mehodological norm or evangelical
heology Raher hey have inernalized he evangelical bias agains hisoryradiion and experience hus silencing he role ha paricular perspecives
migh play in he heological ask I we appeal o our experience a all we
mus do so apologeically as i admiting ha such heological inerprea-
ions are a bes parochial concerns o a communiy no ye assimilaed o
he dominan culure or a wors signaling our heological immauriy and
need o grow up rom or ranscend he ldquobackwardnessrdquo represening our
hisory and experience beore our lie in Chris Ironically however suchinenional marginalizaion o he Asian American experience no o
menion Asian American philosophical ways o hinking and reasoning
does no call ino quesion how he predominanly Anglo- and Euro-
American experiences o moderniy have shaped evangelical heology As a
resul Asian American Evangelicals have adoped wha is claimed o be a
biblical worldview and heological ramework supposedly shorn o he sub-
jecive biases o hisorically siuaed human inerpreers Bu hese aresurely devoid o heir own experienial and conexual (Asian American)
locaions and ye uncriically naive in hinking ha Euro-American his-
orical accidens have been adequaely ldquoChrisianizedrdquo
So ar I have suggesed ha episemologically hermeneuically and meh-
odologically Asian Americans have rarely quesioned he modernis Enligh-
enmen and Anglo- and Euro-American presupposiions o he evangelical
heological endeavor And since his underaking has never acknowledged heculural conexs and perspecives o he predominanly whie ramers o he
evangelical heological radiion10486281048624 he assumpion is ha ehniciy plays litle
i any role in he work o heology No surprisingly hen Asian American
heologians have been reicen o sugges ha ehniciy culure and hisoriciy
coun in heological reflecion By exension he heological and docrinal
40My poin is no ha whie perspecives have disored he gospel his isel assumes a sor oa-culural gospel ha needs conexualizaion991252a poin ha needs o be addressed and nuanced which we will do momenarily My poin is ha such whie viewpoins are no only unrecognized bu ha hey are hen presumed o be normaive or nonwhies I is par o he goal o his chapero call Asian American heologians o atend o his assumpion and o find ways o inenionallyaddress and subver i
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983091
resuls have been ormulaed and ransmited as biblically unded and univer-
sally applicable regardless o conexual consideraions
A (supposedly) universal doctrinal famework One example o how Norh American evangelical heology has proceeded wih universalisic assumpions
and hereby overlooked i no inenionally ignored oher culural perspec-
ives has o do wih he docrine o he aonemen and wha i addresses Pu
crassly humankind suffers rom one overall problem ha o sin agains God
and ha one problem demands basically one soluion he subsiuionary
aonemen o he Sonrsquos deah on he cross1048628983089 Now I realize ha i is unair o
depic evangelical views regarding he aonemen in such homogeneous ermssince he mater isel is sill being conesed1048628983090 Bu he ac is ha in some
evangelical circles deparure rom he subsiuionary view o he aonemen
is considered deviaion rom evangelical orhodoxy1048628983091 From his posiion oher
biblical aspecs and alernaive inerpreaions are eiher subsumed under he
docrine o penal subsiuion or argued o be flawed in some respec
O course such a viewpoin minimizes he role o medieval eudalism and
he jurisprudenial background o some o he Reormers in he emergenceand esablishmen o his undersanding o he aonemen in he evangelical
radiion jus as i really does no quesion he basically Augusinian anhro-
pology presumed in his process Now I am no a hisorical deerminis who
believes ha conex leads inexorably o our heological ideas jus as I do no
hink ha allowance or hisorical conexual acors relaivizes he ruh o
heological claims or produces docrinal heerodoxy Raher wihou denying
41Te World Evangelical Alliancersquos Saemen o Faih affirms ldquoWe believe in Our Lord JesusChris God manies in he flesh His virgin birh His sinless human lie His divine miracles His vicarious and aoning deah His bodily resurrecion His ascension His mediaorial work and HisPersonal reurn in power and glory Te Salvaion o los and sinul man hrough he shed bloodo he Lord Jesus Chris by aih apar rom works and regeneraion by he Holy Spirirdquo (see worldevangelicalorgweasaemenhm emphases original)
42See James Beilby and Paul R Eddy eds Te Naure o he Aonemen Four Views (DownersGrove IL IVP Academic 1048626983088983088983094) and Derek idball David Hilborn and Jusin Tacker eds Te
Aonemen Debae Papers fom he London Symposium on he Teology o he Aonemen (Grand
Rapids Zondervan 1048626983088983088983093) c J Denny Weaver Te Nonviolen Aonemen (Grand Rapids Eerd-mans 10486269830889830881048625) and Hans Boersma Violence Hospialiy and he Cross Recovering he Aonemen
radiion (Grand Rapids Baker Academic 1048626983088983088983092)43See S Lewis Johnson Jr ldquoBehold he Lamb Te Gospel and Subsiuionary Aonemenrdquo in John
H Armsrong ed Te Coming Evangelical Crisis Curren Challenges o he Auhoriy o Scripure
and he Gospel (Chicago Moody Press 1048625983097983097983094) pp 10486251048625983097-1048627983096
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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983089 983089 983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
he imporance o he biblical and heological heme o subsiuion or he
docrine o he aonemen I am simply suggesing ha oher culural perspec-
ives and even assumpions migh highligh and emphasize oher biblicalmeaphors regarding Chrisrsquos salvific work
Bu o pursue he quesion ono Asian American errain wha difference
will i make i we recognize ha some Asians and Asian Americans live and
exis in a shame raher han guil culure How migh evangelical hinking
abou he aonemen be adjused revised and maybe even ransormed i
Chrisrsquos work no only assuaged he guil o sin rom human lives bu also re-
moved he shame in human hears10486281048628 My poin is ha evangelical heologicalendencies generally urge a universalisic sandpoin and in his paradigm
here is no need o atend o he pariculariies o or ariculae Asian Asian
American or oher culural perspecives since hese are all subsumed wihin he
biblical ramework read in an evangelical way In his case here isnrsquo even a
need o ask wheher radiional evangelical heologies and docrines like hose
regarding he aonemen may need o be revisied and reariculaed in ligh o
oher hisorical culural and experienial dynamics In ac Asian Americansare boh oo shameul and oo shy o even consider asking abou hese maters
I have argued so ar in his secion ha Asian American Evangelicals ormed
heologically according o he sensibiliies o he dominan evangelical culure
in Norh America have inernalized he whie evangelical worldview and in ha
sense mosly do no see he need o hink explicily rom an Asian American
vanage poin Asian American evangelical views are hereore a bes no more
han a minoriy heological perspecive wo relaed summary consequenceshave ollowed Asian American acquiescence o he majoriy culure Firs meh-
odologically and maerially evangelical heology has been undersood o be a-
hisorical a-culural and even a-conexual Te assumpion is ha he Bible
addresses all human beings so any plain reading o he Scripure will or should
be able o access he Word o God a any and all imes and places radiionally
ormulaed and ramed evangelical docrines derived rom an inducive sudy
44 Asian Americans are beginning o do jus his however991252eg Rachel Y Lei ldquoSaving Significanceo he Cross in he Asian American Conexrdquo SANACS Journal 1048625 (1048626983088983088983097) 983097983093-10486251048625983094 c Mark D Bakerand Joel B Green Recovering he Scandal o he Cross Te Aonemen in New esamen and Con-
emporary Conexs (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 1048626983088983088983088) chap 983094 ldquoRemoving AlienaingShame Te Saving Significance o he Cross in Japanrdquo
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983093
o Scripure hus orm he undispuable and unrevisable core o he gospel
Tere is litle recogniion o he hisorical culural and conexual perspecives
ha have conribued o he ariculaion o such evangelical belies Wha his means is ha here sill remains a core se o evangelical docrinal
achievemens and hese remain valid across space and ime alhough hey
may be supplemened by or ranslaed ino local conexual and siuaional
perspecives and idioms As we saw previously (chaper one) he recen Cam-
bridge Companion o Evangelical Teology reflecs precisely his mindse10486281048629 Te
Companion we know is divided ino wo pars Te firs is iled ldquoEvan-
gelicals and Chrisian Docrinerdquo and his includes eigh chapers on he oun-daional docrinal marix o evangelical belies he riniy Scripure chris-
ology heological anhropology jusificaionaonemen pneumaology
conversionsancificaion and ecclesiology Par wo ldquoTe Conexs o Evan-
gelical Teologyrdquo hen provides anoher nine chapers and hese cover issues
relaed o culure gender race and pluralism and include five chapers on
evangelical heology in Arican Asian European Lain American and Norh
American conexs Tis srucure o he Companion communicaes a wooldmessage ha evangelical docrine is a-conexually derived (par one) and
ha various hisorical conexs (par wo) can add a mos parochial ruhs
ha will no upse he docrinal supersrucure o he evangelical heological
landscape In shor basic heological and docrinal ruhs o he Chrisian
aih have already been ormulaed and can be ound in any oher evangelical
sysemaic heological ex quie apar rom Asian American or any oher
more specified perspecivesPu more poinedly i Asian Americans (or any oher ehnic or culural
group) were o wrie heir own heologies hese would be provincial under-
akings wih marginal relevance or he wider evangelical communiy Tese
would be o value only or ldquohoserdquo people (maybe immigrans reugees or
exiles) who have no ye been assimilaed ino he broader American evan-
gelical culure Litle wonder hen ha ew Asian Americans have venured
ino heological errioryhe second summary consequence o inernalizing he dominan
45imohy Larsen and Daniel J reier eds Te Cambridge Companion o Evangelical Teology (Cambridge Cambridge Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983095)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2735
983089 983089983094 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
worldview991252ha evangelical heology a leas in is dogmaic and sysemaic
configuraions is by and large a finished projec wih minimal inpu needed
rom Asian American or oher perspecives991252is ha Asian Americans wihheological educaion have urned in general o work in he hisorical and
social scienific disciplines10486281048630 Tere cerainly remains imporan work o be
done by hose working across he disciplines so I am no decrying such effors
Ye he ac ha hisorical sociological or oher disciplinary explicaions o
Asian American lie are published by universiy presses communicaes o
Asian Americans ha heir role is o shed new ligh on he Asian American
experience A he same ime he prevalence o hese analyical approachesamid he lacuna o explicily heological works suggess ha he ormer is o
minimal value a leas or he ldquorealrdquo heological work o dogmaics and sys-
emaics Furher ha hese scholarly publishers do no eaure exs on Asian
American evangelical heology confirms his division o labor (whie Evan-
gelicals wrie real heology Asian American Evangelicals do hisory sociology
ec) A he end o he day evangelical heologyrsquos assumpion remains undis-
urbed ha here are core docrines ha only need o be conexualized991252ha is ranslaed and made relevan991252around he world In his ramework
Asian Americans can conribue no o he ormer heological ormulaion bu
only o he later ranslaion and disseminaion ask10486281048631
46Eg he work o imohy seng and David Yoo in hisory Fenggang Yang and Rebecca Kim insociology and Russell Jeung in Asian American sudies among ohers see also my ldquoAsian Amer-ican Religion A Review Essayrdquo Nova Religio Te Journal o Alernaive and Emergen Religions 983097
no 1048627 (1048626983088983088983094) 9830971048626-104862598308898309547One could argue ha a parallel ye disinc moivaion drives Lain American or Hispanic evan-
gelical heology in a similar direcion I Asian Americans are cauioned agains hinking heo-logically rom ou o ehnic hisorical and conexual lives because o heir uncriical embrace o whie evangelical assumpions Hispanic Evangelicals may have adoped similar commimensalbei or slighly differen reasons relaed o he Lain American conex Te dominance o heRoman Caholic Church along wih is heological and olk radiions in he later environmenmay be behind Hispanic evangelical suspicions abou he role o hisory and culure in he doingo heology Te ani-Caholic senimen in hisoric Evangelicalism no doub is atracive oLainoas on he migran rail (rom Lain America o he Unied Saes) alhough such accom-modaion has brough wih i he heological coss elaboraed in he preceding pages For urher
discussion and oher angles on hese issues see Oscar Garcia-Johnson Te Mesizoa Communiyo he Spiri A Posmodern Lainoa Ecclesiology (Eugene OR Wip amp Sock 1048626983088983088983097) Sammy Alaro Divino Compantildeero oward a Hispanic Penecosal Chrisology (Eugene OR Pickwick10486269830881048625983088) Juan Mariacutenez ldquolsquoOuside he Gaersquo Evangelicalism and Laino Proesan Teologyrdquo in JeffreyGreenman and Gene L Green eds Global Teology in Evangelical Perspecive Exploring he Conex-
ual Naure o Teology and Mission (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 104862698308810486251048626) pp 1048625983095983097-983097983092 and
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983095
T983144983141 M983137983150983140983137983156983141 983151983142 A983155983145983137983150 A983149983141983154983145983139983137983150 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161
Te preceding analysis raises sel-criical awareness or Asian American Evan-
gelicals and invies hem in dialogue wih oher Evangelicals o consider wheher heir minoriy saus is problemaic and wha i anyhing can and
ough o be done abou i Now I am aware ha here are developmens wihin
he evangelical heological radiion broadly consrued ha have moved
beyond some o he sricures idenified in he preceding secion Progressive
Evangelicals he evangelical lef and posconservaive Evangelicals denoe jus
a ew o he rends among ohers percolaing on he margins o evangelical
heology10486281048632 Bu ha is precisely par o he problem hese are movemens haexcep or a small minoriy remain ouside he evangelical mainsream and
have also by and large been ignored by Asian American evangelical scholars
and heologians I believe ha producive ways orward can be chared via
Asian American Evangelicals in dialogue wih some o hese ideas alhough
a he end o he day such conversaions will only be producive as Asian
American Evangelicals ormulae a plaorm on which hey can bring some-
hing subsanive o he discussion Tis later ask is par o he presen chal-lenge and burden o he presen book
Insoar hen as I am ineresed in he quesion o wha Asian Americans can
conribue o evangelical heology no jus hisorically or sociologically bu a
a heological level my claim is ha pursui o hese maters ironically also in-
volves aking seriously he hisoriciy and pariculariy o Asian American cul-
ures experiences and perspecives In his final par o his chaper I do no
more han sugges in broad srokes how o go abou such an underakingRealities o the Asian American diaspora Par o ldquohe problem o evan-
gelical heologyrdquo can be clarified i we siuae Asian American evangelical
heology amid he broader Asian American diasporic hisorical and social
realiies described in par a he beginning o chaper wo Doing so enables
he sark realizaion ha Asian American Evangelicals are composed by a
wide range o experiences on he one hand and pressure o assimilae o
Juan F Mariacutenez and Lindy Scot eds Los Evangeacutelicos Porrais o Laino Proesanism in he
Unied Saes (Eugene OR Wip amp Sock 1048626983088983088983097)48Many o hese are discussed in Roger E Olson Reormed and Always Reorming Te Posconser-
vaive Approach o Evangelical Teology (Grand Rapids Baker Academic 1048626983088983088983095)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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983089 983089983096 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
American culure on he oher W hile Asians have lived in Norh America
since he ounding o he republic and had even conribued o he building
o he American empire during he nineeenh cenury he 983089983097983094983093 Immigraion Ac ha repealed he Orienal Exclusion Ac o 983089983097983090983092 reopened he door o a
new wave o Asian migraion During he las generaion Asian American lie
has been urher ransormed by he orces o globalizaion diasporas creaed
by modernizaion indusrializaion and urbanizaion reugee populaions
displaced by war amine and climae changes movemen enabled by he
emergence o a worldwide marke economy advances in echnology and mass
communicaion he cross-erilizaion o ideologies and shifs in inerna-ional relaions10486281048633 Te resul as saw in he previous chaper is he appearance
o a wide range o Asian American communiies across Norh America Lie
in such communiies is fluid affeced by migraion paterns socioeconomic
pressures and he srengh o relaions wih hose ldquoback homerdquo Te sronger
he ransnaional ies beween Asian immigrans in he Wes and heir amilies
organizaions and insiuions (religious and oherwise) in heir homeland
he more inense and longer-lasing he exchange o religious goods and ideas(in he orm o books periodicals and various orms o elecommunicaion)
Unsurprisingly hen firs-generaion immigrans ofen deepen he reli-
gious commimens ha hey held or praciced perhaps more nominally
beore moving Someimes immigrans conver o he more dominan religion
o heir new home In eiher case religious affiliaion ofen serves o secure
social neworks coner saus oherwise difficul o come by or immigrans
and srenghen ehnic culural and linguisic bonds and ideniies Bu or he983089983093 generaion (hose born in Asia bu who grew up a leas in par in he
Unied Saes like mysel) he process o assimilaion is well under way In
hese cases he ehnic enclave will develop English-speaking secions as well
as social organizaions school clubs and Chrisian congregaions
For young adul Asian American Evangelicals however here is ofen a
49For an overview o hese issues see Wanni W Anderson and Rober G Lee eds Displacemensand Diasporas Asians in he Americas (New Brunswick NJ Rugers Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983093) Idiscuss urher he implicaions o globalizaion or Chrisian heology in Amos Yong and PeerHelzel ldquoRober Cummings Neville and he Global Fuure o Teologyrdquo in Yong and Helzel edsTeology in Global Conex Essays in Honor o Rober Cummings Neville (New York amp Clark1048626983088983088983092) pp 1048626983097-9830921048626 esp pp 1048627983088-1048627983092
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983097
keen sense ha heir own ehnically organized congregaions or groups are
somehow less religiously and heologically legiimae because hey do no
have he more ldquouniversalrdquo appeal o whie or muliculural evangelicalchurches or parachurch organizaions10486291048624 Te resul is eiher he ransiion o
ehnic congregaions ino pan-ehnic congregaions or movemen rom heir
ldquohomerdquo congregaion o oher less ehnically defined church environmens1048629983089
By he ime he second generaion atains adulhood he remaining culural
or linguisic barriers o ull assimilaion ino American sociey are pracically
overcome ofen o he dismay o parens and grandparens1048629983090
Wha does such assimilaion consis o Cerainly speaking Englishparicipaing in he marke economy and adaping o he opions provided
by American seculariy and poliics are minimal adjusmens Bu perhaps
assimilaion also requires abandoning he norms o he immigran culure
in avor o American norms or amily and gender relaions and engaging
wih he public square on is erms I so would his no lead o an evan-
gelical sel-undersanding deeply ormed by American culure poliics
and economics Would his no resul in a subordinaion and even deor-maion o all ha is Asian excep or he biological phenoype I would
appear hen ha becoming American would more easily aciliae he
embrace o evangelical Chrisianiy991252i such is deined as a suburban
Midwesern whie middle-class religious phenomenon wih Wheaon
Illinois as is veriable ldquoMeccardquo991252bu his brings wih i he cos o losing
onersquos Asianness Does his mean ha ull accepance o Evangelicalism
50See eg Rebecca Y Kim ldquoNegoiaion o Ehnic and Religious Boundaries by Asian AmericanCampus Evangelicalsrdquo in ony Carnes and Fenggang Yang eds Asian American Religions Te
Making and Remaking o Borders and Boundaries (New York New York Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983092) pp10486259830921048625-983093983097 and Rudy V Buso ldquoTe Gospel According o he Model Minoriy Hazarding an Inerpre-aion o Asian American Evangelical College Sudensrdquo in David K Yoo ed New Spiriual Homes
Religion and Asian Americans (Honolulu Universiy o Hawaii Press 1048625983097983097983097) pp 1048625983094983097-98309698309551See Russell Jeung Faihul Generaions Race and New Asian American Churches (New Brunswick
NJ Rugers Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983092)52 As can be discerned by reading beween he lines o he Bible sudies in om Linrsquos Losing Face
and Finding Grace Tis appears o be he case wheher he second generaion inenionally a-emps o disinguish is ehnic congregaional lie rom ha o he firs immigran generaion or wheher he second generaion becomes absorbed ino nonehnic or even muliehnic congrega-ions on his poin see Elaine Howard Ecklund ldquoModels o Civic Responsibiliy Korean Amer-icans in Congregaions wih Differen Ehnic Composiionsrdquo Journal or he Scienific Sudy o
Religion 983092983092 no 1048625 (1048626983088983088983093) 1048625983093-1048626983096
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3135
983089 983090 983088 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
includes ldquorepenancerdquo rom Asia and ldquoconversionrdquo o Americanism1048629983091
Ta his is no he case seems o be borne ou by he sociological lieraure
which confirms ha ehniciy remains jus as imporan as religion in he or-maion o Asian American ideniy10486291048628 Bu i so evangelical heology has no
even begun o wresle wih he imporance o ehniciy and race no o
menion heir heological implicaions Second-generaion Korean Amer-
icans or insance seem o be inuiively drawn o churches and parachurch
minisries ha oreground heir Korean culural ideniy10486291048629 bu hey have
developed ew heological raionales or such orms o social organizaion
more o he poin heir own heological presupposiions miigae agains suchaciviy which may explain heir ideniy conflicedness
Unsurprisingly hen Asian American evangelical heology has ye o ge
off he ground even a he beginning o he weny-firs cenury Asian
American Evangelicals geting degrees rom insiuions o higher educaion
have had o wresle wihagains his assimilaive impulse o sruggle wih he
quesion o wheher hey are or should be doing (descripive) sociology raher
han heology (as normaive reflecion) and o ariculae an apologeic ordoing Asian American evangelical heology raher han jus evangelical he-
ology For oo many Asian American Evangelicals heir saus ldquobewix and
beweenrdquo991252on he one hand belonging o Asia and o he Unied Saes in
some respecs bu on he oher hand being a sranger o boh Asia and he
Unied Saes in oher respecs991252pus hem in a unique posiion o inerrogae
evangelical heology bu (o dae) leaves hem ouside he ormal organiza-
ional and insiuional srucures o criique effecively and ransorm heevangelical heological radiion
53One could also make he reverse argumen however ha Evangelicalism in he Unied Saes hasalready been molded by is social culural and hisorical conex o he exen ha he very eauresha mark he American way o lie991252ie individualism experienialism pragmaism even con-sumerism991252have also come o characerize evangelical Chrisianiy For an insighul analysis ohe ofenimes uncriical conflaion o Evangelicalism and Americanism and o he orces ha havealso resised such accommodaions see D G Har Ta Old-ime Religion in Modern America
Evangelical Proesanism in he wenieh Cenury (Chicago Ivan R Dee 10486269830889830881048626)54See Jerry Z Park ldquoTe Ehnic and Religious Ideniies o Young Asian Americansrdquo (PhD diss
Universiy o Nore Dame 1048626983088983088983092)55See Sharon Kim and Rebecca Y Kim ldquoSecond-Generaion Korean American Chrisiansrsquo Com-
muniies Congregaional Hybridiyrdquo in Carolyn Chen and Russell Jeung eds Susaining Faih
radiions Race Ehniciy and Religion Among he Laino and Asian American Second Generaion (New York New York Universiy Press 104862698308810486251048626) pp 1048625983095983094-9830971048627
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983090 983089
Moving trajectories o theological reflection O course i Asian Americans
hope o climb he ranks o he Norh American evangelical heological
academy hey can only do so on he erms esablished by heir hoss Andraher han responding o sociopoliical acors he evangelical heological
guild has always undersood isel primarily in heological erms and seen is
charge as deending hisorical orhodoxy wheher ha be agains liberalismrsquos
denial o biblical supernauralism agains neo-orhodoxyrsquos ambiguous sance
on Scripure agains mainsream sciencersquos heory o evoluion agains open
heismrsquos docrine o God and so on10486291048630 I evangelical heology has never
beore enerained ehnic perspecives in is discursive consrucion why nowundermine he (is presumed) universal ramework and applicabiliy by
adding he Asian or Asian American qualifiers
While in a sense his enire book provides a se o responses o his quesion
here I sugges hree reasons ha can moivae such a heological pah orward
Firs he Asian diaspora in he Unied Saes is now in a siuaion o reflec
subsanively on is experience o migraion While here are remendous
challenges o migraion10486291048631 some Asian Americans have achieved a level oupward social mobiliy so ha hey are now in he posiion o producing
scholarship inormed by such experienial perspecives Since he memory o
migraion among Asian Americans is more recen han hose o heir Cau-
casian colleagues such perspecives migh be helpul o ideniy how he mi-
graion rom he European coninen has shaped he evangelical heological
enerprise as a whole I Asian Americans can help heir evangelical colleagues
ideniy he hisorical impac o old o new world migraion on he belies andpracices o Norh American Evangelicalism ha in isel will open up pos-
sibiliies or considering aresh Asian American hisories and heir conribu-
ions o he wider conversaion
Second Asian Americans are orced o hink abou race and ehniciy in a
way unlike mos o heir whie brohers and sisers alhough heir reflecions
56Evangelical heologyrsquos many inernal and exernal batles are documened by Jon R Sone On heBoundaries o American Evangelicalism Te Poswar Evangelical Coaliion (New York S MarinrsquosPress 1048625983097983097983095)
57Some o hese are documened by Kenneh J Gues God in Chinaown Religion and Survival in
New Yorkrsquos Evolving Immigran Communiy (New York New York Universiy Press 10486269830889830881048627) whose work we will reurn o in chaper six
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983089 983090 983090 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
can also mediae perspecive in an oherwise whie-and-black demarcaed
world Race and ehniciy are undeniable aspecs o Asian American hisory
and experience Te impor o his is a leas woold Firs Asian Americansare posiioned o engage he discussion opened up by black evangelical heo-
logians regarding conemporary heology991252even in is evangelical guises991252as
reflecing he ascen o whie perspecives in he early modern period a he
expense o Jewish and oher nonwhie culural realiies Asian American per-
specives on race and ehniciy will open up new visas on he racial and ehnic
dimensions o he biblical world10486291048632 In oher words he marginalized hisories
and perspecives o Asian American Evangelicals have much o conribue oconemporary biblical inerpreaion and heological explicaion Te dom-
inan orms o evangelical heology orged in par ou o he hegemony o
Chrisendom are in need o criical analysis and dialogical revision
Las bu no leas cenral and ongoing elemens o Asian American hisory
are par o he presen experiences o ransnaionalism and globalizaion Te
issues here are complex10486291048633 One mater ha needs o be addressed is he iner-
woven characer o he global economy and how i affecs people around he world differenly depending on various social poliical and culural circum-
sances In addiion wih regard o he Asian American side o his equaion
here remain difficul issues relaed o how he quesion o assimilaion or ac-
culuraion is being negoiaed and adjudicaed Firs- second- and hird-gener-
aion perspecives differ someimes momenously and his does no even acor
in he perspecives o he 983089983093 generaion I heology is o engage he hisorical
realiies o real flesh-and-blood human beings i mus engage such quesions inour conemporary world Asian American Evangelicals can lead he way in
hinking heologically abou such hings and his will benefi no only Asian
58 Asian Evangelicals hus need o build rom he insighul readings o mainline Proesan biblicalscholar a-Siong Benny Liew Wha Is Asian American Biblical Hermeneuics Reading he New
esamen (Honolulu Universiy o Hawaii Press 1048626983088983088983096) regarding he ehnic dynamics under-neah Jewish-Genile relaions in he New esamen o be sure Liewrsquos mainline Proesan as-sumpions may be raher disan rom evangelical ones so some criical dialogue and perhaps
correcion may also be in order Ye he srengh o Liewrsquos book is o sugges how Asian Americanexperiences o ehnic marginaliy can illuminae he dispues beween Jewish and Genile ollow-ers o he Messiah in he firs cenury Tis is an issue worh subsanial engagemen rom anevangelical perspecive
59Eg Neil J Ormerod and Shane Clifon Globalizaion and he Mission o he Church (New York amp Clark 104862698308810486251048625)
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983090983091
American communiies bu also hose o oher ehnic racial and culural groups
who are also wresling wih lie in he weny-firs-cenury global conex
Evangelical heology oday will need o heed more inenionally han i has beore acors o migraion ehniciy globalizaion and ransnaionalism
Asian American Evangelicals can assis wih hese maters i hey will arise o
he occasion Tis does no derac rom he universaliy o he gospel message
On he conrary i addresses quesions o universal significance ha are oher-
wise negleced or engaged rom or wihin only one (dominan cenris) se
o perspecives
Reconnecting to the broader evangelical theological tradition Beore con-cluding his chaper however an imporan cavea ough o be sounded None
o he preceding should be read as denying eiher Asian American indebedness
o he evangelical radiion or he inerrelaedness o Asian American and oher
evangelical effors in he conemporary heological ask Te preceding migh
sugges ha Asian Americans are only poining accusing fingers a heir whie
evangelical riends Wihou aking away anyhing rom he seriousness o he
oregoing discussion I also realize ha whie Evangelicals in paricular and Americans in general have been welcoming o Asians and ha we have made i
his ar on our diasporic journey only wih he help o such riends
Beyond such ecclesial collegialiy however I would gran ha Asian Amer-
icans are in various respecs beholden heologically o American Evangelicals
as well In paricular American evangelical commimens o Chris-
ceneredness biblical aihulness and missionary zealousness are imporan
elemens o Chrisian belie and pracice in he weny-firs cenury Asian American Evangelicals should embrace and live ou such commimens no
only or hemselves bu also or oher Evangelicals and even or he world
Ye my claim is precisely ha such a posure enables Asian American Evan-
gelicals o conribue heologically o he ormaion o an evangelical belie
and praxis relevan o he weny-firs cenury For his o happen however
Asian American Evangelicals mus embrace no only he evangel bu also he
hisoriciy o heir diasporic experiences Te incarnaion o he Son o Godconsised afer all o aking on he concreeness palpabiliy and emporaliy
o human Jewish and firs-cenury Palesinian flesh and he oupouring o he
Spiri o God on he Day o Penecos involved he redempion o he diversiy
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983089 983090 983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
o human ongues languages and culures so ha hey migh bear winess o
he wondrous works o God (Acs 983090983089983089) Tis penecosal heme991252relaed o
Acs 983090 firs and oremos albei reraced unavoidably hrough he lens o mymodern penecosal ecclesial sensibiliies991252will inorm he deep srucure o
he argumen in he remainder o his volume ye achieved wihin a pen-
evangelical raher han merely charismaic rame o reerence My poin going
orward however is ha in ligh o hese heological and riniarian commi-
mens Evangelicals should be he firs o embrace he diversiy o heir his-
orical pariculariies raher han shy away rom hem radiionally o course
Evangelicals have subordinaed he vicissiudes o hisory and wih ha heiranxieies abou he flux and subjeciviies o experience o he surey and
oundaionalism o he Word o God as revealed in he Scripures My pro-
posal however is ha work o God in Chris and by he Spiri redeems us
amid wih and hrough he specificiies o our hisorical and culural expe-
rience (raher han saving us rom ou o such alogeher) and hus ha he
Word o God speaks ino such realiies (raher han ha we have o deny hem
or rejec hem as par o who we are)In shor Asian American Evangelicals do no need o be apologeic abou
heir lives experiences and perspecives Raher by ollowing he pah o he
Son o God ino he ar counry by receiving he infilling o he Spiri o God
poured ou on all flesh and by aihully atemping o live ou such a Chris-
cenered and Spiri-empowered aih in he ooseps o heir evangelical ore-
bears and ancesors Asian Americans may hen be able o bring heir heo-
logical gifs o he conversaion able gifs ha will challenge he discussion while simulaneously enriching he are or all hose concerned abou he
euangelion in he presen ime I is ime o heologize as Asian Americans no
jus as Evangelicals in order ha Evangelicalism isel can be renewed and
invigoraed or he sake o he gospel and in anicipaion o he reign o God
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The Futur e o f
E V A N G E L I C A L T H E O L O G Y
S O U N D I N G S
FRO M T H E
A S I A N A M E R I C A N
D I A S P O R A
A M O S Y O N G
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InerVarsiy Press
PO Box 983089983092983088983088 Downers Grove IL 983094983088983093983089983093-983089983092983090983094
World Wide Web wwwivpresscom
Email emailivpresscom
copy983090983088983089983092 by Amos Yong
All righs reserved No par o his book may be reproduced in any orm wihou writen permission fom InerVarsiy Press
InerVarsiy Pressreg is he book-publishing division o InerVarsiy Chrisian FellowshipUSAreg a movemen o sudens and
aculy acive on campus a hundreds o universiies colleges and schools o nursing in he Unied Saes o America and a
member movemen o he Inernaional Fellowship o Evangelical Sudens For inormaion abou local and regional aciviies
visi wwwinervarsiyorg
Scripure quoaions unless oherwise noed are fom he New Revised Sandard Version o he Bible copyrigh 983089983097983096983097 by he Division
o Chrisian Educaion o he Naional Council o he Churches o Chris in he USA Used by permission All righs reserved
See pages 983089983093-983089983094 or addiional permissionsCover design Cindy Kiple
Inerior design Beh McGill
Images Easer weekend Easer Weekend by Willie Rodger Privae Collecion Te Bridgeman Ar Library
Chinese ar illusraion copy koeyiStockphoto
ISBN 983097983095983096-983088-983096983091983088983096-983092983088983094983088-983089 (prin)
ISBN 983097983095983096-983088-983096983091983088983096-983097983094983095983093-983090 (digial)
Prined in he Unied Saes o America
As a member o he Green Press Iniiaive InerVarsiy Press is commited o proecing he environmen and ohe responsible use o naural resources o learn more visi greenpressiniiaiveorg
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A caalog record or his book is available fom he Library o Congress
P 983090983093 983090983092 983090983091 983090983090 983090983089 983090983088 983089983097 983089983096 983089983095 983089983094 983089983093 983089983092 983089983091 983089983090 983089983089 983089983088 983097 983096 983095 983094 983093 983092 983091 983090 983089
Y 983091983094 983091983093 983091983092 983091983091 983091983090 983091983089 983091983088 983090983097 983090983096 983090983095 983090983094 983090983093 983090983092 983090983091 983090983090 983090983089 983090983088 983089983097 983089983096 983089983095 983089983094 983089983093 983089983092
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CONTENTS
P983154983141983142983137983139983141 11
A983139983147983150983151983159983148983141983140983143983149983141983150983156983155 15
P983154983151983148983151983143983157983141 A983157983156983151983138983145983151983143983154983137983152983144983145983139983137983148 R983141983142983148983141983139983156983145983151983150983155
983137983150983140 A983150983156983145983139983145983152983137983156983145983151983150983155 983151983142 983137983150 A983155983145983137983150 A983149983141983154983145983139983137983150
P983141983150983156-983141983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 S983151983146983151983157983154983150983141983154 17
983089 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148983145983155983149 983137983150983140 G983148983151983138983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161 E983149983141983154983143983145983150983143
A983155983145983137983150 983137983150983140 C983151983150983156983141983160983156983157983137983148 V983151983145983139983141983155 33
heology in a Globalizing World Evangelical and Asian Inersecions 37
Asian Evangelical heology Ramping Up 47
Evangelical heology as Conexual heology Possibiliies
and Challenges 57
983090 A983155983145983137983150 A983149983141983154983145983139983137983150 C983144983154983145983155983156983145983137983150983145983156983161 W983145983140983141983154 T983154983141983150983140983155 983137983150983140
T983154983137983146983141983139983156983151983154983145983141983155 67
he Asian American Religious Experience A Selec
Review o he Lieraure 68
Asian American Scholarly Currens Emerging Discourses 77
Asian American heologies he Sae o he Quesion 87
3 T983144983141 L983141983143983137983139983161 983151983142 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161 A983155983145983137983150
A983149983141983154983145983139983137983150 R 983141983139983141983152983156983145983151983150 983137983150983140 I983150983156983141983154983154983151983143983137983156983145983151983150983155 97
Asian American Evangelical heology Whence and
W(h)iher 98
he Burden o Evangelical heology A Minoriy Repor 106
he Mandae o Asian American Evangelical heology 117
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4 P983141983150983156983141983139983151983155983156983137983148 V983151983145983139983141983155 T983151983159983137983154983140 983137983150 A983155983145983137983150 A983149983141983154983145983139983137983150
E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161 125
Asian Penecosal heology Wha and W(h)iher 127
A Pen-evangelical Imaginaion Speaking in
Many ongues 135
Asian American Pen-evangelical heology Inerpreing
Dieren Discourses 144
983093 T983144983141 I983149983149983145983143983154983137983150983156 S983152983145983154983145983156 T983151983159983137983154983140 983137983150 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148
T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161 983151983142 M983145983143983154983137983156983145983151983150 159
Conemporary Migraion A Fusion o Horizons 161
Lukan Migraion A Pen-evangelical Reading 168
An Evangelical heology o Migraion Asian
American Modulaions 177
6 T983144983141 S983152983145983154983145983156 983151983142 J983157983138983145983148983141983141 A983150 A983155983145983137983150 A983149983141983154983145983139983137983150I983149983149983145983143983154983137983150983156 C983151983150983155983145983140983141983154983137983156983145983151983150 187
Inormaliy and Immigraion he Chinese American
Experience 189
Jubilee and Migraion A Pen-evangelical Re lecion 197
Money Migrans and Minisry in Asian American
Evangelical Perspecive 206
7 T983151983159983137983154983140 983137 G983148983151983138983137983148 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161 A983155983145983137983150
A983149983141983154983145983139983137983150 I983150983156983151983150983137983156983145983151983150983155 217
Nex Seps or Asian American Evangelical heology 218
Nex Seps or Norh American Evangelical heology 224
Nex Seps or Global Evangelical heology 229E983152983145983148983151983143983157983141 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161 983145983150 983156983144983141
T983159983141983150983156983161-F983145983154983155983156 C983141983150983156983157983154983161 235
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S983157983138983146983141983139983156 I983150983140983141983160 250
A983157983156983144983151983154 I983150983140983141983160 253
S983139983154983145983152983156983157983154983141 I983150983140983141983160 254
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3
THE LEGACY OF EVANGEL ICAL THEOLOGY
Asian American Reception and Interrogations
In his chaper we drill deeper ino he inner logic o Asian American evan-
gelical heology Why has he Asian American naure o evangelical heology
been relaively underplayed when compared o Asian evangelical heology
and o Asian American heology in mainline Proesan and Roman Caholic
circles Tis chaper argues ha here are many reasons or his and ha hey
relae boh o he legacy o he (whie) Norh American evangelical endeavor
as a whole and o how his radiion has been received and inernalized by
Asian American Evangelicals
Te hree secions o come inroduce he whence o Asian American evan-
gelical heology and is largely conservaive ehos explore how his conser-
vaism is he resul o inernalizing he heo-logic o he dominan (Wesern)
evangelical culure and conclude by urging Asian American Evangelicals o
live more inenionally ino and ou o he pariculariy socialiy and hiso-
riciy o heir experiences While Asian American evangelical heology has
been by and large consonan wih ha o he (whie) evangelical esablishmen
i has no ound much o is own voice Par o he goal is o clariy why and
how he curren generaion o Asian American Evangelicals aces a ork in he
road o allow nonehnic (read whie) Evangelicals o coninue o se he
heological agenda ha minimizes or marginalizes heir perspecives or o
asser why he hisoriciy and pariculariy o he Asian American hisory and
experience is imporan no only or Asian American evangelical heology
specifically bu also or he evangelical heological ask as a whole
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983097 983096 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
I he firs wo chapers have atemped o map he broader global and wider
Asian American heological landscapes his chaper conducs a sel-criical
analysis o aspecs o Asian American evangelical hinking While here is morediversiy underneah he Asian American evangelical label han many hink
here is also some jusificaion or discussing i in erms I presen Tis chaper
probes some o hese aken-or-graned eaures o he Asian American evan-
gelical menaliy ha have inhibied creaive and consrucive heological re-
flecion Noe however ha he poin is no o merely be criical o he whie
evangelical heological esablishmen raher he poin is o highligh how in
our conemporary global conex he evangelical radiion can be expandedrenewed and developed in dialogue wih non-Euro-American conversaion
parners Posiively pu hen he ollowing inends o open up a way orward
or he pen-evangelical heological pah ha chapers our and ollowing char
A983155983145983137983150 A983149983141983154983145983139983137983150 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161 W983144983141983150983139983141
983137983150983140 W(983144)983145983156983144983141983154
I is air o say ha we are sill a he very beginning sages o Asian Americanevangelical heologizing983089 As we shall see we can only speak abou Asian
American evangelical heology i undersood in a very broad sense Te ol-
lowing skeches hree sreams o such reflecion which enables compre-
hension o is largely conservaive insincs
Paricularly or Asian Americans rom an Eas Asian background he Con-
ucian emphasis on filial piey plays ou in heir evangelical spiriualiy Some
o he earlies works on Asian American evangelical heology hereore wereocused on how especially second-generaion Asian Americans could honor
heir parens while ollowing Chris983090 Tis was and remains an especially
imporan mater i he immigran generaion were non-Chrisians Beyond
his is he pressure o perecionis expecaions by parens no o menion
having also o live ino he ldquomodel minoriyrdquo sereoype ouside he home
1One o he ew orays ino he quesion remains Young Lee Herig ldquoWhy Asian American Evan-gelical Teologiesrdquo Journal o Asian and Asian American Teology 983095 (1048626983088983088983093ndash1048626983088983088983094) 1048625-10486261048627
2See Jeanete Yep ed Following Jesus Wihou Dishonoring Your Parens Asian American Discipleship (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 1048625983097983097983096) and Nikki A oyama and racey Gee eds More
Tan Serving ea Asian American Women on Expecaions Relaionships Leadership and Faih (Downers Grove IL IVP Books 1048626983088983088983094)
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983097 983097
When combined wih he deerenial Eas Asian posure many Asian Amer-
icans develop a sel-inerioriy complex991252devasaing wihin a culure o
shame991252paricularly when having also o conron linguisic challenges innavigaing hrough school and hen a career
Te ecclesial or congregaional domain is also one where Asian American
Evangelicals have expended some effor Tis is o be expeced given he long
hisory o ehnic churches and he many debaes no o menion challenges
relaed o assimilaion o he dominan culure Wihin he lieraure on Asian
American Evangelicalism we find works on pasoral minisry (designed o
equip minisers o cross generaional culural ecclesial gender and oherdivides)983091 congregaional healh and effeciveness (which provide models
or ehnic-dominan bilingual and even mixed ecclesial communiies)1048628 and
even a growing number o pan-Asian or pan-ehnic visions o he uure
(which ofen deal wih he issues o race and racializaion wihin an evan-
gelical paradigm)1048629 Asian American Evangelicals have ocused some o heir
energies on hese ecclesiological maters Wha can be hoped or is ha hese
more pracical miniserial and missional emphases will also ranslae in duecourse ino more robus ecclesiological and heological reflecion
Recent developments in Asian American evangelical theologyI is a he more
properly undersood heological level ha Asian American Evangelicals can be
said o be barely ou o he saring gae Sill even in hese gesaional imes some
poenial roues or developmen can be discerned One is a collecion o essays
ha appeared in 9830909830889830889830941048630 Published by he L983090 Foundaion an organizaion devoed
o Asian American leadership and legacy developmen his is he firs book oappear on he opic o Asian American evangelical heology Te six essayiss reflec
3Eg Ken Uyeda Fong Pursuing he Pearl A Comprehensive Resource or Muli-Asian Minisry (Val-ley Forge PA Judson Press 1048625983097983097983097) and Russell Yee Worship on he Way Exploring Asian Norh
American Chrisian Experience (Valley Forge PA Judson Press 104862698308810486251048626)4See Peer Cha S Seve Kang and Helen Lee eds Growing Healhy Asian American Congregaions (Downers Grove IL IVP Books 1048626983088983088983094) and M Sydney Park Soong-Chan Rah and Al izon edsHonoring he Generaions Learning wih Asian Norh American Congregaions (Valley Forge PA Judson Press 104862698308810486251048626)
5Elizabeh Conde-Frazier S Seve Kang and Gary A Parret A Many-Colored Kingdom Mulicul-ural Dynamics or Spiriual Formaion (Grand Rapids Baker Academic 1048626983088983088983092) and Kenneh AMahews and M Sydney Park Te Pos-Racial Church A Biblical Framework or Muliehnic Rec-
onciliaion (Grand Rapids Kregel Academic 104862698308810486251048625)6D J Chuang and imohy seng eds Conversaions Asian American Evangelical Teologies in
Formaion (Washingon DC L1048626 Foundaion 1048626983088983088983094)
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 1135
983089983088983088 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
he diversiy o he AAE communiy David Yoo a hisorian a Claremon
McKenna College surveys (wih wo collaboraors) he prendashWorld War II his-
ories o Japanese and Korean American Chrisians and urges ha religion needso be acored ino immigraion and race analyses o hese communiies even as
im seng a hisorian o American Chrisianiy and ounder o he Insiue or
he Sudy o Asian American Chrisianiy exposes he ldquocolor blindnessrdquo o
American church hisory and provides some hermeneuical opions or moving
beyond orienalis or assimilaionis models o he Asian American Chrisian
experience A pracical heologian a riniy Evangelical Diviniy School Peer
Cha discusses he challenges involved in ideniy ormaion among second-generaion Korean Americans An inriguing chaper is missiologis James Zorsquos
(affiliaed wih Logos Evangelical Seminary in El Mone Caliornia) insighul
analysis o how srucural and power issues complicae he assessmen o racism
prejudice and discriminaion on boh sides o he American and Asian American
equaion For a volume on evangelical heology he wo explicily heological
conribuions are by hisorical heologians Paul Lim (who specializes in early
modern England has augh a Gordon-Conwell Teological Seminary and nowis as o he ime o his wriing a Vanderbil Universiy) reveals he imporance
o biography in he consrucion o any Asian American evangelical heology and
Jeffrey Jue (a pos-Reormaion hisorian a Wesminser Teological Seminary)
seeks a way beyond boh modernis experienialism and posmodernis subjec-
ivism by reurning o he gospel Te conversaional approach o each chaper
in he volume invies ohers o join in he discussion
A second line o developmen lies wih Asian American evangelical womenmany o whom are also working in he area o biblical sudies1048631 A recen volume
includes en chapers mos springing off emale biblical characers all se wihin
wha Young Lee Herig calls a ldquoyinis paradigmrdquo ha is neiher merely eminis
(nor womanis nor mujerisa) nor ye acquiescen o he pariarchal srucures
dominan wihin Asian American Evangelicalism in paricular and (whie) evan-
gelical heology in general1048632 Mirrored Reflecions is hus a groundbreaking and
7See Young Lee Herig and Chloe Sun eds Mirrored Reflecions Refaming Biblical Characers (Eugene OR Wip amp Sock 10486269830881048625983088)
8See Herigrsquos lead chaper ldquoTe Asian American Alernaive o Feminism A Yinis Paradigmrdquo inHerig and Sun eds Mirrored Reflecions pp 1048627-1048625983092
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088983089
paradigmaic book no only or Asian American heology bu also or evan-
gelical biblical hermeneuics I opens up space or Asian American womenrsquos
readings o he Bible wihou mimicking oher eminis agendas i embracesreader-response approaches while honoring he scripural horizon i boldly
explores a counerculural conexualism polyphonous mulivocalism and in-
ersubjecive perspecivism wihou lapsing ino relaivism and i insiss on he
need or us o come o erms wih pluralism globalizaion and ransnaionalism
in he pursui o aihul Chrisian discipleship in our ime Arguably his is
biblical inerpreaion and heological reflecion a is bes engaging subversive
ransormaive and salvific991252or women and men1048633 Such pahs opened up by Asian American evangelical women may well be wha is mos generaive and
producive or Asian American evangelical heology in he longer run
Te conribuions o Herig and company run parallel o oher Asian
American evangelical voices ha find hemselves bewix-and-beween he
cener o he evangelical movemen and he mainline Proesan commu-
niies Soong-Chan Rahrsquos work mediaes hese spaces as represenaive o a
promising pah in conemporary Asian American evangelical heology9830891048624 Tepoency o Rahrsquos argumen is ha he speaks no only o Asian American
Evangelicals bu also o he evangelical heological esablishmen as a whole
Tis is because his is a call or he church o le go o is individualism con-
sumerism maerialism and racism991252all effecs o Wesern culure991252in order
o be reed rom is culural capiviy983089983089 Rahrsquos analysis however can find
deeper Asian American racion paricularly i wedded o he uncompro-
mising call or living ino he Asian American ideniy by heologians suchas Jonahan ran983089983090 Te later empowers a disincive Asian American voice
9Perhaps in conras o he dominan srands o Asian American evangelical biblical inerpreaionha have swallowed Wesern hermeneuical mehods almos hook line and sinker see Andrew Yueking Lee ldquoReading he Bible as an Asian American Issues in Asian American Biblical Inerpre-aionrdquo in Viji Nakka-Cammau and imohy seng eds Asian American Chrisianiy A Reader (Casro Valley CA Te Insiue or he Sudy o Asian American Chrisianiy 1048626983088983088983097) pp 983094983088-983094983097
10Soong-Chan Rah Te Nex Evangelicalism Freeing he Church fom Wesern Culural Capiviy (Downers Grove IL IVP Books 1048626983088983088983097)
11From a hermeneuical perspecive see he similar argumen o E Randolph Richards and Bran-don J OrsquoBrien Misreading Scripure wih Wesern Eyes Removing Culural Blinders o Beter Un-
dersand he Bible (Downers Grove IL IVP Books 104862698308810486251048626)12See Jonahan ran ldquoA Few Tings I Wan rom Asian American Evangelicalsrdquo in Nakka-Cammau
and seng Asian American Chrisianiy pp 10486269830921048627-9830931048625 c also ran ldquoIdeniy as MissiologyrdquoSANACS Journal 1048625 (1048626983088983088983097) 1048626983097-983092983088
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 1335
983089983088983090 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
albei one ha is no parochial since i addresses larger ecclesial (and perhaps
even social) concerns983089983091
Te ac o he mater is however ha here is litle else available on Asian American evangelical heology and ha Asian American Evangelicals are sill
a long way off rom hinking heologically as Asian Americans Par o he
reason is ha many Asian American Evangelicals even hose who are heo-
logically rained have basically replicaed he majoriy evangelical (whie)
approaches o Scripure Furher many second-generaion Asian Americans
have adoped he assimilaionis experience as heir model and have presumed
ha an ldquoAmerican universalismrdquo maps ono a biblical universalism9830891048628 Teresul is he subordinaion o heir racial and ehnic ideniies and modes o
hinking Among he many reasons or his is he dominan conservaism o
Asian American culure especially wihin ecclesial communiies o Eas Asian
descen (eg Chinese Korean Japanese and Vienamese churches) As such
Asian Americans are conen o persis wih he saus quo o evangelical he-
ology inheried rom heir (whie) evangelical eachers
Asian American evangelical conservatism Te phenomenon o Eas Asianor Conucian culural conservaism is o course a complicaed one o un-
angle On he one hand here is somehing o he sereoype o Eas Asian
Conucianism as essenially androcenric (in subordinaing women o men)
pariarchal (susained by he radiionrsquos emphasis on filial piey) and auhori-
arian (preserved in he king-subjec and older-younger broher aspecs o he
ldquofiveold relaionsrdquo) On he oher hand like mos exended culural radiions
Conucianism has been neiher saic nor ree rom dissening rends ha haveatemped o rerieve reappropriae and when necessary jetison hese radi-
13Mathew Soerens and Jenny Hwang Welcoming he Sranger Jusice Compassion and ruh in he
Immigraion Debae (Downers Grove IL IVP Books 1048626983088983088983097) is anoher example o Asian AmericanEvangelicals speaking ino wider conversaions precisely he hrus o his book and par o is goalin erms o moivaing Asian American evangelical heological inquiry I will reurn o discuss heproposals o his volume in more deph in chaper six
14Tis is my way o puting wha oher Asian American scholars have also observed see boh Anony W Alumkal ldquoTe Scandal o he lsquoModel Minoriyrsquo Mind Te Bible and Second-Generaion Asian American Evangelicalsrdquo and imohy seng ldquoSecond-Generaion Chinese Evangelical Use o heBible in Ideniy Discourse in Norh Americardquo boh in a-siong Benny Liew Te Bible in Asian
America Semeia 983097983088-9830971048625 (Alana Te Sociey o Biblical Lieraure 10486269830889830881048626) pp 10486261048627983095-983093983088 andpp 10486269830931048625-983094983095 respecively
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088983091
ional docrines or he lae modern world9830891048629 Cerainly in he Norh American
conex here are progressive orces a work especially among second and laer
generaions o Asian Americans bu equally cerainly he weigh o porableculural and philosophical radiions like Conucianism (see chaper wo)
means ha change occurs slowly
Wihin he Asian American evangelical communiy he gradual ransor-
maion o he inheried culural conservaism is cerainly being played ou
even i a a much slower pace han in nonevangelical conexs One he one
side he gospel is undersood as providing a criical perspecive on culure991252
on which I will say more momenarily on he oher side however here arecerain biblical hemes such as honoring o parens and he submission o
women (read off he surace o some Pauline exs) ha resonae wih he filial
piey o especially Conucian culures and hese have ineviably become
cenral issues or he orging o Asian American ideniies9830891048630 Hence Asian
American immigrans who are atraced o Chrisianiy are ofen drawn o
evangelical Proesanism because i provides a similarly conservaive
worldview one ha enables heir acculuraion ino American sociey Forhese reasons Conucian conservaism morphs among Asian American Pro-
esans ino a orm o evangelical conservaism
o be sure he exac role o Conucianism behind Asian American evan-
gelical conservaism migh be debaed among scholars paricularly since he
appropriaion o he Conucian radiion across he Asian American diaspora
is no all o one sripe A he same ime even i oher Asian radiions were o
be acored ino he marix o Asian American lie many are inormed by akind o pariarchal hierarchical and auhoriarian conservaism ha uncions
similarly in Eas Asian Conucian culure In shor perhaps he ldquomodel mi-
noriyrdquo sereoype as conesed as migh be such a designaion ha charac-
erizes much o he Asian American experience conribues o he conser-
vaism ha permeaes Asian American Evangelicalism
North American evangelical conservatism and its implications Bu high-
15See here Daniel A Bell Chinarsquos New Conucianism Poliics and Everyday Lie in a Changing Soci-
ey (Princeon NJ Princeon Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983096) chap 104862716Eg om Lin Losing Face and Finding Grace 983089983090 Bible Sudies or Asian Americans (Downers
Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 1048625983097983097983094) esp par 1048625
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 1535
983089983088983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
lighing Eas Asian conservaism ells only one side o he sory abou why
Asian Americans end o be conened wih and passive recipiens o he he-
ology o he dominan evangelical culure Te oher hal o his ale has o do wih Norh American conservaism as well O course hisorically Norh
American Evangelicalism was ormed ou o a long hisory o reacion o
mainline Proesan liberalism By definiion o be conservaive means o
resis he orces o change insoar as such changes are hough o compromise
he received values o a paricular radiion So while some changes have been
embraced evangelical conservaives have long resised wha are perceived as
adjusmens o hisoric Chrisian orhodoxy oised upon he Norh Americanchurch by heir liberal counerpars9830891048631 More recenly Evangelicals have also
enered ino he culure wars in deense o radiional amily values and oher
aspecs o he agenda o he Republican Pary
Over ime hen Evangelicals have been led o develop heological argu-
mens or heir conservaive sances Mos relevan or he Asian American
experience is how he dominan evangelical culure has acceped while
slighly redefining a leas more recenly he basic caegories o he classicalChris and Culure sudy o H Richard Niebuhr9830891048632 Ye hisorically Evangel-
icals have embraced he ldquoChris agains culurerdquo sance albei more recenly
shifing oward he ldquoChris ransorming culurerdquo posure Tis involves eiher
a wors he rejecion o culure which has radiionally characerized evan-
gelical secarianism (especially among undamenaliss he close cousins o
Evangelicals)9830891048633 or a bes an ambiguous relaionship wih culure one ea-
uring wha migh be called a culural hermeneuic o suspicion ha is alwaysconcerned abou syncreism wih he world Culure in popular evangelical
parlance is almos equivalen o he world and in ha sense is wha humans
need o be saved rom raher han parake o
17Tere are many versions o his sory my own elling is here ldquoTe Word and he Spiri or heSpiri and he Word Exploring he Boundaries o Evangelicalism in Relaionship o Modern Pen-ecosalismrdquo riniy Journal 10486261048627 no 1048626 (10486269830889830881048626) 10486261048627983093-9830931048626
18See H Richard Niebuhr Chris and Culure (10486259830979830931048625 repr San Francisco Harper orchligh1048625983097983093983094) c Glen H Sassen D M Yeager and John Howard Yoder Auhenic ransormaion A
New Vision o Chris and Culure (Nashville Abingdon 1048625983097983097983094)19Ie as manies in missionary and evangelisic sraegies ha called on convers o abandon heir
culural belies and pracices in ollowing Chris991252eg Birgi Meyer ranslaing he Devil Religion
and Moderniy Among he Ewe in Ghana (renon NJ Arica World Press 1048625983097983097983097)
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088983093
So how has his played ou in Asian American evangelical communiies
Mos poinedly Asian American Evangelicals have radiionally undersood
heir Chrisian conversion o involve eiher a urning away rom heir Asianculural roos or a minimizing o such aspecs o heir ideniy Ta Chrisian
conversion acually involves Americanizaion is quie prevalen across he
Asian American scene In my own case growing up as already indicaed in he
prologue we never alked abou he imporance o Chinese culure he em-
phasis a home (my parens were firs-generaion convers o Chrisianiy)
was always on embodying Chrisian culure Many Asian Americans hus end
o view heir Asian hisorical and culural legacies in binary erms ood dressand music migh be reained because hey concern he ouward aspecs o lie
which are incidenal anyway o rue human ideniy bu lierary philosophical
and religious ideas are o be cauiously approached (a bes) since hey are
probably represenaive o ldquohe worldrdquo and hus aniheical o he gospel
Tis confluence o Conucian and evangelical conservaism has been
srenghened hrough he process o heological educaion Asian American
Evangelicals end o atend solidly evangelical seminaries because o heirconservaive commimens So whereas mainline Proesan seminaries are
much more ocused on corporae ideniies evangelical seminaries and
heir curricula ocus more on personal ideniies paricularly he or-
maion o spiriual lives in relaionship o Chris9830901048624 Wha his means is ha
ehnic ideniies are minimized as having no more han biological signifi-
cance and hisorical and culural aspecs o Asian ideniy are acceped
only as accidenal o ideniy in Chris Asian American Evangelicals arefirs and oremos Chrisians and only secondarily i a all Asians (al-
hough ineresingly he prevalence o naionalism among Evangelicals
means ha American ideniy is much more imporan han evangelical
rheoric usually les on) Evangelical heological educaion hus provides
he philosophical and heological apparaus o make sense o such modes
o ideniy consrucion
20Russell Jeung ldquoEvangelical and Mainline eachings on Asian American Ideniyrdquo in Liew and Yee Bible in Asian America pp 104862610486251048625-1048627983094 reprined in Nakka-Cammau and seng Asian American
Chrisianiy pp 1048625983097983095-10486261048625983094
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 1735
983089983088983094 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
T983144983141 B983157983154983140983141983150 983151983142 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161 A M983145983150983151983154983145983156983161 R983141983152983151983154983156
In he ollowing I highligh he major episemological hermeneuical meh-
odological and docrinal aspecs o (whie) evangelical heology embraced bymany Asian American Evangelicals I argue no ha hese are he only ways in
which Asian American Evangelicals have accommodaed o he dominan
(whie) evangelical subculural worldview nor ha Asian American evan-
gelical heology can be reduced o hese eaures I sugges however ha hese
provide some explanaion or how many Asian American evangelical heolo-
gians view he Asian dimension o heir work in conexual erms bu do no
also undersand he dominan whie heological consrucs similarly Teresul is ha Asian American concerns are no only subordinaed bu also e-
ecively silenced in many cases In he ollowing I criically assess his dom-
inan view rom he marginal horizons o he Asian American experience
A (putatively) global epistemology I begin wih he Enlighenmen epis-
emology and is ques or or presumpion o have atained he universal per-
specive In heir batle agains liberalism Evangelicals have highlighed he
imporance o developing a biblical worldview983090983089 Worldview consrucion isineviably an inellecual exercise983090983090 Wha mos Evangelicals do no ofen
inerrogae is how rooed he worldview ques is in he Enlighenmen projec
As such evangelical worldview ormulaion operaes episemologically ac-
cording o modernis canons o raionaliy Tis is reinorced in evangelical
seminary educaion variously no leas in he embrace o some orm o oun-
daionalism characerisic o he Enlighenmen ques or cerainy hough
o secure evangelical claims o universal ruh983090983091
Foundaionalism classically undersood is he view ha all belies can be
jusified direcly (ounded upon) sense experience or reason available o all991252
hence universal991252raher han inerred rom oher (subjecively held) be-
lies9830901048628 While Evangelicals are philosophically jus as sophisicaed as anyone
21Tus InerVarsiy Press has jus published in 1048626983088983088983097 he fifh ediion o James Sirersquos Te Universe Nex
Door A Basic Worldview Caalog a esimony o is populariy a evangelical colleges and universiies22 Anoher popular ex among Evangelicals noes is concepual naure David K Naugle World-
view Te Hisory o a Concep (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048626)23 As refleced in anoher popular evangelical exbook J P Moreland and William Lane Craig
Philosophical Foundaions or a Chrisian Worldview (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 10486269830889830881048627)24Noe ha he dualism beween objeciviy and subjeciviy is isel a modernis consrucion I
discuss hese maters as well as evangelical orms o oundaionalism in my ldquoTe Demise o Foun-
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088 983095
else in heir deense o oundaionalism9830901048629 more ofen han no hey are epis-
emological oundaionaliss or wo reasons Negaively pu episemic oun-
daionalism is a deerren o wha hey see as he hreaening alernaive oepisemological skepicism philosophical i no moral relaivism and reli-
gious and heological pluralism Posiively pu he oundaions o Chrisian
knowing are given in he Bible I will reurn in a momen o address he her-
meneuical issues involved wih such an appeal For he momen however I
simply noe ha evangelical oundaionalism in whaever is guise butresses
is claims o have access o a universal sandpoin or (heological) knowledge
Such a universal vanage poin is o course relaed o he Enlighenmenques or cerain knowledge Hence he undermining o oundaionalism
opens up o perspecivism Evangelicals resis episemic perspecivism or he
same reasons ha hey deend oundaionalism because ha is el o be he
only way o secure raionally he sabiliy o ruh claims Opening he door
o perspecivism invies he mulipliciy o views ha characerizes he rela-
ivism o he posmodern siuaion Conservaive Evangelicals are hus very
concerned abou he ascendency o he posmodern agenda9830901048630
Wha does his have o do wih Asian American Evangelicalism My claim is
ha Asian Americans educaed a conservaive evangelical seminaries have un-
witingly embraced no only he oundaionalis episemology o heir eachers
bu also is atendan applicaions In order o ward off episemic skepicism
moral relaivism and heological pluralism Asian American Evangelicals have
also uncriically rejeced he perspecivism cenral o posoundaionalis epis-
emology9830901048631 More o he poin he deense o oundaionalism is also he de-ense o he saus quo he universal rame o reerence claimed by evangelical
daionalism and he Reenion o ruh Wha Evangelicals Can Learn rom C S Peircerdquo Chrisian
Scholarrsquos Review 1048626983097 no 1048627 (Spring 1048626983088983088983088) 9830939830941048627-98309698309625Eg J P Moreland and Garret DeWeese ldquoTe Premaure Repor o Foundaionalismrsquos Demiserdquo
in Millard J Erickson Paul Kjoss Helseh and Jusin aylor eds Reclaiming he Cener Confon-
ing Evangelical Accommodaion in Posmodern imes (Wheaon IL Crossway 1048626983088983088983092) pp 9830961048625-104862598308898309526Tus par 1048626 o Millard J Erickson Posmodernizing he Faih Evangelical Responses o he Chal-
lenge o Posmodernism (Grand Rapids Baker Books 1048625983097983097983096) is iled ldquoNegaive Responses o
Posmodernismrdquo and discusses a number o conemporary and recen deenders o classical evan-gelical aih David Wells Tomas Oden and Francis Schaeffer
27 As argued eg by Sanley J Grenz and John R Franke Beyond Foundaionalism Shaping Teology in
a Posmodern Conex (Louisville Wesminser John Knox 10486269830889830881048625) he criical and apologeic responsehas been he recogniion ha his akes us ldquobeyond Evangelicalismrdquo991252see Seven Knowles Beyond
Evangelicalism Te Teological Mehodology o Sanley J Grenz (Burlingon V Ashgae 1048626983088983088983097)
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 1935
983089983088983096 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
heology Simulaneously so he argumen goes he abandonmen o ounda-
ionalism opens he door o perspecivism and pluralism And i he later are
problemaic so are heir ideological movemens especially and including muli-culuralism (wih some advocaes o such having reinerpreed Chrisian eaching
in ligh o a poliics o ideniy insead o vice versa)9830901048632 Asian American Evan-
gelicals are hus armed oundaionally o conron engage and resis he perils
o cynicism relaivism and pluralism Unbeknowns o hem however his no
only undercus he ideology o muliculuralism bu also assails he basis upon
which hey can reclaim heir own hisorical and culural ideniies O course
Evangelicals have more recenly recognized a leas in general he imporanceo embracing he diversiy o culures even o celebraing hem bu only so
long as doing so does no hreaen he oundaions o evangelical ceriude
An (allegedly) a-cultural hermeneutic Tis presumpion o having a uni-
versal perspecive while undergirded as biblical raher han recognized as
ounded on an Enlighenmen paradigm bleeds over ino evangelical herme-
neuics In he Asian American evangelical landscape such hermeneuical pre-
supposiions bracke Asian America wheher inenionally (more ofen) or noIn his way Asian American Evangelicals have imbibed no only he oundaion-
alism o heir classical seminary educaion bu also he biblical hermeneuic ha
works o secure such an episemic sance Unsurprisingly a he hear o he
evangelical inerpreaion o Scripure is anoher insrumen rom he modernis
oolki ha o hisorical criicism Tis ime however such a hermeneuical
approach is deployed o access he auhorial inen o he Scripures and i is
his ha is cenral (oundaional) o ideniying he biblical message which inurn enables he Bible o serve as he unshakable norm or Chrisian belie
Tere is much o unpack in he preceding brie descripion o evangelical
hermeneuics classically considered Bu I wan o ocus insead on he prin-
ciples o biblical exegesis as emphasized in evangelical seminary educaion9830901048633
Te goal o exegesis is o draw ou o or o cull rom he Bible wha he original
auhors mean o communicae Tis involves undersanding firs and
28Tus have some Evangelicals harangued agains muliculuralism as an ideology or example991252Dennis McCallum ed Te Deah o ruh Wharsquos Wrong wih Muliculuralism he Rejecion o
Reason and he New Posmodern Diversiy (Minneapolis Behany House 1048625983097983097983094)29Eg Waler C Kaiser oward an Exegeical Teology Biblical Exegesis or Preaching and eaching
(Grand Rapids Baker Books 1048625983097983097983096)
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088983097
oremos how he biblical auhors were undersood by heir iniial audiences
in he ancien conex Exegesis accesses hese primordially inended biblical
principles Wha he Bible means oday is hereby a secondary issue de-penden primarily on wha i originally mean o he firs hearers and readers
o he Scripures Conemporary applicaion hus involves idenificaion o
he original and or some single meaning o he biblical exs9830911048624
Te flip side o he emphasis on exegesis hen involves he rejecion o
eisegesis he inserion o conemporary perspecives ino he meaning o he
biblical ex I he burden o biblical hermeneuics is o ake away rom he
Scripures wha is auhors inended o communicae he bane o evangelicalinerpreaion is o read ino he Bible whaever our presen viewpoins may
dicae Tis o course is a violaion o he cardinal rule o evangelical herme-
neuics readers should leave heir prejudices and biases a he door and allow
he Bible o inorm hem insead Oherwise he concern is ha he reader
will find whaever he or she is looking or and his inecs conaminaes
skews and disors he prisine message o he Bible983091983089
Te problem here is no jus ha he lines beween exegesis and eisegesis aremuch more blurred han Evangelicals usually acknowledge983091983090 bu ha he per-
sisen applicaion o such an approach o he Bible dicaes ha evangelical
readers inenionally bracke or a leas atemp o hold in abeyance heir own
hisories experiences and perspecives as being o secondary impor i o any
relevance a all or heir reading o Scripure Now I am cerainly no suggesing
ha we all willy-nilly inser our biases in appropriaing he biblical ex Simul-
aneously I urge ha he cos o such hermeneuical brackeing is oo high or
30See Rober L Tomas Evangelical Hermeneuics Te New Versus he Old (Grand Rapids Kregel10486269830889830881048626) chap 983094 iled ldquoTe Principle o Single Meaningrdquo which argues ha he pluralism po-lyphony and plurivociy o meaning advocaed by recen progressive Evangelicals reflecs more heeffecs o humaniyrsquos all ino sin han i does he classical assumpions o evangelical biblical in-erpreaion For a counerargumen one ha I am largely sympaheic wih see James K ASmih Te Fall o Inerpreaion Philosophical Foundaions or a Creaional Hermeneuic (DownersGrove IL InerVarsiy Press 1048626983088983088983088)
31For evangelical concerns regarding reader-response hermeneuics see Norman R Gulley ldquoReader-
Response Teories in Posmodern Hermeneuics A Challenge o Evangelical Teologyrdquo in DavidS Dockery ed Te Challenge o Posmodernism An Evangelical Engagemen (Wheaon IL VicorBooks 1048625983097983097983093) pp 1048626983088983096-1048627983096
32In mainline Proesan circles o course here has long been recogniion ha he radiional line beween exegesis and eisegesis is much blurrier han previously hough see Jay G WilliamsldquoExegesis-Eisegesis Is Tere a Differencerdquo Teology oday 1048627983088 no 1048627 (10486259830979830951048627) 10486261048625983096-1048626983095
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2135
983089 983089983088 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
ehnic minoriies who are Evangelicals since his in effec rejecs heir quesions
and concerns as perinen o heir engagemen wih he Bible In addiion such
presumpive brackeing blinds whie Evangelicals o he ac ha heir own ho-rizons and perspecives are involved in any reading o ancien exs and his lack
o awareness makes i doubly difficul o recognize moderae or correc
I would urge insead ha we recognize and embrace he ension involved
in he usion o biblical and conemporary horizons bu do so in a way ha
boh allows conemporary readers o ener ino he world o he Bible on he
one hand (ldquohis is hardquo) and or he Bible o map ono our conemporary lives
on he oher hand (ldquoha is hisrdquo)983091983091 Tis no only allows or an Asian American reading o he Bible somehing ha is barred in he evangelical
environmen i also invies even encourages such an approach and his in
urn gives Asian Americans991252all people acually991252permission o read he
Bible as i i really matered o heir lives
A (presumably) biblical-theological method Enlighenmen assumpions
hus inorm no only Asian American evangelical episemology and herme-
neuics bu also heological mehod and hey do so in ways ha marginalize Asian America Tis is consisen wih he general evangelical ear o licensing
wha hey see as merely subjecive readings o he Bible or he same reasons
ha hey are wary abou enabling heological mehodologies ha consciously
acknowledge he role o experience In oher words he saus quo in evan-
gelical approaches o he Bible (wih is accenuaion o exegesis and rejecion
o eisegesis) has is counerpar in evangelical approaches o heological re-
flecion his ime wih he emphasis on he Bible as he primary i no solesource or heology over and agains hisory radiion culure and experience
A one level he sola scripura commimens o Reormaion radiions have
a very specific hisory and should be undersood according o he nuances
wih which his idea has developed in he pas five hundred years9830911048628 A anoher
33I explicae some aspecs o he ldquohis is hardquo hermeneuic rom a Penecosal perspecive in myldquoReading Scripure and Naure Penecosal Hermeneuics and Teir Implicaions or he Con-
emporary Evangelical Teology and Science Conversaionrdquo Perspecives on Science and ChrisianFaih 9830931048627 no 1048625 (104862698308810486251048625) 1048625-10486251048627
34Reflecing developmens rom he publicaion o Te Fundamenals o he ldquoChicago Saemen onBiblical Inerrancyrdquo (1048625983097983095983096) many conservaive Norh American Evangelicals991252eg rom NormanL Geisler Inerrancy (Grand Rapids Zondervan 1048625983097983096983088) o James R Whie Scripure Alone (Min-neapolis Behany House 1048626983088983088983092)991252have seen and coninue o see boh sola scripura and he doc-
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2335
983089 983089 983090 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
Te problem however is ha Asian Americans have rarely i ever ques-
ioned more rigid applicaions o his mehodological norm or evangelical
heology Raher hey have inernalized he evangelical bias agains hisoryradiion and experience hus silencing he role ha paricular perspecives
migh play in he heological ask I we appeal o our experience a all we
mus do so apologeically as i admiting ha such heological inerprea-
ions are a bes parochial concerns o a communiy no ye assimilaed o
he dominan culure or a wors signaling our heological immauriy and
need o grow up rom or ranscend he ldquobackwardnessrdquo represening our
hisory and experience beore our lie in Chris Ironically however suchinenional marginalizaion o he Asian American experience no o
menion Asian American philosophical ways o hinking and reasoning
does no call ino quesion how he predominanly Anglo- and Euro-
American experiences o moderniy have shaped evangelical heology As a
resul Asian American Evangelicals have adoped wha is claimed o be a
biblical worldview and heological ramework supposedly shorn o he sub-
jecive biases o hisorically siuaed human inerpreers Bu hese aresurely devoid o heir own experienial and conexual (Asian American)
locaions and ye uncriically naive in hinking ha Euro-American his-
orical accidens have been adequaely ldquoChrisianizedrdquo
So ar I have suggesed ha episemologically hermeneuically and meh-
odologically Asian Americans have rarely quesioned he modernis Enligh-
enmen and Anglo- and Euro-American presupposiions o he evangelical
heological endeavor And since his underaking has never acknowledged heculural conexs and perspecives o he predominanly whie ramers o he
evangelical heological radiion10486281048624 he assumpion is ha ehniciy plays litle
i any role in he work o heology No surprisingly hen Asian American
heologians have been reicen o sugges ha ehniciy culure and hisoriciy
coun in heological reflecion By exension he heological and docrinal
40My poin is no ha whie perspecives have disored he gospel his isel assumes a sor oa-culural gospel ha needs conexualizaion991252a poin ha needs o be addressed and nuanced which we will do momenarily My poin is ha such whie viewpoins are no only unrecognized bu ha hey are hen presumed o be normaive or nonwhies I is par o he goal o his chapero call Asian American heologians o atend o his assumpion and o find ways o inenionallyaddress and subver i
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983091
resuls have been ormulaed and ransmited as biblically unded and univer-
sally applicable regardless o conexual consideraions
A (supposedly) universal doctrinal famework One example o how Norh American evangelical heology has proceeded wih universalisic assumpions
and hereby overlooked i no inenionally ignored oher culural perspec-
ives has o do wih he docrine o he aonemen and wha i addresses Pu
crassly humankind suffers rom one overall problem ha o sin agains God
and ha one problem demands basically one soluion he subsiuionary
aonemen o he Sonrsquos deah on he cross1048628983089 Now I realize ha i is unair o
depic evangelical views regarding he aonemen in such homogeneous ermssince he mater isel is sill being conesed1048628983090 Bu he ac is ha in some
evangelical circles deparure rom he subsiuionary view o he aonemen
is considered deviaion rom evangelical orhodoxy1048628983091 From his posiion oher
biblical aspecs and alernaive inerpreaions are eiher subsumed under he
docrine o penal subsiuion or argued o be flawed in some respec
O course such a viewpoin minimizes he role o medieval eudalism and
he jurisprudenial background o some o he Reormers in he emergenceand esablishmen o his undersanding o he aonemen in he evangelical
radiion jus as i really does no quesion he basically Augusinian anhro-
pology presumed in his process Now I am no a hisorical deerminis who
believes ha conex leads inexorably o our heological ideas jus as I do no
hink ha allowance or hisorical conexual acors relaivizes he ruh o
heological claims or produces docrinal heerodoxy Raher wihou denying
41Te World Evangelical Alliancersquos Saemen o Faih affirms ldquoWe believe in Our Lord JesusChris God manies in he flesh His virgin birh His sinless human lie His divine miracles His vicarious and aoning deah His bodily resurrecion His ascension His mediaorial work and HisPersonal reurn in power and glory Te Salvaion o los and sinul man hrough he shed bloodo he Lord Jesus Chris by aih apar rom works and regeneraion by he Holy Spirirdquo (see worldevangelicalorgweasaemenhm emphases original)
42See James Beilby and Paul R Eddy eds Te Naure o he Aonemen Four Views (DownersGrove IL IVP Academic 1048626983088983088983094) and Derek idball David Hilborn and Jusin Tacker eds Te
Aonemen Debae Papers fom he London Symposium on he Teology o he Aonemen (Grand
Rapids Zondervan 1048626983088983088983093) c J Denny Weaver Te Nonviolen Aonemen (Grand Rapids Eerd-mans 10486269830889830881048625) and Hans Boersma Violence Hospialiy and he Cross Recovering he Aonemen
radiion (Grand Rapids Baker Academic 1048626983088983088983092)43See S Lewis Johnson Jr ldquoBehold he Lamb Te Gospel and Subsiuionary Aonemenrdquo in John
H Armsrong ed Te Coming Evangelical Crisis Curren Challenges o he Auhoriy o Scripure
and he Gospel (Chicago Moody Press 1048625983097983097983094) pp 10486251048625983097-1048627983096
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983089 983089 983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
he imporance o he biblical and heological heme o subsiuion or he
docrine o he aonemen I am simply suggesing ha oher culural perspec-
ives and even assumpions migh highligh and emphasize oher biblicalmeaphors regarding Chrisrsquos salvific work
Bu o pursue he quesion ono Asian American errain wha difference
will i make i we recognize ha some Asians and Asian Americans live and
exis in a shame raher han guil culure How migh evangelical hinking
abou he aonemen be adjused revised and maybe even ransormed i
Chrisrsquos work no only assuaged he guil o sin rom human lives bu also re-
moved he shame in human hears10486281048628 My poin is ha evangelical heologicalendencies generally urge a universalisic sandpoin and in his paradigm
here is no need o atend o he pariculariies o or ariculae Asian Asian
American or oher culural perspecives since hese are all subsumed wihin he
biblical ramework read in an evangelical way In his case here isnrsquo even a
need o ask wheher radiional evangelical heologies and docrines like hose
regarding he aonemen may need o be revisied and reariculaed in ligh o
oher hisorical culural and experienial dynamics In ac Asian Americansare boh oo shameul and oo shy o even consider asking abou hese maters
I have argued so ar in his secion ha Asian American Evangelicals ormed
heologically according o he sensibiliies o he dominan evangelical culure
in Norh America have inernalized he whie evangelical worldview and in ha
sense mosly do no see he need o hink explicily rom an Asian American
vanage poin Asian American evangelical views are hereore a bes no more
han a minoriy heological perspecive wo relaed summary consequenceshave ollowed Asian American acquiescence o he majoriy culure Firs meh-
odologically and maerially evangelical heology has been undersood o be a-
hisorical a-culural and even a-conexual Te assumpion is ha he Bible
addresses all human beings so any plain reading o he Scripure will or should
be able o access he Word o God a any and all imes and places radiionally
ormulaed and ramed evangelical docrines derived rom an inducive sudy
44 Asian Americans are beginning o do jus his however991252eg Rachel Y Lei ldquoSaving Significanceo he Cross in he Asian American Conexrdquo SANACS Journal 1048625 (1048626983088983088983097) 983097983093-10486251048625983094 c Mark D Bakerand Joel B Green Recovering he Scandal o he Cross Te Aonemen in New esamen and Con-
emporary Conexs (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 1048626983088983088983088) chap 983094 ldquoRemoving AlienaingShame Te Saving Significance o he Cross in Japanrdquo
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983093
o Scripure hus orm he undispuable and unrevisable core o he gospel
Tere is litle recogniion o he hisorical culural and conexual perspecives
ha have conribued o he ariculaion o such evangelical belies Wha his means is ha here sill remains a core se o evangelical docrinal
achievemens and hese remain valid across space and ime alhough hey
may be supplemened by or ranslaed ino local conexual and siuaional
perspecives and idioms As we saw previously (chaper one) he recen Cam-
bridge Companion o Evangelical Teology reflecs precisely his mindse10486281048629 Te
Companion we know is divided ino wo pars Te firs is iled ldquoEvan-
gelicals and Chrisian Docrinerdquo and his includes eigh chapers on he oun-daional docrinal marix o evangelical belies he riniy Scripure chris-
ology heological anhropology jusificaionaonemen pneumaology
conversionsancificaion and ecclesiology Par wo ldquoTe Conexs o Evan-
gelical Teologyrdquo hen provides anoher nine chapers and hese cover issues
relaed o culure gender race and pluralism and include five chapers on
evangelical heology in Arican Asian European Lain American and Norh
American conexs Tis srucure o he Companion communicaes a wooldmessage ha evangelical docrine is a-conexually derived (par one) and
ha various hisorical conexs (par wo) can add a mos parochial ruhs
ha will no upse he docrinal supersrucure o he evangelical heological
landscape In shor basic heological and docrinal ruhs o he Chrisian
aih have already been ormulaed and can be ound in any oher evangelical
sysemaic heological ex quie apar rom Asian American or any oher
more specified perspecivesPu more poinedly i Asian Americans (or any oher ehnic or culural
group) were o wrie heir own heologies hese would be provincial under-
akings wih marginal relevance or he wider evangelical communiy Tese
would be o value only or ldquohoserdquo people (maybe immigrans reugees or
exiles) who have no ye been assimilaed ino he broader American evan-
gelical culure Litle wonder hen ha ew Asian Americans have venured
ino heological errioryhe second summary consequence o inernalizing he dominan
45imohy Larsen and Daniel J reier eds Te Cambridge Companion o Evangelical Teology (Cambridge Cambridge Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983095)
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983089 983089983094 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
worldview991252ha evangelical heology a leas in is dogmaic and sysemaic
configuraions is by and large a finished projec wih minimal inpu needed
rom Asian American or oher perspecives991252is ha Asian Americans wihheological educaion have urned in general o work in he hisorical and
social scienific disciplines10486281048630 Tere cerainly remains imporan work o be
done by hose working across he disciplines so I am no decrying such effors
Ye he ac ha hisorical sociological or oher disciplinary explicaions o
Asian American lie are published by universiy presses communicaes o
Asian Americans ha heir role is o shed new ligh on he Asian American
experience A he same ime he prevalence o hese analyical approachesamid he lacuna o explicily heological works suggess ha he ormer is o
minimal value a leas or he ldquorealrdquo heological work o dogmaics and sys-
emaics Furher ha hese scholarly publishers do no eaure exs on Asian
American evangelical heology confirms his division o labor (whie Evan-
gelicals wrie real heology Asian American Evangelicals do hisory sociology
ec) A he end o he day evangelical heologyrsquos assumpion remains undis-
urbed ha here are core docrines ha only need o be conexualized991252ha is ranslaed and made relevan991252around he world In his ramework
Asian Americans can conribue no o he ormer heological ormulaion bu
only o he later ranslaion and disseminaion ask10486281048631
46Eg he work o imohy seng and David Yoo in hisory Fenggang Yang and Rebecca Kim insociology and Russell Jeung in Asian American sudies among ohers see also my ldquoAsian Amer-ican Religion A Review Essayrdquo Nova Religio Te Journal o Alernaive and Emergen Religions 983097
no 1048627 (1048626983088983088983094) 9830971048626-104862598308898309547One could argue ha a parallel ye disinc moivaion drives Lain American or Hispanic evan-
gelical heology in a similar direcion I Asian Americans are cauioned agains hinking heo-logically rom ou o ehnic hisorical and conexual lives because o heir uncriical embrace o whie evangelical assumpions Hispanic Evangelicals may have adoped similar commimensalbei or slighly differen reasons relaed o he Lain American conex Te dominance o heRoman Caholic Church along wih is heological and olk radiions in he later environmenmay be behind Hispanic evangelical suspicions abou he role o hisory and culure in he doingo heology Te ani-Caholic senimen in hisoric Evangelicalism no doub is atracive oLainoas on he migran rail (rom Lain America o he Unied Saes) alhough such accom-modaion has brough wih i he heological coss elaboraed in he preceding pages For urher
discussion and oher angles on hese issues see Oscar Garcia-Johnson Te Mesizoa Communiyo he Spiri A Posmodern Lainoa Ecclesiology (Eugene OR Wip amp Sock 1048626983088983088983097) Sammy Alaro Divino Compantildeero oward a Hispanic Penecosal Chrisology (Eugene OR Pickwick10486269830881048625983088) Juan Mariacutenez ldquolsquoOuside he Gaersquo Evangelicalism and Laino Proesan Teologyrdquo in JeffreyGreenman and Gene L Green eds Global Teology in Evangelical Perspecive Exploring he Conex-
ual Naure o Teology and Mission (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 104862698308810486251048626) pp 1048625983095983097-983097983092 and
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983095
T983144983141 M983137983150983140983137983156983141 983151983142 A983155983145983137983150 A983149983141983154983145983139983137983150 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161
Te preceding analysis raises sel-criical awareness or Asian American Evan-
gelicals and invies hem in dialogue wih oher Evangelicals o consider wheher heir minoriy saus is problemaic and wha i anyhing can and
ough o be done abou i Now I am aware ha here are developmens wihin
he evangelical heological radiion broadly consrued ha have moved
beyond some o he sricures idenified in he preceding secion Progressive
Evangelicals he evangelical lef and posconservaive Evangelicals denoe jus
a ew o he rends among ohers percolaing on he margins o evangelical
heology10486281048632 Bu ha is precisely par o he problem hese are movemens haexcep or a small minoriy remain ouside he evangelical mainsream and
have also by and large been ignored by Asian American evangelical scholars
and heologians I believe ha producive ways orward can be chared via
Asian American Evangelicals in dialogue wih some o hese ideas alhough
a he end o he day such conversaions will only be producive as Asian
American Evangelicals ormulae a plaorm on which hey can bring some-
hing subsanive o he discussion Tis later ask is par o he presen chal-lenge and burden o he presen book
Insoar hen as I am ineresed in he quesion o wha Asian Americans can
conribue o evangelical heology no jus hisorically or sociologically bu a
a heological level my claim is ha pursui o hese maters ironically also in-
volves aking seriously he hisoriciy and pariculariy o Asian American cul-
ures experiences and perspecives In his final par o his chaper I do no
more han sugges in broad srokes how o go abou such an underakingRealities o the Asian American diaspora Par o ldquohe problem o evan-
gelical heologyrdquo can be clarified i we siuae Asian American evangelical
heology amid he broader Asian American diasporic hisorical and social
realiies described in par a he beginning o chaper wo Doing so enables
he sark realizaion ha Asian American Evangelicals are composed by a
wide range o experiences on he one hand and pressure o assimilae o
Juan F Mariacutenez and Lindy Scot eds Los Evangeacutelicos Porrais o Laino Proesanism in he
Unied Saes (Eugene OR Wip amp Sock 1048626983088983088983097)48Many o hese are discussed in Roger E Olson Reormed and Always Reorming Te Posconser-
vaive Approach o Evangelical Teology (Grand Rapids Baker Academic 1048626983088983088983095)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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983089 983089983096 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
American culure on he oher W hile Asians have lived in Norh America
since he ounding o he republic and had even conribued o he building
o he American empire during he nineeenh cenury he 983089983097983094983093 Immigraion Ac ha repealed he Orienal Exclusion Ac o 983089983097983090983092 reopened he door o a
new wave o Asian migraion During he las generaion Asian American lie
has been urher ransormed by he orces o globalizaion diasporas creaed
by modernizaion indusrializaion and urbanizaion reugee populaions
displaced by war amine and climae changes movemen enabled by he
emergence o a worldwide marke economy advances in echnology and mass
communicaion he cross-erilizaion o ideologies and shifs in inerna-ional relaions10486281048633 Te resul as saw in he previous chaper is he appearance
o a wide range o Asian American communiies across Norh America Lie
in such communiies is fluid affeced by migraion paterns socioeconomic
pressures and he srengh o relaions wih hose ldquoback homerdquo Te sronger
he ransnaional ies beween Asian immigrans in he Wes and heir amilies
organizaions and insiuions (religious and oherwise) in heir homeland
he more inense and longer-lasing he exchange o religious goods and ideas(in he orm o books periodicals and various orms o elecommunicaion)
Unsurprisingly hen firs-generaion immigrans ofen deepen he reli-
gious commimens ha hey held or praciced perhaps more nominally
beore moving Someimes immigrans conver o he more dominan religion
o heir new home In eiher case religious affiliaion ofen serves o secure
social neworks coner saus oherwise difficul o come by or immigrans
and srenghen ehnic culural and linguisic bonds and ideniies Bu or he983089983093 generaion (hose born in Asia bu who grew up a leas in par in he
Unied Saes like mysel) he process o assimilaion is well under way In
hese cases he ehnic enclave will develop English-speaking secions as well
as social organizaions school clubs and Chrisian congregaions
For young adul Asian American Evangelicals however here is ofen a
49For an overview o hese issues see Wanni W Anderson and Rober G Lee eds Displacemensand Diasporas Asians in he Americas (New Brunswick NJ Rugers Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983093) Idiscuss urher he implicaions o globalizaion or Chrisian heology in Amos Yong and PeerHelzel ldquoRober Cummings Neville and he Global Fuure o Teologyrdquo in Yong and Helzel edsTeology in Global Conex Essays in Honor o Rober Cummings Neville (New York amp Clark1048626983088983088983092) pp 1048626983097-9830921048626 esp pp 1048627983088-1048627983092
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983097
keen sense ha heir own ehnically organized congregaions or groups are
somehow less religiously and heologically legiimae because hey do no
have he more ldquouniversalrdquo appeal o whie or muliculural evangelicalchurches or parachurch organizaions10486291048624 Te resul is eiher he ransiion o
ehnic congregaions ino pan-ehnic congregaions or movemen rom heir
ldquohomerdquo congregaion o oher less ehnically defined church environmens1048629983089
By he ime he second generaion atains adulhood he remaining culural
or linguisic barriers o ull assimilaion ino American sociey are pracically
overcome ofen o he dismay o parens and grandparens1048629983090
Wha does such assimilaion consis o Cerainly speaking Englishparicipaing in he marke economy and adaping o he opions provided
by American seculariy and poliics are minimal adjusmens Bu perhaps
assimilaion also requires abandoning he norms o he immigran culure
in avor o American norms or amily and gender relaions and engaging
wih he public square on is erms I so would his no lead o an evan-
gelical sel-undersanding deeply ormed by American culure poliics
and economics Would his no resul in a subordinaion and even deor-maion o all ha is Asian excep or he biological phenoype I would
appear hen ha becoming American would more easily aciliae he
embrace o evangelical Chrisianiy991252i such is deined as a suburban
Midwesern whie middle-class religious phenomenon wih Wheaon
Illinois as is veriable ldquoMeccardquo991252bu his brings wih i he cos o losing
onersquos Asianness Does his mean ha ull accepance o Evangelicalism
50See eg Rebecca Y Kim ldquoNegoiaion o Ehnic and Religious Boundaries by Asian AmericanCampus Evangelicalsrdquo in ony Carnes and Fenggang Yang eds Asian American Religions Te
Making and Remaking o Borders and Boundaries (New York New York Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983092) pp10486259830921048625-983093983097 and Rudy V Buso ldquoTe Gospel According o he Model Minoriy Hazarding an Inerpre-aion o Asian American Evangelical College Sudensrdquo in David K Yoo ed New Spiriual Homes
Religion and Asian Americans (Honolulu Universiy o Hawaii Press 1048625983097983097983097) pp 1048625983094983097-98309698309551See Russell Jeung Faihul Generaions Race and New Asian American Churches (New Brunswick
NJ Rugers Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983092)52 As can be discerned by reading beween he lines o he Bible sudies in om Linrsquos Losing Face
and Finding Grace Tis appears o be he case wheher he second generaion inenionally a-emps o disinguish is ehnic congregaional lie rom ha o he firs immigran generaion or wheher he second generaion becomes absorbed ino nonehnic or even muliehnic congrega-ions on his poin see Elaine Howard Ecklund ldquoModels o Civic Responsibiliy Korean Amer-icans in Congregaions wih Differen Ehnic Composiionsrdquo Journal or he Scienific Sudy o
Religion 983092983092 no 1048625 (1048626983088983088983093) 1048625983093-1048626983096
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
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983089 983090 983088 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
includes ldquorepenancerdquo rom Asia and ldquoconversionrdquo o Americanism1048629983091
Ta his is no he case seems o be borne ou by he sociological lieraure
which confirms ha ehniciy remains jus as imporan as religion in he or-maion o Asian American ideniy10486291048628 Bu i so evangelical heology has no
even begun o wresle wih he imporance o ehniciy and race no o
menion heir heological implicaions Second-generaion Korean Amer-
icans or insance seem o be inuiively drawn o churches and parachurch
minisries ha oreground heir Korean culural ideniy10486291048629 bu hey have
developed ew heological raionales or such orms o social organizaion
more o he poin heir own heological presupposiions miigae agains suchaciviy which may explain heir ideniy conflicedness
Unsurprisingly hen Asian American evangelical heology has ye o ge
off he ground even a he beginning o he weny-firs cenury Asian
American Evangelicals geting degrees rom insiuions o higher educaion
have had o wresle wihagains his assimilaive impulse o sruggle wih he
quesion o wheher hey are or should be doing (descripive) sociology raher
han heology (as normaive reflecion) and o ariculae an apologeic ordoing Asian American evangelical heology raher han jus evangelical he-
ology For oo many Asian American Evangelicals heir saus ldquobewix and
beweenrdquo991252on he one hand belonging o Asia and o he Unied Saes in
some respecs bu on he oher hand being a sranger o boh Asia and he
Unied Saes in oher respecs991252pus hem in a unique posiion o inerrogae
evangelical heology bu (o dae) leaves hem ouside he ormal organiza-
ional and insiuional srucures o criique effecively and ransorm heevangelical heological radiion
53One could also make he reverse argumen however ha Evangelicalism in he Unied Saes hasalready been molded by is social culural and hisorical conex o he exen ha he very eauresha mark he American way o lie991252ie individualism experienialism pragmaism even con-sumerism991252have also come o characerize evangelical Chrisianiy For an insighul analysis ohe ofenimes uncriical conflaion o Evangelicalism and Americanism and o he orces ha havealso resised such accommodaions see D G Har Ta Old-ime Religion in Modern America
Evangelical Proesanism in he wenieh Cenury (Chicago Ivan R Dee 10486269830889830881048626)54See Jerry Z Park ldquoTe Ehnic and Religious Ideniies o Young Asian Americansrdquo (PhD diss
Universiy o Nore Dame 1048626983088983088983092)55See Sharon Kim and Rebecca Y Kim ldquoSecond-Generaion Korean American Chrisiansrsquo Com-
muniies Congregaional Hybridiyrdquo in Carolyn Chen and Russell Jeung eds Susaining Faih
radiions Race Ehniciy and Religion Among he Laino and Asian American Second Generaion (New York New York Universiy Press 104862698308810486251048626) pp 1048625983095983094-9830971048627
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983090 983089
Moving trajectories o theological reflection O course i Asian Americans
hope o climb he ranks o he Norh American evangelical heological
academy hey can only do so on he erms esablished by heir hoss Andraher han responding o sociopoliical acors he evangelical heological
guild has always undersood isel primarily in heological erms and seen is
charge as deending hisorical orhodoxy wheher ha be agains liberalismrsquos
denial o biblical supernauralism agains neo-orhodoxyrsquos ambiguous sance
on Scripure agains mainsream sciencersquos heory o evoluion agains open
heismrsquos docrine o God and so on10486291048630 I evangelical heology has never
beore enerained ehnic perspecives in is discursive consrucion why nowundermine he (is presumed) universal ramework and applicabiliy by
adding he Asian or Asian American qualifiers
While in a sense his enire book provides a se o responses o his quesion
here I sugges hree reasons ha can moivae such a heological pah orward
Firs he Asian diaspora in he Unied Saes is now in a siuaion o reflec
subsanively on is experience o migraion While here are remendous
challenges o migraion10486291048631 some Asian Americans have achieved a level oupward social mobiliy so ha hey are now in he posiion o producing
scholarship inormed by such experienial perspecives Since he memory o
migraion among Asian Americans is more recen han hose o heir Cau-
casian colleagues such perspecives migh be helpul o ideniy how he mi-
graion rom he European coninen has shaped he evangelical heological
enerprise as a whole I Asian Americans can help heir evangelical colleagues
ideniy he hisorical impac o old o new world migraion on he belies andpracices o Norh American Evangelicalism ha in isel will open up pos-
sibiliies or considering aresh Asian American hisories and heir conribu-
ions o he wider conversaion
Second Asian Americans are orced o hink abou race and ehniciy in a
way unlike mos o heir whie brohers and sisers alhough heir reflecions
56Evangelical heologyrsquos many inernal and exernal batles are documened by Jon R Sone On heBoundaries o American Evangelicalism Te Poswar Evangelical Coaliion (New York S MarinrsquosPress 1048625983097983097983095)
57Some o hese are documened by Kenneh J Gues God in Chinaown Religion and Survival in
New Yorkrsquos Evolving Immigran Communiy (New York New York Universiy Press 10486269830889830881048627) whose work we will reurn o in chaper six
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983089 983090 983090 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
can also mediae perspecive in an oherwise whie-and-black demarcaed
world Race and ehniciy are undeniable aspecs o Asian American hisory
and experience Te impor o his is a leas woold Firs Asian Americansare posiioned o engage he discussion opened up by black evangelical heo-
logians regarding conemporary heology991252even in is evangelical guises991252as
reflecing he ascen o whie perspecives in he early modern period a he
expense o Jewish and oher nonwhie culural realiies Asian American per-
specives on race and ehniciy will open up new visas on he racial and ehnic
dimensions o he biblical world10486291048632 In oher words he marginalized hisories
and perspecives o Asian American Evangelicals have much o conribue oconemporary biblical inerpreaion and heological explicaion Te dom-
inan orms o evangelical heology orged in par ou o he hegemony o
Chrisendom are in need o criical analysis and dialogical revision
Las bu no leas cenral and ongoing elemens o Asian American hisory
are par o he presen experiences o ransnaionalism and globalizaion Te
issues here are complex10486291048633 One mater ha needs o be addressed is he iner-
woven characer o he global economy and how i affecs people around he world differenly depending on various social poliical and culural circum-
sances In addiion wih regard o he Asian American side o his equaion
here remain difficul issues relaed o how he quesion o assimilaion or ac-
culuraion is being negoiaed and adjudicaed Firs- second- and hird-gener-
aion perspecives differ someimes momenously and his does no even acor
in he perspecives o he 983089983093 generaion I heology is o engage he hisorical
realiies o real flesh-and-blood human beings i mus engage such quesions inour conemporary world Asian American Evangelicals can lead he way in
hinking heologically abou such hings and his will benefi no only Asian
58 Asian Evangelicals hus need o build rom he insighul readings o mainline Proesan biblicalscholar a-Siong Benny Liew Wha Is Asian American Biblical Hermeneuics Reading he New
esamen (Honolulu Universiy o Hawaii Press 1048626983088983088983096) regarding he ehnic dynamics under-neah Jewish-Genile relaions in he New esamen o be sure Liewrsquos mainline Proesan as-sumpions may be raher disan rom evangelical ones so some criical dialogue and perhaps
correcion may also be in order Ye he srengh o Liewrsquos book is o sugges how Asian Americanexperiences o ehnic marginaliy can illuminae he dispues beween Jewish and Genile ollow-ers o he Messiah in he firs cenury Tis is an issue worh subsanial engagemen rom anevangelical perspecive
59Eg Neil J Ormerod and Shane Clifon Globalizaion and he Mission o he Church (New York amp Clark 104862698308810486251048625)
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983090983091
American communiies bu also hose o oher ehnic racial and culural groups
who are also wresling wih lie in he weny-firs-cenury global conex
Evangelical heology oday will need o heed more inenionally han i has beore acors o migraion ehniciy globalizaion and ransnaionalism
Asian American Evangelicals can assis wih hese maters i hey will arise o
he occasion Tis does no derac rom he universaliy o he gospel message
On he conrary i addresses quesions o universal significance ha are oher-
wise negleced or engaged rom or wihin only one (dominan cenris) se
o perspecives
Reconnecting to the broader evangelical theological tradition Beore con-cluding his chaper however an imporan cavea ough o be sounded None
o he preceding should be read as denying eiher Asian American indebedness
o he evangelical radiion or he inerrelaedness o Asian American and oher
evangelical effors in he conemporary heological ask Te preceding migh
sugges ha Asian Americans are only poining accusing fingers a heir whie
evangelical riends Wihou aking away anyhing rom he seriousness o he
oregoing discussion I also realize ha whie Evangelicals in paricular and Americans in general have been welcoming o Asians and ha we have made i
his ar on our diasporic journey only wih he help o such riends
Beyond such ecclesial collegialiy however I would gran ha Asian Amer-
icans are in various respecs beholden heologically o American Evangelicals
as well In paricular American evangelical commimens o Chris-
ceneredness biblical aihulness and missionary zealousness are imporan
elemens o Chrisian belie and pracice in he weny-firs cenury Asian American Evangelicals should embrace and live ou such commimens no
only or hemselves bu also or oher Evangelicals and even or he world
Ye my claim is precisely ha such a posure enables Asian American Evan-
gelicals o conribue heologically o he ormaion o an evangelical belie
and praxis relevan o he weny-firs cenury For his o happen however
Asian American Evangelicals mus embrace no only he evangel bu also he
hisoriciy o heir diasporic experiences Te incarnaion o he Son o Godconsised afer all o aking on he concreeness palpabiliy and emporaliy
o human Jewish and firs-cenury Palesinian flesh and he oupouring o he
Spiri o God on he Day o Penecos involved he redempion o he diversiy
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983089 983090 983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
o human ongues languages and culures so ha hey migh bear winess o
he wondrous works o God (Acs 983090983089983089) Tis penecosal heme991252relaed o
Acs 983090 firs and oremos albei reraced unavoidably hrough he lens o mymodern penecosal ecclesial sensibiliies991252will inorm he deep srucure o
he argumen in he remainder o his volume ye achieved wihin a pen-
evangelical raher han merely charismaic rame o reerence My poin going
orward however is ha in ligh o hese heological and riniarian commi-
mens Evangelicals should be he firs o embrace he diversiy o heir his-
orical pariculariies raher han shy away rom hem radiionally o course
Evangelicals have subordinaed he vicissiudes o hisory and wih ha heiranxieies abou he flux and subjeciviies o experience o he surey and
oundaionalism o he Word o God as revealed in he Scripures My pro-
posal however is ha work o God in Chris and by he Spiri redeems us
amid wih and hrough he specificiies o our hisorical and culural expe-
rience (raher han saving us rom ou o such alogeher) and hus ha he
Word o God speaks ino such realiies (raher han ha we have o deny hem
or rejec hem as par o who we are)In shor Asian American Evangelicals do no need o be apologeic abou
heir lives experiences and perspecives Raher by ollowing he pah o he
Son o God ino he ar counry by receiving he infilling o he Spiri o God
poured ou on all flesh and by aihully atemping o live ou such a Chris-
cenered and Spiri-empowered aih in he ooseps o heir evangelical ore-
bears and ancesors Asian Americans may hen be able o bring heir heo-
logical gifs o he conversaion able gifs ha will challenge he discussion while simulaneously enriching he are or all hose concerned abou he
euangelion in he presen ime I is ime o heologize as Asian Americans no
jus as Evangelicals in order ha Evangelicalism isel can be renewed and
invigoraed or he sake o he gospel and in anicipaion o he reign o God
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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The Futur e o f
E V A N G E L I C A L T H E O L O G Y
S O U N D I N G S
FRO M T H E
A S I A N A M E R I C A N
D I A S P O R A
A M O S Y O N G
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InerVarsiy Press
PO Box 983089983092983088983088 Downers Grove IL 983094983088983093983089983093-983089983092983090983094
World Wide Web wwwivpresscom
Email emailivpresscom
copy983090983088983089983092 by Amos Yong
All righs reserved No par o his book may be reproduced in any orm wihou writen permission fom InerVarsiy Press
InerVarsiy Pressreg is he book-publishing division o InerVarsiy Chrisian FellowshipUSAreg a movemen o sudens and
aculy acive on campus a hundreds o universiies colleges and schools o nursing in he Unied Saes o America and a
member movemen o he Inernaional Fellowship o Evangelical Sudens For inormaion abou local and regional aciviies
visi wwwinervarsiyorg
Scripure quoaions unless oherwise noed are fom he New Revised Sandard Version o he Bible copyrigh 983089983097983096983097 by he Division
o Chrisian Educaion o he Naional Council o he Churches o Chris in he USA Used by permission All righs reserved
See pages 983089983093-983089983094 or addiional permissionsCover design Cindy Kiple
Inerior design Beh McGill
Images Easer weekend Easer Weekend by Willie Rodger Privae Collecion Te Bridgeman Ar Library
Chinese ar illusraion copy koeyiStockphoto
ISBN 983097983095983096-983088-983096983091983088983096-983092983088983094983088-983089 (prin)
ISBN 983097983095983096-983088-983096983091983088983096-983097983094983095983093-983090 (digial)
Prined in he Unied Saes o America
As a member o he Green Press Iniiaive InerVarsiy Press is commited o proecing he environmen and ohe responsible use o naural resources o learn more visi greenpressiniiaiveorg
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A caalog record or his book is available fom he Library o Congress
P 983090983093 983090983092 983090983091 983090983090 983090983089 983090983088 983089983097 983089983096 983089983095 983089983094 983089983093 983089983092 983089983091 983089983090 983089983089 983089983088 983097 983096 983095 983094 983093 983092 983091 983090 983089
Y 983091983094 983091983093 983091983092 983091983091 983091983090 983091983089 983091983088 983090983097 983090983096 983090983095 983090983094 983090983093 983090983092 983090983091 983090983090 983090983089 983090983088 983089983097 983089983096 983089983095 983089983094 983089983093 983089983092
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
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CONTENTS
P983154983141983142983137983139983141 11
A983139983147983150983151983159983148983141983140983143983149983141983150983156983155 15
P983154983151983148983151983143983157983141 A983157983156983151983138983145983151983143983154983137983152983144983145983139983137983148 R983141983142983148983141983139983156983145983151983150983155
983137983150983140 A983150983156983145983139983145983152983137983156983145983151983150983155 983151983142 983137983150 A983155983145983137983150 A983149983141983154983145983139983137983150
P983141983150983156-983141983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 S983151983146983151983157983154983150983141983154 17
983089 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148983145983155983149 983137983150983140 G983148983151983138983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161 E983149983141983154983143983145983150983143
A983155983145983137983150 983137983150983140 C983151983150983156983141983160983156983157983137983148 V983151983145983139983141983155 33
heology in a Globalizing World Evangelical and Asian Inersecions 37
Asian Evangelical heology Ramping Up 47
Evangelical heology as Conexual heology Possibiliies
and Challenges 57
983090 A983155983145983137983150 A983149983141983154983145983139983137983150 C983144983154983145983155983156983145983137983150983145983156983161 W983145983140983141983154 T983154983141983150983140983155 983137983150983140
T983154983137983146983141983139983156983151983154983145983141983155 67
he Asian American Religious Experience A Selec
Review o he Lieraure 68
Asian American Scholarly Currens Emerging Discourses 77
Asian American heologies he Sae o he Quesion 87
3 T983144983141 L983141983143983137983139983161 983151983142 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161 A983155983145983137983150
A983149983141983154983145983139983137983150 R 983141983139983141983152983156983145983151983150 983137983150983140 I983150983156983141983154983154983151983143983137983156983145983151983150983155 97
Asian American Evangelical heology Whence and
W(h)iher 98
he Burden o Evangelical heology A Minoriy Repor 106
he Mandae o Asian American Evangelical heology 117
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4 P983141983150983156983141983139983151983155983156983137983148 V983151983145983139983141983155 T983151983159983137983154983140 983137983150 A983155983145983137983150 A983149983141983154983145983139983137983150
E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161 125
Asian Penecosal heology Wha and W(h)iher 127
A Pen-evangelical Imaginaion Speaking in
Many ongues 135
Asian American Pen-evangelical heology Inerpreing
Dieren Discourses 144
983093 T983144983141 I983149983149983145983143983154983137983150983156 S983152983145983154983145983156 T983151983159983137983154983140 983137983150 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148
T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161 983151983142 M983145983143983154983137983156983145983151983150 159
Conemporary Migraion A Fusion o Horizons 161
Lukan Migraion A Pen-evangelical Reading 168
An Evangelical heology o Migraion Asian
American Modulaions 177
6 T983144983141 S983152983145983154983145983156 983151983142 J983157983138983145983148983141983141 A983150 A983155983145983137983150 A983149983141983154983145983139983137983150I983149983149983145983143983154983137983150983156 C983151983150983155983145983140983141983154983137983156983145983151983150 187
Inormaliy and Immigraion he Chinese American
Experience 189
Jubilee and Migraion A Pen-evangelical Re lecion 197
Money Migrans and Minisry in Asian American
Evangelical Perspecive 206
7 T983151983159983137983154983140 983137 G983148983151983138983137983148 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161 A983155983145983137983150
A983149983141983154983145983139983137983150 I983150983156983151983150983137983156983145983151983150983155 217
Nex Seps or Asian American Evangelical heology 218
Nex Seps or Norh American Evangelical heology 224
Nex Seps or Global Evangelical heology 229E983152983145983148983151983143983157983141 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161 983145983150 983156983144983141
T983159983141983150983156983161-F983145983154983155983156 C983141983150983156983157983154983161 235
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 735
S983157983138983146983141983139983156 I983150983140983141983160 250
A983157983156983144983151983154 I983150983140983141983160 253
S983139983154983145983152983156983157983154983141 I983150983140983141983160 254
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3
THE LEGACY OF EVANGEL ICAL THEOLOGY
Asian American Reception and Interrogations
In his chaper we drill deeper ino he inner logic o Asian American evan-
gelical heology Why has he Asian American naure o evangelical heology
been relaively underplayed when compared o Asian evangelical heology
and o Asian American heology in mainline Proesan and Roman Caholic
circles Tis chaper argues ha here are many reasons or his and ha hey
relae boh o he legacy o he (whie) Norh American evangelical endeavor
as a whole and o how his radiion has been received and inernalized by
Asian American Evangelicals
Te hree secions o come inroduce he whence o Asian American evan-
gelical heology and is largely conservaive ehos explore how his conser-
vaism is he resul o inernalizing he heo-logic o he dominan (Wesern)
evangelical culure and conclude by urging Asian American Evangelicals o
live more inenionally ino and ou o he pariculariy socialiy and hiso-
riciy o heir experiences While Asian American evangelical heology has
been by and large consonan wih ha o he (whie) evangelical esablishmen
i has no ound much o is own voice Par o he goal is o clariy why and
how he curren generaion o Asian American Evangelicals aces a ork in he
road o allow nonehnic (read whie) Evangelicals o coninue o se he
heological agenda ha minimizes or marginalizes heir perspecives or o
asser why he hisoriciy and pariculariy o he Asian American hisory and
experience is imporan no only or Asian American evangelical heology
specifically bu also or he evangelical heological ask as a whole
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 935
983097 983096 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
I he firs wo chapers have atemped o map he broader global and wider
Asian American heological landscapes his chaper conducs a sel-criical
analysis o aspecs o Asian American evangelical hinking While here is morediversiy underneah he Asian American evangelical label han many hink
here is also some jusificaion or discussing i in erms I presen Tis chaper
probes some o hese aken-or-graned eaures o he Asian American evan-
gelical menaliy ha have inhibied creaive and consrucive heological re-
flecion Noe however ha he poin is no o merely be criical o he whie
evangelical heological esablishmen raher he poin is o highligh how in
our conemporary global conex he evangelical radiion can be expandedrenewed and developed in dialogue wih non-Euro-American conversaion
parners Posiively pu hen he ollowing inends o open up a way orward
or he pen-evangelical heological pah ha chapers our and ollowing char
A983155983145983137983150 A983149983141983154983145983139983137983150 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161 W983144983141983150983139983141
983137983150983140 W(983144)983145983156983144983141983154
I is air o say ha we are sill a he very beginning sages o Asian Americanevangelical heologizing983089 As we shall see we can only speak abou Asian
American evangelical heology i undersood in a very broad sense Te ol-
lowing skeches hree sreams o such reflecion which enables compre-
hension o is largely conservaive insincs
Paricularly or Asian Americans rom an Eas Asian background he Con-
ucian emphasis on filial piey plays ou in heir evangelical spiriualiy Some
o he earlies works on Asian American evangelical heology hereore wereocused on how especially second-generaion Asian Americans could honor
heir parens while ollowing Chris983090 Tis was and remains an especially
imporan mater i he immigran generaion were non-Chrisians Beyond
his is he pressure o perecionis expecaions by parens no o menion
having also o live ino he ldquomodel minoriyrdquo sereoype ouside he home
1One o he ew orays ino he quesion remains Young Lee Herig ldquoWhy Asian American Evan-gelical Teologiesrdquo Journal o Asian and Asian American Teology 983095 (1048626983088983088983093ndash1048626983088983088983094) 1048625-10486261048627
2See Jeanete Yep ed Following Jesus Wihou Dishonoring Your Parens Asian American Discipleship (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 1048625983097983097983096) and Nikki A oyama and racey Gee eds More
Tan Serving ea Asian American Women on Expecaions Relaionships Leadership and Faih (Downers Grove IL IVP Books 1048626983088983088983094)
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983097 983097
When combined wih he deerenial Eas Asian posure many Asian Amer-
icans develop a sel-inerioriy complex991252devasaing wihin a culure o
shame991252paricularly when having also o conron linguisic challenges innavigaing hrough school and hen a career
Te ecclesial or congregaional domain is also one where Asian American
Evangelicals have expended some effor Tis is o be expeced given he long
hisory o ehnic churches and he many debaes no o menion challenges
relaed o assimilaion o he dominan culure Wihin he lieraure on Asian
American Evangelicalism we find works on pasoral minisry (designed o
equip minisers o cross generaional culural ecclesial gender and oherdivides)983091 congregaional healh and effeciveness (which provide models
or ehnic-dominan bilingual and even mixed ecclesial communiies)1048628 and
even a growing number o pan-Asian or pan-ehnic visions o he uure
(which ofen deal wih he issues o race and racializaion wihin an evan-
gelical paradigm)1048629 Asian American Evangelicals have ocused some o heir
energies on hese ecclesiological maters Wha can be hoped or is ha hese
more pracical miniserial and missional emphases will also ranslae in duecourse ino more robus ecclesiological and heological reflecion
Recent developments in Asian American evangelical theologyI is a he more
properly undersood heological level ha Asian American Evangelicals can be
said o be barely ou o he saring gae Sill even in hese gesaional imes some
poenial roues or developmen can be discerned One is a collecion o essays
ha appeared in 9830909830889830889830941048630 Published by he L983090 Foundaion an organizaion devoed
o Asian American leadership and legacy developmen his is he firs book oappear on he opic o Asian American evangelical heology Te six essayiss reflec
3Eg Ken Uyeda Fong Pursuing he Pearl A Comprehensive Resource or Muli-Asian Minisry (Val-ley Forge PA Judson Press 1048625983097983097983097) and Russell Yee Worship on he Way Exploring Asian Norh
American Chrisian Experience (Valley Forge PA Judson Press 104862698308810486251048626)4See Peer Cha S Seve Kang and Helen Lee eds Growing Healhy Asian American Congregaions (Downers Grove IL IVP Books 1048626983088983088983094) and M Sydney Park Soong-Chan Rah and Al izon edsHonoring he Generaions Learning wih Asian Norh American Congregaions (Valley Forge PA Judson Press 104862698308810486251048626)
5Elizabeh Conde-Frazier S Seve Kang and Gary A Parret A Many-Colored Kingdom Mulicul-ural Dynamics or Spiriual Formaion (Grand Rapids Baker Academic 1048626983088983088983092) and Kenneh AMahews and M Sydney Park Te Pos-Racial Church A Biblical Framework or Muliehnic Rec-
onciliaion (Grand Rapids Kregel Academic 104862698308810486251048625)6D J Chuang and imohy seng eds Conversaions Asian American Evangelical Teologies in
Formaion (Washingon DC L1048626 Foundaion 1048626983088983088983094)
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 1135
983089983088983088 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
he diversiy o he AAE communiy David Yoo a hisorian a Claremon
McKenna College surveys (wih wo collaboraors) he prendashWorld War II his-
ories o Japanese and Korean American Chrisians and urges ha religion needso be acored ino immigraion and race analyses o hese communiies even as
im seng a hisorian o American Chrisianiy and ounder o he Insiue or
he Sudy o Asian American Chrisianiy exposes he ldquocolor blindnessrdquo o
American church hisory and provides some hermeneuical opions or moving
beyond orienalis or assimilaionis models o he Asian American Chrisian
experience A pracical heologian a riniy Evangelical Diviniy School Peer
Cha discusses he challenges involved in ideniy ormaion among second-generaion Korean Americans An inriguing chaper is missiologis James Zorsquos
(affiliaed wih Logos Evangelical Seminary in El Mone Caliornia) insighul
analysis o how srucural and power issues complicae he assessmen o racism
prejudice and discriminaion on boh sides o he American and Asian American
equaion For a volume on evangelical heology he wo explicily heological
conribuions are by hisorical heologians Paul Lim (who specializes in early
modern England has augh a Gordon-Conwell Teological Seminary and nowis as o he ime o his wriing a Vanderbil Universiy) reveals he imporance
o biography in he consrucion o any Asian American evangelical heology and
Jeffrey Jue (a pos-Reormaion hisorian a Wesminser Teological Seminary)
seeks a way beyond boh modernis experienialism and posmodernis subjec-
ivism by reurning o he gospel Te conversaional approach o each chaper
in he volume invies ohers o join in he discussion
A second line o developmen lies wih Asian American evangelical womenmany o whom are also working in he area o biblical sudies1048631 A recen volume
includes en chapers mos springing off emale biblical characers all se wihin
wha Young Lee Herig calls a ldquoyinis paradigmrdquo ha is neiher merely eminis
(nor womanis nor mujerisa) nor ye acquiescen o he pariarchal srucures
dominan wihin Asian American Evangelicalism in paricular and (whie) evan-
gelical heology in general1048632 Mirrored Reflecions is hus a groundbreaking and
7See Young Lee Herig and Chloe Sun eds Mirrored Reflecions Refaming Biblical Characers (Eugene OR Wip amp Sock 10486269830881048625983088)
8See Herigrsquos lead chaper ldquoTe Asian American Alernaive o Feminism A Yinis Paradigmrdquo inHerig and Sun eds Mirrored Reflecions pp 1048627-1048625983092
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088983089
paradigmaic book no only or Asian American heology bu also or evan-
gelical biblical hermeneuics I opens up space or Asian American womenrsquos
readings o he Bible wihou mimicking oher eminis agendas i embracesreader-response approaches while honoring he scripural horizon i boldly
explores a counerculural conexualism polyphonous mulivocalism and in-
ersubjecive perspecivism wihou lapsing ino relaivism and i insiss on he
need or us o come o erms wih pluralism globalizaion and ransnaionalism
in he pursui o aihul Chrisian discipleship in our ime Arguably his is
biblical inerpreaion and heological reflecion a is bes engaging subversive
ransormaive and salvific991252or women and men1048633 Such pahs opened up by Asian American evangelical women may well be wha is mos generaive and
producive or Asian American evangelical heology in he longer run
Te conribuions o Herig and company run parallel o oher Asian
American evangelical voices ha find hemselves bewix-and-beween he
cener o he evangelical movemen and he mainline Proesan commu-
niies Soong-Chan Rahrsquos work mediaes hese spaces as represenaive o a
promising pah in conemporary Asian American evangelical heology9830891048624 Tepoency o Rahrsquos argumen is ha he speaks no only o Asian American
Evangelicals bu also o he evangelical heological esablishmen as a whole
Tis is because his is a call or he church o le go o is individualism con-
sumerism maerialism and racism991252all effecs o Wesern culure991252in order
o be reed rom is culural capiviy983089983089 Rahrsquos analysis however can find
deeper Asian American racion paricularly i wedded o he uncompro-
mising call or living ino he Asian American ideniy by heologians suchas Jonahan ran983089983090 Te later empowers a disincive Asian American voice
9Perhaps in conras o he dominan srands o Asian American evangelical biblical inerpreaionha have swallowed Wesern hermeneuical mehods almos hook line and sinker see Andrew Yueking Lee ldquoReading he Bible as an Asian American Issues in Asian American Biblical Inerpre-aionrdquo in Viji Nakka-Cammau and imohy seng eds Asian American Chrisianiy A Reader (Casro Valley CA Te Insiue or he Sudy o Asian American Chrisianiy 1048626983088983088983097) pp 983094983088-983094983097
10Soong-Chan Rah Te Nex Evangelicalism Freeing he Church fom Wesern Culural Capiviy (Downers Grove IL IVP Books 1048626983088983088983097)
11From a hermeneuical perspecive see he similar argumen o E Randolph Richards and Bran-don J OrsquoBrien Misreading Scripure wih Wesern Eyes Removing Culural Blinders o Beter Un-
dersand he Bible (Downers Grove IL IVP Books 104862698308810486251048626)12See Jonahan ran ldquoA Few Tings I Wan rom Asian American Evangelicalsrdquo in Nakka-Cammau
and seng Asian American Chrisianiy pp 10486269830921048627-9830931048625 c also ran ldquoIdeniy as MissiologyrdquoSANACS Journal 1048625 (1048626983088983088983097) 1048626983097-983092983088
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983089983088983090 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
albei one ha is no parochial since i addresses larger ecclesial (and perhaps
even social) concerns983089983091
Te ac o he mater is however ha here is litle else available on Asian American evangelical heology and ha Asian American Evangelicals are sill
a long way off rom hinking heologically as Asian Americans Par o he
reason is ha many Asian American Evangelicals even hose who are heo-
logically rained have basically replicaed he majoriy evangelical (whie)
approaches o Scripure Furher many second-generaion Asian Americans
have adoped he assimilaionis experience as heir model and have presumed
ha an ldquoAmerican universalismrdquo maps ono a biblical universalism9830891048628 Teresul is he subordinaion o heir racial and ehnic ideniies and modes o
hinking Among he many reasons or his is he dominan conservaism o
Asian American culure especially wihin ecclesial communiies o Eas Asian
descen (eg Chinese Korean Japanese and Vienamese churches) As such
Asian Americans are conen o persis wih he saus quo o evangelical he-
ology inheried rom heir (whie) evangelical eachers
Asian American evangelical conservatism Te phenomenon o Eas Asianor Conucian culural conservaism is o course a complicaed one o un-
angle On he one hand here is somehing o he sereoype o Eas Asian
Conucianism as essenially androcenric (in subordinaing women o men)
pariarchal (susained by he radiionrsquos emphasis on filial piey) and auhori-
arian (preserved in he king-subjec and older-younger broher aspecs o he
ldquofiveold relaionsrdquo) On he oher hand like mos exended culural radiions
Conucianism has been neiher saic nor ree rom dissening rends ha haveatemped o rerieve reappropriae and when necessary jetison hese radi-
13Mathew Soerens and Jenny Hwang Welcoming he Sranger Jusice Compassion and ruh in he
Immigraion Debae (Downers Grove IL IVP Books 1048626983088983088983097) is anoher example o Asian AmericanEvangelicals speaking ino wider conversaions precisely he hrus o his book and par o is goalin erms o moivaing Asian American evangelical heological inquiry I will reurn o discuss heproposals o his volume in more deph in chaper six
14Tis is my way o puting wha oher Asian American scholars have also observed see boh Anony W Alumkal ldquoTe Scandal o he lsquoModel Minoriyrsquo Mind Te Bible and Second-Generaion Asian American Evangelicalsrdquo and imohy seng ldquoSecond-Generaion Chinese Evangelical Use o heBible in Ideniy Discourse in Norh Americardquo boh in a-siong Benny Liew Te Bible in Asian
America Semeia 983097983088-9830971048625 (Alana Te Sociey o Biblical Lieraure 10486269830889830881048626) pp 10486261048627983095-983093983088 andpp 10486269830931048625-983094983095 respecively
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088983091
ional docrines or he lae modern world9830891048629 Cerainly in he Norh American
conex here are progressive orces a work especially among second and laer
generaions o Asian Americans bu equally cerainly he weigh o porableculural and philosophical radiions like Conucianism (see chaper wo)
means ha change occurs slowly
Wihin he Asian American evangelical communiy he gradual ransor-
maion o he inheried culural conservaism is cerainly being played ou
even i a a much slower pace han in nonevangelical conexs One he one
side he gospel is undersood as providing a criical perspecive on culure991252
on which I will say more momenarily on he oher side however here arecerain biblical hemes such as honoring o parens and he submission o
women (read off he surace o some Pauline exs) ha resonae wih he filial
piey o especially Conucian culures and hese have ineviably become
cenral issues or he orging o Asian American ideniies9830891048630 Hence Asian
American immigrans who are atraced o Chrisianiy are ofen drawn o
evangelical Proesanism because i provides a similarly conservaive
worldview one ha enables heir acculuraion ino American sociey Forhese reasons Conucian conservaism morphs among Asian American Pro-
esans ino a orm o evangelical conservaism
o be sure he exac role o Conucianism behind Asian American evan-
gelical conservaism migh be debaed among scholars paricularly since he
appropriaion o he Conucian radiion across he Asian American diaspora
is no all o one sripe A he same ime even i oher Asian radiions were o
be acored ino he marix o Asian American lie many are inormed by akind o pariarchal hierarchical and auhoriarian conservaism ha uncions
similarly in Eas Asian Conucian culure In shor perhaps he ldquomodel mi-
noriyrdquo sereoype as conesed as migh be such a designaion ha charac-
erizes much o he Asian American experience conribues o he conser-
vaism ha permeaes Asian American Evangelicalism
North American evangelical conservatism and its implications Bu high-
15See here Daniel A Bell Chinarsquos New Conucianism Poliics and Everyday Lie in a Changing Soci-
ey (Princeon NJ Princeon Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983096) chap 104862716Eg om Lin Losing Face and Finding Grace 983089983090 Bible Sudies or Asian Americans (Downers
Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 1048625983097983097983094) esp par 1048625
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 1535
983089983088983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
lighing Eas Asian conservaism ells only one side o he sory abou why
Asian Americans end o be conened wih and passive recipiens o he he-
ology o he dominan evangelical culure Te oher hal o his ale has o do wih Norh American conservaism as well O course hisorically Norh
American Evangelicalism was ormed ou o a long hisory o reacion o
mainline Proesan liberalism By definiion o be conservaive means o
resis he orces o change insoar as such changes are hough o compromise
he received values o a paricular radiion So while some changes have been
embraced evangelical conservaives have long resised wha are perceived as
adjusmens o hisoric Chrisian orhodoxy oised upon he Norh Americanchurch by heir liberal counerpars9830891048631 More recenly Evangelicals have also
enered ino he culure wars in deense o radiional amily values and oher
aspecs o he agenda o he Republican Pary
Over ime hen Evangelicals have been led o develop heological argu-
mens or heir conservaive sances Mos relevan or he Asian American
experience is how he dominan evangelical culure has acceped while
slighly redefining a leas more recenly he basic caegories o he classicalChris and Culure sudy o H Richard Niebuhr9830891048632 Ye hisorically Evangel-
icals have embraced he ldquoChris agains culurerdquo sance albei more recenly
shifing oward he ldquoChris ransorming culurerdquo posure Tis involves eiher
a wors he rejecion o culure which has radiionally characerized evan-
gelical secarianism (especially among undamenaliss he close cousins o
Evangelicals)9830891048633 or a bes an ambiguous relaionship wih culure one ea-
uring wha migh be called a culural hermeneuic o suspicion ha is alwaysconcerned abou syncreism wih he world Culure in popular evangelical
parlance is almos equivalen o he world and in ha sense is wha humans
need o be saved rom raher han parake o
17Tere are many versions o his sory my own elling is here ldquoTe Word and he Spiri or heSpiri and he Word Exploring he Boundaries o Evangelicalism in Relaionship o Modern Pen-ecosalismrdquo riniy Journal 10486261048627 no 1048626 (10486269830889830881048626) 10486261048627983093-9830931048626
18See H Richard Niebuhr Chris and Culure (10486259830979830931048625 repr San Francisco Harper orchligh1048625983097983093983094) c Glen H Sassen D M Yeager and John Howard Yoder Auhenic ransormaion A
New Vision o Chris and Culure (Nashville Abingdon 1048625983097983097983094)19Ie as manies in missionary and evangelisic sraegies ha called on convers o abandon heir
culural belies and pracices in ollowing Chris991252eg Birgi Meyer ranslaing he Devil Religion
and Moderniy Among he Ewe in Ghana (renon NJ Arica World Press 1048625983097983097983097)
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088983093
So how has his played ou in Asian American evangelical communiies
Mos poinedly Asian American Evangelicals have radiionally undersood
heir Chrisian conversion o involve eiher a urning away rom heir Asianculural roos or a minimizing o such aspecs o heir ideniy Ta Chrisian
conversion acually involves Americanizaion is quie prevalen across he
Asian American scene In my own case growing up as already indicaed in he
prologue we never alked abou he imporance o Chinese culure he em-
phasis a home (my parens were firs-generaion convers o Chrisianiy)
was always on embodying Chrisian culure Many Asian Americans hus end
o view heir Asian hisorical and culural legacies in binary erms ood dressand music migh be reained because hey concern he ouward aspecs o lie
which are incidenal anyway o rue human ideniy bu lierary philosophical
and religious ideas are o be cauiously approached (a bes) since hey are
probably represenaive o ldquohe worldrdquo and hus aniheical o he gospel
Tis confluence o Conucian and evangelical conservaism has been
srenghened hrough he process o heological educaion Asian American
Evangelicals end o atend solidly evangelical seminaries because o heirconservaive commimens So whereas mainline Proesan seminaries are
much more ocused on corporae ideniies evangelical seminaries and
heir curricula ocus more on personal ideniies paricularly he or-
maion o spiriual lives in relaionship o Chris9830901048624 Wha his means is ha
ehnic ideniies are minimized as having no more han biological signifi-
cance and hisorical and culural aspecs o Asian ideniy are acceped
only as accidenal o ideniy in Chris Asian American Evangelicals arefirs and oremos Chrisians and only secondarily i a all Asians (al-
hough ineresingly he prevalence o naionalism among Evangelicals
means ha American ideniy is much more imporan han evangelical
rheoric usually les on) Evangelical heological educaion hus provides
he philosophical and heological apparaus o make sense o such modes
o ideniy consrucion
20Russell Jeung ldquoEvangelical and Mainline eachings on Asian American Ideniyrdquo in Liew and Yee Bible in Asian America pp 104862610486251048625-1048627983094 reprined in Nakka-Cammau and seng Asian American
Chrisianiy pp 1048625983097983095-10486261048625983094
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 1735
983089983088983094 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
T983144983141 B983157983154983140983141983150 983151983142 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161 A M983145983150983151983154983145983156983161 R983141983152983151983154983156
In he ollowing I highligh he major episemological hermeneuical meh-
odological and docrinal aspecs o (whie) evangelical heology embraced bymany Asian American Evangelicals I argue no ha hese are he only ways in
which Asian American Evangelicals have accommodaed o he dominan
(whie) evangelical subculural worldview nor ha Asian American evan-
gelical heology can be reduced o hese eaures I sugges however ha hese
provide some explanaion or how many Asian American evangelical heolo-
gians view he Asian dimension o heir work in conexual erms bu do no
also undersand he dominan whie heological consrucs similarly Teresul is ha Asian American concerns are no only subordinaed bu also e-
ecively silenced in many cases In he ollowing I criically assess his dom-
inan view rom he marginal horizons o he Asian American experience
A (putatively) global epistemology I begin wih he Enlighenmen epis-
emology and is ques or or presumpion o have atained he universal per-
specive In heir batle agains liberalism Evangelicals have highlighed he
imporance o developing a biblical worldview983090983089 Worldview consrucion isineviably an inellecual exercise983090983090 Wha mos Evangelicals do no ofen
inerrogae is how rooed he worldview ques is in he Enlighenmen projec
As such evangelical worldview ormulaion operaes episemologically ac-
cording o modernis canons o raionaliy Tis is reinorced in evangelical
seminary educaion variously no leas in he embrace o some orm o oun-
daionalism characerisic o he Enlighenmen ques or cerainy hough
o secure evangelical claims o universal ruh983090983091
Foundaionalism classically undersood is he view ha all belies can be
jusified direcly (ounded upon) sense experience or reason available o all991252
hence universal991252raher han inerred rom oher (subjecively held) be-
lies9830901048628 While Evangelicals are philosophically jus as sophisicaed as anyone
21Tus InerVarsiy Press has jus published in 1048626983088983088983097 he fifh ediion o James Sirersquos Te Universe Nex
Door A Basic Worldview Caalog a esimony o is populariy a evangelical colleges and universiies22 Anoher popular ex among Evangelicals noes is concepual naure David K Naugle World-
view Te Hisory o a Concep (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048626)23 As refleced in anoher popular evangelical exbook J P Moreland and William Lane Craig
Philosophical Foundaions or a Chrisian Worldview (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 10486269830889830881048627)24Noe ha he dualism beween objeciviy and subjeciviy is isel a modernis consrucion I
discuss hese maters as well as evangelical orms o oundaionalism in my ldquoTe Demise o Foun-
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088 983095
else in heir deense o oundaionalism9830901048629 more ofen han no hey are epis-
emological oundaionaliss or wo reasons Negaively pu episemic oun-
daionalism is a deerren o wha hey see as he hreaening alernaive oepisemological skepicism philosophical i no moral relaivism and reli-
gious and heological pluralism Posiively pu he oundaions o Chrisian
knowing are given in he Bible I will reurn in a momen o address he her-
meneuical issues involved wih such an appeal For he momen however I
simply noe ha evangelical oundaionalism in whaever is guise butresses
is claims o have access o a universal sandpoin or (heological) knowledge
Such a universal vanage poin is o course relaed o he Enlighenmenques or cerain knowledge Hence he undermining o oundaionalism
opens up o perspecivism Evangelicals resis episemic perspecivism or he
same reasons ha hey deend oundaionalism because ha is el o be he
only way o secure raionally he sabiliy o ruh claims Opening he door
o perspecivism invies he mulipliciy o views ha characerizes he rela-
ivism o he posmodern siuaion Conservaive Evangelicals are hus very
concerned abou he ascendency o he posmodern agenda9830901048630
Wha does his have o do wih Asian American Evangelicalism My claim is
ha Asian Americans educaed a conservaive evangelical seminaries have un-
witingly embraced no only he oundaionalis episemology o heir eachers
bu also is atendan applicaions In order o ward off episemic skepicism
moral relaivism and heological pluralism Asian American Evangelicals have
also uncriically rejeced he perspecivism cenral o posoundaionalis epis-
emology9830901048631 More o he poin he deense o oundaionalism is also he de-ense o he saus quo he universal rame o reerence claimed by evangelical
daionalism and he Reenion o ruh Wha Evangelicals Can Learn rom C S Peircerdquo Chrisian
Scholarrsquos Review 1048626983097 no 1048627 (Spring 1048626983088983088983088) 9830939830941048627-98309698309625Eg J P Moreland and Garret DeWeese ldquoTe Premaure Repor o Foundaionalismrsquos Demiserdquo
in Millard J Erickson Paul Kjoss Helseh and Jusin aylor eds Reclaiming he Cener Confon-
ing Evangelical Accommodaion in Posmodern imes (Wheaon IL Crossway 1048626983088983088983092) pp 9830961048625-104862598308898309526Tus par 1048626 o Millard J Erickson Posmodernizing he Faih Evangelical Responses o he Chal-
lenge o Posmodernism (Grand Rapids Baker Books 1048625983097983097983096) is iled ldquoNegaive Responses o
Posmodernismrdquo and discusses a number o conemporary and recen deenders o classical evan-gelical aih David Wells Tomas Oden and Francis Schaeffer
27 As argued eg by Sanley J Grenz and John R Franke Beyond Foundaionalism Shaping Teology in
a Posmodern Conex (Louisville Wesminser John Knox 10486269830889830881048625) he criical and apologeic responsehas been he recogniion ha his akes us ldquobeyond Evangelicalismrdquo991252see Seven Knowles Beyond
Evangelicalism Te Teological Mehodology o Sanley J Grenz (Burlingon V Ashgae 1048626983088983088983097)
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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983089983088983096 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
heology Simulaneously so he argumen goes he abandonmen o ounda-
ionalism opens he door o perspecivism and pluralism And i he later are
problemaic so are heir ideological movemens especially and including muli-culuralism (wih some advocaes o such having reinerpreed Chrisian eaching
in ligh o a poliics o ideniy insead o vice versa)9830901048632 Asian American Evan-
gelicals are hus armed oundaionally o conron engage and resis he perils
o cynicism relaivism and pluralism Unbeknowns o hem however his no
only undercus he ideology o muliculuralism bu also assails he basis upon
which hey can reclaim heir own hisorical and culural ideniies O course
Evangelicals have more recenly recognized a leas in general he imporanceo embracing he diversiy o culures even o celebraing hem bu only so
long as doing so does no hreaen he oundaions o evangelical ceriude
An (allegedly) a-cultural hermeneutic Tis presumpion o having a uni-
versal perspecive while undergirded as biblical raher han recognized as
ounded on an Enlighenmen paradigm bleeds over ino evangelical herme-
neuics In he Asian American evangelical landscape such hermeneuical pre-
supposiions bracke Asian America wheher inenionally (more ofen) or noIn his way Asian American Evangelicals have imbibed no only he oundaion-
alism o heir classical seminary educaion bu also he biblical hermeneuic ha
works o secure such an episemic sance Unsurprisingly a he hear o he
evangelical inerpreaion o Scripure is anoher insrumen rom he modernis
oolki ha o hisorical criicism Tis ime however such a hermeneuical
approach is deployed o access he auhorial inen o he Scripures and i is
his ha is cenral (oundaional) o ideniying he biblical message which inurn enables he Bible o serve as he unshakable norm or Chrisian belie
Tere is much o unpack in he preceding brie descripion o evangelical
hermeneuics classically considered Bu I wan o ocus insead on he prin-
ciples o biblical exegesis as emphasized in evangelical seminary educaion9830901048633
Te goal o exegesis is o draw ou o or o cull rom he Bible wha he original
auhors mean o communicae Tis involves undersanding firs and
28Tus have some Evangelicals harangued agains muliculuralism as an ideology or example991252Dennis McCallum ed Te Deah o ruh Wharsquos Wrong wih Muliculuralism he Rejecion o
Reason and he New Posmodern Diversiy (Minneapolis Behany House 1048625983097983097983094)29Eg Waler C Kaiser oward an Exegeical Teology Biblical Exegesis or Preaching and eaching
(Grand Rapids Baker Books 1048625983097983097983096)
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088983097
oremos how he biblical auhors were undersood by heir iniial audiences
in he ancien conex Exegesis accesses hese primordially inended biblical
principles Wha he Bible means oday is hereby a secondary issue de-penden primarily on wha i originally mean o he firs hearers and readers
o he Scripures Conemporary applicaion hus involves idenificaion o
he original and or some single meaning o he biblical exs9830911048624
Te flip side o he emphasis on exegesis hen involves he rejecion o
eisegesis he inserion o conemporary perspecives ino he meaning o he
biblical ex I he burden o biblical hermeneuics is o ake away rom he
Scripures wha is auhors inended o communicae he bane o evangelicalinerpreaion is o read ino he Bible whaever our presen viewpoins may
dicae Tis o course is a violaion o he cardinal rule o evangelical herme-
neuics readers should leave heir prejudices and biases a he door and allow
he Bible o inorm hem insead Oherwise he concern is ha he reader
will find whaever he or she is looking or and his inecs conaminaes
skews and disors he prisine message o he Bible983091983089
Te problem here is no jus ha he lines beween exegesis and eisegesis aremuch more blurred han Evangelicals usually acknowledge983091983090 bu ha he per-
sisen applicaion o such an approach o he Bible dicaes ha evangelical
readers inenionally bracke or a leas atemp o hold in abeyance heir own
hisories experiences and perspecives as being o secondary impor i o any
relevance a all or heir reading o Scripure Now I am cerainly no suggesing
ha we all willy-nilly inser our biases in appropriaing he biblical ex Simul-
aneously I urge ha he cos o such hermeneuical brackeing is oo high or
30See Rober L Tomas Evangelical Hermeneuics Te New Versus he Old (Grand Rapids Kregel10486269830889830881048626) chap 983094 iled ldquoTe Principle o Single Meaningrdquo which argues ha he pluralism po-lyphony and plurivociy o meaning advocaed by recen progressive Evangelicals reflecs more heeffecs o humaniyrsquos all ino sin han i does he classical assumpions o evangelical biblical in-erpreaion For a counerargumen one ha I am largely sympaheic wih see James K ASmih Te Fall o Inerpreaion Philosophical Foundaions or a Creaional Hermeneuic (DownersGrove IL InerVarsiy Press 1048626983088983088983088)
31For evangelical concerns regarding reader-response hermeneuics see Norman R Gulley ldquoReader-
Response Teories in Posmodern Hermeneuics A Challenge o Evangelical Teologyrdquo in DavidS Dockery ed Te Challenge o Posmodernism An Evangelical Engagemen (Wheaon IL VicorBooks 1048625983097983097983093) pp 1048626983088983096-1048627983096
32In mainline Proesan circles o course here has long been recogniion ha he radiional line beween exegesis and eisegesis is much blurrier han previously hough see Jay G WilliamsldquoExegesis-Eisegesis Is Tere a Differencerdquo Teology oday 1048627983088 no 1048627 (10486259830979830951048627) 10486261048625983096-1048626983095
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2135
983089 983089983088 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
ehnic minoriies who are Evangelicals since his in effec rejecs heir quesions
and concerns as perinen o heir engagemen wih he Bible In addiion such
presumpive brackeing blinds whie Evangelicals o he ac ha heir own ho-rizons and perspecives are involved in any reading o ancien exs and his lack
o awareness makes i doubly difficul o recognize moderae or correc
I would urge insead ha we recognize and embrace he ension involved
in he usion o biblical and conemporary horizons bu do so in a way ha
boh allows conemporary readers o ener ino he world o he Bible on he
one hand (ldquohis is hardquo) and or he Bible o map ono our conemporary lives
on he oher hand (ldquoha is hisrdquo)983091983091 Tis no only allows or an Asian American reading o he Bible somehing ha is barred in he evangelical
environmen i also invies even encourages such an approach and his in
urn gives Asian Americans991252all people acually991252permission o read he
Bible as i i really matered o heir lives
A (presumably) biblical-theological method Enlighenmen assumpions
hus inorm no only Asian American evangelical episemology and herme-
neuics bu also heological mehod and hey do so in ways ha marginalize Asian America Tis is consisen wih he general evangelical ear o licensing
wha hey see as merely subjecive readings o he Bible or he same reasons
ha hey are wary abou enabling heological mehodologies ha consciously
acknowledge he role o experience In oher words he saus quo in evan-
gelical approaches o he Bible (wih is accenuaion o exegesis and rejecion
o eisegesis) has is counerpar in evangelical approaches o heological re-
flecion his ime wih he emphasis on he Bible as he primary i no solesource or heology over and agains hisory radiion culure and experience
A one level he sola scripura commimens o Reormaion radiions have
a very specific hisory and should be undersood according o he nuances
wih which his idea has developed in he pas five hundred years9830911048628 A anoher
33I explicae some aspecs o he ldquohis is hardquo hermeneuic rom a Penecosal perspecive in myldquoReading Scripure and Naure Penecosal Hermeneuics and Teir Implicaions or he Con-
emporary Evangelical Teology and Science Conversaionrdquo Perspecives on Science and ChrisianFaih 9830931048627 no 1048625 (104862698308810486251048625) 1048625-10486251048627
34Reflecing developmens rom he publicaion o Te Fundamenals o he ldquoChicago Saemen onBiblical Inerrancyrdquo (1048625983097983095983096) many conservaive Norh American Evangelicals991252eg rom NormanL Geisler Inerrancy (Grand Rapids Zondervan 1048625983097983096983088) o James R Whie Scripure Alone (Min-neapolis Behany House 1048626983088983088983092)991252have seen and coninue o see boh sola scripura and he doc-
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2335
983089 983089 983090 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
Te problem however is ha Asian Americans have rarely i ever ques-
ioned more rigid applicaions o his mehodological norm or evangelical
heology Raher hey have inernalized he evangelical bias agains hisoryradiion and experience hus silencing he role ha paricular perspecives
migh play in he heological ask I we appeal o our experience a all we
mus do so apologeically as i admiting ha such heological inerprea-
ions are a bes parochial concerns o a communiy no ye assimilaed o
he dominan culure or a wors signaling our heological immauriy and
need o grow up rom or ranscend he ldquobackwardnessrdquo represening our
hisory and experience beore our lie in Chris Ironically however suchinenional marginalizaion o he Asian American experience no o
menion Asian American philosophical ways o hinking and reasoning
does no call ino quesion how he predominanly Anglo- and Euro-
American experiences o moderniy have shaped evangelical heology As a
resul Asian American Evangelicals have adoped wha is claimed o be a
biblical worldview and heological ramework supposedly shorn o he sub-
jecive biases o hisorically siuaed human inerpreers Bu hese aresurely devoid o heir own experienial and conexual (Asian American)
locaions and ye uncriically naive in hinking ha Euro-American his-
orical accidens have been adequaely ldquoChrisianizedrdquo
So ar I have suggesed ha episemologically hermeneuically and meh-
odologically Asian Americans have rarely quesioned he modernis Enligh-
enmen and Anglo- and Euro-American presupposiions o he evangelical
heological endeavor And since his underaking has never acknowledged heculural conexs and perspecives o he predominanly whie ramers o he
evangelical heological radiion10486281048624 he assumpion is ha ehniciy plays litle
i any role in he work o heology No surprisingly hen Asian American
heologians have been reicen o sugges ha ehniciy culure and hisoriciy
coun in heological reflecion By exension he heological and docrinal
40My poin is no ha whie perspecives have disored he gospel his isel assumes a sor oa-culural gospel ha needs conexualizaion991252a poin ha needs o be addressed and nuanced which we will do momenarily My poin is ha such whie viewpoins are no only unrecognized bu ha hey are hen presumed o be normaive or nonwhies I is par o he goal o his chapero call Asian American heologians o atend o his assumpion and o find ways o inenionallyaddress and subver i
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983091
resuls have been ormulaed and ransmited as biblically unded and univer-
sally applicable regardless o conexual consideraions
A (supposedly) universal doctrinal famework One example o how Norh American evangelical heology has proceeded wih universalisic assumpions
and hereby overlooked i no inenionally ignored oher culural perspec-
ives has o do wih he docrine o he aonemen and wha i addresses Pu
crassly humankind suffers rom one overall problem ha o sin agains God
and ha one problem demands basically one soluion he subsiuionary
aonemen o he Sonrsquos deah on he cross1048628983089 Now I realize ha i is unair o
depic evangelical views regarding he aonemen in such homogeneous ermssince he mater isel is sill being conesed1048628983090 Bu he ac is ha in some
evangelical circles deparure rom he subsiuionary view o he aonemen
is considered deviaion rom evangelical orhodoxy1048628983091 From his posiion oher
biblical aspecs and alernaive inerpreaions are eiher subsumed under he
docrine o penal subsiuion or argued o be flawed in some respec
O course such a viewpoin minimizes he role o medieval eudalism and
he jurisprudenial background o some o he Reormers in he emergenceand esablishmen o his undersanding o he aonemen in he evangelical
radiion jus as i really does no quesion he basically Augusinian anhro-
pology presumed in his process Now I am no a hisorical deerminis who
believes ha conex leads inexorably o our heological ideas jus as I do no
hink ha allowance or hisorical conexual acors relaivizes he ruh o
heological claims or produces docrinal heerodoxy Raher wihou denying
41Te World Evangelical Alliancersquos Saemen o Faih affirms ldquoWe believe in Our Lord JesusChris God manies in he flesh His virgin birh His sinless human lie His divine miracles His vicarious and aoning deah His bodily resurrecion His ascension His mediaorial work and HisPersonal reurn in power and glory Te Salvaion o los and sinul man hrough he shed bloodo he Lord Jesus Chris by aih apar rom works and regeneraion by he Holy Spirirdquo (see worldevangelicalorgweasaemenhm emphases original)
42See James Beilby and Paul R Eddy eds Te Naure o he Aonemen Four Views (DownersGrove IL IVP Academic 1048626983088983088983094) and Derek idball David Hilborn and Jusin Tacker eds Te
Aonemen Debae Papers fom he London Symposium on he Teology o he Aonemen (Grand
Rapids Zondervan 1048626983088983088983093) c J Denny Weaver Te Nonviolen Aonemen (Grand Rapids Eerd-mans 10486269830889830881048625) and Hans Boersma Violence Hospialiy and he Cross Recovering he Aonemen
radiion (Grand Rapids Baker Academic 1048626983088983088983092)43See S Lewis Johnson Jr ldquoBehold he Lamb Te Gospel and Subsiuionary Aonemenrdquo in John
H Armsrong ed Te Coming Evangelical Crisis Curren Challenges o he Auhoriy o Scripure
and he Gospel (Chicago Moody Press 1048625983097983097983094) pp 10486251048625983097-1048627983096
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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983089 983089 983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
he imporance o he biblical and heological heme o subsiuion or he
docrine o he aonemen I am simply suggesing ha oher culural perspec-
ives and even assumpions migh highligh and emphasize oher biblicalmeaphors regarding Chrisrsquos salvific work
Bu o pursue he quesion ono Asian American errain wha difference
will i make i we recognize ha some Asians and Asian Americans live and
exis in a shame raher han guil culure How migh evangelical hinking
abou he aonemen be adjused revised and maybe even ransormed i
Chrisrsquos work no only assuaged he guil o sin rom human lives bu also re-
moved he shame in human hears10486281048628 My poin is ha evangelical heologicalendencies generally urge a universalisic sandpoin and in his paradigm
here is no need o atend o he pariculariies o or ariculae Asian Asian
American or oher culural perspecives since hese are all subsumed wihin he
biblical ramework read in an evangelical way In his case here isnrsquo even a
need o ask wheher radiional evangelical heologies and docrines like hose
regarding he aonemen may need o be revisied and reariculaed in ligh o
oher hisorical culural and experienial dynamics In ac Asian Americansare boh oo shameul and oo shy o even consider asking abou hese maters
I have argued so ar in his secion ha Asian American Evangelicals ormed
heologically according o he sensibiliies o he dominan evangelical culure
in Norh America have inernalized he whie evangelical worldview and in ha
sense mosly do no see he need o hink explicily rom an Asian American
vanage poin Asian American evangelical views are hereore a bes no more
han a minoriy heological perspecive wo relaed summary consequenceshave ollowed Asian American acquiescence o he majoriy culure Firs meh-
odologically and maerially evangelical heology has been undersood o be a-
hisorical a-culural and even a-conexual Te assumpion is ha he Bible
addresses all human beings so any plain reading o he Scripure will or should
be able o access he Word o God a any and all imes and places radiionally
ormulaed and ramed evangelical docrines derived rom an inducive sudy
44 Asian Americans are beginning o do jus his however991252eg Rachel Y Lei ldquoSaving Significanceo he Cross in he Asian American Conexrdquo SANACS Journal 1048625 (1048626983088983088983097) 983097983093-10486251048625983094 c Mark D Bakerand Joel B Green Recovering he Scandal o he Cross Te Aonemen in New esamen and Con-
emporary Conexs (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 1048626983088983088983088) chap 983094 ldquoRemoving AlienaingShame Te Saving Significance o he Cross in Japanrdquo
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2635
he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983093
o Scripure hus orm he undispuable and unrevisable core o he gospel
Tere is litle recogniion o he hisorical culural and conexual perspecives
ha have conribued o he ariculaion o such evangelical belies Wha his means is ha here sill remains a core se o evangelical docrinal
achievemens and hese remain valid across space and ime alhough hey
may be supplemened by or ranslaed ino local conexual and siuaional
perspecives and idioms As we saw previously (chaper one) he recen Cam-
bridge Companion o Evangelical Teology reflecs precisely his mindse10486281048629 Te
Companion we know is divided ino wo pars Te firs is iled ldquoEvan-
gelicals and Chrisian Docrinerdquo and his includes eigh chapers on he oun-daional docrinal marix o evangelical belies he riniy Scripure chris-
ology heological anhropology jusificaionaonemen pneumaology
conversionsancificaion and ecclesiology Par wo ldquoTe Conexs o Evan-
gelical Teologyrdquo hen provides anoher nine chapers and hese cover issues
relaed o culure gender race and pluralism and include five chapers on
evangelical heology in Arican Asian European Lain American and Norh
American conexs Tis srucure o he Companion communicaes a wooldmessage ha evangelical docrine is a-conexually derived (par one) and
ha various hisorical conexs (par wo) can add a mos parochial ruhs
ha will no upse he docrinal supersrucure o he evangelical heological
landscape In shor basic heological and docrinal ruhs o he Chrisian
aih have already been ormulaed and can be ound in any oher evangelical
sysemaic heological ex quie apar rom Asian American or any oher
more specified perspecivesPu more poinedly i Asian Americans (or any oher ehnic or culural
group) were o wrie heir own heologies hese would be provincial under-
akings wih marginal relevance or he wider evangelical communiy Tese
would be o value only or ldquohoserdquo people (maybe immigrans reugees or
exiles) who have no ye been assimilaed ino he broader American evan-
gelical culure Litle wonder hen ha ew Asian Americans have venured
ino heological errioryhe second summary consequence o inernalizing he dominan
45imohy Larsen and Daniel J reier eds Te Cambridge Companion o Evangelical Teology (Cambridge Cambridge Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983095)
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2735
983089 983089983094 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
worldview991252ha evangelical heology a leas in is dogmaic and sysemaic
configuraions is by and large a finished projec wih minimal inpu needed
rom Asian American or oher perspecives991252is ha Asian Americans wihheological educaion have urned in general o work in he hisorical and
social scienific disciplines10486281048630 Tere cerainly remains imporan work o be
done by hose working across he disciplines so I am no decrying such effors
Ye he ac ha hisorical sociological or oher disciplinary explicaions o
Asian American lie are published by universiy presses communicaes o
Asian Americans ha heir role is o shed new ligh on he Asian American
experience A he same ime he prevalence o hese analyical approachesamid he lacuna o explicily heological works suggess ha he ormer is o
minimal value a leas or he ldquorealrdquo heological work o dogmaics and sys-
emaics Furher ha hese scholarly publishers do no eaure exs on Asian
American evangelical heology confirms his division o labor (whie Evan-
gelicals wrie real heology Asian American Evangelicals do hisory sociology
ec) A he end o he day evangelical heologyrsquos assumpion remains undis-
urbed ha here are core docrines ha only need o be conexualized991252ha is ranslaed and made relevan991252around he world In his ramework
Asian Americans can conribue no o he ormer heological ormulaion bu
only o he later ranslaion and disseminaion ask10486281048631
46Eg he work o imohy seng and David Yoo in hisory Fenggang Yang and Rebecca Kim insociology and Russell Jeung in Asian American sudies among ohers see also my ldquoAsian Amer-ican Religion A Review Essayrdquo Nova Religio Te Journal o Alernaive and Emergen Religions 983097
no 1048627 (1048626983088983088983094) 9830971048626-104862598308898309547One could argue ha a parallel ye disinc moivaion drives Lain American or Hispanic evan-
gelical heology in a similar direcion I Asian Americans are cauioned agains hinking heo-logically rom ou o ehnic hisorical and conexual lives because o heir uncriical embrace o whie evangelical assumpions Hispanic Evangelicals may have adoped similar commimensalbei or slighly differen reasons relaed o he Lain American conex Te dominance o heRoman Caholic Church along wih is heological and olk radiions in he later environmenmay be behind Hispanic evangelical suspicions abou he role o hisory and culure in he doingo heology Te ani-Caholic senimen in hisoric Evangelicalism no doub is atracive oLainoas on he migran rail (rom Lain America o he Unied Saes) alhough such accom-modaion has brough wih i he heological coss elaboraed in he preceding pages For urher
discussion and oher angles on hese issues see Oscar Garcia-Johnson Te Mesizoa Communiyo he Spiri A Posmodern Lainoa Ecclesiology (Eugene OR Wip amp Sock 1048626983088983088983097) Sammy Alaro Divino Compantildeero oward a Hispanic Penecosal Chrisology (Eugene OR Pickwick10486269830881048625983088) Juan Mariacutenez ldquolsquoOuside he Gaersquo Evangelicalism and Laino Proesan Teologyrdquo in JeffreyGreenman and Gene L Green eds Global Teology in Evangelical Perspecive Exploring he Conex-
ual Naure o Teology and Mission (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 104862698308810486251048626) pp 1048625983095983097-983097983092 and
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2835
he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983095
T983144983141 M983137983150983140983137983156983141 983151983142 A983155983145983137983150 A983149983141983154983145983139983137983150 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161
Te preceding analysis raises sel-criical awareness or Asian American Evan-
gelicals and invies hem in dialogue wih oher Evangelicals o consider wheher heir minoriy saus is problemaic and wha i anyhing can and
ough o be done abou i Now I am aware ha here are developmens wihin
he evangelical heological radiion broadly consrued ha have moved
beyond some o he sricures idenified in he preceding secion Progressive
Evangelicals he evangelical lef and posconservaive Evangelicals denoe jus
a ew o he rends among ohers percolaing on he margins o evangelical
heology10486281048632 Bu ha is precisely par o he problem hese are movemens haexcep or a small minoriy remain ouside he evangelical mainsream and
have also by and large been ignored by Asian American evangelical scholars
and heologians I believe ha producive ways orward can be chared via
Asian American Evangelicals in dialogue wih some o hese ideas alhough
a he end o he day such conversaions will only be producive as Asian
American Evangelicals ormulae a plaorm on which hey can bring some-
hing subsanive o he discussion Tis later ask is par o he presen chal-lenge and burden o he presen book
Insoar hen as I am ineresed in he quesion o wha Asian Americans can
conribue o evangelical heology no jus hisorically or sociologically bu a
a heological level my claim is ha pursui o hese maters ironically also in-
volves aking seriously he hisoriciy and pariculariy o Asian American cul-
ures experiences and perspecives In his final par o his chaper I do no
more han sugges in broad srokes how o go abou such an underakingRealities o the Asian American diaspora Par o ldquohe problem o evan-
gelical heologyrdquo can be clarified i we siuae Asian American evangelical
heology amid he broader Asian American diasporic hisorical and social
realiies described in par a he beginning o chaper wo Doing so enables
he sark realizaion ha Asian American Evangelicals are composed by a
wide range o experiences on he one hand and pressure o assimilae o
Juan F Mariacutenez and Lindy Scot eds Los Evangeacutelicos Porrais o Laino Proesanism in he
Unied Saes (Eugene OR Wip amp Sock 1048626983088983088983097)48Many o hese are discussed in Roger E Olson Reormed and Always Reorming Te Posconser-
vaive Approach o Evangelical Teology (Grand Rapids Baker Academic 1048626983088983088983095)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2935
983089 983089983096 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
American culure on he oher W hile Asians have lived in Norh America
since he ounding o he republic and had even conribued o he building
o he American empire during he nineeenh cenury he 983089983097983094983093 Immigraion Ac ha repealed he Orienal Exclusion Ac o 983089983097983090983092 reopened he door o a
new wave o Asian migraion During he las generaion Asian American lie
has been urher ransormed by he orces o globalizaion diasporas creaed
by modernizaion indusrializaion and urbanizaion reugee populaions
displaced by war amine and climae changes movemen enabled by he
emergence o a worldwide marke economy advances in echnology and mass
communicaion he cross-erilizaion o ideologies and shifs in inerna-ional relaions10486281048633 Te resul as saw in he previous chaper is he appearance
o a wide range o Asian American communiies across Norh America Lie
in such communiies is fluid affeced by migraion paterns socioeconomic
pressures and he srengh o relaions wih hose ldquoback homerdquo Te sronger
he ransnaional ies beween Asian immigrans in he Wes and heir amilies
organizaions and insiuions (religious and oherwise) in heir homeland
he more inense and longer-lasing he exchange o religious goods and ideas(in he orm o books periodicals and various orms o elecommunicaion)
Unsurprisingly hen firs-generaion immigrans ofen deepen he reli-
gious commimens ha hey held or praciced perhaps more nominally
beore moving Someimes immigrans conver o he more dominan religion
o heir new home In eiher case religious affiliaion ofen serves o secure
social neworks coner saus oherwise difficul o come by or immigrans
and srenghen ehnic culural and linguisic bonds and ideniies Bu or he983089983093 generaion (hose born in Asia bu who grew up a leas in par in he
Unied Saes like mysel) he process o assimilaion is well under way In
hese cases he ehnic enclave will develop English-speaking secions as well
as social organizaions school clubs and Chrisian congregaions
For young adul Asian American Evangelicals however here is ofen a
49For an overview o hese issues see Wanni W Anderson and Rober G Lee eds Displacemensand Diasporas Asians in he Americas (New Brunswick NJ Rugers Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983093) Idiscuss urher he implicaions o globalizaion or Chrisian heology in Amos Yong and PeerHelzel ldquoRober Cummings Neville and he Global Fuure o Teologyrdquo in Yong and Helzel edsTeology in Global Conex Essays in Honor o Rober Cummings Neville (New York amp Clark1048626983088983088983092) pp 1048626983097-9830921048626 esp pp 1048627983088-1048627983092
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983097
keen sense ha heir own ehnically organized congregaions or groups are
somehow less religiously and heologically legiimae because hey do no
have he more ldquouniversalrdquo appeal o whie or muliculural evangelicalchurches or parachurch organizaions10486291048624 Te resul is eiher he ransiion o
ehnic congregaions ino pan-ehnic congregaions or movemen rom heir
ldquohomerdquo congregaion o oher less ehnically defined church environmens1048629983089
By he ime he second generaion atains adulhood he remaining culural
or linguisic barriers o ull assimilaion ino American sociey are pracically
overcome ofen o he dismay o parens and grandparens1048629983090
Wha does such assimilaion consis o Cerainly speaking Englishparicipaing in he marke economy and adaping o he opions provided
by American seculariy and poliics are minimal adjusmens Bu perhaps
assimilaion also requires abandoning he norms o he immigran culure
in avor o American norms or amily and gender relaions and engaging
wih he public square on is erms I so would his no lead o an evan-
gelical sel-undersanding deeply ormed by American culure poliics
and economics Would his no resul in a subordinaion and even deor-maion o all ha is Asian excep or he biological phenoype I would
appear hen ha becoming American would more easily aciliae he
embrace o evangelical Chrisianiy991252i such is deined as a suburban
Midwesern whie middle-class religious phenomenon wih Wheaon
Illinois as is veriable ldquoMeccardquo991252bu his brings wih i he cos o losing
onersquos Asianness Does his mean ha ull accepance o Evangelicalism
50See eg Rebecca Y Kim ldquoNegoiaion o Ehnic and Religious Boundaries by Asian AmericanCampus Evangelicalsrdquo in ony Carnes and Fenggang Yang eds Asian American Religions Te
Making and Remaking o Borders and Boundaries (New York New York Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983092) pp10486259830921048625-983093983097 and Rudy V Buso ldquoTe Gospel According o he Model Minoriy Hazarding an Inerpre-aion o Asian American Evangelical College Sudensrdquo in David K Yoo ed New Spiriual Homes
Religion and Asian Americans (Honolulu Universiy o Hawaii Press 1048625983097983097983097) pp 1048625983094983097-98309698309551See Russell Jeung Faihul Generaions Race and New Asian American Churches (New Brunswick
NJ Rugers Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983092)52 As can be discerned by reading beween he lines o he Bible sudies in om Linrsquos Losing Face
and Finding Grace Tis appears o be he case wheher he second generaion inenionally a-emps o disinguish is ehnic congregaional lie rom ha o he firs immigran generaion or wheher he second generaion becomes absorbed ino nonehnic or even muliehnic congrega-ions on his poin see Elaine Howard Ecklund ldquoModels o Civic Responsibiliy Korean Amer-icans in Congregaions wih Differen Ehnic Composiionsrdquo Journal or he Scienific Sudy o
Religion 983092983092 no 1048625 (1048626983088983088983093) 1048625983093-1048626983096
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3135
983089 983090 983088 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
includes ldquorepenancerdquo rom Asia and ldquoconversionrdquo o Americanism1048629983091
Ta his is no he case seems o be borne ou by he sociological lieraure
which confirms ha ehniciy remains jus as imporan as religion in he or-maion o Asian American ideniy10486291048628 Bu i so evangelical heology has no
even begun o wresle wih he imporance o ehniciy and race no o
menion heir heological implicaions Second-generaion Korean Amer-
icans or insance seem o be inuiively drawn o churches and parachurch
minisries ha oreground heir Korean culural ideniy10486291048629 bu hey have
developed ew heological raionales or such orms o social organizaion
more o he poin heir own heological presupposiions miigae agains suchaciviy which may explain heir ideniy conflicedness
Unsurprisingly hen Asian American evangelical heology has ye o ge
off he ground even a he beginning o he weny-firs cenury Asian
American Evangelicals geting degrees rom insiuions o higher educaion
have had o wresle wihagains his assimilaive impulse o sruggle wih he
quesion o wheher hey are or should be doing (descripive) sociology raher
han heology (as normaive reflecion) and o ariculae an apologeic ordoing Asian American evangelical heology raher han jus evangelical he-
ology For oo many Asian American Evangelicals heir saus ldquobewix and
beweenrdquo991252on he one hand belonging o Asia and o he Unied Saes in
some respecs bu on he oher hand being a sranger o boh Asia and he
Unied Saes in oher respecs991252pus hem in a unique posiion o inerrogae
evangelical heology bu (o dae) leaves hem ouside he ormal organiza-
ional and insiuional srucures o criique effecively and ransorm heevangelical heological radiion
53One could also make he reverse argumen however ha Evangelicalism in he Unied Saes hasalready been molded by is social culural and hisorical conex o he exen ha he very eauresha mark he American way o lie991252ie individualism experienialism pragmaism even con-sumerism991252have also come o characerize evangelical Chrisianiy For an insighul analysis ohe ofenimes uncriical conflaion o Evangelicalism and Americanism and o he orces ha havealso resised such accommodaions see D G Har Ta Old-ime Religion in Modern America
Evangelical Proesanism in he wenieh Cenury (Chicago Ivan R Dee 10486269830889830881048626)54See Jerry Z Park ldquoTe Ehnic and Religious Ideniies o Young Asian Americansrdquo (PhD diss
Universiy o Nore Dame 1048626983088983088983092)55See Sharon Kim and Rebecca Y Kim ldquoSecond-Generaion Korean American Chrisiansrsquo Com-
muniies Congregaional Hybridiyrdquo in Carolyn Chen and Russell Jeung eds Susaining Faih
radiions Race Ehniciy and Religion Among he Laino and Asian American Second Generaion (New York New York Universiy Press 104862698308810486251048626) pp 1048625983095983094-9830971048627
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983090 983089
Moving trajectories o theological reflection O course i Asian Americans
hope o climb he ranks o he Norh American evangelical heological
academy hey can only do so on he erms esablished by heir hoss Andraher han responding o sociopoliical acors he evangelical heological
guild has always undersood isel primarily in heological erms and seen is
charge as deending hisorical orhodoxy wheher ha be agains liberalismrsquos
denial o biblical supernauralism agains neo-orhodoxyrsquos ambiguous sance
on Scripure agains mainsream sciencersquos heory o evoluion agains open
heismrsquos docrine o God and so on10486291048630 I evangelical heology has never
beore enerained ehnic perspecives in is discursive consrucion why nowundermine he (is presumed) universal ramework and applicabiliy by
adding he Asian or Asian American qualifiers
While in a sense his enire book provides a se o responses o his quesion
here I sugges hree reasons ha can moivae such a heological pah orward
Firs he Asian diaspora in he Unied Saes is now in a siuaion o reflec
subsanively on is experience o migraion While here are remendous
challenges o migraion10486291048631 some Asian Americans have achieved a level oupward social mobiliy so ha hey are now in he posiion o producing
scholarship inormed by such experienial perspecives Since he memory o
migraion among Asian Americans is more recen han hose o heir Cau-
casian colleagues such perspecives migh be helpul o ideniy how he mi-
graion rom he European coninen has shaped he evangelical heological
enerprise as a whole I Asian Americans can help heir evangelical colleagues
ideniy he hisorical impac o old o new world migraion on he belies andpracices o Norh American Evangelicalism ha in isel will open up pos-
sibiliies or considering aresh Asian American hisories and heir conribu-
ions o he wider conversaion
Second Asian Americans are orced o hink abou race and ehniciy in a
way unlike mos o heir whie brohers and sisers alhough heir reflecions
56Evangelical heologyrsquos many inernal and exernal batles are documened by Jon R Sone On heBoundaries o American Evangelicalism Te Poswar Evangelical Coaliion (New York S MarinrsquosPress 1048625983097983097983095)
57Some o hese are documened by Kenneh J Gues God in Chinaown Religion and Survival in
New Yorkrsquos Evolving Immigran Communiy (New York New York Universiy Press 10486269830889830881048627) whose work we will reurn o in chaper six
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3335
983089 983090 983090 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
can also mediae perspecive in an oherwise whie-and-black demarcaed
world Race and ehniciy are undeniable aspecs o Asian American hisory
and experience Te impor o his is a leas woold Firs Asian Americansare posiioned o engage he discussion opened up by black evangelical heo-
logians regarding conemporary heology991252even in is evangelical guises991252as
reflecing he ascen o whie perspecives in he early modern period a he
expense o Jewish and oher nonwhie culural realiies Asian American per-
specives on race and ehniciy will open up new visas on he racial and ehnic
dimensions o he biblical world10486291048632 In oher words he marginalized hisories
and perspecives o Asian American Evangelicals have much o conribue oconemporary biblical inerpreaion and heological explicaion Te dom-
inan orms o evangelical heology orged in par ou o he hegemony o
Chrisendom are in need o criical analysis and dialogical revision
Las bu no leas cenral and ongoing elemens o Asian American hisory
are par o he presen experiences o ransnaionalism and globalizaion Te
issues here are complex10486291048633 One mater ha needs o be addressed is he iner-
woven characer o he global economy and how i affecs people around he world differenly depending on various social poliical and culural circum-
sances In addiion wih regard o he Asian American side o his equaion
here remain difficul issues relaed o how he quesion o assimilaion or ac-
culuraion is being negoiaed and adjudicaed Firs- second- and hird-gener-
aion perspecives differ someimes momenously and his does no even acor
in he perspecives o he 983089983093 generaion I heology is o engage he hisorical
realiies o real flesh-and-blood human beings i mus engage such quesions inour conemporary world Asian American Evangelicals can lead he way in
hinking heologically abou such hings and his will benefi no only Asian
58 Asian Evangelicals hus need o build rom he insighul readings o mainline Proesan biblicalscholar a-Siong Benny Liew Wha Is Asian American Biblical Hermeneuics Reading he New
esamen (Honolulu Universiy o Hawaii Press 1048626983088983088983096) regarding he ehnic dynamics under-neah Jewish-Genile relaions in he New esamen o be sure Liewrsquos mainline Proesan as-sumpions may be raher disan rom evangelical ones so some criical dialogue and perhaps
correcion may also be in order Ye he srengh o Liewrsquos book is o sugges how Asian Americanexperiences o ehnic marginaliy can illuminae he dispues beween Jewish and Genile ollow-ers o he Messiah in he firs cenury Tis is an issue worh subsanial engagemen rom anevangelical perspecive
59Eg Neil J Ormerod and Shane Clifon Globalizaion and he Mission o he Church (New York amp Clark 104862698308810486251048625)
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3435
he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983090983091
American communiies bu also hose o oher ehnic racial and culural groups
who are also wresling wih lie in he weny-firs-cenury global conex
Evangelical heology oday will need o heed more inenionally han i has beore acors o migraion ehniciy globalizaion and ransnaionalism
Asian American Evangelicals can assis wih hese maters i hey will arise o
he occasion Tis does no derac rom he universaliy o he gospel message
On he conrary i addresses quesions o universal significance ha are oher-
wise negleced or engaged rom or wihin only one (dominan cenris) se
o perspecives
Reconnecting to the broader evangelical theological tradition Beore con-cluding his chaper however an imporan cavea ough o be sounded None
o he preceding should be read as denying eiher Asian American indebedness
o he evangelical radiion or he inerrelaedness o Asian American and oher
evangelical effors in he conemporary heological ask Te preceding migh
sugges ha Asian Americans are only poining accusing fingers a heir whie
evangelical riends Wihou aking away anyhing rom he seriousness o he
oregoing discussion I also realize ha whie Evangelicals in paricular and Americans in general have been welcoming o Asians and ha we have made i
his ar on our diasporic journey only wih he help o such riends
Beyond such ecclesial collegialiy however I would gran ha Asian Amer-
icans are in various respecs beholden heologically o American Evangelicals
as well In paricular American evangelical commimens o Chris-
ceneredness biblical aihulness and missionary zealousness are imporan
elemens o Chrisian belie and pracice in he weny-firs cenury Asian American Evangelicals should embrace and live ou such commimens no
only or hemselves bu also or oher Evangelicals and even or he world
Ye my claim is precisely ha such a posure enables Asian American Evan-
gelicals o conribue heologically o he ormaion o an evangelical belie
and praxis relevan o he weny-firs cenury For his o happen however
Asian American Evangelicals mus embrace no only he evangel bu also he
hisoriciy o heir diasporic experiences Te incarnaion o he Son o Godconsised afer all o aking on he concreeness palpabiliy and emporaliy
o human Jewish and firs-cenury Palesinian flesh and he oupouring o he
Spiri o God on he Day o Penecos involved he redempion o he diversiy
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3535
983089 983090 983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
o human ongues languages and culures so ha hey migh bear winess o
he wondrous works o God (Acs 983090983089983089) Tis penecosal heme991252relaed o
Acs 983090 firs and oremos albei reraced unavoidably hrough he lens o mymodern penecosal ecclesial sensibiliies991252will inorm he deep srucure o
he argumen in he remainder o his volume ye achieved wihin a pen-
evangelical raher han merely charismaic rame o reerence My poin going
orward however is ha in ligh o hese heological and riniarian commi-
mens Evangelicals should be he firs o embrace he diversiy o heir his-
orical pariculariies raher han shy away rom hem radiionally o course
Evangelicals have subordinaed he vicissiudes o hisory and wih ha heiranxieies abou he flux and subjeciviies o experience o he surey and
oundaionalism o he Word o God as revealed in he Scripures My pro-
posal however is ha work o God in Chris and by he Spiri redeems us
amid wih and hrough he specificiies o our hisorical and culural expe-
rience (raher han saving us rom ou o such alogeher) and hus ha he
Word o God speaks ino such realiies (raher han ha we have o deny hem
or rejec hem as par o who we are)In shor Asian American Evangelicals do no need o be apologeic abou
heir lives experiences and perspecives Raher by ollowing he pah o he
Son o God ino he ar counry by receiving he infilling o he Spiri o God
poured ou on all flesh and by aihully atemping o live ou such a Chris-
cenered and Spiri-empowered aih in he ooseps o heir evangelical ore-
bears and ancesors Asian Americans may hen be able o bring heir heo-
logical gifs o he conversaion able gifs ha will challenge he discussion while simulaneously enriching he are or all hose concerned abou he
euangelion in he presen ime I is ime o heologize as Asian Americans no
jus as Evangelicals in order ha Evangelicalism isel can be renewed and
invigoraed or he sake o he gospel and in anicipaion o he reign o God
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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World Wide Web wwwivpresscom
Email emailivpresscom
copy983090983088983089983092 by Amos Yong
All righs reserved No par o his book may be reproduced in any orm wihou writen permission fom InerVarsiy Press
InerVarsiy Pressreg is he book-publishing division o InerVarsiy Chrisian FellowshipUSAreg a movemen o sudens and
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member movemen o he Inernaional Fellowship o Evangelical Sudens For inormaion abou local and regional aciviies
visi wwwinervarsiyorg
Scripure quoaions unless oherwise noed are fom he New Revised Sandard Version o he Bible copyrigh 983089983097983096983097 by he Division
o Chrisian Educaion o he Naional Council o he Churches o Chris in he USA Used by permission All righs reserved
See pages 983089983093-983089983094 or addiional permissionsCover design Cindy Kiple
Inerior design Beh McGill
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ISBN 983097983095983096-983088-983096983091983088983096-983092983088983094983088-983089 (prin)
ISBN 983097983095983096-983088-983096983091983088983096-983097983094983095983093-983090 (digial)
Prined in he Unied Saes o America
As a member o he Green Press Iniiaive InerVarsiy Press is commited o proecing he environmen and ohe responsible use o naural resources o learn more visi greenpressiniiaiveorg
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A caalog record or his book is available fom he Library o Congress
P 983090983093 983090983092 983090983091 983090983090 983090983089 983090983088 983089983097 983089983096 983089983095 983089983094 983089983093 983089983092 983089983091 983089983090 983089983089 983089983088 983097 983096 983095 983094 983093 983092 983091 983090 983089
Y 983091983094 983091983093 983091983092 983091983091 983091983090 983091983089 983091983088 983090983097 983090983096 983090983095 983090983094 983090983093 983090983092 983090983091 983090983090 983090983089 983090983088 983089983097 983089983096 983089983095 983089983094 983089983093 983089983092
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CONTENTS
P983154983141983142983137983139983141 11
A983139983147983150983151983159983148983141983140983143983149983141983150983156983155 15
P983154983151983148983151983143983157983141 A983157983156983151983138983145983151983143983154983137983152983144983145983139983137983148 R983141983142983148983141983139983156983145983151983150983155
983137983150983140 A983150983156983145983139983145983152983137983156983145983151983150983155 983151983142 983137983150 A983155983145983137983150 A983149983141983154983145983139983137983150
P983141983150983156-983141983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 S983151983146983151983157983154983150983141983154 17
983089 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148983145983155983149 983137983150983140 G983148983151983138983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161 E983149983141983154983143983145983150983143
A983155983145983137983150 983137983150983140 C983151983150983156983141983160983156983157983137983148 V983151983145983139983141983155 33
heology in a Globalizing World Evangelical and Asian Inersecions 37
Asian Evangelical heology Ramping Up 47
Evangelical heology as Conexual heology Possibiliies
and Challenges 57
983090 A983155983145983137983150 A983149983141983154983145983139983137983150 C983144983154983145983155983156983145983137983150983145983156983161 W983145983140983141983154 T983154983141983150983140983155 983137983150983140
T983154983137983146983141983139983156983151983154983145983141983155 67
he Asian American Religious Experience A Selec
Review o he Lieraure 68
Asian American Scholarly Currens Emerging Discourses 77
Asian American heologies he Sae o he Quesion 87
3 T983144983141 L983141983143983137983139983161 983151983142 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161 A983155983145983137983150
A983149983141983154983145983139983137983150 R 983141983139983141983152983156983145983151983150 983137983150983140 I983150983156983141983154983154983151983143983137983156983145983151983150983155 97
Asian American Evangelical heology Whence and
W(h)iher 98
he Burden o Evangelical heology A Minoriy Repor 106
he Mandae o Asian American Evangelical heology 117
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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4 P983141983150983156983141983139983151983155983156983137983148 V983151983145983139983141983155 T983151983159983137983154983140 983137983150 A983155983145983137983150 A983149983141983154983145983139983137983150
E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161 125
Asian Penecosal heology Wha and W(h)iher 127
A Pen-evangelical Imaginaion Speaking in
Many ongues 135
Asian American Pen-evangelical heology Inerpreing
Dieren Discourses 144
983093 T983144983141 I983149983149983145983143983154983137983150983156 S983152983145983154983145983156 T983151983159983137983154983140 983137983150 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148
T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161 983151983142 M983145983143983154983137983156983145983151983150 159
Conemporary Migraion A Fusion o Horizons 161
Lukan Migraion A Pen-evangelical Reading 168
An Evangelical heology o Migraion Asian
American Modulaions 177
6 T983144983141 S983152983145983154983145983156 983151983142 J983157983138983145983148983141983141 A983150 A983155983145983137983150 A983149983141983154983145983139983137983150I983149983149983145983143983154983137983150983156 C983151983150983155983145983140983141983154983137983156983145983151983150 187
Inormaliy and Immigraion he Chinese American
Experience 189
Jubilee and Migraion A Pen-evangelical Re lecion 197
Money Migrans and Minisry in Asian American
Evangelical Perspecive 206
7 T983151983159983137983154983140 983137 G983148983151983138983137983148 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161 A983155983145983137983150
A983149983141983154983145983139983137983150 I983150983156983151983150983137983156983145983151983150983155 217
Nex Seps or Asian American Evangelical heology 218
Nex Seps or Norh American Evangelical heology 224
Nex Seps or Global Evangelical heology 229E983152983145983148983151983143983157983141 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161 983145983150 983156983144983141
T983159983141983150983156983161-F983145983154983155983156 C983141983150983156983157983154983161 235
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S983157983138983146983141983139983156 I983150983140983141983160 250
A983157983156983144983151983154 I983150983140983141983160 253
S983139983154983145983152983156983157983154983141 I983150983140983141983160 254
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3
THE LEGACY OF EVANGEL ICAL THEOLOGY
Asian American Reception and Interrogations
In his chaper we drill deeper ino he inner logic o Asian American evan-
gelical heology Why has he Asian American naure o evangelical heology
been relaively underplayed when compared o Asian evangelical heology
and o Asian American heology in mainline Proesan and Roman Caholic
circles Tis chaper argues ha here are many reasons or his and ha hey
relae boh o he legacy o he (whie) Norh American evangelical endeavor
as a whole and o how his radiion has been received and inernalized by
Asian American Evangelicals
Te hree secions o come inroduce he whence o Asian American evan-
gelical heology and is largely conservaive ehos explore how his conser-
vaism is he resul o inernalizing he heo-logic o he dominan (Wesern)
evangelical culure and conclude by urging Asian American Evangelicals o
live more inenionally ino and ou o he pariculariy socialiy and hiso-
riciy o heir experiences While Asian American evangelical heology has
been by and large consonan wih ha o he (whie) evangelical esablishmen
i has no ound much o is own voice Par o he goal is o clariy why and
how he curren generaion o Asian American Evangelicals aces a ork in he
road o allow nonehnic (read whie) Evangelicals o coninue o se he
heological agenda ha minimizes or marginalizes heir perspecives or o
asser why he hisoriciy and pariculariy o he Asian American hisory and
experience is imporan no only or Asian American evangelical heology
specifically bu also or he evangelical heological ask as a whole
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I he firs wo chapers have atemped o map he broader global and wider
Asian American heological landscapes his chaper conducs a sel-criical
analysis o aspecs o Asian American evangelical hinking While here is morediversiy underneah he Asian American evangelical label han many hink
here is also some jusificaion or discussing i in erms I presen Tis chaper
probes some o hese aken-or-graned eaures o he Asian American evan-
gelical menaliy ha have inhibied creaive and consrucive heological re-
flecion Noe however ha he poin is no o merely be criical o he whie
evangelical heological esablishmen raher he poin is o highligh how in
our conemporary global conex he evangelical radiion can be expandedrenewed and developed in dialogue wih non-Euro-American conversaion
parners Posiively pu hen he ollowing inends o open up a way orward
or he pen-evangelical heological pah ha chapers our and ollowing char
A983155983145983137983150 A983149983141983154983145983139983137983150 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161 W983144983141983150983139983141
983137983150983140 W(983144)983145983156983144983141983154
I is air o say ha we are sill a he very beginning sages o Asian Americanevangelical heologizing983089 As we shall see we can only speak abou Asian
American evangelical heology i undersood in a very broad sense Te ol-
lowing skeches hree sreams o such reflecion which enables compre-
hension o is largely conservaive insincs
Paricularly or Asian Americans rom an Eas Asian background he Con-
ucian emphasis on filial piey plays ou in heir evangelical spiriualiy Some
o he earlies works on Asian American evangelical heology hereore wereocused on how especially second-generaion Asian Americans could honor
heir parens while ollowing Chris983090 Tis was and remains an especially
imporan mater i he immigran generaion were non-Chrisians Beyond
his is he pressure o perecionis expecaions by parens no o menion
having also o live ino he ldquomodel minoriyrdquo sereoype ouside he home
1One o he ew orays ino he quesion remains Young Lee Herig ldquoWhy Asian American Evan-gelical Teologiesrdquo Journal o Asian and Asian American Teology 983095 (1048626983088983088983093ndash1048626983088983088983094) 1048625-10486261048627
2See Jeanete Yep ed Following Jesus Wihou Dishonoring Your Parens Asian American Discipleship (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 1048625983097983097983096) and Nikki A oyama and racey Gee eds More
Tan Serving ea Asian American Women on Expecaions Relaionships Leadership and Faih (Downers Grove IL IVP Books 1048626983088983088983094)
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983097 983097
When combined wih he deerenial Eas Asian posure many Asian Amer-
icans develop a sel-inerioriy complex991252devasaing wihin a culure o
shame991252paricularly when having also o conron linguisic challenges innavigaing hrough school and hen a career
Te ecclesial or congregaional domain is also one where Asian American
Evangelicals have expended some effor Tis is o be expeced given he long
hisory o ehnic churches and he many debaes no o menion challenges
relaed o assimilaion o he dominan culure Wihin he lieraure on Asian
American Evangelicalism we find works on pasoral minisry (designed o
equip minisers o cross generaional culural ecclesial gender and oherdivides)983091 congregaional healh and effeciveness (which provide models
or ehnic-dominan bilingual and even mixed ecclesial communiies)1048628 and
even a growing number o pan-Asian or pan-ehnic visions o he uure
(which ofen deal wih he issues o race and racializaion wihin an evan-
gelical paradigm)1048629 Asian American Evangelicals have ocused some o heir
energies on hese ecclesiological maters Wha can be hoped or is ha hese
more pracical miniserial and missional emphases will also ranslae in duecourse ino more robus ecclesiological and heological reflecion
Recent developments in Asian American evangelical theologyI is a he more
properly undersood heological level ha Asian American Evangelicals can be
said o be barely ou o he saring gae Sill even in hese gesaional imes some
poenial roues or developmen can be discerned One is a collecion o essays
ha appeared in 9830909830889830889830941048630 Published by he L983090 Foundaion an organizaion devoed
o Asian American leadership and legacy developmen his is he firs book oappear on he opic o Asian American evangelical heology Te six essayiss reflec
3Eg Ken Uyeda Fong Pursuing he Pearl A Comprehensive Resource or Muli-Asian Minisry (Val-ley Forge PA Judson Press 1048625983097983097983097) and Russell Yee Worship on he Way Exploring Asian Norh
American Chrisian Experience (Valley Forge PA Judson Press 104862698308810486251048626)4See Peer Cha S Seve Kang and Helen Lee eds Growing Healhy Asian American Congregaions (Downers Grove IL IVP Books 1048626983088983088983094) and M Sydney Park Soong-Chan Rah and Al izon edsHonoring he Generaions Learning wih Asian Norh American Congregaions (Valley Forge PA Judson Press 104862698308810486251048626)
5Elizabeh Conde-Frazier S Seve Kang and Gary A Parret A Many-Colored Kingdom Mulicul-ural Dynamics or Spiriual Formaion (Grand Rapids Baker Academic 1048626983088983088983092) and Kenneh AMahews and M Sydney Park Te Pos-Racial Church A Biblical Framework or Muliehnic Rec-
onciliaion (Grand Rapids Kregel Academic 104862698308810486251048625)6D J Chuang and imohy seng eds Conversaions Asian American Evangelical Teologies in
Formaion (Washingon DC L1048626 Foundaion 1048626983088983088983094)
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983089983088983088 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
he diversiy o he AAE communiy David Yoo a hisorian a Claremon
McKenna College surveys (wih wo collaboraors) he prendashWorld War II his-
ories o Japanese and Korean American Chrisians and urges ha religion needso be acored ino immigraion and race analyses o hese communiies even as
im seng a hisorian o American Chrisianiy and ounder o he Insiue or
he Sudy o Asian American Chrisianiy exposes he ldquocolor blindnessrdquo o
American church hisory and provides some hermeneuical opions or moving
beyond orienalis or assimilaionis models o he Asian American Chrisian
experience A pracical heologian a riniy Evangelical Diviniy School Peer
Cha discusses he challenges involved in ideniy ormaion among second-generaion Korean Americans An inriguing chaper is missiologis James Zorsquos
(affiliaed wih Logos Evangelical Seminary in El Mone Caliornia) insighul
analysis o how srucural and power issues complicae he assessmen o racism
prejudice and discriminaion on boh sides o he American and Asian American
equaion For a volume on evangelical heology he wo explicily heological
conribuions are by hisorical heologians Paul Lim (who specializes in early
modern England has augh a Gordon-Conwell Teological Seminary and nowis as o he ime o his wriing a Vanderbil Universiy) reveals he imporance
o biography in he consrucion o any Asian American evangelical heology and
Jeffrey Jue (a pos-Reormaion hisorian a Wesminser Teological Seminary)
seeks a way beyond boh modernis experienialism and posmodernis subjec-
ivism by reurning o he gospel Te conversaional approach o each chaper
in he volume invies ohers o join in he discussion
A second line o developmen lies wih Asian American evangelical womenmany o whom are also working in he area o biblical sudies1048631 A recen volume
includes en chapers mos springing off emale biblical characers all se wihin
wha Young Lee Herig calls a ldquoyinis paradigmrdquo ha is neiher merely eminis
(nor womanis nor mujerisa) nor ye acquiescen o he pariarchal srucures
dominan wihin Asian American Evangelicalism in paricular and (whie) evan-
gelical heology in general1048632 Mirrored Reflecions is hus a groundbreaking and
7See Young Lee Herig and Chloe Sun eds Mirrored Reflecions Refaming Biblical Characers (Eugene OR Wip amp Sock 10486269830881048625983088)
8See Herigrsquos lead chaper ldquoTe Asian American Alernaive o Feminism A Yinis Paradigmrdquo inHerig and Sun eds Mirrored Reflecions pp 1048627-1048625983092
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088983089
paradigmaic book no only or Asian American heology bu also or evan-
gelical biblical hermeneuics I opens up space or Asian American womenrsquos
readings o he Bible wihou mimicking oher eminis agendas i embracesreader-response approaches while honoring he scripural horizon i boldly
explores a counerculural conexualism polyphonous mulivocalism and in-
ersubjecive perspecivism wihou lapsing ino relaivism and i insiss on he
need or us o come o erms wih pluralism globalizaion and ransnaionalism
in he pursui o aihul Chrisian discipleship in our ime Arguably his is
biblical inerpreaion and heological reflecion a is bes engaging subversive
ransormaive and salvific991252or women and men1048633 Such pahs opened up by Asian American evangelical women may well be wha is mos generaive and
producive or Asian American evangelical heology in he longer run
Te conribuions o Herig and company run parallel o oher Asian
American evangelical voices ha find hemselves bewix-and-beween he
cener o he evangelical movemen and he mainline Proesan commu-
niies Soong-Chan Rahrsquos work mediaes hese spaces as represenaive o a
promising pah in conemporary Asian American evangelical heology9830891048624 Tepoency o Rahrsquos argumen is ha he speaks no only o Asian American
Evangelicals bu also o he evangelical heological esablishmen as a whole
Tis is because his is a call or he church o le go o is individualism con-
sumerism maerialism and racism991252all effecs o Wesern culure991252in order
o be reed rom is culural capiviy983089983089 Rahrsquos analysis however can find
deeper Asian American racion paricularly i wedded o he uncompro-
mising call or living ino he Asian American ideniy by heologians suchas Jonahan ran983089983090 Te later empowers a disincive Asian American voice
9Perhaps in conras o he dominan srands o Asian American evangelical biblical inerpreaionha have swallowed Wesern hermeneuical mehods almos hook line and sinker see Andrew Yueking Lee ldquoReading he Bible as an Asian American Issues in Asian American Biblical Inerpre-aionrdquo in Viji Nakka-Cammau and imohy seng eds Asian American Chrisianiy A Reader (Casro Valley CA Te Insiue or he Sudy o Asian American Chrisianiy 1048626983088983088983097) pp 983094983088-983094983097
10Soong-Chan Rah Te Nex Evangelicalism Freeing he Church fom Wesern Culural Capiviy (Downers Grove IL IVP Books 1048626983088983088983097)
11From a hermeneuical perspecive see he similar argumen o E Randolph Richards and Bran-don J OrsquoBrien Misreading Scripure wih Wesern Eyes Removing Culural Blinders o Beter Un-
dersand he Bible (Downers Grove IL IVP Books 104862698308810486251048626)12See Jonahan ran ldquoA Few Tings I Wan rom Asian American Evangelicalsrdquo in Nakka-Cammau
and seng Asian American Chrisianiy pp 10486269830921048627-9830931048625 c also ran ldquoIdeniy as MissiologyrdquoSANACS Journal 1048625 (1048626983088983088983097) 1048626983097-983092983088
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983089983088983090 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
albei one ha is no parochial since i addresses larger ecclesial (and perhaps
even social) concerns983089983091
Te ac o he mater is however ha here is litle else available on Asian American evangelical heology and ha Asian American Evangelicals are sill
a long way off rom hinking heologically as Asian Americans Par o he
reason is ha many Asian American Evangelicals even hose who are heo-
logically rained have basically replicaed he majoriy evangelical (whie)
approaches o Scripure Furher many second-generaion Asian Americans
have adoped he assimilaionis experience as heir model and have presumed
ha an ldquoAmerican universalismrdquo maps ono a biblical universalism9830891048628 Teresul is he subordinaion o heir racial and ehnic ideniies and modes o
hinking Among he many reasons or his is he dominan conservaism o
Asian American culure especially wihin ecclesial communiies o Eas Asian
descen (eg Chinese Korean Japanese and Vienamese churches) As such
Asian Americans are conen o persis wih he saus quo o evangelical he-
ology inheried rom heir (whie) evangelical eachers
Asian American evangelical conservatism Te phenomenon o Eas Asianor Conucian culural conservaism is o course a complicaed one o un-
angle On he one hand here is somehing o he sereoype o Eas Asian
Conucianism as essenially androcenric (in subordinaing women o men)
pariarchal (susained by he radiionrsquos emphasis on filial piey) and auhori-
arian (preserved in he king-subjec and older-younger broher aspecs o he
ldquofiveold relaionsrdquo) On he oher hand like mos exended culural radiions
Conucianism has been neiher saic nor ree rom dissening rends ha haveatemped o rerieve reappropriae and when necessary jetison hese radi-
13Mathew Soerens and Jenny Hwang Welcoming he Sranger Jusice Compassion and ruh in he
Immigraion Debae (Downers Grove IL IVP Books 1048626983088983088983097) is anoher example o Asian AmericanEvangelicals speaking ino wider conversaions precisely he hrus o his book and par o is goalin erms o moivaing Asian American evangelical heological inquiry I will reurn o discuss heproposals o his volume in more deph in chaper six
14Tis is my way o puting wha oher Asian American scholars have also observed see boh Anony W Alumkal ldquoTe Scandal o he lsquoModel Minoriyrsquo Mind Te Bible and Second-Generaion Asian American Evangelicalsrdquo and imohy seng ldquoSecond-Generaion Chinese Evangelical Use o heBible in Ideniy Discourse in Norh Americardquo boh in a-siong Benny Liew Te Bible in Asian
America Semeia 983097983088-9830971048625 (Alana Te Sociey o Biblical Lieraure 10486269830889830881048626) pp 10486261048627983095-983093983088 andpp 10486269830931048625-983094983095 respecively
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088983091
ional docrines or he lae modern world9830891048629 Cerainly in he Norh American
conex here are progressive orces a work especially among second and laer
generaions o Asian Americans bu equally cerainly he weigh o porableculural and philosophical radiions like Conucianism (see chaper wo)
means ha change occurs slowly
Wihin he Asian American evangelical communiy he gradual ransor-
maion o he inheried culural conservaism is cerainly being played ou
even i a a much slower pace han in nonevangelical conexs One he one
side he gospel is undersood as providing a criical perspecive on culure991252
on which I will say more momenarily on he oher side however here arecerain biblical hemes such as honoring o parens and he submission o
women (read off he surace o some Pauline exs) ha resonae wih he filial
piey o especially Conucian culures and hese have ineviably become
cenral issues or he orging o Asian American ideniies9830891048630 Hence Asian
American immigrans who are atraced o Chrisianiy are ofen drawn o
evangelical Proesanism because i provides a similarly conservaive
worldview one ha enables heir acculuraion ino American sociey Forhese reasons Conucian conservaism morphs among Asian American Pro-
esans ino a orm o evangelical conservaism
o be sure he exac role o Conucianism behind Asian American evan-
gelical conservaism migh be debaed among scholars paricularly since he
appropriaion o he Conucian radiion across he Asian American diaspora
is no all o one sripe A he same ime even i oher Asian radiions were o
be acored ino he marix o Asian American lie many are inormed by akind o pariarchal hierarchical and auhoriarian conservaism ha uncions
similarly in Eas Asian Conucian culure In shor perhaps he ldquomodel mi-
noriyrdquo sereoype as conesed as migh be such a designaion ha charac-
erizes much o he Asian American experience conribues o he conser-
vaism ha permeaes Asian American Evangelicalism
North American evangelical conservatism and its implications Bu high-
15See here Daniel A Bell Chinarsquos New Conucianism Poliics and Everyday Lie in a Changing Soci-
ey (Princeon NJ Princeon Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983096) chap 104862716Eg om Lin Losing Face and Finding Grace 983089983090 Bible Sudies or Asian Americans (Downers
Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 1048625983097983097983094) esp par 1048625
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 1535
983089983088983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
lighing Eas Asian conservaism ells only one side o he sory abou why
Asian Americans end o be conened wih and passive recipiens o he he-
ology o he dominan evangelical culure Te oher hal o his ale has o do wih Norh American conservaism as well O course hisorically Norh
American Evangelicalism was ormed ou o a long hisory o reacion o
mainline Proesan liberalism By definiion o be conservaive means o
resis he orces o change insoar as such changes are hough o compromise
he received values o a paricular radiion So while some changes have been
embraced evangelical conservaives have long resised wha are perceived as
adjusmens o hisoric Chrisian orhodoxy oised upon he Norh Americanchurch by heir liberal counerpars9830891048631 More recenly Evangelicals have also
enered ino he culure wars in deense o radiional amily values and oher
aspecs o he agenda o he Republican Pary
Over ime hen Evangelicals have been led o develop heological argu-
mens or heir conservaive sances Mos relevan or he Asian American
experience is how he dominan evangelical culure has acceped while
slighly redefining a leas more recenly he basic caegories o he classicalChris and Culure sudy o H Richard Niebuhr9830891048632 Ye hisorically Evangel-
icals have embraced he ldquoChris agains culurerdquo sance albei more recenly
shifing oward he ldquoChris ransorming culurerdquo posure Tis involves eiher
a wors he rejecion o culure which has radiionally characerized evan-
gelical secarianism (especially among undamenaliss he close cousins o
Evangelicals)9830891048633 or a bes an ambiguous relaionship wih culure one ea-
uring wha migh be called a culural hermeneuic o suspicion ha is alwaysconcerned abou syncreism wih he world Culure in popular evangelical
parlance is almos equivalen o he world and in ha sense is wha humans
need o be saved rom raher han parake o
17Tere are many versions o his sory my own elling is here ldquoTe Word and he Spiri or heSpiri and he Word Exploring he Boundaries o Evangelicalism in Relaionship o Modern Pen-ecosalismrdquo riniy Journal 10486261048627 no 1048626 (10486269830889830881048626) 10486261048627983093-9830931048626
18See H Richard Niebuhr Chris and Culure (10486259830979830931048625 repr San Francisco Harper orchligh1048625983097983093983094) c Glen H Sassen D M Yeager and John Howard Yoder Auhenic ransormaion A
New Vision o Chris and Culure (Nashville Abingdon 1048625983097983097983094)19Ie as manies in missionary and evangelisic sraegies ha called on convers o abandon heir
culural belies and pracices in ollowing Chris991252eg Birgi Meyer ranslaing he Devil Religion
and Moderniy Among he Ewe in Ghana (renon NJ Arica World Press 1048625983097983097983097)
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088983093
So how has his played ou in Asian American evangelical communiies
Mos poinedly Asian American Evangelicals have radiionally undersood
heir Chrisian conversion o involve eiher a urning away rom heir Asianculural roos or a minimizing o such aspecs o heir ideniy Ta Chrisian
conversion acually involves Americanizaion is quie prevalen across he
Asian American scene In my own case growing up as already indicaed in he
prologue we never alked abou he imporance o Chinese culure he em-
phasis a home (my parens were firs-generaion convers o Chrisianiy)
was always on embodying Chrisian culure Many Asian Americans hus end
o view heir Asian hisorical and culural legacies in binary erms ood dressand music migh be reained because hey concern he ouward aspecs o lie
which are incidenal anyway o rue human ideniy bu lierary philosophical
and religious ideas are o be cauiously approached (a bes) since hey are
probably represenaive o ldquohe worldrdquo and hus aniheical o he gospel
Tis confluence o Conucian and evangelical conservaism has been
srenghened hrough he process o heological educaion Asian American
Evangelicals end o atend solidly evangelical seminaries because o heirconservaive commimens So whereas mainline Proesan seminaries are
much more ocused on corporae ideniies evangelical seminaries and
heir curricula ocus more on personal ideniies paricularly he or-
maion o spiriual lives in relaionship o Chris9830901048624 Wha his means is ha
ehnic ideniies are minimized as having no more han biological signifi-
cance and hisorical and culural aspecs o Asian ideniy are acceped
only as accidenal o ideniy in Chris Asian American Evangelicals arefirs and oremos Chrisians and only secondarily i a all Asians (al-
hough ineresingly he prevalence o naionalism among Evangelicals
means ha American ideniy is much more imporan han evangelical
rheoric usually les on) Evangelical heological educaion hus provides
he philosophical and heological apparaus o make sense o such modes
o ideniy consrucion
20Russell Jeung ldquoEvangelical and Mainline eachings on Asian American Ideniyrdquo in Liew and Yee Bible in Asian America pp 104862610486251048625-1048627983094 reprined in Nakka-Cammau and seng Asian American
Chrisianiy pp 1048625983097983095-10486261048625983094
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 1735
983089983088983094 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
T983144983141 B983157983154983140983141983150 983151983142 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161 A M983145983150983151983154983145983156983161 R983141983152983151983154983156
In he ollowing I highligh he major episemological hermeneuical meh-
odological and docrinal aspecs o (whie) evangelical heology embraced bymany Asian American Evangelicals I argue no ha hese are he only ways in
which Asian American Evangelicals have accommodaed o he dominan
(whie) evangelical subculural worldview nor ha Asian American evan-
gelical heology can be reduced o hese eaures I sugges however ha hese
provide some explanaion or how many Asian American evangelical heolo-
gians view he Asian dimension o heir work in conexual erms bu do no
also undersand he dominan whie heological consrucs similarly Teresul is ha Asian American concerns are no only subordinaed bu also e-
ecively silenced in many cases In he ollowing I criically assess his dom-
inan view rom he marginal horizons o he Asian American experience
A (putatively) global epistemology I begin wih he Enlighenmen epis-
emology and is ques or or presumpion o have atained he universal per-
specive In heir batle agains liberalism Evangelicals have highlighed he
imporance o developing a biblical worldview983090983089 Worldview consrucion isineviably an inellecual exercise983090983090 Wha mos Evangelicals do no ofen
inerrogae is how rooed he worldview ques is in he Enlighenmen projec
As such evangelical worldview ormulaion operaes episemologically ac-
cording o modernis canons o raionaliy Tis is reinorced in evangelical
seminary educaion variously no leas in he embrace o some orm o oun-
daionalism characerisic o he Enlighenmen ques or cerainy hough
o secure evangelical claims o universal ruh983090983091
Foundaionalism classically undersood is he view ha all belies can be
jusified direcly (ounded upon) sense experience or reason available o all991252
hence universal991252raher han inerred rom oher (subjecively held) be-
lies9830901048628 While Evangelicals are philosophically jus as sophisicaed as anyone
21Tus InerVarsiy Press has jus published in 1048626983088983088983097 he fifh ediion o James Sirersquos Te Universe Nex
Door A Basic Worldview Caalog a esimony o is populariy a evangelical colleges and universiies22 Anoher popular ex among Evangelicals noes is concepual naure David K Naugle World-
view Te Hisory o a Concep (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048626)23 As refleced in anoher popular evangelical exbook J P Moreland and William Lane Craig
Philosophical Foundaions or a Chrisian Worldview (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 10486269830889830881048627)24Noe ha he dualism beween objeciviy and subjeciviy is isel a modernis consrucion I
discuss hese maters as well as evangelical orms o oundaionalism in my ldquoTe Demise o Foun-
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088 983095
else in heir deense o oundaionalism9830901048629 more ofen han no hey are epis-
emological oundaionaliss or wo reasons Negaively pu episemic oun-
daionalism is a deerren o wha hey see as he hreaening alernaive oepisemological skepicism philosophical i no moral relaivism and reli-
gious and heological pluralism Posiively pu he oundaions o Chrisian
knowing are given in he Bible I will reurn in a momen o address he her-
meneuical issues involved wih such an appeal For he momen however I
simply noe ha evangelical oundaionalism in whaever is guise butresses
is claims o have access o a universal sandpoin or (heological) knowledge
Such a universal vanage poin is o course relaed o he Enlighenmenques or cerain knowledge Hence he undermining o oundaionalism
opens up o perspecivism Evangelicals resis episemic perspecivism or he
same reasons ha hey deend oundaionalism because ha is el o be he
only way o secure raionally he sabiliy o ruh claims Opening he door
o perspecivism invies he mulipliciy o views ha characerizes he rela-
ivism o he posmodern siuaion Conservaive Evangelicals are hus very
concerned abou he ascendency o he posmodern agenda9830901048630
Wha does his have o do wih Asian American Evangelicalism My claim is
ha Asian Americans educaed a conservaive evangelical seminaries have un-
witingly embraced no only he oundaionalis episemology o heir eachers
bu also is atendan applicaions In order o ward off episemic skepicism
moral relaivism and heological pluralism Asian American Evangelicals have
also uncriically rejeced he perspecivism cenral o posoundaionalis epis-
emology9830901048631 More o he poin he deense o oundaionalism is also he de-ense o he saus quo he universal rame o reerence claimed by evangelical
daionalism and he Reenion o ruh Wha Evangelicals Can Learn rom C S Peircerdquo Chrisian
Scholarrsquos Review 1048626983097 no 1048627 (Spring 1048626983088983088983088) 9830939830941048627-98309698309625Eg J P Moreland and Garret DeWeese ldquoTe Premaure Repor o Foundaionalismrsquos Demiserdquo
in Millard J Erickson Paul Kjoss Helseh and Jusin aylor eds Reclaiming he Cener Confon-
ing Evangelical Accommodaion in Posmodern imes (Wheaon IL Crossway 1048626983088983088983092) pp 9830961048625-104862598308898309526Tus par 1048626 o Millard J Erickson Posmodernizing he Faih Evangelical Responses o he Chal-
lenge o Posmodernism (Grand Rapids Baker Books 1048625983097983097983096) is iled ldquoNegaive Responses o
Posmodernismrdquo and discusses a number o conemporary and recen deenders o classical evan-gelical aih David Wells Tomas Oden and Francis Schaeffer
27 As argued eg by Sanley J Grenz and John R Franke Beyond Foundaionalism Shaping Teology in
a Posmodern Conex (Louisville Wesminser John Knox 10486269830889830881048625) he criical and apologeic responsehas been he recogniion ha his akes us ldquobeyond Evangelicalismrdquo991252see Seven Knowles Beyond
Evangelicalism Te Teological Mehodology o Sanley J Grenz (Burlingon V Ashgae 1048626983088983088983097)
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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983089983088983096 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
heology Simulaneously so he argumen goes he abandonmen o ounda-
ionalism opens he door o perspecivism and pluralism And i he later are
problemaic so are heir ideological movemens especially and including muli-culuralism (wih some advocaes o such having reinerpreed Chrisian eaching
in ligh o a poliics o ideniy insead o vice versa)9830901048632 Asian American Evan-
gelicals are hus armed oundaionally o conron engage and resis he perils
o cynicism relaivism and pluralism Unbeknowns o hem however his no
only undercus he ideology o muliculuralism bu also assails he basis upon
which hey can reclaim heir own hisorical and culural ideniies O course
Evangelicals have more recenly recognized a leas in general he imporanceo embracing he diversiy o culures even o celebraing hem bu only so
long as doing so does no hreaen he oundaions o evangelical ceriude
An (allegedly) a-cultural hermeneutic Tis presumpion o having a uni-
versal perspecive while undergirded as biblical raher han recognized as
ounded on an Enlighenmen paradigm bleeds over ino evangelical herme-
neuics In he Asian American evangelical landscape such hermeneuical pre-
supposiions bracke Asian America wheher inenionally (more ofen) or noIn his way Asian American Evangelicals have imbibed no only he oundaion-
alism o heir classical seminary educaion bu also he biblical hermeneuic ha
works o secure such an episemic sance Unsurprisingly a he hear o he
evangelical inerpreaion o Scripure is anoher insrumen rom he modernis
oolki ha o hisorical criicism Tis ime however such a hermeneuical
approach is deployed o access he auhorial inen o he Scripures and i is
his ha is cenral (oundaional) o ideniying he biblical message which inurn enables he Bible o serve as he unshakable norm or Chrisian belie
Tere is much o unpack in he preceding brie descripion o evangelical
hermeneuics classically considered Bu I wan o ocus insead on he prin-
ciples o biblical exegesis as emphasized in evangelical seminary educaion9830901048633
Te goal o exegesis is o draw ou o or o cull rom he Bible wha he original
auhors mean o communicae Tis involves undersanding firs and
28Tus have some Evangelicals harangued agains muliculuralism as an ideology or example991252Dennis McCallum ed Te Deah o ruh Wharsquos Wrong wih Muliculuralism he Rejecion o
Reason and he New Posmodern Diversiy (Minneapolis Behany House 1048625983097983097983094)29Eg Waler C Kaiser oward an Exegeical Teology Biblical Exegesis or Preaching and eaching
(Grand Rapids Baker Books 1048625983097983097983096)
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088983097
oremos how he biblical auhors were undersood by heir iniial audiences
in he ancien conex Exegesis accesses hese primordially inended biblical
principles Wha he Bible means oday is hereby a secondary issue de-penden primarily on wha i originally mean o he firs hearers and readers
o he Scripures Conemporary applicaion hus involves idenificaion o
he original and or some single meaning o he biblical exs9830911048624
Te flip side o he emphasis on exegesis hen involves he rejecion o
eisegesis he inserion o conemporary perspecives ino he meaning o he
biblical ex I he burden o biblical hermeneuics is o ake away rom he
Scripures wha is auhors inended o communicae he bane o evangelicalinerpreaion is o read ino he Bible whaever our presen viewpoins may
dicae Tis o course is a violaion o he cardinal rule o evangelical herme-
neuics readers should leave heir prejudices and biases a he door and allow
he Bible o inorm hem insead Oherwise he concern is ha he reader
will find whaever he or she is looking or and his inecs conaminaes
skews and disors he prisine message o he Bible983091983089
Te problem here is no jus ha he lines beween exegesis and eisegesis aremuch more blurred han Evangelicals usually acknowledge983091983090 bu ha he per-
sisen applicaion o such an approach o he Bible dicaes ha evangelical
readers inenionally bracke or a leas atemp o hold in abeyance heir own
hisories experiences and perspecives as being o secondary impor i o any
relevance a all or heir reading o Scripure Now I am cerainly no suggesing
ha we all willy-nilly inser our biases in appropriaing he biblical ex Simul-
aneously I urge ha he cos o such hermeneuical brackeing is oo high or
30See Rober L Tomas Evangelical Hermeneuics Te New Versus he Old (Grand Rapids Kregel10486269830889830881048626) chap 983094 iled ldquoTe Principle o Single Meaningrdquo which argues ha he pluralism po-lyphony and plurivociy o meaning advocaed by recen progressive Evangelicals reflecs more heeffecs o humaniyrsquos all ino sin han i does he classical assumpions o evangelical biblical in-erpreaion For a counerargumen one ha I am largely sympaheic wih see James K ASmih Te Fall o Inerpreaion Philosophical Foundaions or a Creaional Hermeneuic (DownersGrove IL InerVarsiy Press 1048626983088983088983088)
31For evangelical concerns regarding reader-response hermeneuics see Norman R Gulley ldquoReader-
Response Teories in Posmodern Hermeneuics A Challenge o Evangelical Teologyrdquo in DavidS Dockery ed Te Challenge o Posmodernism An Evangelical Engagemen (Wheaon IL VicorBooks 1048625983097983097983093) pp 1048626983088983096-1048627983096
32In mainline Proesan circles o course here has long been recogniion ha he radiional line beween exegesis and eisegesis is much blurrier han previously hough see Jay G WilliamsldquoExegesis-Eisegesis Is Tere a Differencerdquo Teology oday 1048627983088 no 1048627 (10486259830979830951048627) 10486261048625983096-1048626983095
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983089 983089983088 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
ehnic minoriies who are Evangelicals since his in effec rejecs heir quesions
and concerns as perinen o heir engagemen wih he Bible In addiion such
presumpive brackeing blinds whie Evangelicals o he ac ha heir own ho-rizons and perspecives are involved in any reading o ancien exs and his lack
o awareness makes i doubly difficul o recognize moderae or correc
I would urge insead ha we recognize and embrace he ension involved
in he usion o biblical and conemporary horizons bu do so in a way ha
boh allows conemporary readers o ener ino he world o he Bible on he
one hand (ldquohis is hardquo) and or he Bible o map ono our conemporary lives
on he oher hand (ldquoha is hisrdquo)983091983091 Tis no only allows or an Asian American reading o he Bible somehing ha is barred in he evangelical
environmen i also invies even encourages such an approach and his in
urn gives Asian Americans991252all people acually991252permission o read he
Bible as i i really matered o heir lives
A (presumably) biblical-theological method Enlighenmen assumpions
hus inorm no only Asian American evangelical episemology and herme-
neuics bu also heological mehod and hey do so in ways ha marginalize Asian America Tis is consisen wih he general evangelical ear o licensing
wha hey see as merely subjecive readings o he Bible or he same reasons
ha hey are wary abou enabling heological mehodologies ha consciously
acknowledge he role o experience In oher words he saus quo in evan-
gelical approaches o he Bible (wih is accenuaion o exegesis and rejecion
o eisegesis) has is counerpar in evangelical approaches o heological re-
flecion his ime wih he emphasis on he Bible as he primary i no solesource or heology over and agains hisory radiion culure and experience
A one level he sola scripura commimens o Reormaion radiions have
a very specific hisory and should be undersood according o he nuances
wih which his idea has developed in he pas five hundred years9830911048628 A anoher
33I explicae some aspecs o he ldquohis is hardquo hermeneuic rom a Penecosal perspecive in myldquoReading Scripure and Naure Penecosal Hermeneuics and Teir Implicaions or he Con-
emporary Evangelical Teology and Science Conversaionrdquo Perspecives on Science and ChrisianFaih 9830931048627 no 1048625 (104862698308810486251048625) 1048625-10486251048627
34Reflecing developmens rom he publicaion o Te Fundamenals o he ldquoChicago Saemen onBiblical Inerrancyrdquo (1048625983097983095983096) many conservaive Norh American Evangelicals991252eg rom NormanL Geisler Inerrancy (Grand Rapids Zondervan 1048625983097983096983088) o James R Whie Scripure Alone (Min-neapolis Behany House 1048626983088983088983092)991252have seen and coninue o see boh sola scripura and he doc-
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2235
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2335
983089 983089 983090 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
Te problem however is ha Asian Americans have rarely i ever ques-
ioned more rigid applicaions o his mehodological norm or evangelical
heology Raher hey have inernalized he evangelical bias agains hisoryradiion and experience hus silencing he role ha paricular perspecives
migh play in he heological ask I we appeal o our experience a all we
mus do so apologeically as i admiting ha such heological inerprea-
ions are a bes parochial concerns o a communiy no ye assimilaed o
he dominan culure or a wors signaling our heological immauriy and
need o grow up rom or ranscend he ldquobackwardnessrdquo represening our
hisory and experience beore our lie in Chris Ironically however suchinenional marginalizaion o he Asian American experience no o
menion Asian American philosophical ways o hinking and reasoning
does no call ino quesion how he predominanly Anglo- and Euro-
American experiences o moderniy have shaped evangelical heology As a
resul Asian American Evangelicals have adoped wha is claimed o be a
biblical worldview and heological ramework supposedly shorn o he sub-
jecive biases o hisorically siuaed human inerpreers Bu hese aresurely devoid o heir own experienial and conexual (Asian American)
locaions and ye uncriically naive in hinking ha Euro-American his-
orical accidens have been adequaely ldquoChrisianizedrdquo
So ar I have suggesed ha episemologically hermeneuically and meh-
odologically Asian Americans have rarely quesioned he modernis Enligh-
enmen and Anglo- and Euro-American presupposiions o he evangelical
heological endeavor And since his underaking has never acknowledged heculural conexs and perspecives o he predominanly whie ramers o he
evangelical heological radiion10486281048624 he assumpion is ha ehniciy plays litle
i any role in he work o heology No surprisingly hen Asian American
heologians have been reicen o sugges ha ehniciy culure and hisoriciy
coun in heological reflecion By exension he heological and docrinal
40My poin is no ha whie perspecives have disored he gospel his isel assumes a sor oa-culural gospel ha needs conexualizaion991252a poin ha needs o be addressed and nuanced which we will do momenarily My poin is ha such whie viewpoins are no only unrecognized bu ha hey are hen presumed o be normaive or nonwhies I is par o he goal o his chapero call Asian American heologians o atend o his assumpion and o find ways o inenionallyaddress and subver i
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983091
resuls have been ormulaed and ransmited as biblically unded and univer-
sally applicable regardless o conexual consideraions
A (supposedly) universal doctrinal famework One example o how Norh American evangelical heology has proceeded wih universalisic assumpions
and hereby overlooked i no inenionally ignored oher culural perspec-
ives has o do wih he docrine o he aonemen and wha i addresses Pu
crassly humankind suffers rom one overall problem ha o sin agains God
and ha one problem demands basically one soluion he subsiuionary
aonemen o he Sonrsquos deah on he cross1048628983089 Now I realize ha i is unair o
depic evangelical views regarding he aonemen in such homogeneous ermssince he mater isel is sill being conesed1048628983090 Bu he ac is ha in some
evangelical circles deparure rom he subsiuionary view o he aonemen
is considered deviaion rom evangelical orhodoxy1048628983091 From his posiion oher
biblical aspecs and alernaive inerpreaions are eiher subsumed under he
docrine o penal subsiuion or argued o be flawed in some respec
O course such a viewpoin minimizes he role o medieval eudalism and
he jurisprudenial background o some o he Reormers in he emergenceand esablishmen o his undersanding o he aonemen in he evangelical
radiion jus as i really does no quesion he basically Augusinian anhro-
pology presumed in his process Now I am no a hisorical deerminis who
believes ha conex leads inexorably o our heological ideas jus as I do no
hink ha allowance or hisorical conexual acors relaivizes he ruh o
heological claims or produces docrinal heerodoxy Raher wihou denying
41Te World Evangelical Alliancersquos Saemen o Faih affirms ldquoWe believe in Our Lord JesusChris God manies in he flesh His virgin birh His sinless human lie His divine miracles His vicarious and aoning deah His bodily resurrecion His ascension His mediaorial work and HisPersonal reurn in power and glory Te Salvaion o los and sinul man hrough he shed bloodo he Lord Jesus Chris by aih apar rom works and regeneraion by he Holy Spirirdquo (see worldevangelicalorgweasaemenhm emphases original)
42See James Beilby and Paul R Eddy eds Te Naure o he Aonemen Four Views (DownersGrove IL IVP Academic 1048626983088983088983094) and Derek idball David Hilborn and Jusin Tacker eds Te
Aonemen Debae Papers fom he London Symposium on he Teology o he Aonemen (Grand
Rapids Zondervan 1048626983088983088983093) c J Denny Weaver Te Nonviolen Aonemen (Grand Rapids Eerd-mans 10486269830889830881048625) and Hans Boersma Violence Hospialiy and he Cross Recovering he Aonemen
radiion (Grand Rapids Baker Academic 1048626983088983088983092)43See S Lewis Johnson Jr ldquoBehold he Lamb Te Gospel and Subsiuionary Aonemenrdquo in John
H Armsrong ed Te Coming Evangelical Crisis Curren Challenges o he Auhoriy o Scripure
and he Gospel (Chicago Moody Press 1048625983097983097983094) pp 10486251048625983097-1048627983096
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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983089 983089 983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
he imporance o he biblical and heological heme o subsiuion or he
docrine o he aonemen I am simply suggesing ha oher culural perspec-
ives and even assumpions migh highligh and emphasize oher biblicalmeaphors regarding Chrisrsquos salvific work
Bu o pursue he quesion ono Asian American errain wha difference
will i make i we recognize ha some Asians and Asian Americans live and
exis in a shame raher han guil culure How migh evangelical hinking
abou he aonemen be adjused revised and maybe even ransormed i
Chrisrsquos work no only assuaged he guil o sin rom human lives bu also re-
moved he shame in human hears10486281048628 My poin is ha evangelical heologicalendencies generally urge a universalisic sandpoin and in his paradigm
here is no need o atend o he pariculariies o or ariculae Asian Asian
American or oher culural perspecives since hese are all subsumed wihin he
biblical ramework read in an evangelical way In his case here isnrsquo even a
need o ask wheher radiional evangelical heologies and docrines like hose
regarding he aonemen may need o be revisied and reariculaed in ligh o
oher hisorical culural and experienial dynamics In ac Asian Americansare boh oo shameul and oo shy o even consider asking abou hese maters
I have argued so ar in his secion ha Asian American Evangelicals ormed
heologically according o he sensibiliies o he dominan evangelical culure
in Norh America have inernalized he whie evangelical worldview and in ha
sense mosly do no see he need o hink explicily rom an Asian American
vanage poin Asian American evangelical views are hereore a bes no more
han a minoriy heological perspecive wo relaed summary consequenceshave ollowed Asian American acquiescence o he majoriy culure Firs meh-
odologically and maerially evangelical heology has been undersood o be a-
hisorical a-culural and even a-conexual Te assumpion is ha he Bible
addresses all human beings so any plain reading o he Scripure will or should
be able o access he Word o God a any and all imes and places radiionally
ormulaed and ramed evangelical docrines derived rom an inducive sudy
44 Asian Americans are beginning o do jus his however991252eg Rachel Y Lei ldquoSaving Significanceo he Cross in he Asian American Conexrdquo SANACS Journal 1048625 (1048626983088983088983097) 983097983093-10486251048625983094 c Mark D Bakerand Joel B Green Recovering he Scandal o he Cross Te Aonemen in New esamen and Con-
emporary Conexs (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 1048626983088983088983088) chap 983094 ldquoRemoving AlienaingShame Te Saving Significance o he Cross in Japanrdquo
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983093
o Scripure hus orm he undispuable and unrevisable core o he gospel
Tere is litle recogniion o he hisorical culural and conexual perspecives
ha have conribued o he ariculaion o such evangelical belies Wha his means is ha here sill remains a core se o evangelical docrinal
achievemens and hese remain valid across space and ime alhough hey
may be supplemened by or ranslaed ino local conexual and siuaional
perspecives and idioms As we saw previously (chaper one) he recen Cam-
bridge Companion o Evangelical Teology reflecs precisely his mindse10486281048629 Te
Companion we know is divided ino wo pars Te firs is iled ldquoEvan-
gelicals and Chrisian Docrinerdquo and his includes eigh chapers on he oun-daional docrinal marix o evangelical belies he riniy Scripure chris-
ology heological anhropology jusificaionaonemen pneumaology
conversionsancificaion and ecclesiology Par wo ldquoTe Conexs o Evan-
gelical Teologyrdquo hen provides anoher nine chapers and hese cover issues
relaed o culure gender race and pluralism and include five chapers on
evangelical heology in Arican Asian European Lain American and Norh
American conexs Tis srucure o he Companion communicaes a wooldmessage ha evangelical docrine is a-conexually derived (par one) and
ha various hisorical conexs (par wo) can add a mos parochial ruhs
ha will no upse he docrinal supersrucure o he evangelical heological
landscape In shor basic heological and docrinal ruhs o he Chrisian
aih have already been ormulaed and can be ound in any oher evangelical
sysemaic heological ex quie apar rom Asian American or any oher
more specified perspecivesPu more poinedly i Asian Americans (or any oher ehnic or culural
group) were o wrie heir own heologies hese would be provincial under-
akings wih marginal relevance or he wider evangelical communiy Tese
would be o value only or ldquohoserdquo people (maybe immigrans reugees or
exiles) who have no ye been assimilaed ino he broader American evan-
gelical culure Litle wonder hen ha ew Asian Americans have venured
ino heological errioryhe second summary consequence o inernalizing he dominan
45imohy Larsen and Daniel J reier eds Te Cambridge Companion o Evangelical Teology (Cambridge Cambridge Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983095)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2735
983089 983089983094 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
worldview991252ha evangelical heology a leas in is dogmaic and sysemaic
configuraions is by and large a finished projec wih minimal inpu needed
rom Asian American or oher perspecives991252is ha Asian Americans wihheological educaion have urned in general o work in he hisorical and
social scienific disciplines10486281048630 Tere cerainly remains imporan work o be
done by hose working across he disciplines so I am no decrying such effors
Ye he ac ha hisorical sociological or oher disciplinary explicaions o
Asian American lie are published by universiy presses communicaes o
Asian Americans ha heir role is o shed new ligh on he Asian American
experience A he same ime he prevalence o hese analyical approachesamid he lacuna o explicily heological works suggess ha he ormer is o
minimal value a leas or he ldquorealrdquo heological work o dogmaics and sys-
emaics Furher ha hese scholarly publishers do no eaure exs on Asian
American evangelical heology confirms his division o labor (whie Evan-
gelicals wrie real heology Asian American Evangelicals do hisory sociology
ec) A he end o he day evangelical heologyrsquos assumpion remains undis-
urbed ha here are core docrines ha only need o be conexualized991252ha is ranslaed and made relevan991252around he world In his ramework
Asian Americans can conribue no o he ormer heological ormulaion bu
only o he later ranslaion and disseminaion ask10486281048631
46Eg he work o imohy seng and David Yoo in hisory Fenggang Yang and Rebecca Kim insociology and Russell Jeung in Asian American sudies among ohers see also my ldquoAsian Amer-ican Religion A Review Essayrdquo Nova Religio Te Journal o Alernaive and Emergen Religions 983097
no 1048627 (1048626983088983088983094) 9830971048626-104862598308898309547One could argue ha a parallel ye disinc moivaion drives Lain American or Hispanic evan-
gelical heology in a similar direcion I Asian Americans are cauioned agains hinking heo-logically rom ou o ehnic hisorical and conexual lives because o heir uncriical embrace o whie evangelical assumpions Hispanic Evangelicals may have adoped similar commimensalbei or slighly differen reasons relaed o he Lain American conex Te dominance o heRoman Caholic Church along wih is heological and olk radiions in he later environmenmay be behind Hispanic evangelical suspicions abou he role o hisory and culure in he doingo heology Te ani-Caholic senimen in hisoric Evangelicalism no doub is atracive oLainoas on he migran rail (rom Lain America o he Unied Saes) alhough such accom-modaion has brough wih i he heological coss elaboraed in he preceding pages For urher
discussion and oher angles on hese issues see Oscar Garcia-Johnson Te Mesizoa Communiyo he Spiri A Posmodern Lainoa Ecclesiology (Eugene OR Wip amp Sock 1048626983088983088983097) Sammy Alaro Divino Compantildeero oward a Hispanic Penecosal Chrisology (Eugene OR Pickwick10486269830881048625983088) Juan Mariacutenez ldquolsquoOuside he Gaersquo Evangelicalism and Laino Proesan Teologyrdquo in JeffreyGreenman and Gene L Green eds Global Teology in Evangelical Perspecive Exploring he Conex-
ual Naure o Teology and Mission (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 104862698308810486251048626) pp 1048625983095983097-983097983092 and
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983095
T983144983141 M983137983150983140983137983156983141 983151983142 A983155983145983137983150 A983149983141983154983145983139983137983150 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161
Te preceding analysis raises sel-criical awareness or Asian American Evan-
gelicals and invies hem in dialogue wih oher Evangelicals o consider wheher heir minoriy saus is problemaic and wha i anyhing can and
ough o be done abou i Now I am aware ha here are developmens wihin
he evangelical heological radiion broadly consrued ha have moved
beyond some o he sricures idenified in he preceding secion Progressive
Evangelicals he evangelical lef and posconservaive Evangelicals denoe jus
a ew o he rends among ohers percolaing on he margins o evangelical
heology10486281048632 Bu ha is precisely par o he problem hese are movemens haexcep or a small minoriy remain ouside he evangelical mainsream and
have also by and large been ignored by Asian American evangelical scholars
and heologians I believe ha producive ways orward can be chared via
Asian American Evangelicals in dialogue wih some o hese ideas alhough
a he end o he day such conversaions will only be producive as Asian
American Evangelicals ormulae a plaorm on which hey can bring some-
hing subsanive o he discussion Tis later ask is par o he presen chal-lenge and burden o he presen book
Insoar hen as I am ineresed in he quesion o wha Asian Americans can
conribue o evangelical heology no jus hisorically or sociologically bu a
a heological level my claim is ha pursui o hese maters ironically also in-
volves aking seriously he hisoriciy and pariculariy o Asian American cul-
ures experiences and perspecives In his final par o his chaper I do no
more han sugges in broad srokes how o go abou such an underakingRealities o the Asian American diaspora Par o ldquohe problem o evan-
gelical heologyrdquo can be clarified i we siuae Asian American evangelical
heology amid he broader Asian American diasporic hisorical and social
realiies described in par a he beginning o chaper wo Doing so enables
he sark realizaion ha Asian American Evangelicals are composed by a
wide range o experiences on he one hand and pressure o assimilae o
Juan F Mariacutenez and Lindy Scot eds Los Evangeacutelicos Porrais o Laino Proesanism in he
Unied Saes (Eugene OR Wip amp Sock 1048626983088983088983097)48Many o hese are discussed in Roger E Olson Reormed and Always Reorming Te Posconser-
vaive Approach o Evangelical Teology (Grand Rapids Baker Academic 1048626983088983088983095)
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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983089 983089983096 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
American culure on he oher W hile Asians have lived in Norh America
since he ounding o he republic and had even conribued o he building
o he American empire during he nineeenh cenury he 983089983097983094983093 Immigraion Ac ha repealed he Orienal Exclusion Ac o 983089983097983090983092 reopened he door o a
new wave o Asian migraion During he las generaion Asian American lie
has been urher ransormed by he orces o globalizaion diasporas creaed
by modernizaion indusrializaion and urbanizaion reugee populaions
displaced by war amine and climae changes movemen enabled by he
emergence o a worldwide marke economy advances in echnology and mass
communicaion he cross-erilizaion o ideologies and shifs in inerna-ional relaions10486281048633 Te resul as saw in he previous chaper is he appearance
o a wide range o Asian American communiies across Norh America Lie
in such communiies is fluid affeced by migraion paterns socioeconomic
pressures and he srengh o relaions wih hose ldquoback homerdquo Te sronger
he ransnaional ies beween Asian immigrans in he Wes and heir amilies
organizaions and insiuions (religious and oherwise) in heir homeland
he more inense and longer-lasing he exchange o religious goods and ideas(in he orm o books periodicals and various orms o elecommunicaion)
Unsurprisingly hen firs-generaion immigrans ofen deepen he reli-
gious commimens ha hey held or praciced perhaps more nominally
beore moving Someimes immigrans conver o he more dominan religion
o heir new home In eiher case religious affiliaion ofen serves o secure
social neworks coner saus oherwise difficul o come by or immigrans
and srenghen ehnic culural and linguisic bonds and ideniies Bu or he983089983093 generaion (hose born in Asia bu who grew up a leas in par in he
Unied Saes like mysel) he process o assimilaion is well under way In
hese cases he ehnic enclave will develop English-speaking secions as well
as social organizaions school clubs and Chrisian congregaions
For young adul Asian American Evangelicals however here is ofen a
49For an overview o hese issues see Wanni W Anderson and Rober G Lee eds Displacemensand Diasporas Asians in he Americas (New Brunswick NJ Rugers Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983093) Idiscuss urher he implicaions o globalizaion or Chrisian heology in Amos Yong and PeerHelzel ldquoRober Cummings Neville and he Global Fuure o Teologyrdquo in Yong and Helzel edsTeology in Global Conex Essays in Honor o Rober Cummings Neville (New York amp Clark1048626983088983088983092) pp 1048626983097-9830921048626 esp pp 1048627983088-1048627983092
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983097
keen sense ha heir own ehnically organized congregaions or groups are
somehow less religiously and heologically legiimae because hey do no
have he more ldquouniversalrdquo appeal o whie or muliculural evangelicalchurches or parachurch organizaions10486291048624 Te resul is eiher he ransiion o
ehnic congregaions ino pan-ehnic congregaions or movemen rom heir
ldquohomerdquo congregaion o oher less ehnically defined church environmens1048629983089
By he ime he second generaion atains adulhood he remaining culural
or linguisic barriers o ull assimilaion ino American sociey are pracically
overcome ofen o he dismay o parens and grandparens1048629983090
Wha does such assimilaion consis o Cerainly speaking Englishparicipaing in he marke economy and adaping o he opions provided
by American seculariy and poliics are minimal adjusmens Bu perhaps
assimilaion also requires abandoning he norms o he immigran culure
in avor o American norms or amily and gender relaions and engaging
wih he public square on is erms I so would his no lead o an evan-
gelical sel-undersanding deeply ormed by American culure poliics
and economics Would his no resul in a subordinaion and even deor-maion o all ha is Asian excep or he biological phenoype I would
appear hen ha becoming American would more easily aciliae he
embrace o evangelical Chrisianiy991252i such is deined as a suburban
Midwesern whie middle-class religious phenomenon wih Wheaon
Illinois as is veriable ldquoMeccardquo991252bu his brings wih i he cos o losing
onersquos Asianness Does his mean ha ull accepance o Evangelicalism
50See eg Rebecca Y Kim ldquoNegoiaion o Ehnic and Religious Boundaries by Asian AmericanCampus Evangelicalsrdquo in ony Carnes and Fenggang Yang eds Asian American Religions Te
Making and Remaking o Borders and Boundaries (New York New York Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983092) pp10486259830921048625-983093983097 and Rudy V Buso ldquoTe Gospel According o he Model Minoriy Hazarding an Inerpre-aion o Asian American Evangelical College Sudensrdquo in David K Yoo ed New Spiriual Homes
Religion and Asian Americans (Honolulu Universiy o Hawaii Press 1048625983097983097983097) pp 1048625983094983097-98309698309551See Russell Jeung Faihul Generaions Race and New Asian American Churches (New Brunswick
NJ Rugers Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983092)52 As can be discerned by reading beween he lines o he Bible sudies in om Linrsquos Losing Face
and Finding Grace Tis appears o be he case wheher he second generaion inenionally a-emps o disinguish is ehnic congregaional lie rom ha o he firs immigran generaion or wheher he second generaion becomes absorbed ino nonehnic or even muliehnic congrega-ions on his poin see Elaine Howard Ecklund ldquoModels o Civic Responsibiliy Korean Amer-icans in Congregaions wih Differen Ehnic Composiionsrdquo Journal or he Scienific Sudy o
Religion 983092983092 no 1048625 (1048626983088983088983093) 1048625983093-1048626983096
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3135
983089 983090 983088 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
includes ldquorepenancerdquo rom Asia and ldquoconversionrdquo o Americanism1048629983091
Ta his is no he case seems o be borne ou by he sociological lieraure
which confirms ha ehniciy remains jus as imporan as religion in he or-maion o Asian American ideniy10486291048628 Bu i so evangelical heology has no
even begun o wresle wih he imporance o ehniciy and race no o
menion heir heological implicaions Second-generaion Korean Amer-
icans or insance seem o be inuiively drawn o churches and parachurch
minisries ha oreground heir Korean culural ideniy10486291048629 bu hey have
developed ew heological raionales or such orms o social organizaion
more o he poin heir own heological presupposiions miigae agains suchaciviy which may explain heir ideniy conflicedness
Unsurprisingly hen Asian American evangelical heology has ye o ge
off he ground even a he beginning o he weny-firs cenury Asian
American Evangelicals geting degrees rom insiuions o higher educaion
have had o wresle wihagains his assimilaive impulse o sruggle wih he
quesion o wheher hey are or should be doing (descripive) sociology raher
han heology (as normaive reflecion) and o ariculae an apologeic ordoing Asian American evangelical heology raher han jus evangelical he-
ology For oo many Asian American Evangelicals heir saus ldquobewix and
beweenrdquo991252on he one hand belonging o Asia and o he Unied Saes in
some respecs bu on he oher hand being a sranger o boh Asia and he
Unied Saes in oher respecs991252pus hem in a unique posiion o inerrogae
evangelical heology bu (o dae) leaves hem ouside he ormal organiza-
ional and insiuional srucures o criique effecively and ransorm heevangelical heological radiion
53One could also make he reverse argumen however ha Evangelicalism in he Unied Saes hasalready been molded by is social culural and hisorical conex o he exen ha he very eauresha mark he American way o lie991252ie individualism experienialism pragmaism even con-sumerism991252have also come o characerize evangelical Chrisianiy For an insighul analysis ohe ofenimes uncriical conflaion o Evangelicalism and Americanism and o he orces ha havealso resised such accommodaions see D G Har Ta Old-ime Religion in Modern America
Evangelical Proesanism in he wenieh Cenury (Chicago Ivan R Dee 10486269830889830881048626)54See Jerry Z Park ldquoTe Ehnic and Religious Ideniies o Young Asian Americansrdquo (PhD diss
Universiy o Nore Dame 1048626983088983088983092)55See Sharon Kim and Rebecca Y Kim ldquoSecond-Generaion Korean American Chrisiansrsquo Com-
muniies Congregaional Hybridiyrdquo in Carolyn Chen and Russell Jeung eds Susaining Faih
radiions Race Ehniciy and Religion Among he Laino and Asian American Second Generaion (New York New York Universiy Press 104862698308810486251048626) pp 1048625983095983094-9830971048627
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983090 983089
Moving trajectories o theological reflection O course i Asian Americans
hope o climb he ranks o he Norh American evangelical heological
academy hey can only do so on he erms esablished by heir hoss Andraher han responding o sociopoliical acors he evangelical heological
guild has always undersood isel primarily in heological erms and seen is
charge as deending hisorical orhodoxy wheher ha be agains liberalismrsquos
denial o biblical supernauralism agains neo-orhodoxyrsquos ambiguous sance
on Scripure agains mainsream sciencersquos heory o evoluion agains open
heismrsquos docrine o God and so on10486291048630 I evangelical heology has never
beore enerained ehnic perspecives in is discursive consrucion why nowundermine he (is presumed) universal ramework and applicabiliy by
adding he Asian or Asian American qualifiers
While in a sense his enire book provides a se o responses o his quesion
here I sugges hree reasons ha can moivae such a heological pah orward
Firs he Asian diaspora in he Unied Saes is now in a siuaion o reflec
subsanively on is experience o migraion While here are remendous
challenges o migraion10486291048631 some Asian Americans have achieved a level oupward social mobiliy so ha hey are now in he posiion o producing
scholarship inormed by such experienial perspecives Since he memory o
migraion among Asian Americans is more recen han hose o heir Cau-
casian colleagues such perspecives migh be helpul o ideniy how he mi-
graion rom he European coninen has shaped he evangelical heological
enerprise as a whole I Asian Americans can help heir evangelical colleagues
ideniy he hisorical impac o old o new world migraion on he belies andpracices o Norh American Evangelicalism ha in isel will open up pos-
sibiliies or considering aresh Asian American hisories and heir conribu-
ions o he wider conversaion
Second Asian Americans are orced o hink abou race and ehniciy in a
way unlike mos o heir whie brohers and sisers alhough heir reflecions
56Evangelical heologyrsquos many inernal and exernal batles are documened by Jon R Sone On heBoundaries o American Evangelicalism Te Poswar Evangelical Coaliion (New York S MarinrsquosPress 1048625983097983097983095)
57Some o hese are documened by Kenneh J Gues God in Chinaown Religion and Survival in
New Yorkrsquos Evolving Immigran Communiy (New York New York Universiy Press 10486269830889830881048627) whose work we will reurn o in chaper six
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983089 983090 983090 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
can also mediae perspecive in an oherwise whie-and-black demarcaed
world Race and ehniciy are undeniable aspecs o Asian American hisory
and experience Te impor o his is a leas woold Firs Asian Americansare posiioned o engage he discussion opened up by black evangelical heo-
logians regarding conemporary heology991252even in is evangelical guises991252as
reflecing he ascen o whie perspecives in he early modern period a he
expense o Jewish and oher nonwhie culural realiies Asian American per-
specives on race and ehniciy will open up new visas on he racial and ehnic
dimensions o he biblical world10486291048632 In oher words he marginalized hisories
and perspecives o Asian American Evangelicals have much o conribue oconemporary biblical inerpreaion and heological explicaion Te dom-
inan orms o evangelical heology orged in par ou o he hegemony o
Chrisendom are in need o criical analysis and dialogical revision
Las bu no leas cenral and ongoing elemens o Asian American hisory
are par o he presen experiences o ransnaionalism and globalizaion Te
issues here are complex10486291048633 One mater ha needs o be addressed is he iner-
woven characer o he global economy and how i affecs people around he world differenly depending on various social poliical and culural circum-
sances In addiion wih regard o he Asian American side o his equaion
here remain difficul issues relaed o how he quesion o assimilaion or ac-
culuraion is being negoiaed and adjudicaed Firs- second- and hird-gener-
aion perspecives differ someimes momenously and his does no even acor
in he perspecives o he 983089983093 generaion I heology is o engage he hisorical
realiies o real flesh-and-blood human beings i mus engage such quesions inour conemporary world Asian American Evangelicals can lead he way in
hinking heologically abou such hings and his will benefi no only Asian
58 Asian Evangelicals hus need o build rom he insighul readings o mainline Proesan biblicalscholar a-Siong Benny Liew Wha Is Asian American Biblical Hermeneuics Reading he New
esamen (Honolulu Universiy o Hawaii Press 1048626983088983088983096) regarding he ehnic dynamics under-neah Jewish-Genile relaions in he New esamen o be sure Liewrsquos mainline Proesan as-sumpions may be raher disan rom evangelical ones so some criical dialogue and perhaps
correcion may also be in order Ye he srengh o Liewrsquos book is o sugges how Asian Americanexperiences o ehnic marginaliy can illuminae he dispues beween Jewish and Genile ollow-ers o he Messiah in he firs cenury Tis is an issue worh subsanial engagemen rom anevangelical perspecive
59Eg Neil J Ormerod and Shane Clifon Globalizaion and he Mission o he Church (New York amp Clark 104862698308810486251048625)
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983090983091
American communiies bu also hose o oher ehnic racial and culural groups
who are also wresling wih lie in he weny-firs-cenury global conex
Evangelical heology oday will need o heed more inenionally han i has beore acors o migraion ehniciy globalizaion and ransnaionalism
Asian American Evangelicals can assis wih hese maters i hey will arise o
he occasion Tis does no derac rom he universaliy o he gospel message
On he conrary i addresses quesions o universal significance ha are oher-
wise negleced or engaged rom or wihin only one (dominan cenris) se
o perspecives
Reconnecting to the broader evangelical theological tradition Beore con-cluding his chaper however an imporan cavea ough o be sounded None
o he preceding should be read as denying eiher Asian American indebedness
o he evangelical radiion or he inerrelaedness o Asian American and oher
evangelical effors in he conemporary heological ask Te preceding migh
sugges ha Asian Americans are only poining accusing fingers a heir whie
evangelical riends Wihou aking away anyhing rom he seriousness o he
oregoing discussion I also realize ha whie Evangelicals in paricular and Americans in general have been welcoming o Asians and ha we have made i
his ar on our diasporic journey only wih he help o such riends
Beyond such ecclesial collegialiy however I would gran ha Asian Amer-
icans are in various respecs beholden heologically o American Evangelicals
as well In paricular American evangelical commimens o Chris-
ceneredness biblical aihulness and missionary zealousness are imporan
elemens o Chrisian belie and pracice in he weny-firs cenury Asian American Evangelicals should embrace and live ou such commimens no
only or hemselves bu also or oher Evangelicals and even or he world
Ye my claim is precisely ha such a posure enables Asian American Evan-
gelicals o conribue heologically o he ormaion o an evangelical belie
and praxis relevan o he weny-firs cenury For his o happen however
Asian American Evangelicals mus embrace no only he evangel bu also he
hisoriciy o heir diasporic experiences Te incarnaion o he Son o Godconsised afer all o aking on he concreeness palpabiliy and emporaliy
o human Jewish and firs-cenury Palesinian flesh and he oupouring o he
Spiri o God on he Day o Penecos involved he redempion o he diversiy
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983089 983090 983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
o human ongues languages and culures so ha hey migh bear winess o
he wondrous works o God (Acs 983090983089983089) Tis penecosal heme991252relaed o
Acs 983090 firs and oremos albei reraced unavoidably hrough he lens o mymodern penecosal ecclesial sensibiliies991252will inorm he deep srucure o
he argumen in he remainder o his volume ye achieved wihin a pen-
evangelical raher han merely charismaic rame o reerence My poin going
orward however is ha in ligh o hese heological and riniarian commi-
mens Evangelicals should be he firs o embrace he diversiy o heir his-
orical pariculariies raher han shy away rom hem radiionally o course
Evangelicals have subordinaed he vicissiudes o hisory and wih ha heiranxieies abou he flux and subjeciviies o experience o he surey and
oundaionalism o he Word o God as revealed in he Scripures My pro-
posal however is ha work o God in Chris and by he Spiri redeems us
amid wih and hrough he specificiies o our hisorical and culural expe-
rience (raher han saving us rom ou o such alogeher) and hus ha he
Word o God speaks ino such realiies (raher han ha we have o deny hem
or rejec hem as par o who we are)In shor Asian American Evangelicals do no need o be apologeic abou
heir lives experiences and perspecives Raher by ollowing he pah o he
Son o God ino he ar counry by receiving he infilling o he Spiri o God
poured ou on all flesh and by aihully atemping o live ou such a Chris-
cenered and Spiri-empowered aih in he ooseps o heir evangelical ore-
bears and ancesors Asian Americans may hen be able o bring heir heo-
logical gifs o he conversaion able gifs ha will challenge he discussion while simulaneously enriching he are or all hose concerned abou he
euangelion in he presen ime I is ime o heologize as Asian Americans no
jus as Evangelicals in order ha Evangelicalism isel can be renewed and
invigoraed or he sake o he gospel and in anicipaion o he reign o God
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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CONTENTS
P983154983141983142983137983139983141 11
A983139983147983150983151983159983148983141983140983143983149983141983150983156983155 15
P983154983151983148983151983143983157983141 A983157983156983151983138983145983151983143983154983137983152983144983145983139983137983148 R983141983142983148983141983139983156983145983151983150983155
983137983150983140 A983150983156983145983139983145983152983137983156983145983151983150983155 983151983142 983137983150 A983155983145983137983150 A983149983141983154983145983139983137983150
P983141983150983156-983141983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 S983151983146983151983157983154983150983141983154 17
983089 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148983145983155983149 983137983150983140 G983148983151983138983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161 E983149983141983154983143983145983150983143
A983155983145983137983150 983137983150983140 C983151983150983156983141983160983156983157983137983148 V983151983145983139983141983155 33
heology in a Globalizing World Evangelical and Asian Inersecions 37
Asian Evangelical heology Ramping Up 47
Evangelical heology as Conexual heology Possibiliies
and Challenges 57
983090 A983155983145983137983150 A983149983141983154983145983139983137983150 C983144983154983145983155983156983145983137983150983145983156983161 W983145983140983141983154 T983154983141983150983140983155 983137983150983140
T983154983137983146983141983139983156983151983154983145983141983155 67
he Asian American Religious Experience A Selec
Review o he Lieraure 68
Asian American Scholarly Currens Emerging Discourses 77
Asian American heologies he Sae o he Quesion 87
3 T983144983141 L983141983143983137983139983161 983151983142 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161 A983155983145983137983150
A983149983141983154983145983139983137983150 R 983141983139983141983152983156983145983151983150 983137983150983140 I983150983156983141983154983154983151983143983137983156983145983151983150983155 97
Asian American Evangelical heology Whence and
W(h)iher 98
he Burden o Evangelical heology A Minoriy Repor 106
he Mandae o Asian American Evangelical heology 117
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4 P983141983150983156983141983139983151983155983156983137983148 V983151983145983139983141983155 T983151983159983137983154983140 983137983150 A983155983145983137983150 A983149983141983154983145983139983137983150
E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161 125
Asian Penecosal heology Wha and W(h)iher 127
A Pen-evangelical Imaginaion Speaking in
Many ongues 135
Asian American Pen-evangelical heology Inerpreing
Dieren Discourses 144
983093 T983144983141 I983149983149983145983143983154983137983150983156 S983152983145983154983145983156 T983151983159983137983154983140 983137983150 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148
T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161 983151983142 M983145983143983154983137983156983145983151983150 159
Conemporary Migraion A Fusion o Horizons 161
Lukan Migraion A Pen-evangelical Reading 168
An Evangelical heology o Migraion Asian
American Modulaions 177
6 T983144983141 S983152983145983154983145983156 983151983142 J983157983138983145983148983141983141 A983150 A983155983145983137983150 A983149983141983154983145983139983137983150I983149983149983145983143983154983137983150983156 C983151983150983155983145983140983141983154983137983156983145983151983150 187
Inormaliy and Immigraion he Chinese American
Experience 189
Jubilee and Migraion A Pen-evangelical Re lecion 197
Money Migrans and Minisry in Asian American
Evangelical Perspecive 206
7 T983151983159983137983154983140 983137 G983148983151983138983137983148 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161 A983155983145983137983150
A983149983141983154983145983139983137983150 I983150983156983151983150983137983156983145983151983150983155 217
Nex Seps or Asian American Evangelical heology 218
Nex Seps or Norh American Evangelical heology 224
Nex Seps or Global Evangelical heology 229E983152983145983148983151983143983157983141 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161 983145983150 983156983144983141
T983159983141983150983156983161-F983145983154983155983156 C983141983150983156983157983154983161 235
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S983157983138983146983141983139983156 I983150983140983141983160 250
A983157983156983144983151983154 I983150983140983141983160 253
S983139983154983145983152983156983157983154983141 I983150983140983141983160 254
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3
THE LEGACY OF EVANGEL ICAL THEOLOGY
Asian American Reception and Interrogations
In his chaper we drill deeper ino he inner logic o Asian American evan-
gelical heology Why has he Asian American naure o evangelical heology
been relaively underplayed when compared o Asian evangelical heology
and o Asian American heology in mainline Proesan and Roman Caholic
circles Tis chaper argues ha here are many reasons or his and ha hey
relae boh o he legacy o he (whie) Norh American evangelical endeavor
as a whole and o how his radiion has been received and inernalized by
Asian American Evangelicals
Te hree secions o come inroduce he whence o Asian American evan-
gelical heology and is largely conservaive ehos explore how his conser-
vaism is he resul o inernalizing he heo-logic o he dominan (Wesern)
evangelical culure and conclude by urging Asian American Evangelicals o
live more inenionally ino and ou o he pariculariy socialiy and hiso-
riciy o heir experiences While Asian American evangelical heology has
been by and large consonan wih ha o he (whie) evangelical esablishmen
i has no ound much o is own voice Par o he goal is o clariy why and
how he curren generaion o Asian American Evangelicals aces a ork in he
road o allow nonehnic (read whie) Evangelicals o coninue o se he
heological agenda ha minimizes or marginalizes heir perspecives or o
asser why he hisoriciy and pariculariy o he Asian American hisory and
experience is imporan no only or Asian American evangelical heology
specifically bu also or he evangelical heological ask as a whole
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 935
983097 983096 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
I he firs wo chapers have atemped o map he broader global and wider
Asian American heological landscapes his chaper conducs a sel-criical
analysis o aspecs o Asian American evangelical hinking While here is morediversiy underneah he Asian American evangelical label han many hink
here is also some jusificaion or discussing i in erms I presen Tis chaper
probes some o hese aken-or-graned eaures o he Asian American evan-
gelical menaliy ha have inhibied creaive and consrucive heological re-
flecion Noe however ha he poin is no o merely be criical o he whie
evangelical heological esablishmen raher he poin is o highligh how in
our conemporary global conex he evangelical radiion can be expandedrenewed and developed in dialogue wih non-Euro-American conversaion
parners Posiively pu hen he ollowing inends o open up a way orward
or he pen-evangelical heological pah ha chapers our and ollowing char
A983155983145983137983150 A983149983141983154983145983139983137983150 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161 W983144983141983150983139983141
983137983150983140 W(983144)983145983156983144983141983154
I is air o say ha we are sill a he very beginning sages o Asian Americanevangelical heologizing983089 As we shall see we can only speak abou Asian
American evangelical heology i undersood in a very broad sense Te ol-
lowing skeches hree sreams o such reflecion which enables compre-
hension o is largely conservaive insincs
Paricularly or Asian Americans rom an Eas Asian background he Con-
ucian emphasis on filial piey plays ou in heir evangelical spiriualiy Some
o he earlies works on Asian American evangelical heology hereore wereocused on how especially second-generaion Asian Americans could honor
heir parens while ollowing Chris983090 Tis was and remains an especially
imporan mater i he immigran generaion were non-Chrisians Beyond
his is he pressure o perecionis expecaions by parens no o menion
having also o live ino he ldquomodel minoriyrdquo sereoype ouside he home
1One o he ew orays ino he quesion remains Young Lee Herig ldquoWhy Asian American Evan-gelical Teologiesrdquo Journal o Asian and Asian American Teology 983095 (1048626983088983088983093ndash1048626983088983088983094) 1048625-10486261048627
2See Jeanete Yep ed Following Jesus Wihou Dishonoring Your Parens Asian American Discipleship (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 1048625983097983097983096) and Nikki A oyama and racey Gee eds More
Tan Serving ea Asian American Women on Expecaions Relaionships Leadership and Faih (Downers Grove IL IVP Books 1048626983088983088983094)
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983097 983097
When combined wih he deerenial Eas Asian posure many Asian Amer-
icans develop a sel-inerioriy complex991252devasaing wihin a culure o
shame991252paricularly when having also o conron linguisic challenges innavigaing hrough school and hen a career
Te ecclesial or congregaional domain is also one where Asian American
Evangelicals have expended some effor Tis is o be expeced given he long
hisory o ehnic churches and he many debaes no o menion challenges
relaed o assimilaion o he dominan culure Wihin he lieraure on Asian
American Evangelicalism we find works on pasoral minisry (designed o
equip minisers o cross generaional culural ecclesial gender and oherdivides)983091 congregaional healh and effeciveness (which provide models
or ehnic-dominan bilingual and even mixed ecclesial communiies)1048628 and
even a growing number o pan-Asian or pan-ehnic visions o he uure
(which ofen deal wih he issues o race and racializaion wihin an evan-
gelical paradigm)1048629 Asian American Evangelicals have ocused some o heir
energies on hese ecclesiological maters Wha can be hoped or is ha hese
more pracical miniserial and missional emphases will also ranslae in duecourse ino more robus ecclesiological and heological reflecion
Recent developments in Asian American evangelical theologyI is a he more
properly undersood heological level ha Asian American Evangelicals can be
said o be barely ou o he saring gae Sill even in hese gesaional imes some
poenial roues or developmen can be discerned One is a collecion o essays
ha appeared in 9830909830889830889830941048630 Published by he L983090 Foundaion an organizaion devoed
o Asian American leadership and legacy developmen his is he firs book oappear on he opic o Asian American evangelical heology Te six essayiss reflec
3Eg Ken Uyeda Fong Pursuing he Pearl A Comprehensive Resource or Muli-Asian Minisry (Val-ley Forge PA Judson Press 1048625983097983097983097) and Russell Yee Worship on he Way Exploring Asian Norh
American Chrisian Experience (Valley Forge PA Judson Press 104862698308810486251048626)4See Peer Cha S Seve Kang and Helen Lee eds Growing Healhy Asian American Congregaions (Downers Grove IL IVP Books 1048626983088983088983094) and M Sydney Park Soong-Chan Rah and Al izon edsHonoring he Generaions Learning wih Asian Norh American Congregaions (Valley Forge PA Judson Press 104862698308810486251048626)
5Elizabeh Conde-Frazier S Seve Kang and Gary A Parret A Many-Colored Kingdom Mulicul-ural Dynamics or Spiriual Formaion (Grand Rapids Baker Academic 1048626983088983088983092) and Kenneh AMahews and M Sydney Park Te Pos-Racial Church A Biblical Framework or Muliehnic Rec-
onciliaion (Grand Rapids Kregel Academic 104862698308810486251048625)6D J Chuang and imohy seng eds Conversaions Asian American Evangelical Teologies in
Formaion (Washingon DC L1048626 Foundaion 1048626983088983088983094)
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983089983088983088 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
he diversiy o he AAE communiy David Yoo a hisorian a Claremon
McKenna College surveys (wih wo collaboraors) he prendashWorld War II his-
ories o Japanese and Korean American Chrisians and urges ha religion needso be acored ino immigraion and race analyses o hese communiies even as
im seng a hisorian o American Chrisianiy and ounder o he Insiue or
he Sudy o Asian American Chrisianiy exposes he ldquocolor blindnessrdquo o
American church hisory and provides some hermeneuical opions or moving
beyond orienalis or assimilaionis models o he Asian American Chrisian
experience A pracical heologian a riniy Evangelical Diviniy School Peer
Cha discusses he challenges involved in ideniy ormaion among second-generaion Korean Americans An inriguing chaper is missiologis James Zorsquos
(affiliaed wih Logos Evangelical Seminary in El Mone Caliornia) insighul
analysis o how srucural and power issues complicae he assessmen o racism
prejudice and discriminaion on boh sides o he American and Asian American
equaion For a volume on evangelical heology he wo explicily heological
conribuions are by hisorical heologians Paul Lim (who specializes in early
modern England has augh a Gordon-Conwell Teological Seminary and nowis as o he ime o his wriing a Vanderbil Universiy) reveals he imporance
o biography in he consrucion o any Asian American evangelical heology and
Jeffrey Jue (a pos-Reormaion hisorian a Wesminser Teological Seminary)
seeks a way beyond boh modernis experienialism and posmodernis subjec-
ivism by reurning o he gospel Te conversaional approach o each chaper
in he volume invies ohers o join in he discussion
A second line o developmen lies wih Asian American evangelical womenmany o whom are also working in he area o biblical sudies1048631 A recen volume
includes en chapers mos springing off emale biblical characers all se wihin
wha Young Lee Herig calls a ldquoyinis paradigmrdquo ha is neiher merely eminis
(nor womanis nor mujerisa) nor ye acquiescen o he pariarchal srucures
dominan wihin Asian American Evangelicalism in paricular and (whie) evan-
gelical heology in general1048632 Mirrored Reflecions is hus a groundbreaking and
7See Young Lee Herig and Chloe Sun eds Mirrored Reflecions Refaming Biblical Characers (Eugene OR Wip amp Sock 10486269830881048625983088)
8See Herigrsquos lead chaper ldquoTe Asian American Alernaive o Feminism A Yinis Paradigmrdquo inHerig and Sun eds Mirrored Reflecions pp 1048627-1048625983092
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088983089
paradigmaic book no only or Asian American heology bu also or evan-
gelical biblical hermeneuics I opens up space or Asian American womenrsquos
readings o he Bible wihou mimicking oher eminis agendas i embracesreader-response approaches while honoring he scripural horizon i boldly
explores a counerculural conexualism polyphonous mulivocalism and in-
ersubjecive perspecivism wihou lapsing ino relaivism and i insiss on he
need or us o come o erms wih pluralism globalizaion and ransnaionalism
in he pursui o aihul Chrisian discipleship in our ime Arguably his is
biblical inerpreaion and heological reflecion a is bes engaging subversive
ransormaive and salvific991252or women and men1048633 Such pahs opened up by Asian American evangelical women may well be wha is mos generaive and
producive or Asian American evangelical heology in he longer run
Te conribuions o Herig and company run parallel o oher Asian
American evangelical voices ha find hemselves bewix-and-beween he
cener o he evangelical movemen and he mainline Proesan commu-
niies Soong-Chan Rahrsquos work mediaes hese spaces as represenaive o a
promising pah in conemporary Asian American evangelical heology9830891048624 Tepoency o Rahrsquos argumen is ha he speaks no only o Asian American
Evangelicals bu also o he evangelical heological esablishmen as a whole
Tis is because his is a call or he church o le go o is individualism con-
sumerism maerialism and racism991252all effecs o Wesern culure991252in order
o be reed rom is culural capiviy983089983089 Rahrsquos analysis however can find
deeper Asian American racion paricularly i wedded o he uncompro-
mising call or living ino he Asian American ideniy by heologians suchas Jonahan ran983089983090 Te later empowers a disincive Asian American voice
9Perhaps in conras o he dominan srands o Asian American evangelical biblical inerpreaionha have swallowed Wesern hermeneuical mehods almos hook line and sinker see Andrew Yueking Lee ldquoReading he Bible as an Asian American Issues in Asian American Biblical Inerpre-aionrdquo in Viji Nakka-Cammau and imohy seng eds Asian American Chrisianiy A Reader (Casro Valley CA Te Insiue or he Sudy o Asian American Chrisianiy 1048626983088983088983097) pp 983094983088-983094983097
10Soong-Chan Rah Te Nex Evangelicalism Freeing he Church fom Wesern Culural Capiviy (Downers Grove IL IVP Books 1048626983088983088983097)
11From a hermeneuical perspecive see he similar argumen o E Randolph Richards and Bran-don J OrsquoBrien Misreading Scripure wih Wesern Eyes Removing Culural Blinders o Beter Un-
dersand he Bible (Downers Grove IL IVP Books 104862698308810486251048626)12See Jonahan ran ldquoA Few Tings I Wan rom Asian American Evangelicalsrdquo in Nakka-Cammau
and seng Asian American Chrisianiy pp 10486269830921048627-9830931048625 c also ran ldquoIdeniy as MissiologyrdquoSANACS Journal 1048625 (1048626983088983088983097) 1048626983097-983092983088
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 1335
983089983088983090 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
albei one ha is no parochial since i addresses larger ecclesial (and perhaps
even social) concerns983089983091
Te ac o he mater is however ha here is litle else available on Asian American evangelical heology and ha Asian American Evangelicals are sill
a long way off rom hinking heologically as Asian Americans Par o he
reason is ha many Asian American Evangelicals even hose who are heo-
logically rained have basically replicaed he majoriy evangelical (whie)
approaches o Scripure Furher many second-generaion Asian Americans
have adoped he assimilaionis experience as heir model and have presumed
ha an ldquoAmerican universalismrdquo maps ono a biblical universalism9830891048628 Teresul is he subordinaion o heir racial and ehnic ideniies and modes o
hinking Among he many reasons or his is he dominan conservaism o
Asian American culure especially wihin ecclesial communiies o Eas Asian
descen (eg Chinese Korean Japanese and Vienamese churches) As such
Asian Americans are conen o persis wih he saus quo o evangelical he-
ology inheried rom heir (whie) evangelical eachers
Asian American evangelical conservatism Te phenomenon o Eas Asianor Conucian culural conservaism is o course a complicaed one o un-
angle On he one hand here is somehing o he sereoype o Eas Asian
Conucianism as essenially androcenric (in subordinaing women o men)
pariarchal (susained by he radiionrsquos emphasis on filial piey) and auhori-
arian (preserved in he king-subjec and older-younger broher aspecs o he
ldquofiveold relaionsrdquo) On he oher hand like mos exended culural radiions
Conucianism has been neiher saic nor ree rom dissening rends ha haveatemped o rerieve reappropriae and when necessary jetison hese radi-
13Mathew Soerens and Jenny Hwang Welcoming he Sranger Jusice Compassion and ruh in he
Immigraion Debae (Downers Grove IL IVP Books 1048626983088983088983097) is anoher example o Asian AmericanEvangelicals speaking ino wider conversaions precisely he hrus o his book and par o is goalin erms o moivaing Asian American evangelical heological inquiry I will reurn o discuss heproposals o his volume in more deph in chaper six
14Tis is my way o puting wha oher Asian American scholars have also observed see boh Anony W Alumkal ldquoTe Scandal o he lsquoModel Minoriyrsquo Mind Te Bible and Second-Generaion Asian American Evangelicalsrdquo and imohy seng ldquoSecond-Generaion Chinese Evangelical Use o heBible in Ideniy Discourse in Norh Americardquo boh in a-siong Benny Liew Te Bible in Asian
America Semeia 983097983088-9830971048625 (Alana Te Sociey o Biblical Lieraure 10486269830889830881048626) pp 10486261048627983095-983093983088 andpp 10486269830931048625-983094983095 respecively
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088983091
ional docrines or he lae modern world9830891048629 Cerainly in he Norh American
conex here are progressive orces a work especially among second and laer
generaions o Asian Americans bu equally cerainly he weigh o porableculural and philosophical radiions like Conucianism (see chaper wo)
means ha change occurs slowly
Wihin he Asian American evangelical communiy he gradual ransor-
maion o he inheried culural conservaism is cerainly being played ou
even i a a much slower pace han in nonevangelical conexs One he one
side he gospel is undersood as providing a criical perspecive on culure991252
on which I will say more momenarily on he oher side however here arecerain biblical hemes such as honoring o parens and he submission o
women (read off he surace o some Pauline exs) ha resonae wih he filial
piey o especially Conucian culures and hese have ineviably become
cenral issues or he orging o Asian American ideniies9830891048630 Hence Asian
American immigrans who are atraced o Chrisianiy are ofen drawn o
evangelical Proesanism because i provides a similarly conservaive
worldview one ha enables heir acculuraion ino American sociey Forhese reasons Conucian conservaism morphs among Asian American Pro-
esans ino a orm o evangelical conservaism
o be sure he exac role o Conucianism behind Asian American evan-
gelical conservaism migh be debaed among scholars paricularly since he
appropriaion o he Conucian radiion across he Asian American diaspora
is no all o one sripe A he same ime even i oher Asian radiions were o
be acored ino he marix o Asian American lie many are inormed by akind o pariarchal hierarchical and auhoriarian conservaism ha uncions
similarly in Eas Asian Conucian culure In shor perhaps he ldquomodel mi-
noriyrdquo sereoype as conesed as migh be such a designaion ha charac-
erizes much o he Asian American experience conribues o he conser-
vaism ha permeaes Asian American Evangelicalism
North American evangelical conservatism and its implications Bu high-
15See here Daniel A Bell Chinarsquos New Conucianism Poliics and Everyday Lie in a Changing Soci-
ey (Princeon NJ Princeon Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983096) chap 104862716Eg om Lin Losing Face and Finding Grace 983089983090 Bible Sudies or Asian Americans (Downers
Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 1048625983097983097983094) esp par 1048625
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 1535
983089983088983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
lighing Eas Asian conservaism ells only one side o he sory abou why
Asian Americans end o be conened wih and passive recipiens o he he-
ology o he dominan evangelical culure Te oher hal o his ale has o do wih Norh American conservaism as well O course hisorically Norh
American Evangelicalism was ormed ou o a long hisory o reacion o
mainline Proesan liberalism By definiion o be conservaive means o
resis he orces o change insoar as such changes are hough o compromise
he received values o a paricular radiion So while some changes have been
embraced evangelical conservaives have long resised wha are perceived as
adjusmens o hisoric Chrisian orhodoxy oised upon he Norh Americanchurch by heir liberal counerpars9830891048631 More recenly Evangelicals have also
enered ino he culure wars in deense o radiional amily values and oher
aspecs o he agenda o he Republican Pary
Over ime hen Evangelicals have been led o develop heological argu-
mens or heir conservaive sances Mos relevan or he Asian American
experience is how he dominan evangelical culure has acceped while
slighly redefining a leas more recenly he basic caegories o he classicalChris and Culure sudy o H Richard Niebuhr9830891048632 Ye hisorically Evangel-
icals have embraced he ldquoChris agains culurerdquo sance albei more recenly
shifing oward he ldquoChris ransorming culurerdquo posure Tis involves eiher
a wors he rejecion o culure which has radiionally characerized evan-
gelical secarianism (especially among undamenaliss he close cousins o
Evangelicals)9830891048633 or a bes an ambiguous relaionship wih culure one ea-
uring wha migh be called a culural hermeneuic o suspicion ha is alwaysconcerned abou syncreism wih he world Culure in popular evangelical
parlance is almos equivalen o he world and in ha sense is wha humans
need o be saved rom raher han parake o
17Tere are many versions o his sory my own elling is here ldquoTe Word and he Spiri or heSpiri and he Word Exploring he Boundaries o Evangelicalism in Relaionship o Modern Pen-ecosalismrdquo riniy Journal 10486261048627 no 1048626 (10486269830889830881048626) 10486261048627983093-9830931048626
18See H Richard Niebuhr Chris and Culure (10486259830979830931048625 repr San Francisco Harper orchligh1048625983097983093983094) c Glen H Sassen D M Yeager and John Howard Yoder Auhenic ransormaion A
New Vision o Chris and Culure (Nashville Abingdon 1048625983097983097983094)19Ie as manies in missionary and evangelisic sraegies ha called on convers o abandon heir
culural belies and pracices in ollowing Chris991252eg Birgi Meyer ranslaing he Devil Religion
and Moderniy Among he Ewe in Ghana (renon NJ Arica World Press 1048625983097983097983097)
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088983093
So how has his played ou in Asian American evangelical communiies
Mos poinedly Asian American Evangelicals have radiionally undersood
heir Chrisian conversion o involve eiher a urning away rom heir Asianculural roos or a minimizing o such aspecs o heir ideniy Ta Chrisian
conversion acually involves Americanizaion is quie prevalen across he
Asian American scene In my own case growing up as already indicaed in he
prologue we never alked abou he imporance o Chinese culure he em-
phasis a home (my parens were firs-generaion convers o Chrisianiy)
was always on embodying Chrisian culure Many Asian Americans hus end
o view heir Asian hisorical and culural legacies in binary erms ood dressand music migh be reained because hey concern he ouward aspecs o lie
which are incidenal anyway o rue human ideniy bu lierary philosophical
and religious ideas are o be cauiously approached (a bes) since hey are
probably represenaive o ldquohe worldrdquo and hus aniheical o he gospel
Tis confluence o Conucian and evangelical conservaism has been
srenghened hrough he process o heological educaion Asian American
Evangelicals end o atend solidly evangelical seminaries because o heirconservaive commimens So whereas mainline Proesan seminaries are
much more ocused on corporae ideniies evangelical seminaries and
heir curricula ocus more on personal ideniies paricularly he or-
maion o spiriual lives in relaionship o Chris9830901048624 Wha his means is ha
ehnic ideniies are minimized as having no more han biological signifi-
cance and hisorical and culural aspecs o Asian ideniy are acceped
only as accidenal o ideniy in Chris Asian American Evangelicals arefirs and oremos Chrisians and only secondarily i a all Asians (al-
hough ineresingly he prevalence o naionalism among Evangelicals
means ha American ideniy is much more imporan han evangelical
rheoric usually les on) Evangelical heological educaion hus provides
he philosophical and heological apparaus o make sense o such modes
o ideniy consrucion
20Russell Jeung ldquoEvangelical and Mainline eachings on Asian American Ideniyrdquo in Liew and Yee Bible in Asian America pp 104862610486251048625-1048627983094 reprined in Nakka-Cammau and seng Asian American
Chrisianiy pp 1048625983097983095-10486261048625983094
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 1735
983089983088983094 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
T983144983141 B983157983154983140983141983150 983151983142 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161 A M983145983150983151983154983145983156983161 R983141983152983151983154983156
In he ollowing I highligh he major episemological hermeneuical meh-
odological and docrinal aspecs o (whie) evangelical heology embraced bymany Asian American Evangelicals I argue no ha hese are he only ways in
which Asian American Evangelicals have accommodaed o he dominan
(whie) evangelical subculural worldview nor ha Asian American evan-
gelical heology can be reduced o hese eaures I sugges however ha hese
provide some explanaion or how many Asian American evangelical heolo-
gians view he Asian dimension o heir work in conexual erms bu do no
also undersand he dominan whie heological consrucs similarly Teresul is ha Asian American concerns are no only subordinaed bu also e-
ecively silenced in many cases In he ollowing I criically assess his dom-
inan view rom he marginal horizons o he Asian American experience
A (putatively) global epistemology I begin wih he Enlighenmen epis-
emology and is ques or or presumpion o have atained he universal per-
specive In heir batle agains liberalism Evangelicals have highlighed he
imporance o developing a biblical worldview983090983089 Worldview consrucion isineviably an inellecual exercise983090983090 Wha mos Evangelicals do no ofen
inerrogae is how rooed he worldview ques is in he Enlighenmen projec
As such evangelical worldview ormulaion operaes episemologically ac-
cording o modernis canons o raionaliy Tis is reinorced in evangelical
seminary educaion variously no leas in he embrace o some orm o oun-
daionalism characerisic o he Enlighenmen ques or cerainy hough
o secure evangelical claims o universal ruh983090983091
Foundaionalism classically undersood is he view ha all belies can be
jusified direcly (ounded upon) sense experience or reason available o all991252
hence universal991252raher han inerred rom oher (subjecively held) be-
lies9830901048628 While Evangelicals are philosophically jus as sophisicaed as anyone
21Tus InerVarsiy Press has jus published in 1048626983088983088983097 he fifh ediion o James Sirersquos Te Universe Nex
Door A Basic Worldview Caalog a esimony o is populariy a evangelical colleges and universiies22 Anoher popular ex among Evangelicals noes is concepual naure David K Naugle World-
view Te Hisory o a Concep (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048626)23 As refleced in anoher popular evangelical exbook J P Moreland and William Lane Craig
Philosophical Foundaions or a Chrisian Worldview (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 10486269830889830881048627)24Noe ha he dualism beween objeciviy and subjeciviy is isel a modernis consrucion I
discuss hese maters as well as evangelical orms o oundaionalism in my ldquoTe Demise o Foun-
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088 983095
else in heir deense o oundaionalism9830901048629 more ofen han no hey are epis-
emological oundaionaliss or wo reasons Negaively pu episemic oun-
daionalism is a deerren o wha hey see as he hreaening alernaive oepisemological skepicism philosophical i no moral relaivism and reli-
gious and heological pluralism Posiively pu he oundaions o Chrisian
knowing are given in he Bible I will reurn in a momen o address he her-
meneuical issues involved wih such an appeal For he momen however I
simply noe ha evangelical oundaionalism in whaever is guise butresses
is claims o have access o a universal sandpoin or (heological) knowledge
Such a universal vanage poin is o course relaed o he Enlighenmenques or cerain knowledge Hence he undermining o oundaionalism
opens up o perspecivism Evangelicals resis episemic perspecivism or he
same reasons ha hey deend oundaionalism because ha is el o be he
only way o secure raionally he sabiliy o ruh claims Opening he door
o perspecivism invies he mulipliciy o views ha characerizes he rela-
ivism o he posmodern siuaion Conservaive Evangelicals are hus very
concerned abou he ascendency o he posmodern agenda9830901048630
Wha does his have o do wih Asian American Evangelicalism My claim is
ha Asian Americans educaed a conservaive evangelical seminaries have un-
witingly embraced no only he oundaionalis episemology o heir eachers
bu also is atendan applicaions In order o ward off episemic skepicism
moral relaivism and heological pluralism Asian American Evangelicals have
also uncriically rejeced he perspecivism cenral o posoundaionalis epis-
emology9830901048631 More o he poin he deense o oundaionalism is also he de-ense o he saus quo he universal rame o reerence claimed by evangelical
daionalism and he Reenion o ruh Wha Evangelicals Can Learn rom C S Peircerdquo Chrisian
Scholarrsquos Review 1048626983097 no 1048627 (Spring 1048626983088983088983088) 9830939830941048627-98309698309625Eg J P Moreland and Garret DeWeese ldquoTe Premaure Repor o Foundaionalismrsquos Demiserdquo
in Millard J Erickson Paul Kjoss Helseh and Jusin aylor eds Reclaiming he Cener Confon-
ing Evangelical Accommodaion in Posmodern imes (Wheaon IL Crossway 1048626983088983088983092) pp 9830961048625-104862598308898309526Tus par 1048626 o Millard J Erickson Posmodernizing he Faih Evangelical Responses o he Chal-
lenge o Posmodernism (Grand Rapids Baker Books 1048625983097983097983096) is iled ldquoNegaive Responses o
Posmodernismrdquo and discusses a number o conemporary and recen deenders o classical evan-gelical aih David Wells Tomas Oden and Francis Schaeffer
27 As argued eg by Sanley J Grenz and John R Franke Beyond Foundaionalism Shaping Teology in
a Posmodern Conex (Louisville Wesminser John Knox 10486269830889830881048625) he criical and apologeic responsehas been he recogniion ha his akes us ldquobeyond Evangelicalismrdquo991252see Seven Knowles Beyond
Evangelicalism Te Teological Mehodology o Sanley J Grenz (Burlingon V Ashgae 1048626983088983088983097)
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 1935
983089983088983096 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
heology Simulaneously so he argumen goes he abandonmen o ounda-
ionalism opens he door o perspecivism and pluralism And i he later are
problemaic so are heir ideological movemens especially and including muli-culuralism (wih some advocaes o such having reinerpreed Chrisian eaching
in ligh o a poliics o ideniy insead o vice versa)9830901048632 Asian American Evan-
gelicals are hus armed oundaionally o conron engage and resis he perils
o cynicism relaivism and pluralism Unbeknowns o hem however his no
only undercus he ideology o muliculuralism bu also assails he basis upon
which hey can reclaim heir own hisorical and culural ideniies O course
Evangelicals have more recenly recognized a leas in general he imporanceo embracing he diversiy o culures even o celebraing hem bu only so
long as doing so does no hreaen he oundaions o evangelical ceriude
An (allegedly) a-cultural hermeneutic Tis presumpion o having a uni-
versal perspecive while undergirded as biblical raher han recognized as
ounded on an Enlighenmen paradigm bleeds over ino evangelical herme-
neuics In he Asian American evangelical landscape such hermeneuical pre-
supposiions bracke Asian America wheher inenionally (more ofen) or noIn his way Asian American Evangelicals have imbibed no only he oundaion-
alism o heir classical seminary educaion bu also he biblical hermeneuic ha
works o secure such an episemic sance Unsurprisingly a he hear o he
evangelical inerpreaion o Scripure is anoher insrumen rom he modernis
oolki ha o hisorical criicism Tis ime however such a hermeneuical
approach is deployed o access he auhorial inen o he Scripures and i is
his ha is cenral (oundaional) o ideniying he biblical message which inurn enables he Bible o serve as he unshakable norm or Chrisian belie
Tere is much o unpack in he preceding brie descripion o evangelical
hermeneuics classically considered Bu I wan o ocus insead on he prin-
ciples o biblical exegesis as emphasized in evangelical seminary educaion9830901048633
Te goal o exegesis is o draw ou o or o cull rom he Bible wha he original
auhors mean o communicae Tis involves undersanding firs and
28Tus have some Evangelicals harangued agains muliculuralism as an ideology or example991252Dennis McCallum ed Te Deah o ruh Wharsquos Wrong wih Muliculuralism he Rejecion o
Reason and he New Posmodern Diversiy (Minneapolis Behany House 1048625983097983097983094)29Eg Waler C Kaiser oward an Exegeical Teology Biblical Exegesis or Preaching and eaching
(Grand Rapids Baker Books 1048625983097983097983096)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088983097
oremos how he biblical auhors were undersood by heir iniial audiences
in he ancien conex Exegesis accesses hese primordially inended biblical
principles Wha he Bible means oday is hereby a secondary issue de-penden primarily on wha i originally mean o he firs hearers and readers
o he Scripures Conemporary applicaion hus involves idenificaion o
he original and or some single meaning o he biblical exs9830911048624
Te flip side o he emphasis on exegesis hen involves he rejecion o
eisegesis he inserion o conemporary perspecives ino he meaning o he
biblical ex I he burden o biblical hermeneuics is o ake away rom he
Scripures wha is auhors inended o communicae he bane o evangelicalinerpreaion is o read ino he Bible whaever our presen viewpoins may
dicae Tis o course is a violaion o he cardinal rule o evangelical herme-
neuics readers should leave heir prejudices and biases a he door and allow
he Bible o inorm hem insead Oherwise he concern is ha he reader
will find whaever he or she is looking or and his inecs conaminaes
skews and disors he prisine message o he Bible983091983089
Te problem here is no jus ha he lines beween exegesis and eisegesis aremuch more blurred han Evangelicals usually acknowledge983091983090 bu ha he per-
sisen applicaion o such an approach o he Bible dicaes ha evangelical
readers inenionally bracke or a leas atemp o hold in abeyance heir own
hisories experiences and perspecives as being o secondary impor i o any
relevance a all or heir reading o Scripure Now I am cerainly no suggesing
ha we all willy-nilly inser our biases in appropriaing he biblical ex Simul-
aneously I urge ha he cos o such hermeneuical brackeing is oo high or
30See Rober L Tomas Evangelical Hermeneuics Te New Versus he Old (Grand Rapids Kregel10486269830889830881048626) chap 983094 iled ldquoTe Principle o Single Meaningrdquo which argues ha he pluralism po-lyphony and plurivociy o meaning advocaed by recen progressive Evangelicals reflecs more heeffecs o humaniyrsquos all ino sin han i does he classical assumpions o evangelical biblical in-erpreaion For a counerargumen one ha I am largely sympaheic wih see James K ASmih Te Fall o Inerpreaion Philosophical Foundaions or a Creaional Hermeneuic (DownersGrove IL InerVarsiy Press 1048626983088983088983088)
31For evangelical concerns regarding reader-response hermeneuics see Norman R Gulley ldquoReader-
Response Teories in Posmodern Hermeneuics A Challenge o Evangelical Teologyrdquo in DavidS Dockery ed Te Challenge o Posmodernism An Evangelical Engagemen (Wheaon IL VicorBooks 1048625983097983097983093) pp 1048626983088983096-1048627983096
32In mainline Proesan circles o course here has long been recogniion ha he radiional line beween exegesis and eisegesis is much blurrier han previously hough see Jay G WilliamsldquoExegesis-Eisegesis Is Tere a Differencerdquo Teology oday 1048627983088 no 1048627 (10486259830979830951048627) 10486261048625983096-1048626983095
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2135
983089 983089983088 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
ehnic minoriies who are Evangelicals since his in effec rejecs heir quesions
and concerns as perinen o heir engagemen wih he Bible In addiion such
presumpive brackeing blinds whie Evangelicals o he ac ha heir own ho-rizons and perspecives are involved in any reading o ancien exs and his lack
o awareness makes i doubly difficul o recognize moderae or correc
I would urge insead ha we recognize and embrace he ension involved
in he usion o biblical and conemporary horizons bu do so in a way ha
boh allows conemporary readers o ener ino he world o he Bible on he
one hand (ldquohis is hardquo) and or he Bible o map ono our conemporary lives
on he oher hand (ldquoha is hisrdquo)983091983091 Tis no only allows or an Asian American reading o he Bible somehing ha is barred in he evangelical
environmen i also invies even encourages such an approach and his in
urn gives Asian Americans991252all people acually991252permission o read he
Bible as i i really matered o heir lives
A (presumably) biblical-theological method Enlighenmen assumpions
hus inorm no only Asian American evangelical episemology and herme-
neuics bu also heological mehod and hey do so in ways ha marginalize Asian America Tis is consisen wih he general evangelical ear o licensing
wha hey see as merely subjecive readings o he Bible or he same reasons
ha hey are wary abou enabling heological mehodologies ha consciously
acknowledge he role o experience In oher words he saus quo in evan-
gelical approaches o he Bible (wih is accenuaion o exegesis and rejecion
o eisegesis) has is counerpar in evangelical approaches o heological re-
flecion his ime wih he emphasis on he Bible as he primary i no solesource or heology over and agains hisory radiion culure and experience
A one level he sola scripura commimens o Reormaion radiions have
a very specific hisory and should be undersood according o he nuances
wih which his idea has developed in he pas five hundred years9830911048628 A anoher
33I explicae some aspecs o he ldquohis is hardquo hermeneuic rom a Penecosal perspecive in myldquoReading Scripure and Naure Penecosal Hermeneuics and Teir Implicaions or he Con-
emporary Evangelical Teology and Science Conversaionrdquo Perspecives on Science and ChrisianFaih 9830931048627 no 1048625 (104862698308810486251048625) 1048625-10486251048627
34Reflecing developmens rom he publicaion o Te Fundamenals o he ldquoChicago Saemen onBiblical Inerrancyrdquo (1048625983097983095983096) many conservaive Norh American Evangelicals991252eg rom NormanL Geisler Inerrancy (Grand Rapids Zondervan 1048625983097983096983088) o James R Whie Scripure Alone (Min-neapolis Behany House 1048626983088983088983092)991252have seen and coninue o see boh sola scripura and he doc-
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2235
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2335
983089 983089 983090 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
Te problem however is ha Asian Americans have rarely i ever ques-
ioned more rigid applicaions o his mehodological norm or evangelical
heology Raher hey have inernalized he evangelical bias agains hisoryradiion and experience hus silencing he role ha paricular perspecives
migh play in he heological ask I we appeal o our experience a all we
mus do so apologeically as i admiting ha such heological inerprea-
ions are a bes parochial concerns o a communiy no ye assimilaed o
he dominan culure or a wors signaling our heological immauriy and
need o grow up rom or ranscend he ldquobackwardnessrdquo represening our
hisory and experience beore our lie in Chris Ironically however suchinenional marginalizaion o he Asian American experience no o
menion Asian American philosophical ways o hinking and reasoning
does no call ino quesion how he predominanly Anglo- and Euro-
American experiences o moderniy have shaped evangelical heology As a
resul Asian American Evangelicals have adoped wha is claimed o be a
biblical worldview and heological ramework supposedly shorn o he sub-
jecive biases o hisorically siuaed human inerpreers Bu hese aresurely devoid o heir own experienial and conexual (Asian American)
locaions and ye uncriically naive in hinking ha Euro-American his-
orical accidens have been adequaely ldquoChrisianizedrdquo
So ar I have suggesed ha episemologically hermeneuically and meh-
odologically Asian Americans have rarely quesioned he modernis Enligh-
enmen and Anglo- and Euro-American presupposiions o he evangelical
heological endeavor And since his underaking has never acknowledged heculural conexs and perspecives o he predominanly whie ramers o he
evangelical heological radiion10486281048624 he assumpion is ha ehniciy plays litle
i any role in he work o heology No surprisingly hen Asian American
heologians have been reicen o sugges ha ehniciy culure and hisoriciy
coun in heological reflecion By exension he heological and docrinal
40My poin is no ha whie perspecives have disored he gospel his isel assumes a sor oa-culural gospel ha needs conexualizaion991252a poin ha needs o be addressed and nuanced which we will do momenarily My poin is ha such whie viewpoins are no only unrecognized bu ha hey are hen presumed o be normaive or nonwhies I is par o he goal o his chapero call Asian American heologians o atend o his assumpion and o find ways o inenionallyaddress and subver i
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983091
resuls have been ormulaed and ransmited as biblically unded and univer-
sally applicable regardless o conexual consideraions
A (supposedly) universal doctrinal famework One example o how Norh American evangelical heology has proceeded wih universalisic assumpions
and hereby overlooked i no inenionally ignored oher culural perspec-
ives has o do wih he docrine o he aonemen and wha i addresses Pu
crassly humankind suffers rom one overall problem ha o sin agains God
and ha one problem demands basically one soluion he subsiuionary
aonemen o he Sonrsquos deah on he cross1048628983089 Now I realize ha i is unair o
depic evangelical views regarding he aonemen in such homogeneous ermssince he mater isel is sill being conesed1048628983090 Bu he ac is ha in some
evangelical circles deparure rom he subsiuionary view o he aonemen
is considered deviaion rom evangelical orhodoxy1048628983091 From his posiion oher
biblical aspecs and alernaive inerpreaions are eiher subsumed under he
docrine o penal subsiuion or argued o be flawed in some respec
O course such a viewpoin minimizes he role o medieval eudalism and
he jurisprudenial background o some o he Reormers in he emergenceand esablishmen o his undersanding o he aonemen in he evangelical
radiion jus as i really does no quesion he basically Augusinian anhro-
pology presumed in his process Now I am no a hisorical deerminis who
believes ha conex leads inexorably o our heological ideas jus as I do no
hink ha allowance or hisorical conexual acors relaivizes he ruh o
heological claims or produces docrinal heerodoxy Raher wihou denying
41Te World Evangelical Alliancersquos Saemen o Faih affirms ldquoWe believe in Our Lord JesusChris God manies in he flesh His virgin birh His sinless human lie His divine miracles His vicarious and aoning deah His bodily resurrecion His ascension His mediaorial work and HisPersonal reurn in power and glory Te Salvaion o los and sinul man hrough he shed bloodo he Lord Jesus Chris by aih apar rom works and regeneraion by he Holy Spirirdquo (see worldevangelicalorgweasaemenhm emphases original)
42See James Beilby and Paul R Eddy eds Te Naure o he Aonemen Four Views (DownersGrove IL IVP Academic 1048626983088983088983094) and Derek idball David Hilborn and Jusin Tacker eds Te
Aonemen Debae Papers fom he London Symposium on he Teology o he Aonemen (Grand
Rapids Zondervan 1048626983088983088983093) c J Denny Weaver Te Nonviolen Aonemen (Grand Rapids Eerd-mans 10486269830889830881048625) and Hans Boersma Violence Hospialiy and he Cross Recovering he Aonemen
radiion (Grand Rapids Baker Academic 1048626983088983088983092)43See S Lewis Johnson Jr ldquoBehold he Lamb Te Gospel and Subsiuionary Aonemenrdquo in John
H Armsrong ed Te Coming Evangelical Crisis Curren Challenges o he Auhoriy o Scripure
and he Gospel (Chicago Moody Press 1048625983097983097983094) pp 10486251048625983097-1048627983096
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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983089 983089 983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
he imporance o he biblical and heological heme o subsiuion or he
docrine o he aonemen I am simply suggesing ha oher culural perspec-
ives and even assumpions migh highligh and emphasize oher biblicalmeaphors regarding Chrisrsquos salvific work
Bu o pursue he quesion ono Asian American errain wha difference
will i make i we recognize ha some Asians and Asian Americans live and
exis in a shame raher han guil culure How migh evangelical hinking
abou he aonemen be adjused revised and maybe even ransormed i
Chrisrsquos work no only assuaged he guil o sin rom human lives bu also re-
moved he shame in human hears10486281048628 My poin is ha evangelical heologicalendencies generally urge a universalisic sandpoin and in his paradigm
here is no need o atend o he pariculariies o or ariculae Asian Asian
American or oher culural perspecives since hese are all subsumed wihin he
biblical ramework read in an evangelical way In his case here isnrsquo even a
need o ask wheher radiional evangelical heologies and docrines like hose
regarding he aonemen may need o be revisied and reariculaed in ligh o
oher hisorical culural and experienial dynamics In ac Asian Americansare boh oo shameul and oo shy o even consider asking abou hese maters
I have argued so ar in his secion ha Asian American Evangelicals ormed
heologically according o he sensibiliies o he dominan evangelical culure
in Norh America have inernalized he whie evangelical worldview and in ha
sense mosly do no see he need o hink explicily rom an Asian American
vanage poin Asian American evangelical views are hereore a bes no more
han a minoriy heological perspecive wo relaed summary consequenceshave ollowed Asian American acquiescence o he majoriy culure Firs meh-
odologically and maerially evangelical heology has been undersood o be a-
hisorical a-culural and even a-conexual Te assumpion is ha he Bible
addresses all human beings so any plain reading o he Scripure will or should
be able o access he Word o God a any and all imes and places radiionally
ormulaed and ramed evangelical docrines derived rom an inducive sudy
44 Asian Americans are beginning o do jus his however991252eg Rachel Y Lei ldquoSaving Significanceo he Cross in he Asian American Conexrdquo SANACS Journal 1048625 (1048626983088983088983097) 983097983093-10486251048625983094 c Mark D Bakerand Joel B Green Recovering he Scandal o he Cross Te Aonemen in New esamen and Con-
emporary Conexs (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 1048626983088983088983088) chap 983094 ldquoRemoving AlienaingShame Te Saving Significance o he Cross in Japanrdquo
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983093
o Scripure hus orm he undispuable and unrevisable core o he gospel
Tere is litle recogniion o he hisorical culural and conexual perspecives
ha have conribued o he ariculaion o such evangelical belies Wha his means is ha here sill remains a core se o evangelical docrinal
achievemens and hese remain valid across space and ime alhough hey
may be supplemened by or ranslaed ino local conexual and siuaional
perspecives and idioms As we saw previously (chaper one) he recen Cam-
bridge Companion o Evangelical Teology reflecs precisely his mindse10486281048629 Te
Companion we know is divided ino wo pars Te firs is iled ldquoEvan-
gelicals and Chrisian Docrinerdquo and his includes eigh chapers on he oun-daional docrinal marix o evangelical belies he riniy Scripure chris-
ology heological anhropology jusificaionaonemen pneumaology
conversionsancificaion and ecclesiology Par wo ldquoTe Conexs o Evan-
gelical Teologyrdquo hen provides anoher nine chapers and hese cover issues
relaed o culure gender race and pluralism and include five chapers on
evangelical heology in Arican Asian European Lain American and Norh
American conexs Tis srucure o he Companion communicaes a wooldmessage ha evangelical docrine is a-conexually derived (par one) and
ha various hisorical conexs (par wo) can add a mos parochial ruhs
ha will no upse he docrinal supersrucure o he evangelical heological
landscape In shor basic heological and docrinal ruhs o he Chrisian
aih have already been ormulaed and can be ound in any oher evangelical
sysemaic heological ex quie apar rom Asian American or any oher
more specified perspecivesPu more poinedly i Asian Americans (or any oher ehnic or culural
group) were o wrie heir own heologies hese would be provincial under-
akings wih marginal relevance or he wider evangelical communiy Tese
would be o value only or ldquohoserdquo people (maybe immigrans reugees or
exiles) who have no ye been assimilaed ino he broader American evan-
gelical culure Litle wonder hen ha ew Asian Americans have venured
ino heological errioryhe second summary consequence o inernalizing he dominan
45imohy Larsen and Daniel J reier eds Te Cambridge Companion o Evangelical Teology (Cambridge Cambridge Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983095)
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983089 983089983094 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
worldview991252ha evangelical heology a leas in is dogmaic and sysemaic
configuraions is by and large a finished projec wih minimal inpu needed
rom Asian American or oher perspecives991252is ha Asian Americans wihheological educaion have urned in general o work in he hisorical and
social scienific disciplines10486281048630 Tere cerainly remains imporan work o be
done by hose working across he disciplines so I am no decrying such effors
Ye he ac ha hisorical sociological or oher disciplinary explicaions o
Asian American lie are published by universiy presses communicaes o
Asian Americans ha heir role is o shed new ligh on he Asian American
experience A he same ime he prevalence o hese analyical approachesamid he lacuna o explicily heological works suggess ha he ormer is o
minimal value a leas or he ldquorealrdquo heological work o dogmaics and sys-
emaics Furher ha hese scholarly publishers do no eaure exs on Asian
American evangelical heology confirms his division o labor (whie Evan-
gelicals wrie real heology Asian American Evangelicals do hisory sociology
ec) A he end o he day evangelical heologyrsquos assumpion remains undis-
urbed ha here are core docrines ha only need o be conexualized991252ha is ranslaed and made relevan991252around he world In his ramework
Asian Americans can conribue no o he ormer heological ormulaion bu
only o he later ranslaion and disseminaion ask10486281048631
46Eg he work o imohy seng and David Yoo in hisory Fenggang Yang and Rebecca Kim insociology and Russell Jeung in Asian American sudies among ohers see also my ldquoAsian Amer-ican Religion A Review Essayrdquo Nova Religio Te Journal o Alernaive and Emergen Religions 983097
no 1048627 (1048626983088983088983094) 9830971048626-104862598308898309547One could argue ha a parallel ye disinc moivaion drives Lain American or Hispanic evan-
gelical heology in a similar direcion I Asian Americans are cauioned agains hinking heo-logically rom ou o ehnic hisorical and conexual lives because o heir uncriical embrace o whie evangelical assumpions Hispanic Evangelicals may have adoped similar commimensalbei or slighly differen reasons relaed o he Lain American conex Te dominance o heRoman Caholic Church along wih is heological and olk radiions in he later environmenmay be behind Hispanic evangelical suspicions abou he role o hisory and culure in he doingo heology Te ani-Caholic senimen in hisoric Evangelicalism no doub is atracive oLainoas on he migran rail (rom Lain America o he Unied Saes) alhough such accom-modaion has brough wih i he heological coss elaboraed in he preceding pages For urher
discussion and oher angles on hese issues see Oscar Garcia-Johnson Te Mesizoa Communiyo he Spiri A Posmodern Lainoa Ecclesiology (Eugene OR Wip amp Sock 1048626983088983088983097) Sammy Alaro Divino Compantildeero oward a Hispanic Penecosal Chrisology (Eugene OR Pickwick10486269830881048625983088) Juan Mariacutenez ldquolsquoOuside he Gaersquo Evangelicalism and Laino Proesan Teologyrdquo in JeffreyGreenman and Gene L Green eds Global Teology in Evangelical Perspecive Exploring he Conex-
ual Naure o Teology and Mission (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 104862698308810486251048626) pp 1048625983095983097-983097983092 and
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983095
T983144983141 M983137983150983140983137983156983141 983151983142 A983155983145983137983150 A983149983141983154983145983139983137983150 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161
Te preceding analysis raises sel-criical awareness or Asian American Evan-
gelicals and invies hem in dialogue wih oher Evangelicals o consider wheher heir minoriy saus is problemaic and wha i anyhing can and
ough o be done abou i Now I am aware ha here are developmens wihin
he evangelical heological radiion broadly consrued ha have moved
beyond some o he sricures idenified in he preceding secion Progressive
Evangelicals he evangelical lef and posconservaive Evangelicals denoe jus
a ew o he rends among ohers percolaing on he margins o evangelical
heology10486281048632 Bu ha is precisely par o he problem hese are movemens haexcep or a small minoriy remain ouside he evangelical mainsream and
have also by and large been ignored by Asian American evangelical scholars
and heologians I believe ha producive ways orward can be chared via
Asian American Evangelicals in dialogue wih some o hese ideas alhough
a he end o he day such conversaions will only be producive as Asian
American Evangelicals ormulae a plaorm on which hey can bring some-
hing subsanive o he discussion Tis later ask is par o he presen chal-lenge and burden o he presen book
Insoar hen as I am ineresed in he quesion o wha Asian Americans can
conribue o evangelical heology no jus hisorically or sociologically bu a
a heological level my claim is ha pursui o hese maters ironically also in-
volves aking seriously he hisoriciy and pariculariy o Asian American cul-
ures experiences and perspecives In his final par o his chaper I do no
more han sugges in broad srokes how o go abou such an underakingRealities o the Asian American diaspora Par o ldquohe problem o evan-
gelical heologyrdquo can be clarified i we siuae Asian American evangelical
heology amid he broader Asian American diasporic hisorical and social
realiies described in par a he beginning o chaper wo Doing so enables
he sark realizaion ha Asian American Evangelicals are composed by a
wide range o experiences on he one hand and pressure o assimilae o
Juan F Mariacutenez and Lindy Scot eds Los Evangeacutelicos Porrais o Laino Proesanism in he
Unied Saes (Eugene OR Wip amp Sock 1048626983088983088983097)48Many o hese are discussed in Roger E Olson Reormed and Always Reorming Te Posconser-
vaive Approach o Evangelical Teology (Grand Rapids Baker Academic 1048626983088983088983095)
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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983089 983089983096 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
American culure on he oher W hile Asians have lived in Norh America
since he ounding o he republic and had even conribued o he building
o he American empire during he nineeenh cenury he 983089983097983094983093 Immigraion Ac ha repealed he Orienal Exclusion Ac o 983089983097983090983092 reopened he door o a
new wave o Asian migraion During he las generaion Asian American lie
has been urher ransormed by he orces o globalizaion diasporas creaed
by modernizaion indusrializaion and urbanizaion reugee populaions
displaced by war amine and climae changes movemen enabled by he
emergence o a worldwide marke economy advances in echnology and mass
communicaion he cross-erilizaion o ideologies and shifs in inerna-ional relaions10486281048633 Te resul as saw in he previous chaper is he appearance
o a wide range o Asian American communiies across Norh America Lie
in such communiies is fluid affeced by migraion paterns socioeconomic
pressures and he srengh o relaions wih hose ldquoback homerdquo Te sronger
he ransnaional ies beween Asian immigrans in he Wes and heir amilies
organizaions and insiuions (religious and oherwise) in heir homeland
he more inense and longer-lasing he exchange o religious goods and ideas(in he orm o books periodicals and various orms o elecommunicaion)
Unsurprisingly hen firs-generaion immigrans ofen deepen he reli-
gious commimens ha hey held or praciced perhaps more nominally
beore moving Someimes immigrans conver o he more dominan religion
o heir new home In eiher case religious affiliaion ofen serves o secure
social neworks coner saus oherwise difficul o come by or immigrans
and srenghen ehnic culural and linguisic bonds and ideniies Bu or he983089983093 generaion (hose born in Asia bu who grew up a leas in par in he
Unied Saes like mysel) he process o assimilaion is well under way In
hese cases he ehnic enclave will develop English-speaking secions as well
as social organizaions school clubs and Chrisian congregaions
For young adul Asian American Evangelicals however here is ofen a
49For an overview o hese issues see Wanni W Anderson and Rober G Lee eds Displacemensand Diasporas Asians in he Americas (New Brunswick NJ Rugers Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983093) Idiscuss urher he implicaions o globalizaion or Chrisian heology in Amos Yong and PeerHelzel ldquoRober Cummings Neville and he Global Fuure o Teologyrdquo in Yong and Helzel edsTeology in Global Conex Essays in Honor o Rober Cummings Neville (New York amp Clark1048626983088983088983092) pp 1048626983097-9830921048626 esp pp 1048627983088-1048627983092
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983097
keen sense ha heir own ehnically organized congregaions or groups are
somehow less religiously and heologically legiimae because hey do no
have he more ldquouniversalrdquo appeal o whie or muliculural evangelicalchurches or parachurch organizaions10486291048624 Te resul is eiher he ransiion o
ehnic congregaions ino pan-ehnic congregaions or movemen rom heir
ldquohomerdquo congregaion o oher less ehnically defined church environmens1048629983089
By he ime he second generaion atains adulhood he remaining culural
or linguisic barriers o ull assimilaion ino American sociey are pracically
overcome ofen o he dismay o parens and grandparens1048629983090
Wha does such assimilaion consis o Cerainly speaking Englishparicipaing in he marke economy and adaping o he opions provided
by American seculariy and poliics are minimal adjusmens Bu perhaps
assimilaion also requires abandoning he norms o he immigran culure
in avor o American norms or amily and gender relaions and engaging
wih he public square on is erms I so would his no lead o an evan-
gelical sel-undersanding deeply ormed by American culure poliics
and economics Would his no resul in a subordinaion and even deor-maion o all ha is Asian excep or he biological phenoype I would
appear hen ha becoming American would more easily aciliae he
embrace o evangelical Chrisianiy991252i such is deined as a suburban
Midwesern whie middle-class religious phenomenon wih Wheaon
Illinois as is veriable ldquoMeccardquo991252bu his brings wih i he cos o losing
onersquos Asianness Does his mean ha ull accepance o Evangelicalism
50See eg Rebecca Y Kim ldquoNegoiaion o Ehnic and Religious Boundaries by Asian AmericanCampus Evangelicalsrdquo in ony Carnes and Fenggang Yang eds Asian American Religions Te
Making and Remaking o Borders and Boundaries (New York New York Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983092) pp10486259830921048625-983093983097 and Rudy V Buso ldquoTe Gospel According o he Model Minoriy Hazarding an Inerpre-aion o Asian American Evangelical College Sudensrdquo in David K Yoo ed New Spiriual Homes
Religion and Asian Americans (Honolulu Universiy o Hawaii Press 1048625983097983097983097) pp 1048625983094983097-98309698309551See Russell Jeung Faihul Generaions Race and New Asian American Churches (New Brunswick
NJ Rugers Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983092)52 As can be discerned by reading beween he lines o he Bible sudies in om Linrsquos Losing Face
and Finding Grace Tis appears o be he case wheher he second generaion inenionally a-emps o disinguish is ehnic congregaional lie rom ha o he firs immigran generaion or wheher he second generaion becomes absorbed ino nonehnic or even muliehnic congrega-ions on his poin see Elaine Howard Ecklund ldquoModels o Civic Responsibiliy Korean Amer-icans in Congregaions wih Differen Ehnic Composiionsrdquo Journal or he Scienific Sudy o
Religion 983092983092 no 1048625 (1048626983088983088983093) 1048625983093-1048626983096
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983089 983090 983088 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
includes ldquorepenancerdquo rom Asia and ldquoconversionrdquo o Americanism1048629983091
Ta his is no he case seems o be borne ou by he sociological lieraure
which confirms ha ehniciy remains jus as imporan as religion in he or-maion o Asian American ideniy10486291048628 Bu i so evangelical heology has no
even begun o wresle wih he imporance o ehniciy and race no o
menion heir heological implicaions Second-generaion Korean Amer-
icans or insance seem o be inuiively drawn o churches and parachurch
minisries ha oreground heir Korean culural ideniy10486291048629 bu hey have
developed ew heological raionales or such orms o social organizaion
more o he poin heir own heological presupposiions miigae agains suchaciviy which may explain heir ideniy conflicedness
Unsurprisingly hen Asian American evangelical heology has ye o ge
off he ground even a he beginning o he weny-firs cenury Asian
American Evangelicals geting degrees rom insiuions o higher educaion
have had o wresle wihagains his assimilaive impulse o sruggle wih he
quesion o wheher hey are or should be doing (descripive) sociology raher
han heology (as normaive reflecion) and o ariculae an apologeic ordoing Asian American evangelical heology raher han jus evangelical he-
ology For oo many Asian American Evangelicals heir saus ldquobewix and
beweenrdquo991252on he one hand belonging o Asia and o he Unied Saes in
some respecs bu on he oher hand being a sranger o boh Asia and he
Unied Saes in oher respecs991252pus hem in a unique posiion o inerrogae
evangelical heology bu (o dae) leaves hem ouside he ormal organiza-
ional and insiuional srucures o criique effecively and ransorm heevangelical heological radiion
53One could also make he reverse argumen however ha Evangelicalism in he Unied Saes hasalready been molded by is social culural and hisorical conex o he exen ha he very eauresha mark he American way o lie991252ie individualism experienialism pragmaism even con-sumerism991252have also come o characerize evangelical Chrisianiy For an insighul analysis ohe ofenimes uncriical conflaion o Evangelicalism and Americanism and o he orces ha havealso resised such accommodaions see D G Har Ta Old-ime Religion in Modern America
Evangelical Proesanism in he wenieh Cenury (Chicago Ivan R Dee 10486269830889830881048626)54See Jerry Z Park ldquoTe Ehnic and Religious Ideniies o Young Asian Americansrdquo (PhD diss
Universiy o Nore Dame 1048626983088983088983092)55See Sharon Kim and Rebecca Y Kim ldquoSecond-Generaion Korean American Chrisiansrsquo Com-
muniies Congregaional Hybridiyrdquo in Carolyn Chen and Russell Jeung eds Susaining Faih
radiions Race Ehniciy and Religion Among he Laino and Asian American Second Generaion (New York New York Universiy Press 104862698308810486251048626) pp 1048625983095983094-9830971048627
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983090 983089
Moving trajectories o theological reflection O course i Asian Americans
hope o climb he ranks o he Norh American evangelical heological
academy hey can only do so on he erms esablished by heir hoss Andraher han responding o sociopoliical acors he evangelical heological
guild has always undersood isel primarily in heological erms and seen is
charge as deending hisorical orhodoxy wheher ha be agains liberalismrsquos
denial o biblical supernauralism agains neo-orhodoxyrsquos ambiguous sance
on Scripure agains mainsream sciencersquos heory o evoluion agains open
heismrsquos docrine o God and so on10486291048630 I evangelical heology has never
beore enerained ehnic perspecives in is discursive consrucion why nowundermine he (is presumed) universal ramework and applicabiliy by
adding he Asian or Asian American qualifiers
While in a sense his enire book provides a se o responses o his quesion
here I sugges hree reasons ha can moivae such a heological pah orward
Firs he Asian diaspora in he Unied Saes is now in a siuaion o reflec
subsanively on is experience o migraion While here are remendous
challenges o migraion10486291048631 some Asian Americans have achieved a level oupward social mobiliy so ha hey are now in he posiion o producing
scholarship inormed by such experienial perspecives Since he memory o
migraion among Asian Americans is more recen han hose o heir Cau-
casian colleagues such perspecives migh be helpul o ideniy how he mi-
graion rom he European coninen has shaped he evangelical heological
enerprise as a whole I Asian Americans can help heir evangelical colleagues
ideniy he hisorical impac o old o new world migraion on he belies andpracices o Norh American Evangelicalism ha in isel will open up pos-
sibiliies or considering aresh Asian American hisories and heir conribu-
ions o he wider conversaion
Second Asian Americans are orced o hink abou race and ehniciy in a
way unlike mos o heir whie brohers and sisers alhough heir reflecions
56Evangelical heologyrsquos many inernal and exernal batles are documened by Jon R Sone On heBoundaries o American Evangelicalism Te Poswar Evangelical Coaliion (New York S MarinrsquosPress 1048625983097983097983095)
57Some o hese are documened by Kenneh J Gues God in Chinaown Religion and Survival in
New Yorkrsquos Evolving Immigran Communiy (New York New York Universiy Press 10486269830889830881048627) whose work we will reurn o in chaper six
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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983089 983090 983090 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
can also mediae perspecive in an oherwise whie-and-black demarcaed
world Race and ehniciy are undeniable aspecs o Asian American hisory
and experience Te impor o his is a leas woold Firs Asian Americansare posiioned o engage he discussion opened up by black evangelical heo-
logians regarding conemporary heology991252even in is evangelical guises991252as
reflecing he ascen o whie perspecives in he early modern period a he
expense o Jewish and oher nonwhie culural realiies Asian American per-
specives on race and ehniciy will open up new visas on he racial and ehnic
dimensions o he biblical world10486291048632 In oher words he marginalized hisories
and perspecives o Asian American Evangelicals have much o conribue oconemporary biblical inerpreaion and heological explicaion Te dom-
inan orms o evangelical heology orged in par ou o he hegemony o
Chrisendom are in need o criical analysis and dialogical revision
Las bu no leas cenral and ongoing elemens o Asian American hisory
are par o he presen experiences o ransnaionalism and globalizaion Te
issues here are complex10486291048633 One mater ha needs o be addressed is he iner-
woven characer o he global economy and how i affecs people around he world differenly depending on various social poliical and culural circum-
sances In addiion wih regard o he Asian American side o his equaion
here remain difficul issues relaed o how he quesion o assimilaion or ac-
culuraion is being negoiaed and adjudicaed Firs- second- and hird-gener-
aion perspecives differ someimes momenously and his does no even acor
in he perspecives o he 983089983093 generaion I heology is o engage he hisorical
realiies o real flesh-and-blood human beings i mus engage such quesions inour conemporary world Asian American Evangelicals can lead he way in
hinking heologically abou such hings and his will benefi no only Asian
58 Asian Evangelicals hus need o build rom he insighul readings o mainline Proesan biblicalscholar a-Siong Benny Liew Wha Is Asian American Biblical Hermeneuics Reading he New
esamen (Honolulu Universiy o Hawaii Press 1048626983088983088983096) regarding he ehnic dynamics under-neah Jewish-Genile relaions in he New esamen o be sure Liewrsquos mainline Proesan as-sumpions may be raher disan rom evangelical ones so some criical dialogue and perhaps
correcion may also be in order Ye he srengh o Liewrsquos book is o sugges how Asian Americanexperiences o ehnic marginaliy can illuminae he dispues beween Jewish and Genile ollow-ers o he Messiah in he firs cenury Tis is an issue worh subsanial engagemen rom anevangelical perspecive
59Eg Neil J Ormerod and Shane Clifon Globalizaion and he Mission o he Church (New York amp Clark 104862698308810486251048625)
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983090983091
American communiies bu also hose o oher ehnic racial and culural groups
who are also wresling wih lie in he weny-firs-cenury global conex
Evangelical heology oday will need o heed more inenionally han i has beore acors o migraion ehniciy globalizaion and ransnaionalism
Asian American Evangelicals can assis wih hese maters i hey will arise o
he occasion Tis does no derac rom he universaliy o he gospel message
On he conrary i addresses quesions o universal significance ha are oher-
wise negleced or engaged rom or wihin only one (dominan cenris) se
o perspecives
Reconnecting to the broader evangelical theological tradition Beore con-cluding his chaper however an imporan cavea ough o be sounded None
o he preceding should be read as denying eiher Asian American indebedness
o he evangelical radiion or he inerrelaedness o Asian American and oher
evangelical effors in he conemporary heological ask Te preceding migh
sugges ha Asian Americans are only poining accusing fingers a heir whie
evangelical riends Wihou aking away anyhing rom he seriousness o he
oregoing discussion I also realize ha whie Evangelicals in paricular and Americans in general have been welcoming o Asians and ha we have made i
his ar on our diasporic journey only wih he help o such riends
Beyond such ecclesial collegialiy however I would gran ha Asian Amer-
icans are in various respecs beholden heologically o American Evangelicals
as well In paricular American evangelical commimens o Chris-
ceneredness biblical aihulness and missionary zealousness are imporan
elemens o Chrisian belie and pracice in he weny-firs cenury Asian American Evangelicals should embrace and live ou such commimens no
only or hemselves bu also or oher Evangelicals and even or he world
Ye my claim is precisely ha such a posure enables Asian American Evan-
gelicals o conribue heologically o he ormaion o an evangelical belie
and praxis relevan o he weny-firs cenury For his o happen however
Asian American Evangelicals mus embrace no only he evangel bu also he
hisoriciy o heir diasporic experiences Te incarnaion o he Son o Godconsised afer all o aking on he concreeness palpabiliy and emporaliy
o human Jewish and firs-cenury Palesinian flesh and he oupouring o he
Spiri o God on he Day o Penecos involved he redempion o he diversiy
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983089 983090 983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
o human ongues languages and culures so ha hey migh bear winess o
he wondrous works o God (Acs 983090983089983089) Tis penecosal heme991252relaed o
Acs 983090 firs and oremos albei reraced unavoidably hrough he lens o mymodern penecosal ecclesial sensibiliies991252will inorm he deep srucure o
he argumen in he remainder o his volume ye achieved wihin a pen-
evangelical raher han merely charismaic rame o reerence My poin going
orward however is ha in ligh o hese heological and riniarian commi-
mens Evangelicals should be he firs o embrace he diversiy o heir his-
orical pariculariies raher han shy away rom hem radiionally o course
Evangelicals have subordinaed he vicissiudes o hisory and wih ha heiranxieies abou he flux and subjeciviies o experience o he surey and
oundaionalism o he Word o God as revealed in he Scripures My pro-
posal however is ha work o God in Chris and by he Spiri redeems us
amid wih and hrough he specificiies o our hisorical and culural expe-
rience (raher han saving us rom ou o such alogeher) and hus ha he
Word o God speaks ino such realiies (raher han ha we have o deny hem
or rejec hem as par o who we are)In shor Asian American Evangelicals do no need o be apologeic abou
heir lives experiences and perspecives Raher by ollowing he pah o he
Son o God ino he ar counry by receiving he infilling o he Spiri o God
poured ou on all flesh and by aihully atemping o live ou such a Chris-
cenered and Spiri-empowered aih in he ooseps o heir evangelical ore-
bears and ancesors Asian Americans may hen be able o bring heir heo-
logical gifs o he conversaion able gifs ha will challenge he discussion while simulaneously enriching he are or all hose concerned abou he
euangelion in he presen ime I is ime o heologize as Asian Americans no
jus as Evangelicals in order ha Evangelicalism isel can be renewed and
invigoraed or he sake o he gospel and in anicipaion o he reign o God
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4 P983141983150983156983141983139983151983155983156983137983148 V983151983145983139983141983155 T983151983159983137983154983140 983137983150 A983155983145983137983150 A983149983141983154983145983139983137983150
E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161 125
Asian Penecosal heology Wha and W(h)iher 127
A Pen-evangelical Imaginaion Speaking in
Many ongues 135
Asian American Pen-evangelical heology Inerpreing
Dieren Discourses 144
983093 T983144983141 I983149983149983145983143983154983137983150983156 S983152983145983154983145983156 T983151983159983137983154983140 983137983150 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148
T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161 983151983142 M983145983143983154983137983156983145983151983150 159
Conemporary Migraion A Fusion o Horizons 161
Lukan Migraion A Pen-evangelical Reading 168
An Evangelical heology o Migraion Asian
American Modulaions 177
6 T983144983141 S983152983145983154983145983156 983151983142 J983157983138983145983148983141983141 A983150 A983155983145983137983150 A983149983141983154983145983139983137983150I983149983149983145983143983154983137983150983156 C983151983150983155983145983140983141983154983137983156983145983151983150 187
Inormaliy and Immigraion he Chinese American
Experience 189
Jubilee and Migraion A Pen-evangelical Re lecion 197
Money Migrans and Minisry in Asian American
Evangelical Perspecive 206
7 T983151983159983137983154983140 983137 G983148983151983138983137983148 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161 A983155983145983137983150
A983149983141983154983145983139983137983150 I983150983156983151983150983137983156983145983151983150983155 217
Nex Seps or Asian American Evangelical heology 218
Nex Seps or Norh American Evangelical heology 224
Nex Seps or Global Evangelical heology 229E983152983145983148983151983143983157983141 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161 983145983150 983156983144983141
T983159983141983150983156983161-F983145983154983155983156 C983141983150983156983157983154983161 235
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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S983157983138983146983141983139983156 I983150983140983141983160 250
A983157983156983144983151983154 I983150983140983141983160 253
S983139983154983145983152983156983157983154983141 I983150983140983141983160 254
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3
THE LEGACY OF EVANGEL ICAL THEOLOGY
Asian American Reception and Interrogations
In his chaper we drill deeper ino he inner logic o Asian American evan-
gelical heology Why has he Asian American naure o evangelical heology
been relaively underplayed when compared o Asian evangelical heology
and o Asian American heology in mainline Proesan and Roman Caholic
circles Tis chaper argues ha here are many reasons or his and ha hey
relae boh o he legacy o he (whie) Norh American evangelical endeavor
as a whole and o how his radiion has been received and inernalized by
Asian American Evangelicals
Te hree secions o come inroduce he whence o Asian American evan-
gelical heology and is largely conservaive ehos explore how his conser-
vaism is he resul o inernalizing he heo-logic o he dominan (Wesern)
evangelical culure and conclude by urging Asian American Evangelicals o
live more inenionally ino and ou o he pariculariy socialiy and hiso-
riciy o heir experiences While Asian American evangelical heology has
been by and large consonan wih ha o he (whie) evangelical esablishmen
i has no ound much o is own voice Par o he goal is o clariy why and
how he curren generaion o Asian American Evangelicals aces a ork in he
road o allow nonehnic (read whie) Evangelicals o coninue o se he
heological agenda ha minimizes or marginalizes heir perspecives or o
asser why he hisoriciy and pariculariy o he Asian American hisory and
experience is imporan no only or Asian American evangelical heology
specifically bu also or he evangelical heological ask as a whole
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 935
983097 983096 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
I he firs wo chapers have atemped o map he broader global and wider
Asian American heological landscapes his chaper conducs a sel-criical
analysis o aspecs o Asian American evangelical hinking While here is morediversiy underneah he Asian American evangelical label han many hink
here is also some jusificaion or discussing i in erms I presen Tis chaper
probes some o hese aken-or-graned eaures o he Asian American evan-
gelical menaliy ha have inhibied creaive and consrucive heological re-
flecion Noe however ha he poin is no o merely be criical o he whie
evangelical heological esablishmen raher he poin is o highligh how in
our conemporary global conex he evangelical radiion can be expandedrenewed and developed in dialogue wih non-Euro-American conversaion
parners Posiively pu hen he ollowing inends o open up a way orward
or he pen-evangelical heological pah ha chapers our and ollowing char
A983155983145983137983150 A983149983141983154983145983139983137983150 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161 W983144983141983150983139983141
983137983150983140 W(983144)983145983156983144983141983154
I is air o say ha we are sill a he very beginning sages o Asian Americanevangelical heologizing983089 As we shall see we can only speak abou Asian
American evangelical heology i undersood in a very broad sense Te ol-
lowing skeches hree sreams o such reflecion which enables compre-
hension o is largely conservaive insincs
Paricularly or Asian Americans rom an Eas Asian background he Con-
ucian emphasis on filial piey plays ou in heir evangelical spiriualiy Some
o he earlies works on Asian American evangelical heology hereore wereocused on how especially second-generaion Asian Americans could honor
heir parens while ollowing Chris983090 Tis was and remains an especially
imporan mater i he immigran generaion were non-Chrisians Beyond
his is he pressure o perecionis expecaions by parens no o menion
having also o live ino he ldquomodel minoriyrdquo sereoype ouside he home
1One o he ew orays ino he quesion remains Young Lee Herig ldquoWhy Asian American Evan-gelical Teologiesrdquo Journal o Asian and Asian American Teology 983095 (1048626983088983088983093ndash1048626983088983088983094) 1048625-10486261048627
2See Jeanete Yep ed Following Jesus Wihou Dishonoring Your Parens Asian American Discipleship (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 1048625983097983097983096) and Nikki A oyama and racey Gee eds More
Tan Serving ea Asian American Women on Expecaions Relaionships Leadership and Faih (Downers Grove IL IVP Books 1048626983088983088983094)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983097 983097
When combined wih he deerenial Eas Asian posure many Asian Amer-
icans develop a sel-inerioriy complex991252devasaing wihin a culure o
shame991252paricularly when having also o conron linguisic challenges innavigaing hrough school and hen a career
Te ecclesial or congregaional domain is also one where Asian American
Evangelicals have expended some effor Tis is o be expeced given he long
hisory o ehnic churches and he many debaes no o menion challenges
relaed o assimilaion o he dominan culure Wihin he lieraure on Asian
American Evangelicalism we find works on pasoral minisry (designed o
equip minisers o cross generaional culural ecclesial gender and oherdivides)983091 congregaional healh and effeciveness (which provide models
or ehnic-dominan bilingual and even mixed ecclesial communiies)1048628 and
even a growing number o pan-Asian or pan-ehnic visions o he uure
(which ofen deal wih he issues o race and racializaion wihin an evan-
gelical paradigm)1048629 Asian American Evangelicals have ocused some o heir
energies on hese ecclesiological maters Wha can be hoped or is ha hese
more pracical miniserial and missional emphases will also ranslae in duecourse ino more robus ecclesiological and heological reflecion
Recent developments in Asian American evangelical theologyI is a he more
properly undersood heological level ha Asian American Evangelicals can be
said o be barely ou o he saring gae Sill even in hese gesaional imes some
poenial roues or developmen can be discerned One is a collecion o essays
ha appeared in 9830909830889830889830941048630 Published by he L983090 Foundaion an organizaion devoed
o Asian American leadership and legacy developmen his is he firs book oappear on he opic o Asian American evangelical heology Te six essayiss reflec
3Eg Ken Uyeda Fong Pursuing he Pearl A Comprehensive Resource or Muli-Asian Minisry (Val-ley Forge PA Judson Press 1048625983097983097983097) and Russell Yee Worship on he Way Exploring Asian Norh
American Chrisian Experience (Valley Forge PA Judson Press 104862698308810486251048626)4See Peer Cha S Seve Kang and Helen Lee eds Growing Healhy Asian American Congregaions (Downers Grove IL IVP Books 1048626983088983088983094) and M Sydney Park Soong-Chan Rah and Al izon edsHonoring he Generaions Learning wih Asian Norh American Congregaions (Valley Forge PA Judson Press 104862698308810486251048626)
5Elizabeh Conde-Frazier S Seve Kang and Gary A Parret A Many-Colored Kingdom Mulicul-ural Dynamics or Spiriual Formaion (Grand Rapids Baker Academic 1048626983088983088983092) and Kenneh AMahews and M Sydney Park Te Pos-Racial Church A Biblical Framework or Muliehnic Rec-
onciliaion (Grand Rapids Kregel Academic 104862698308810486251048625)6D J Chuang and imohy seng eds Conversaions Asian American Evangelical Teologies in
Formaion (Washingon DC L1048626 Foundaion 1048626983088983088983094)
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 1135
983089983088983088 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
he diversiy o he AAE communiy David Yoo a hisorian a Claremon
McKenna College surveys (wih wo collaboraors) he prendashWorld War II his-
ories o Japanese and Korean American Chrisians and urges ha religion needso be acored ino immigraion and race analyses o hese communiies even as
im seng a hisorian o American Chrisianiy and ounder o he Insiue or
he Sudy o Asian American Chrisianiy exposes he ldquocolor blindnessrdquo o
American church hisory and provides some hermeneuical opions or moving
beyond orienalis or assimilaionis models o he Asian American Chrisian
experience A pracical heologian a riniy Evangelical Diviniy School Peer
Cha discusses he challenges involved in ideniy ormaion among second-generaion Korean Americans An inriguing chaper is missiologis James Zorsquos
(affiliaed wih Logos Evangelical Seminary in El Mone Caliornia) insighul
analysis o how srucural and power issues complicae he assessmen o racism
prejudice and discriminaion on boh sides o he American and Asian American
equaion For a volume on evangelical heology he wo explicily heological
conribuions are by hisorical heologians Paul Lim (who specializes in early
modern England has augh a Gordon-Conwell Teological Seminary and nowis as o he ime o his wriing a Vanderbil Universiy) reveals he imporance
o biography in he consrucion o any Asian American evangelical heology and
Jeffrey Jue (a pos-Reormaion hisorian a Wesminser Teological Seminary)
seeks a way beyond boh modernis experienialism and posmodernis subjec-
ivism by reurning o he gospel Te conversaional approach o each chaper
in he volume invies ohers o join in he discussion
A second line o developmen lies wih Asian American evangelical womenmany o whom are also working in he area o biblical sudies1048631 A recen volume
includes en chapers mos springing off emale biblical characers all se wihin
wha Young Lee Herig calls a ldquoyinis paradigmrdquo ha is neiher merely eminis
(nor womanis nor mujerisa) nor ye acquiescen o he pariarchal srucures
dominan wihin Asian American Evangelicalism in paricular and (whie) evan-
gelical heology in general1048632 Mirrored Reflecions is hus a groundbreaking and
7See Young Lee Herig and Chloe Sun eds Mirrored Reflecions Refaming Biblical Characers (Eugene OR Wip amp Sock 10486269830881048625983088)
8See Herigrsquos lead chaper ldquoTe Asian American Alernaive o Feminism A Yinis Paradigmrdquo inHerig and Sun eds Mirrored Reflecions pp 1048627-1048625983092
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088983089
paradigmaic book no only or Asian American heology bu also or evan-
gelical biblical hermeneuics I opens up space or Asian American womenrsquos
readings o he Bible wihou mimicking oher eminis agendas i embracesreader-response approaches while honoring he scripural horizon i boldly
explores a counerculural conexualism polyphonous mulivocalism and in-
ersubjecive perspecivism wihou lapsing ino relaivism and i insiss on he
need or us o come o erms wih pluralism globalizaion and ransnaionalism
in he pursui o aihul Chrisian discipleship in our ime Arguably his is
biblical inerpreaion and heological reflecion a is bes engaging subversive
ransormaive and salvific991252or women and men1048633 Such pahs opened up by Asian American evangelical women may well be wha is mos generaive and
producive or Asian American evangelical heology in he longer run
Te conribuions o Herig and company run parallel o oher Asian
American evangelical voices ha find hemselves bewix-and-beween he
cener o he evangelical movemen and he mainline Proesan commu-
niies Soong-Chan Rahrsquos work mediaes hese spaces as represenaive o a
promising pah in conemporary Asian American evangelical heology9830891048624 Tepoency o Rahrsquos argumen is ha he speaks no only o Asian American
Evangelicals bu also o he evangelical heological esablishmen as a whole
Tis is because his is a call or he church o le go o is individualism con-
sumerism maerialism and racism991252all effecs o Wesern culure991252in order
o be reed rom is culural capiviy983089983089 Rahrsquos analysis however can find
deeper Asian American racion paricularly i wedded o he uncompro-
mising call or living ino he Asian American ideniy by heologians suchas Jonahan ran983089983090 Te later empowers a disincive Asian American voice
9Perhaps in conras o he dominan srands o Asian American evangelical biblical inerpreaionha have swallowed Wesern hermeneuical mehods almos hook line and sinker see Andrew Yueking Lee ldquoReading he Bible as an Asian American Issues in Asian American Biblical Inerpre-aionrdquo in Viji Nakka-Cammau and imohy seng eds Asian American Chrisianiy A Reader (Casro Valley CA Te Insiue or he Sudy o Asian American Chrisianiy 1048626983088983088983097) pp 983094983088-983094983097
10Soong-Chan Rah Te Nex Evangelicalism Freeing he Church fom Wesern Culural Capiviy (Downers Grove IL IVP Books 1048626983088983088983097)
11From a hermeneuical perspecive see he similar argumen o E Randolph Richards and Bran-don J OrsquoBrien Misreading Scripure wih Wesern Eyes Removing Culural Blinders o Beter Un-
dersand he Bible (Downers Grove IL IVP Books 104862698308810486251048626)12See Jonahan ran ldquoA Few Tings I Wan rom Asian American Evangelicalsrdquo in Nakka-Cammau
and seng Asian American Chrisianiy pp 10486269830921048627-9830931048625 c also ran ldquoIdeniy as MissiologyrdquoSANACS Journal 1048625 (1048626983088983088983097) 1048626983097-983092983088
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 1335
983089983088983090 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
albei one ha is no parochial since i addresses larger ecclesial (and perhaps
even social) concerns983089983091
Te ac o he mater is however ha here is litle else available on Asian American evangelical heology and ha Asian American Evangelicals are sill
a long way off rom hinking heologically as Asian Americans Par o he
reason is ha many Asian American Evangelicals even hose who are heo-
logically rained have basically replicaed he majoriy evangelical (whie)
approaches o Scripure Furher many second-generaion Asian Americans
have adoped he assimilaionis experience as heir model and have presumed
ha an ldquoAmerican universalismrdquo maps ono a biblical universalism9830891048628 Teresul is he subordinaion o heir racial and ehnic ideniies and modes o
hinking Among he many reasons or his is he dominan conservaism o
Asian American culure especially wihin ecclesial communiies o Eas Asian
descen (eg Chinese Korean Japanese and Vienamese churches) As such
Asian Americans are conen o persis wih he saus quo o evangelical he-
ology inheried rom heir (whie) evangelical eachers
Asian American evangelical conservatism Te phenomenon o Eas Asianor Conucian culural conservaism is o course a complicaed one o un-
angle On he one hand here is somehing o he sereoype o Eas Asian
Conucianism as essenially androcenric (in subordinaing women o men)
pariarchal (susained by he radiionrsquos emphasis on filial piey) and auhori-
arian (preserved in he king-subjec and older-younger broher aspecs o he
ldquofiveold relaionsrdquo) On he oher hand like mos exended culural radiions
Conucianism has been neiher saic nor ree rom dissening rends ha haveatemped o rerieve reappropriae and when necessary jetison hese radi-
13Mathew Soerens and Jenny Hwang Welcoming he Sranger Jusice Compassion and ruh in he
Immigraion Debae (Downers Grove IL IVP Books 1048626983088983088983097) is anoher example o Asian AmericanEvangelicals speaking ino wider conversaions precisely he hrus o his book and par o is goalin erms o moivaing Asian American evangelical heological inquiry I will reurn o discuss heproposals o his volume in more deph in chaper six
14Tis is my way o puting wha oher Asian American scholars have also observed see boh Anony W Alumkal ldquoTe Scandal o he lsquoModel Minoriyrsquo Mind Te Bible and Second-Generaion Asian American Evangelicalsrdquo and imohy seng ldquoSecond-Generaion Chinese Evangelical Use o heBible in Ideniy Discourse in Norh Americardquo boh in a-siong Benny Liew Te Bible in Asian
America Semeia 983097983088-9830971048625 (Alana Te Sociey o Biblical Lieraure 10486269830889830881048626) pp 10486261048627983095-983093983088 andpp 10486269830931048625-983094983095 respecively
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088983091
ional docrines or he lae modern world9830891048629 Cerainly in he Norh American
conex here are progressive orces a work especially among second and laer
generaions o Asian Americans bu equally cerainly he weigh o porableculural and philosophical radiions like Conucianism (see chaper wo)
means ha change occurs slowly
Wihin he Asian American evangelical communiy he gradual ransor-
maion o he inheried culural conservaism is cerainly being played ou
even i a a much slower pace han in nonevangelical conexs One he one
side he gospel is undersood as providing a criical perspecive on culure991252
on which I will say more momenarily on he oher side however here arecerain biblical hemes such as honoring o parens and he submission o
women (read off he surace o some Pauline exs) ha resonae wih he filial
piey o especially Conucian culures and hese have ineviably become
cenral issues or he orging o Asian American ideniies9830891048630 Hence Asian
American immigrans who are atraced o Chrisianiy are ofen drawn o
evangelical Proesanism because i provides a similarly conservaive
worldview one ha enables heir acculuraion ino American sociey Forhese reasons Conucian conservaism morphs among Asian American Pro-
esans ino a orm o evangelical conservaism
o be sure he exac role o Conucianism behind Asian American evan-
gelical conservaism migh be debaed among scholars paricularly since he
appropriaion o he Conucian radiion across he Asian American diaspora
is no all o one sripe A he same ime even i oher Asian radiions were o
be acored ino he marix o Asian American lie many are inormed by akind o pariarchal hierarchical and auhoriarian conservaism ha uncions
similarly in Eas Asian Conucian culure In shor perhaps he ldquomodel mi-
noriyrdquo sereoype as conesed as migh be such a designaion ha charac-
erizes much o he Asian American experience conribues o he conser-
vaism ha permeaes Asian American Evangelicalism
North American evangelical conservatism and its implications Bu high-
15See here Daniel A Bell Chinarsquos New Conucianism Poliics and Everyday Lie in a Changing Soci-
ey (Princeon NJ Princeon Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983096) chap 104862716Eg om Lin Losing Face and Finding Grace 983089983090 Bible Sudies or Asian Americans (Downers
Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 1048625983097983097983094) esp par 1048625
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 1535
983089983088983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
lighing Eas Asian conservaism ells only one side o he sory abou why
Asian Americans end o be conened wih and passive recipiens o he he-
ology o he dominan evangelical culure Te oher hal o his ale has o do wih Norh American conservaism as well O course hisorically Norh
American Evangelicalism was ormed ou o a long hisory o reacion o
mainline Proesan liberalism By definiion o be conservaive means o
resis he orces o change insoar as such changes are hough o compromise
he received values o a paricular radiion So while some changes have been
embraced evangelical conservaives have long resised wha are perceived as
adjusmens o hisoric Chrisian orhodoxy oised upon he Norh Americanchurch by heir liberal counerpars9830891048631 More recenly Evangelicals have also
enered ino he culure wars in deense o radiional amily values and oher
aspecs o he agenda o he Republican Pary
Over ime hen Evangelicals have been led o develop heological argu-
mens or heir conservaive sances Mos relevan or he Asian American
experience is how he dominan evangelical culure has acceped while
slighly redefining a leas more recenly he basic caegories o he classicalChris and Culure sudy o H Richard Niebuhr9830891048632 Ye hisorically Evangel-
icals have embraced he ldquoChris agains culurerdquo sance albei more recenly
shifing oward he ldquoChris ransorming culurerdquo posure Tis involves eiher
a wors he rejecion o culure which has radiionally characerized evan-
gelical secarianism (especially among undamenaliss he close cousins o
Evangelicals)9830891048633 or a bes an ambiguous relaionship wih culure one ea-
uring wha migh be called a culural hermeneuic o suspicion ha is alwaysconcerned abou syncreism wih he world Culure in popular evangelical
parlance is almos equivalen o he world and in ha sense is wha humans
need o be saved rom raher han parake o
17Tere are many versions o his sory my own elling is here ldquoTe Word and he Spiri or heSpiri and he Word Exploring he Boundaries o Evangelicalism in Relaionship o Modern Pen-ecosalismrdquo riniy Journal 10486261048627 no 1048626 (10486269830889830881048626) 10486261048627983093-9830931048626
18See H Richard Niebuhr Chris and Culure (10486259830979830931048625 repr San Francisco Harper orchligh1048625983097983093983094) c Glen H Sassen D M Yeager and John Howard Yoder Auhenic ransormaion A
New Vision o Chris and Culure (Nashville Abingdon 1048625983097983097983094)19Ie as manies in missionary and evangelisic sraegies ha called on convers o abandon heir
culural belies and pracices in ollowing Chris991252eg Birgi Meyer ranslaing he Devil Religion
and Moderniy Among he Ewe in Ghana (renon NJ Arica World Press 1048625983097983097983097)
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088983093
So how has his played ou in Asian American evangelical communiies
Mos poinedly Asian American Evangelicals have radiionally undersood
heir Chrisian conversion o involve eiher a urning away rom heir Asianculural roos or a minimizing o such aspecs o heir ideniy Ta Chrisian
conversion acually involves Americanizaion is quie prevalen across he
Asian American scene In my own case growing up as already indicaed in he
prologue we never alked abou he imporance o Chinese culure he em-
phasis a home (my parens were firs-generaion convers o Chrisianiy)
was always on embodying Chrisian culure Many Asian Americans hus end
o view heir Asian hisorical and culural legacies in binary erms ood dressand music migh be reained because hey concern he ouward aspecs o lie
which are incidenal anyway o rue human ideniy bu lierary philosophical
and religious ideas are o be cauiously approached (a bes) since hey are
probably represenaive o ldquohe worldrdquo and hus aniheical o he gospel
Tis confluence o Conucian and evangelical conservaism has been
srenghened hrough he process o heological educaion Asian American
Evangelicals end o atend solidly evangelical seminaries because o heirconservaive commimens So whereas mainline Proesan seminaries are
much more ocused on corporae ideniies evangelical seminaries and
heir curricula ocus more on personal ideniies paricularly he or-
maion o spiriual lives in relaionship o Chris9830901048624 Wha his means is ha
ehnic ideniies are minimized as having no more han biological signifi-
cance and hisorical and culural aspecs o Asian ideniy are acceped
only as accidenal o ideniy in Chris Asian American Evangelicals arefirs and oremos Chrisians and only secondarily i a all Asians (al-
hough ineresingly he prevalence o naionalism among Evangelicals
means ha American ideniy is much more imporan han evangelical
rheoric usually les on) Evangelical heological educaion hus provides
he philosophical and heological apparaus o make sense o such modes
o ideniy consrucion
20Russell Jeung ldquoEvangelical and Mainline eachings on Asian American Ideniyrdquo in Liew and Yee Bible in Asian America pp 104862610486251048625-1048627983094 reprined in Nakka-Cammau and seng Asian American
Chrisianiy pp 1048625983097983095-10486261048625983094
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 1735
983089983088983094 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
T983144983141 B983157983154983140983141983150 983151983142 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161 A M983145983150983151983154983145983156983161 R983141983152983151983154983156
In he ollowing I highligh he major episemological hermeneuical meh-
odological and docrinal aspecs o (whie) evangelical heology embraced bymany Asian American Evangelicals I argue no ha hese are he only ways in
which Asian American Evangelicals have accommodaed o he dominan
(whie) evangelical subculural worldview nor ha Asian American evan-
gelical heology can be reduced o hese eaures I sugges however ha hese
provide some explanaion or how many Asian American evangelical heolo-
gians view he Asian dimension o heir work in conexual erms bu do no
also undersand he dominan whie heological consrucs similarly Teresul is ha Asian American concerns are no only subordinaed bu also e-
ecively silenced in many cases In he ollowing I criically assess his dom-
inan view rom he marginal horizons o he Asian American experience
A (putatively) global epistemology I begin wih he Enlighenmen epis-
emology and is ques or or presumpion o have atained he universal per-
specive In heir batle agains liberalism Evangelicals have highlighed he
imporance o developing a biblical worldview983090983089 Worldview consrucion isineviably an inellecual exercise983090983090 Wha mos Evangelicals do no ofen
inerrogae is how rooed he worldview ques is in he Enlighenmen projec
As such evangelical worldview ormulaion operaes episemologically ac-
cording o modernis canons o raionaliy Tis is reinorced in evangelical
seminary educaion variously no leas in he embrace o some orm o oun-
daionalism characerisic o he Enlighenmen ques or cerainy hough
o secure evangelical claims o universal ruh983090983091
Foundaionalism classically undersood is he view ha all belies can be
jusified direcly (ounded upon) sense experience or reason available o all991252
hence universal991252raher han inerred rom oher (subjecively held) be-
lies9830901048628 While Evangelicals are philosophically jus as sophisicaed as anyone
21Tus InerVarsiy Press has jus published in 1048626983088983088983097 he fifh ediion o James Sirersquos Te Universe Nex
Door A Basic Worldview Caalog a esimony o is populariy a evangelical colleges and universiies22 Anoher popular ex among Evangelicals noes is concepual naure David K Naugle World-
view Te Hisory o a Concep (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048626)23 As refleced in anoher popular evangelical exbook J P Moreland and William Lane Craig
Philosophical Foundaions or a Chrisian Worldview (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 10486269830889830881048627)24Noe ha he dualism beween objeciviy and subjeciviy is isel a modernis consrucion I
discuss hese maters as well as evangelical orms o oundaionalism in my ldquoTe Demise o Foun-
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088 983095
else in heir deense o oundaionalism9830901048629 more ofen han no hey are epis-
emological oundaionaliss or wo reasons Negaively pu episemic oun-
daionalism is a deerren o wha hey see as he hreaening alernaive oepisemological skepicism philosophical i no moral relaivism and reli-
gious and heological pluralism Posiively pu he oundaions o Chrisian
knowing are given in he Bible I will reurn in a momen o address he her-
meneuical issues involved wih such an appeal For he momen however I
simply noe ha evangelical oundaionalism in whaever is guise butresses
is claims o have access o a universal sandpoin or (heological) knowledge
Such a universal vanage poin is o course relaed o he Enlighenmenques or cerain knowledge Hence he undermining o oundaionalism
opens up o perspecivism Evangelicals resis episemic perspecivism or he
same reasons ha hey deend oundaionalism because ha is el o be he
only way o secure raionally he sabiliy o ruh claims Opening he door
o perspecivism invies he mulipliciy o views ha characerizes he rela-
ivism o he posmodern siuaion Conservaive Evangelicals are hus very
concerned abou he ascendency o he posmodern agenda9830901048630
Wha does his have o do wih Asian American Evangelicalism My claim is
ha Asian Americans educaed a conservaive evangelical seminaries have un-
witingly embraced no only he oundaionalis episemology o heir eachers
bu also is atendan applicaions In order o ward off episemic skepicism
moral relaivism and heological pluralism Asian American Evangelicals have
also uncriically rejeced he perspecivism cenral o posoundaionalis epis-
emology9830901048631 More o he poin he deense o oundaionalism is also he de-ense o he saus quo he universal rame o reerence claimed by evangelical
daionalism and he Reenion o ruh Wha Evangelicals Can Learn rom C S Peircerdquo Chrisian
Scholarrsquos Review 1048626983097 no 1048627 (Spring 1048626983088983088983088) 9830939830941048627-98309698309625Eg J P Moreland and Garret DeWeese ldquoTe Premaure Repor o Foundaionalismrsquos Demiserdquo
in Millard J Erickson Paul Kjoss Helseh and Jusin aylor eds Reclaiming he Cener Confon-
ing Evangelical Accommodaion in Posmodern imes (Wheaon IL Crossway 1048626983088983088983092) pp 9830961048625-104862598308898309526Tus par 1048626 o Millard J Erickson Posmodernizing he Faih Evangelical Responses o he Chal-
lenge o Posmodernism (Grand Rapids Baker Books 1048625983097983097983096) is iled ldquoNegaive Responses o
Posmodernismrdquo and discusses a number o conemporary and recen deenders o classical evan-gelical aih David Wells Tomas Oden and Francis Schaeffer
27 As argued eg by Sanley J Grenz and John R Franke Beyond Foundaionalism Shaping Teology in
a Posmodern Conex (Louisville Wesminser John Knox 10486269830889830881048625) he criical and apologeic responsehas been he recogniion ha his akes us ldquobeyond Evangelicalismrdquo991252see Seven Knowles Beyond
Evangelicalism Te Teological Mehodology o Sanley J Grenz (Burlingon V Ashgae 1048626983088983088983097)
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 1935
983089983088983096 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
heology Simulaneously so he argumen goes he abandonmen o ounda-
ionalism opens he door o perspecivism and pluralism And i he later are
problemaic so are heir ideological movemens especially and including muli-culuralism (wih some advocaes o such having reinerpreed Chrisian eaching
in ligh o a poliics o ideniy insead o vice versa)9830901048632 Asian American Evan-
gelicals are hus armed oundaionally o conron engage and resis he perils
o cynicism relaivism and pluralism Unbeknowns o hem however his no
only undercus he ideology o muliculuralism bu also assails he basis upon
which hey can reclaim heir own hisorical and culural ideniies O course
Evangelicals have more recenly recognized a leas in general he imporanceo embracing he diversiy o culures even o celebraing hem bu only so
long as doing so does no hreaen he oundaions o evangelical ceriude
An (allegedly) a-cultural hermeneutic Tis presumpion o having a uni-
versal perspecive while undergirded as biblical raher han recognized as
ounded on an Enlighenmen paradigm bleeds over ino evangelical herme-
neuics In he Asian American evangelical landscape such hermeneuical pre-
supposiions bracke Asian America wheher inenionally (more ofen) or noIn his way Asian American Evangelicals have imbibed no only he oundaion-
alism o heir classical seminary educaion bu also he biblical hermeneuic ha
works o secure such an episemic sance Unsurprisingly a he hear o he
evangelical inerpreaion o Scripure is anoher insrumen rom he modernis
oolki ha o hisorical criicism Tis ime however such a hermeneuical
approach is deployed o access he auhorial inen o he Scripures and i is
his ha is cenral (oundaional) o ideniying he biblical message which inurn enables he Bible o serve as he unshakable norm or Chrisian belie
Tere is much o unpack in he preceding brie descripion o evangelical
hermeneuics classically considered Bu I wan o ocus insead on he prin-
ciples o biblical exegesis as emphasized in evangelical seminary educaion9830901048633
Te goal o exegesis is o draw ou o or o cull rom he Bible wha he original
auhors mean o communicae Tis involves undersanding firs and
28Tus have some Evangelicals harangued agains muliculuralism as an ideology or example991252Dennis McCallum ed Te Deah o ruh Wharsquos Wrong wih Muliculuralism he Rejecion o
Reason and he New Posmodern Diversiy (Minneapolis Behany House 1048625983097983097983094)29Eg Waler C Kaiser oward an Exegeical Teology Biblical Exegesis or Preaching and eaching
(Grand Rapids Baker Books 1048625983097983097983096)
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088983097
oremos how he biblical auhors were undersood by heir iniial audiences
in he ancien conex Exegesis accesses hese primordially inended biblical
principles Wha he Bible means oday is hereby a secondary issue de-penden primarily on wha i originally mean o he firs hearers and readers
o he Scripures Conemporary applicaion hus involves idenificaion o
he original and or some single meaning o he biblical exs9830911048624
Te flip side o he emphasis on exegesis hen involves he rejecion o
eisegesis he inserion o conemporary perspecives ino he meaning o he
biblical ex I he burden o biblical hermeneuics is o ake away rom he
Scripures wha is auhors inended o communicae he bane o evangelicalinerpreaion is o read ino he Bible whaever our presen viewpoins may
dicae Tis o course is a violaion o he cardinal rule o evangelical herme-
neuics readers should leave heir prejudices and biases a he door and allow
he Bible o inorm hem insead Oherwise he concern is ha he reader
will find whaever he or she is looking or and his inecs conaminaes
skews and disors he prisine message o he Bible983091983089
Te problem here is no jus ha he lines beween exegesis and eisegesis aremuch more blurred han Evangelicals usually acknowledge983091983090 bu ha he per-
sisen applicaion o such an approach o he Bible dicaes ha evangelical
readers inenionally bracke or a leas atemp o hold in abeyance heir own
hisories experiences and perspecives as being o secondary impor i o any
relevance a all or heir reading o Scripure Now I am cerainly no suggesing
ha we all willy-nilly inser our biases in appropriaing he biblical ex Simul-
aneously I urge ha he cos o such hermeneuical brackeing is oo high or
30See Rober L Tomas Evangelical Hermeneuics Te New Versus he Old (Grand Rapids Kregel10486269830889830881048626) chap 983094 iled ldquoTe Principle o Single Meaningrdquo which argues ha he pluralism po-lyphony and plurivociy o meaning advocaed by recen progressive Evangelicals reflecs more heeffecs o humaniyrsquos all ino sin han i does he classical assumpions o evangelical biblical in-erpreaion For a counerargumen one ha I am largely sympaheic wih see James K ASmih Te Fall o Inerpreaion Philosophical Foundaions or a Creaional Hermeneuic (DownersGrove IL InerVarsiy Press 1048626983088983088983088)
31For evangelical concerns regarding reader-response hermeneuics see Norman R Gulley ldquoReader-
Response Teories in Posmodern Hermeneuics A Challenge o Evangelical Teologyrdquo in DavidS Dockery ed Te Challenge o Posmodernism An Evangelical Engagemen (Wheaon IL VicorBooks 1048625983097983097983093) pp 1048626983088983096-1048627983096
32In mainline Proesan circles o course here has long been recogniion ha he radiional line beween exegesis and eisegesis is much blurrier han previously hough see Jay G WilliamsldquoExegesis-Eisegesis Is Tere a Differencerdquo Teology oday 1048627983088 no 1048627 (10486259830979830951048627) 10486261048625983096-1048626983095
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2135
983089 983089983088 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
ehnic minoriies who are Evangelicals since his in effec rejecs heir quesions
and concerns as perinen o heir engagemen wih he Bible In addiion such
presumpive brackeing blinds whie Evangelicals o he ac ha heir own ho-rizons and perspecives are involved in any reading o ancien exs and his lack
o awareness makes i doubly difficul o recognize moderae or correc
I would urge insead ha we recognize and embrace he ension involved
in he usion o biblical and conemporary horizons bu do so in a way ha
boh allows conemporary readers o ener ino he world o he Bible on he
one hand (ldquohis is hardquo) and or he Bible o map ono our conemporary lives
on he oher hand (ldquoha is hisrdquo)983091983091 Tis no only allows or an Asian American reading o he Bible somehing ha is barred in he evangelical
environmen i also invies even encourages such an approach and his in
urn gives Asian Americans991252all people acually991252permission o read he
Bible as i i really matered o heir lives
A (presumably) biblical-theological method Enlighenmen assumpions
hus inorm no only Asian American evangelical episemology and herme-
neuics bu also heological mehod and hey do so in ways ha marginalize Asian America Tis is consisen wih he general evangelical ear o licensing
wha hey see as merely subjecive readings o he Bible or he same reasons
ha hey are wary abou enabling heological mehodologies ha consciously
acknowledge he role o experience In oher words he saus quo in evan-
gelical approaches o he Bible (wih is accenuaion o exegesis and rejecion
o eisegesis) has is counerpar in evangelical approaches o heological re-
flecion his ime wih he emphasis on he Bible as he primary i no solesource or heology over and agains hisory radiion culure and experience
A one level he sola scripura commimens o Reormaion radiions have
a very specific hisory and should be undersood according o he nuances
wih which his idea has developed in he pas five hundred years9830911048628 A anoher
33I explicae some aspecs o he ldquohis is hardquo hermeneuic rom a Penecosal perspecive in myldquoReading Scripure and Naure Penecosal Hermeneuics and Teir Implicaions or he Con-
emporary Evangelical Teology and Science Conversaionrdquo Perspecives on Science and ChrisianFaih 9830931048627 no 1048625 (104862698308810486251048625) 1048625-10486251048627
34Reflecing developmens rom he publicaion o Te Fundamenals o he ldquoChicago Saemen onBiblical Inerrancyrdquo (1048625983097983095983096) many conservaive Norh American Evangelicals991252eg rom NormanL Geisler Inerrancy (Grand Rapids Zondervan 1048625983097983096983088) o James R Whie Scripure Alone (Min-neapolis Behany House 1048626983088983088983092)991252have seen and coninue o see boh sola scripura and he doc-
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2335
983089 983089 983090 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
Te problem however is ha Asian Americans have rarely i ever ques-
ioned more rigid applicaions o his mehodological norm or evangelical
heology Raher hey have inernalized he evangelical bias agains hisoryradiion and experience hus silencing he role ha paricular perspecives
migh play in he heological ask I we appeal o our experience a all we
mus do so apologeically as i admiting ha such heological inerprea-
ions are a bes parochial concerns o a communiy no ye assimilaed o
he dominan culure or a wors signaling our heological immauriy and
need o grow up rom or ranscend he ldquobackwardnessrdquo represening our
hisory and experience beore our lie in Chris Ironically however suchinenional marginalizaion o he Asian American experience no o
menion Asian American philosophical ways o hinking and reasoning
does no call ino quesion how he predominanly Anglo- and Euro-
American experiences o moderniy have shaped evangelical heology As a
resul Asian American Evangelicals have adoped wha is claimed o be a
biblical worldview and heological ramework supposedly shorn o he sub-
jecive biases o hisorically siuaed human inerpreers Bu hese aresurely devoid o heir own experienial and conexual (Asian American)
locaions and ye uncriically naive in hinking ha Euro-American his-
orical accidens have been adequaely ldquoChrisianizedrdquo
So ar I have suggesed ha episemologically hermeneuically and meh-
odologically Asian Americans have rarely quesioned he modernis Enligh-
enmen and Anglo- and Euro-American presupposiions o he evangelical
heological endeavor And since his underaking has never acknowledged heculural conexs and perspecives o he predominanly whie ramers o he
evangelical heological radiion10486281048624 he assumpion is ha ehniciy plays litle
i any role in he work o heology No surprisingly hen Asian American
heologians have been reicen o sugges ha ehniciy culure and hisoriciy
coun in heological reflecion By exension he heological and docrinal
40My poin is no ha whie perspecives have disored he gospel his isel assumes a sor oa-culural gospel ha needs conexualizaion991252a poin ha needs o be addressed and nuanced which we will do momenarily My poin is ha such whie viewpoins are no only unrecognized bu ha hey are hen presumed o be normaive or nonwhies I is par o he goal o his chapero call Asian American heologians o atend o his assumpion and o find ways o inenionallyaddress and subver i
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983091
resuls have been ormulaed and ransmited as biblically unded and univer-
sally applicable regardless o conexual consideraions
A (supposedly) universal doctrinal famework One example o how Norh American evangelical heology has proceeded wih universalisic assumpions
and hereby overlooked i no inenionally ignored oher culural perspec-
ives has o do wih he docrine o he aonemen and wha i addresses Pu
crassly humankind suffers rom one overall problem ha o sin agains God
and ha one problem demands basically one soluion he subsiuionary
aonemen o he Sonrsquos deah on he cross1048628983089 Now I realize ha i is unair o
depic evangelical views regarding he aonemen in such homogeneous ermssince he mater isel is sill being conesed1048628983090 Bu he ac is ha in some
evangelical circles deparure rom he subsiuionary view o he aonemen
is considered deviaion rom evangelical orhodoxy1048628983091 From his posiion oher
biblical aspecs and alernaive inerpreaions are eiher subsumed under he
docrine o penal subsiuion or argued o be flawed in some respec
O course such a viewpoin minimizes he role o medieval eudalism and
he jurisprudenial background o some o he Reormers in he emergenceand esablishmen o his undersanding o he aonemen in he evangelical
radiion jus as i really does no quesion he basically Augusinian anhro-
pology presumed in his process Now I am no a hisorical deerminis who
believes ha conex leads inexorably o our heological ideas jus as I do no
hink ha allowance or hisorical conexual acors relaivizes he ruh o
heological claims or produces docrinal heerodoxy Raher wihou denying
41Te World Evangelical Alliancersquos Saemen o Faih affirms ldquoWe believe in Our Lord JesusChris God manies in he flesh His virgin birh His sinless human lie His divine miracles His vicarious and aoning deah His bodily resurrecion His ascension His mediaorial work and HisPersonal reurn in power and glory Te Salvaion o los and sinul man hrough he shed bloodo he Lord Jesus Chris by aih apar rom works and regeneraion by he Holy Spirirdquo (see worldevangelicalorgweasaemenhm emphases original)
42See James Beilby and Paul R Eddy eds Te Naure o he Aonemen Four Views (DownersGrove IL IVP Academic 1048626983088983088983094) and Derek idball David Hilborn and Jusin Tacker eds Te
Aonemen Debae Papers fom he London Symposium on he Teology o he Aonemen (Grand
Rapids Zondervan 1048626983088983088983093) c J Denny Weaver Te Nonviolen Aonemen (Grand Rapids Eerd-mans 10486269830889830881048625) and Hans Boersma Violence Hospialiy and he Cross Recovering he Aonemen
radiion (Grand Rapids Baker Academic 1048626983088983088983092)43See S Lewis Johnson Jr ldquoBehold he Lamb Te Gospel and Subsiuionary Aonemenrdquo in John
H Armsrong ed Te Coming Evangelical Crisis Curren Challenges o he Auhoriy o Scripure
and he Gospel (Chicago Moody Press 1048625983097983097983094) pp 10486251048625983097-1048627983096
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983089 983089 983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
he imporance o he biblical and heological heme o subsiuion or he
docrine o he aonemen I am simply suggesing ha oher culural perspec-
ives and even assumpions migh highligh and emphasize oher biblicalmeaphors regarding Chrisrsquos salvific work
Bu o pursue he quesion ono Asian American errain wha difference
will i make i we recognize ha some Asians and Asian Americans live and
exis in a shame raher han guil culure How migh evangelical hinking
abou he aonemen be adjused revised and maybe even ransormed i
Chrisrsquos work no only assuaged he guil o sin rom human lives bu also re-
moved he shame in human hears10486281048628 My poin is ha evangelical heologicalendencies generally urge a universalisic sandpoin and in his paradigm
here is no need o atend o he pariculariies o or ariculae Asian Asian
American or oher culural perspecives since hese are all subsumed wihin he
biblical ramework read in an evangelical way In his case here isnrsquo even a
need o ask wheher radiional evangelical heologies and docrines like hose
regarding he aonemen may need o be revisied and reariculaed in ligh o
oher hisorical culural and experienial dynamics In ac Asian Americansare boh oo shameul and oo shy o even consider asking abou hese maters
I have argued so ar in his secion ha Asian American Evangelicals ormed
heologically according o he sensibiliies o he dominan evangelical culure
in Norh America have inernalized he whie evangelical worldview and in ha
sense mosly do no see he need o hink explicily rom an Asian American
vanage poin Asian American evangelical views are hereore a bes no more
han a minoriy heological perspecive wo relaed summary consequenceshave ollowed Asian American acquiescence o he majoriy culure Firs meh-
odologically and maerially evangelical heology has been undersood o be a-
hisorical a-culural and even a-conexual Te assumpion is ha he Bible
addresses all human beings so any plain reading o he Scripure will or should
be able o access he Word o God a any and all imes and places radiionally
ormulaed and ramed evangelical docrines derived rom an inducive sudy
44 Asian Americans are beginning o do jus his however991252eg Rachel Y Lei ldquoSaving Significanceo he Cross in he Asian American Conexrdquo SANACS Journal 1048625 (1048626983088983088983097) 983097983093-10486251048625983094 c Mark D Bakerand Joel B Green Recovering he Scandal o he Cross Te Aonemen in New esamen and Con-
emporary Conexs (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 1048626983088983088983088) chap 983094 ldquoRemoving AlienaingShame Te Saving Significance o he Cross in Japanrdquo
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983093
o Scripure hus orm he undispuable and unrevisable core o he gospel
Tere is litle recogniion o he hisorical culural and conexual perspecives
ha have conribued o he ariculaion o such evangelical belies Wha his means is ha here sill remains a core se o evangelical docrinal
achievemens and hese remain valid across space and ime alhough hey
may be supplemened by or ranslaed ino local conexual and siuaional
perspecives and idioms As we saw previously (chaper one) he recen Cam-
bridge Companion o Evangelical Teology reflecs precisely his mindse10486281048629 Te
Companion we know is divided ino wo pars Te firs is iled ldquoEvan-
gelicals and Chrisian Docrinerdquo and his includes eigh chapers on he oun-daional docrinal marix o evangelical belies he riniy Scripure chris-
ology heological anhropology jusificaionaonemen pneumaology
conversionsancificaion and ecclesiology Par wo ldquoTe Conexs o Evan-
gelical Teologyrdquo hen provides anoher nine chapers and hese cover issues
relaed o culure gender race and pluralism and include five chapers on
evangelical heology in Arican Asian European Lain American and Norh
American conexs Tis srucure o he Companion communicaes a wooldmessage ha evangelical docrine is a-conexually derived (par one) and
ha various hisorical conexs (par wo) can add a mos parochial ruhs
ha will no upse he docrinal supersrucure o he evangelical heological
landscape In shor basic heological and docrinal ruhs o he Chrisian
aih have already been ormulaed and can be ound in any oher evangelical
sysemaic heological ex quie apar rom Asian American or any oher
more specified perspecivesPu more poinedly i Asian Americans (or any oher ehnic or culural
group) were o wrie heir own heologies hese would be provincial under-
akings wih marginal relevance or he wider evangelical communiy Tese
would be o value only or ldquohoserdquo people (maybe immigrans reugees or
exiles) who have no ye been assimilaed ino he broader American evan-
gelical culure Litle wonder hen ha ew Asian Americans have venured
ino heological errioryhe second summary consequence o inernalizing he dominan
45imohy Larsen and Daniel J reier eds Te Cambridge Companion o Evangelical Teology (Cambridge Cambridge Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983095)
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983089 983089983094 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
worldview991252ha evangelical heology a leas in is dogmaic and sysemaic
configuraions is by and large a finished projec wih minimal inpu needed
rom Asian American or oher perspecives991252is ha Asian Americans wihheological educaion have urned in general o work in he hisorical and
social scienific disciplines10486281048630 Tere cerainly remains imporan work o be
done by hose working across he disciplines so I am no decrying such effors
Ye he ac ha hisorical sociological or oher disciplinary explicaions o
Asian American lie are published by universiy presses communicaes o
Asian Americans ha heir role is o shed new ligh on he Asian American
experience A he same ime he prevalence o hese analyical approachesamid he lacuna o explicily heological works suggess ha he ormer is o
minimal value a leas or he ldquorealrdquo heological work o dogmaics and sys-
emaics Furher ha hese scholarly publishers do no eaure exs on Asian
American evangelical heology confirms his division o labor (whie Evan-
gelicals wrie real heology Asian American Evangelicals do hisory sociology
ec) A he end o he day evangelical heologyrsquos assumpion remains undis-
urbed ha here are core docrines ha only need o be conexualized991252ha is ranslaed and made relevan991252around he world In his ramework
Asian Americans can conribue no o he ormer heological ormulaion bu
only o he later ranslaion and disseminaion ask10486281048631
46Eg he work o imohy seng and David Yoo in hisory Fenggang Yang and Rebecca Kim insociology and Russell Jeung in Asian American sudies among ohers see also my ldquoAsian Amer-ican Religion A Review Essayrdquo Nova Religio Te Journal o Alernaive and Emergen Religions 983097
no 1048627 (1048626983088983088983094) 9830971048626-104862598308898309547One could argue ha a parallel ye disinc moivaion drives Lain American or Hispanic evan-
gelical heology in a similar direcion I Asian Americans are cauioned agains hinking heo-logically rom ou o ehnic hisorical and conexual lives because o heir uncriical embrace o whie evangelical assumpions Hispanic Evangelicals may have adoped similar commimensalbei or slighly differen reasons relaed o he Lain American conex Te dominance o heRoman Caholic Church along wih is heological and olk radiions in he later environmenmay be behind Hispanic evangelical suspicions abou he role o hisory and culure in he doingo heology Te ani-Caholic senimen in hisoric Evangelicalism no doub is atracive oLainoas on he migran rail (rom Lain America o he Unied Saes) alhough such accom-modaion has brough wih i he heological coss elaboraed in he preceding pages For urher
discussion and oher angles on hese issues see Oscar Garcia-Johnson Te Mesizoa Communiyo he Spiri A Posmodern Lainoa Ecclesiology (Eugene OR Wip amp Sock 1048626983088983088983097) Sammy Alaro Divino Compantildeero oward a Hispanic Penecosal Chrisology (Eugene OR Pickwick10486269830881048625983088) Juan Mariacutenez ldquolsquoOuside he Gaersquo Evangelicalism and Laino Proesan Teologyrdquo in JeffreyGreenman and Gene L Green eds Global Teology in Evangelical Perspecive Exploring he Conex-
ual Naure o Teology and Mission (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 104862698308810486251048626) pp 1048625983095983097-983097983092 and
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983095
T983144983141 M983137983150983140983137983156983141 983151983142 A983155983145983137983150 A983149983141983154983145983139983137983150 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161
Te preceding analysis raises sel-criical awareness or Asian American Evan-
gelicals and invies hem in dialogue wih oher Evangelicals o consider wheher heir minoriy saus is problemaic and wha i anyhing can and
ough o be done abou i Now I am aware ha here are developmens wihin
he evangelical heological radiion broadly consrued ha have moved
beyond some o he sricures idenified in he preceding secion Progressive
Evangelicals he evangelical lef and posconservaive Evangelicals denoe jus
a ew o he rends among ohers percolaing on he margins o evangelical
heology10486281048632 Bu ha is precisely par o he problem hese are movemens haexcep or a small minoriy remain ouside he evangelical mainsream and
have also by and large been ignored by Asian American evangelical scholars
and heologians I believe ha producive ways orward can be chared via
Asian American Evangelicals in dialogue wih some o hese ideas alhough
a he end o he day such conversaions will only be producive as Asian
American Evangelicals ormulae a plaorm on which hey can bring some-
hing subsanive o he discussion Tis later ask is par o he presen chal-lenge and burden o he presen book
Insoar hen as I am ineresed in he quesion o wha Asian Americans can
conribue o evangelical heology no jus hisorically or sociologically bu a
a heological level my claim is ha pursui o hese maters ironically also in-
volves aking seriously he hisoriciy and pariculariy o Asian American cul-
ures experiences and perspecives In his final par o his chaper I do no
more han sugges in broad srokes how o go abou such an underakingRealities o the Asian American diaspora Par o ldquohe problem o evan-
gelical heologyrdquo can be clarified i we siuae Asian American evangelical
heology amid he broader Asian American diasporic hisorical and social
realiies described in par a he beginning o chaper wo Doing so enables
he sark realizaion ha Asian American Evangelicals are composed by a
wide range o experiences on he one hand and pressure o assimilae o
Juan F Mariacutenez and Lindy Scot eds Los Evangeacutelicos Porrais o Laino Proesanism in he
Unied Saes (Eugene OR Wip amp Sock 1048626983088983088983097)48Many o hese are discussed in Roger E Olson Reormed and Always Reorming Te Posconser-
vaive Approach o Evangelical Teology (Grand Rapids Baker Academic 1048626983088983088983095)
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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983089 983089983096 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
American culure on he oher W hile Asians have lived in Norh America
since he ounding o he republic and had even conribued o he building
o he American empire during he nineeenh cenury he 983089983097983094983093 Immigraion Ac ha repealed he Orienal Exclusion Ac o 983089983097983090983092 reopened he door o a
new wave o Asian migraion During he las generaion Asian American lie
has been urher ransormed by he orces o globalizaion diasporas creaed
by modernizaion indusrializaion and urbanizaion reugee populaions
displaced by war amine and climae changes movemen enabled by he
emergence o a worldwide marke economy advances in echnology and mass
communicaion he cross-erilizaion o ideologies and shifs in inerna-ional relaions10486281048633 Te resul as saw in he previous chaper is he appearance
o a wide range o Asian American communiies across Norh America Lie
in such communiies is fluid affeced by migraion paterns socioeconomic
pressures and he srengh o relaions wih hose ldquoback homerdquo Te sronger
he ransnaional ies beween Asian immigrans in he Wes and heir amilies
organizaions and insiuions (religious and oherwise) in heir homeland
he more inense and longer-lasing he exchange o religious goods and ideas(in he orm o books periodicals and various orms o elecommunicaion)
Unsurprisingly hen firs-generaion immigrans ofen deepen he reli-
gious commimens ha hey held or praciced perhaps more nominally
beore moving Someimes immigrans conver o he more dominan religion
o heir new home In eiher case religious affiliaion ofen serves o secure
social neworks coner saus oherwise difficul o come by or immigrans
and srenghen ehnic culural and linguisic bonds and ideniies Bu or he983089983093 generaion (hose born in Asia bu who grew up a leas in par in he
Unied Saes like mysel) he process o assimilaion is well under way In
hese cases he ehnic enclave will develop English-speaking secions as well
as social organizaions school clubs and Chrisian congregaions
For young adul Asian American Evangelicals however here is ofen a
49For an overview o hese issues see Wanni W Anderson and Rober G Lee eds Displacemensand Diasporas Asians in he Americas (New Brunswick NJ Rugers Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983093) Idiscuss urher he implicaions o globalizaion or Chrisian heology in Amos Yong and PeerHelzel ldquoRober Cummings Neville and he Global Fuure o Teologyrdquo in Yong and Helzel edsTeology in Global Conex Essays in Honor o Rober Cummings Neville (New York amp Clark1048626983088983088983092) pp 1048626983097-9830921048626 esp pp 1048627983088-1048627983092
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983097
keen sense ha heir own ehnically organized congregaions or groups are
somehow less religiously and heologically legiimae because hey do no
have he more ldquouniversalrdquo appeal o whie or muliculural evangelicalchurches or parachurch organizaions10486291048624 Te resul is eiher he ransiion o
ehnic congregaions ino pan-ehnic congregaions or movemen rom heir
ldquohomerdquo congregaion o oher less ehnically defined church environmens1048629983089
By he ime he second generaion atains adulhood he remaining culural
or linguisic barriers o ull assimilaion ino American sociey are pracically
overcome ofen o he dismay o parens and grandparens1048629983090
Wha does such assimilaion consis o Cerainly speaking Englishparicipaing in he marke economy and adaping o he opions provided
by American seculariy and poliics are minimal adjusmens Bu perhaps
assimilaion also requires abandoning he norms o he immigran culure
in avor o American norms or amily and gender relaions and engaging
wih he public square on is erms I so would his no lead o an evan-
gelical sel-undersanding deeply ormed by American culure poliics
and economics Would his no resul in a subordinaion and even deor-maion o all ha is Asian excep or he biological phenoype I would
appear hen ha becoming American would more easily aciliae he
embrace o evangelical Chrisianiy991252i such is deined as a suburban
Midwesern whie middle-class religious phenomenon wih Wheaon
Illinois as is veriable ldquoMeccardquo991252bu his brings wih i he cos o losing
onersquos Asianness Does his mean ha ull accepance o Evangelicalism
50See eg Rebecca Y Kim ldquoNegoiaion o Ehnic and Religious Boundaries by Asian AmericanCampus Evangelicalsrdquo in ony Carnes and Fenggang Yang eds Asian American Religions Te
Making and Remaking o Borders and Boundaries (New York New York Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983092) pp10486259830921048625-983093983097 and Rudy V Buso ldquoTe Gospel According o he Model Minoriy Hazarding an Inerpre-aion o Asian American Evangelical College Sudensrdquo in David K Yoo ed New Spiriual Homes
Religion and Asian Americans (Honolulu Universiy o Hawaii Press 1048625983097983097983097) pp 1048625983094983097-98309698309551See Russell Jeung Faihul Generaions Race and New Asian American Churches (New Brunswick
NJ Rugers Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983092)52 As can be discerned by reading beween he lines o he Bible sudies in om Linrsquos Losing Face
and Finding Grace Tis appears o be he case wheher he second generaion inenionally a-emps o disinguish is ehnic congregaional lie rom ha o he firs immigran generaion or wheher he second generaion becomes absorbed ino nonehnic or even muliehnic congrega-ions on his poin see Elaine Howard Ecklund ldquoModels o Civic Responsibiliy Korean Amer-icans in Congregaions wih Differen Ehnic Composiionsrdquo Journal or he Scienific Sudy o
Religion 983092983092 no 1048625 (1048626983088983088983093) 1048625983093-1048626983096
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
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983089 983090 983088 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
includes ldquorepenancerdquo rom Asia and ldquoconversionrdquo o Americanism1048629983091
Ta his is no he case seems o be borne ou by he sociological lieraure
which confirms ha ehniciy remains jus as imporan as religion in he or-maion o Asian American ideniy10486291048628 Bu i so evangelical heology has no
even begun o wresle wih he imporance o ehniciy and race no o
menion heir heological implicaions Second-generaion Korean Amer-
icans or insance seem o be inuiively drawn o churches and parachurch
minisries ha oreground heir Korean culural ideniy10486291048629 bu hey have
developed ew heological raionales or such orms o social organizaion
more o he poin heir own heological presupposiions miigae agains suchaciviy which may explain heir ideniy conflicedness
Unsurprisingly hen Asian American evangelical heology has ye o ge
off he ground even a he beginning o he weny-firs cenury Asian
American Evangelicals geting degrees rom insiuions o higher educaion
have had o wresle wihagains his assimilaive impulse o sruggle wih he
quesion o wheher hey are or should be doing (descripive) sociology raher
han heology (as normaive reflecion) and o ariculae an apologeic ordoing Asian American evangelical heology raher han jus evangelical he-
ology For oo many Asian American Evangelicals heir saus ldquobewix and
beweenrdquo991252on he one hand belonging o Asia and o he Unied Saes in
some respecs bu on he oher hand being a sranger o boh Asia and he
Unied Saes in oher respecs991252pus hem in a unique posiion o inerrogae
evangelical heology bu (o dae) leaves hem ouside he ormal organiza-
ional and insiuional srucures o criique effecively and ransorm heevangelical heological radiion
53One could also make he reverse argumen however ha Evangelicalism in he Unied Saes hasalready been molded by is social culural and hisorical conex o he exen ha he very eauresha mark he American way o lie991252ie individualism experienialism pragmaism even con-sumerism991252have also come o characerize evangelical Chrisianiy For an insighul analysis ohe ofenimes uncriical conflaion o Evangelicalism and Americanism and o he orces ha havealso resised such accommodaions see D G Har Ta Old-ime Religion in Modern America
Evangelical Proesanism in he wenieh Cenury (Chicago Ivan R Dee 10486269830889830881048626)54See Jerry Z Park ldquoTe Ehnic and Religious Ideniies o Young Asian Americansrdquo (PhD diss
Universiy o Nore Dame 1048626983088983088983092)55See Sharon Kim and Rebecca Y Kim ldquoSecond-Generaion Korean American Chrisiansrsquo Com-
muniies Congregaional Hybridiyrdquo in Carolyn Chen and Russell Jeung eds Susaining Faih
radiions Race Ehniciy and Religion Among he Laino and Asian American Second Generaion (New York New York Universiy Press 104862698308810486251048626) pp 1048625983095983094-9830971048627
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983090 983089
Moving trajectories o theological reflection O course i Asian Americans
hope o climb he ranks o he Norh American evangelical heological
academy hey can only do so on he erms esablished by heir hoss Andraher han responding o sociopoliical acors he evangelical heological
guild has always undersood isel primarily in heological erms and seen is
charge as deending hisorical orhodoxy wheher ha be agains liberalismrsquos
denial o biblical supernauralism agains neo-orhodoxyrsquos ambiguous sance
on Scripure agains mainsream sciencersquos heory o evoluion agains open
heismrsquos docrine o God and so on10486291048630 I evangelical heology has never
beore enerained ehnic perspecives in is discursive consrucion why nowundermine he (is presumed) universal ramework and applicabiliy by
adding he Asian or Asian American qualifiers
While in a sense his enire book provides a se o responses o his quesion
here I sugges hree reasons ha can moivae such a heological pah orward
Firs he Asian diaspora in he Unied Saes is now in a siuaion o reflec
subsanively on is experience o migraion While here are remendous
challenges o migraion10486291048631 some Asian Americans have achieved a level oupward social mobiliy so ha hey are now in he posiion o producing
scholarship inormed by such experienial perspecives Since he memory o
migraion among Asian Americans is more recen han hose o heir Cau-
casian colleagues such perspecives migh be helpul o ideniy how he mi-
graion rom he European coninen has shaped he evangelical heological
enerprise as a whole I Asian Americans can help heir evangelical colleagues
ideniy he hisorical impac o old o new world migraion on he belies andpracices o Norh American Evangelicalism ha in isel will open up pos-
sibiliies or considering aresh Asian American hisories and heir conribu-
ions o he wider conversaion
Second Asian Americans are orced o hink abou race and ehniciy in a
way unlike mos o heir whie brohers and sisers alhough heir reflecions
56Evangelical heologyrsquos many inernal and exernal batles are documened by Jon R Sone On heBoundaries o American Evangelicalism Te Poswar Evangelical Coaliion (New York S MarinrsquosPress 1048625983097983097983095)
57Some o hese are documened by Kenneh J Gues God in Chinaown Religion and Survival in
New Yorkrsquos Evolving Immigran Communiy (New York New York Universiy Press 10486269830889830881048627) whose work we will reurn o in chaper six
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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983089 983090 983090 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
can also mediae perspecive in an oherwise whie-and-black demarcaed
world Race and ehniciy are undeniable aspecs o Asian American hisory
and experience Te impor o his is a leas woold Firs Asian Americansare posiioned o engage he discussion opened up by black evangelical heo-
logians regarding conemporary heology991252even in is evangelical guises991252as
reflecing he ascen o whie perspecives in he early modern period a he
expense o Jewish and oher nonwhie culural realiies Asian American per-
specives on race and ehniciy will open up new visas on he racial and ehnic
dimensions o he biblical world10486291048632 In oher words he marginalized hisories
and perspecives o Asian American Evangelicals have much o conribue oconemporary biblical inerpreaion and heological explicaion Te dom-
inan orms o evangelical heology orged in par ou o he hegemony o
Chrisendom are in need o criical analysis and dialogical revision
Las bu no leas cenral and ongoing elemens o Asian American hisory
are par o he presen experiences o ransnaionalism and globalizaion Te
issues here are complex10486291048633 One mater ha needs o be addressed is he iner-
woven characer o he global economy and how i affecs people around he world differenly depending on various social poliical and culural circum-
sances In addiion wih regard o he Asian American side o his equaion
here remain difficul issues relaed o how he quesion o assimilaion or ac-
culuraion is being negoiaed and adjudicaed Firs- second- and hird-gener-
aion perspecives differ someimes momenously and his does no even acor
in he perspecives o he 983089983093 generaion I heology is o engage he hisorical
realiies o real flesh-and-blood human beings i mus engage such quesions inour conemporary world Asian American Evangelicals can lead he way in
hinking heologically abou such hings and his will benefi no only Asian
58 Asian Evangelicals hus need o build rom he insighul readings o mainline Proesan biblicalscholar a-Siong Benny Liew Wha Is Asian American Biblical Hermeneuics Reading he New
esamen (Honolulu Universiy o Hawaii Press 1048626983088983088983096) regarding he ehnic dynamics under-neah Jewish-Genile relaions in he New esamen o be sure Liewrsquos mainline Proesan as-sumpions may be raher disan rom evangelical ones so some criical dialogue and perhaps
correcion may also be in order Ye he srengh o Liewrsquos book is o sugges how Asian Americanexperiences o ehnic marginaliy can illuminae he dispues beween Jewish and Genile ollow-ers o he Messiah in he firs cenury Tis is an issue worh subsanial engagemen rom anevangelical perspecive
59Eg Neil J Ormerod and Shane Clifon Globalizaion and he Mission o he Church (New York amp Clark 104862698308810486251048625)
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983090983091
American communiies bu also hose o oher ehnic racial and culural groups
who are also wresling wih lie in he weny-firs-cenury global conex
Evangelical heology oday will need o heed more inenionally han i has beore acors o migraion ehniciy globalizaion and ransnaionalism
Asian American Evangelicals can assis wih hese maters i hey will arise o
he occasion Tis does no derac rom he universaliy o he gospel message
On he conrary i addresses quesions o universal significance ha are oher-
wise negleced or engaged rom or wihin only one (dominan cenris) se
o perspecives
Reconnecting to the broader evangelical theological tradition Beore con-cluding his chaper however an imporan cavea ough o be sounded None
o he preceding should be read as denying eiher Asian American indebedness
o he evangelical radiion or he inerrelaedness o Asian American and oher
evangelical effors in he conemporary heological ask Te preceding migh
sugges ha Asian Americans are only poining accusing fingers a heir whie
evangelical riends Wihou aking away anyhing rom he seriousness o he
oregoing discussion I also realize ha whie Evangelicals in paricular and Americans in general have been welcoming o Asians and ha we have made i
his ar on our diasporic journey only wih he help o such riends
Beyond such ecclesial collegialiy however I would gran ha Asian Amer-
icans are in various respecs beholden heologically o American Evangelicals
as well In paricular American evangelical commimens o Chris-
ceneredness biblical aihulness and missionary zealousness are imporan
elemens o Chrisian belie and pracice in he weny-firs cenury Asian American Evangelicals should embrace and live ou such commimens no
only or hemselves bu also or oher Evangelicals and even or he world
Ye my claim is precisely ha such a posure enables Asian American Evan-
gelicals o conribue heologically o he ormaion o an evangelical belie
and praxis relevan o he weny-firs cenury For his o happen however
Asian American Evangelicals mus embrace no only he evangel bu also he
hisoriciy o heir diasporic experiences Te incarnaion o he Son o Godconsised afer all o aking on he concreeness palpabiliy and emporaliy
o human Jewish and firs-cenury Palesinian flesh and he oupouring o he
Spiri o God on he Day o Penecos involved he redempion o he diversiy
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983089 983090 983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
o human ongues languages and culures so ha hey migh bear winess o
he wondrous works o God (Acs 983090983089983089) Tis penecosal heme991252relaed o
Acs 983090 firs and oremos albei reraced unavoidably hrough he lens o mymodern penecosal ecclesial sensibiliies991252will inorm he deep srucure o
he argumen in he remainder o his volume ye achieved wihin a pen-
evangelical raher han merely charismaic rame o reerence My poin going
orward however is ha in ligh o hese heological and riniarian commi-
mens Evangelicals should be he firs o embrace he diversiy o heir his-
orical pariculariies raher han shy away rom hem radiionally o course
Evangelicals have subordinaed he vicissiudes o hisory and wih ha heiranxieies abou he flux and subjeciviies o experience o he surey and
oundaionalism o he Word o God as revealed in he Scripures My pro-
posal however is ha work o God in Chris and by he Spiri redeems us
amid wih and hrough he specificiies o our hisorical and culural expe-
rience (raher han saving us rom ou o such alogeher) and hus ha he
Word o God speaks ino such realiies (raher han ha we have o deny hem
or rejec hem as par o who we are)In shor Asian American Evangelicals do no need o be apologeic abou
heir lives experiences and perspecives Raher by ollowing he pah o he
Son o God ino he ar counry by receiving he infilling o he Spiri o God
poured ou on all flesh and by aihully atemping o live ou such a Chris-
cenered and Spiri-empowered aih in he ooseps o heir evangelical ore-
bears and ancesors Asian Americans may hen be able o bring heir heo-
logical gifs o he conversaion able gifs ha will challenge he discussion while simulaneously enriching he are or all hose concerned abou he
euangelion in he presen ime I is ime o heologize as Asian Americans no
jus as Evangelicals in order ha Evangelicalism isel can be renewed and
invigoraed or he sake o he gospel and in anicipaion o he reign o God
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S983157983138983146983141983139983156 I983150983140983141983160 250
A983157983156983144983151983154 I983150983140983141983160 253
S983139983154983145983152983156983157983154983141 I983150983140983141983160 254
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3
THE LEGACY OF EVANGEL ICAL THEOLOGY
Asian American Reception and Interrogations
In his chaper we drill deeper ino he inner logic o Asian American evan-
gelical heology Why has he Asian American naure o evangelical heology
been relaively underplayed when compared o Asian evangelical heology
and o Asian American heology in mainline Proesan and Roman Caholic
circles Tis chaper argues ha here are many reasons or his and ha hey
relae boh o he legacy o he (whie) Norh American evangelical endeavor
as a whole and o how his radiion has been received and inernalized by
Asian American Evangelicals
Te hree secions o come inroduce he whence o Asian American evan-
gelical heology and is largely conservaive ehos explore how his conser-
vaism is he resul o inernalizing he heo-logic o he dominan (Wesern)
evangelical culure and conclude by urging Asian American Evangelicals o
live more inenionally ino and ou o he pariculariy socialiy and hiso-
riciy o heir experiences While Asian American evangelical heology has
been by and large consonan wih ha o he (whie) evangelical esablishmen
i has no ound much o is own voice Par o he goal is o clariy why and
how he curren generaion o Asian American Evangelicals aces a ork in he
road o allow nonehnic (read whie) Evangelicals o coninue o se he
heological agenda ha minimizes or marginalizes heir perspecives or o
asser why he hisoriciy and pariculariy o he Asian American hisory and
experience is imporan no only or Asian American evangelical heology
specifically bu also or he evangelical heological ask as a whole
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 935
983097 983096 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
I he firs wo chapers have atemped o map he broader global and wider
Asian American heological landscapes his chaper conducs a sel-criical
analysis o aspecs o Asian American evangelical hinking While here is morediversiy underneah he Asian American evangelical label han many hink
here is also some jusificaion or discussing i in erms I presen Tis chaper
probes some o hese aken-or-graned eaures o he Asian American evan-
gelical menaliy ha have inhibied creaive and consrucive heological re-
flecion Noe however ha he poin is no o merely be criical o he whie
evangelical heological esablishmen raher he poin is o highligh how in
our conemporary global conex he evangelical radiion can be expandedrenewed and developed in dialogue wih non-Euro-American conversaion
parners Posiively pu hen he ollowing inends o open up a way orward
or he pen-evangelical heological pah ha chapers our and ollowing char
A983155983145983137983150 A983149983141983154983145983139983137983150 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161 W983144983141983150983139983141
983137983150983140 W(983144)983145983156983144983141983154
I is air o say ha we are sill a he very beginning sages o Asian Americanevangelical heologizing983089 As we shall see we can only speak abou Asian
American evangelical heology i undersood in a very broad sense Te ol-
lowing skeches hree sreams o such reflecion which enables compre-
hension o is largely conservaive insincs
Paricularly or Asian Americans rom an Eas Asian background he Con-
ucian emphasis on filial piey plays ou in heir evangelical spiriualiy Some
o he earlies works on Asian American evangelical heology hereore wereocused on how especially second-generaion Asian Americans could honor
heir parens while ollowing Chris983090 Tis was and remains an especially
imporan mater i he immigran generaion were non-Chrisians Beyond
his is he pressure o perecionis expecaions by parens no o menion
having also o live ino he ldquomodel minoriyrdquo sereoype ouside he home
1One o he ew orays ino he quesion remains Young Lee Herig ldquoWhy Asian American Evan-gelical Teologiesrdquo Journal o Asian and Asian American Teology 983095 (1048626983088983088983093ndash1048626983088983088983094) 1048625-10486261048627
2See Jeanete Yep ed Following Jesus Wihou Dishonoring Your Parens Asian American Discipleship (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 1048625983097983097983096) and Nikki A oyama and racey Gee eds More
Tan Serving ea Asian American Women on Expecaions Relaionships Leadership and Faih (Downers Grove IL IVP Books 1048626983088983088983094)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983097 983097
When combined wih he deerenial Eas Asian posure many Asian Amer-
icans develop a sel-inerioriy complex991252devasaing wihin a culure o
shame991252paricularly when having also o conron linguisic challenges innavigaing hrough school and hen a career
Te ecclesial or congregaional domain is also one where Asian American
Evangelicals have expended some effor Tis is o be expeced given he long
hisory o ehnic churches and he many debaes no o menion challenges
relaed o assimilaion o he dominan culure Wihin he lieraure on Asian
American Evangelicalism we find works on pasoral minisry (designed o
equip minisers o cross generaional culural ecclesial gender and oherdivides)983091 congregaional healh and effeciveness (which provide models
or ehnic-dominan bilingual and even mixed ecclesial communiies)1048628 and
even a growing number o pan-Asian or pan-ehnic visions o he uure
(which ofen deal wih he issues o race and racializaion wihin an evan-
gelical paradigm)1048629 Asian American Evangelicals have ocused some o heir
energies on hese ecclesiological maters Wha can be hoped or is ha hese
more pracical miniserial and missional emphases will also ranslae in duecourse ino more robus ecclesiological and heological reflecion
Recent developments in Asian American evangelical theologyI is a he more
properly undersood heological level ha Asian American Evangelicals can be
said o be barely ou o he saring gae Sill even in hese gesaional imes some
poenial roues or developmen can be discerned One is a collecion o essays
ha appeared in 9830909830889830889830941048630 Published by he L983090 Foundaion an organizaion devoed
o Asian American leadership and legacy developmen his is he firs book oappear on he opic o Asian American evangelical heology Te six essayiss reflec
3Eg Ken Uyeda Fong Pursuing he Pearl A Comprehensive Resource or Muli-Asian Minisry (Val-ley Forge PA Judson Press 1048625983097983097983097) and Russell Yee Worship on he Way Exploring Asian Norh
American Chrisian Experience (Valley Forge PA Judson Press 104862698308810486251048626)4See Peer Cha S Seve Kang and Helen Lee eds Growing Healhy Asian American Congregaions (Downers Grove IL IVP Books 1048626983088983088983094) and M Sydney Park Soong-Chan Rah and Al izon edsHonoring he Generaions Learning wih Asian Norh American Congregaions (Valley Forge PA Judson Press 104862698308810486251048626)
5Elizabeh Conde-Frazier S Seve Kang and Gary A Parret A Many-Colored Kingdom Mulicul-ural Dynamics or Spiriual Formaion (Grand Rapids Baker Academic 1048626983088983088983092) and Kenneh AMahews and M Sydney Park Te Pos-Racial Church A Biblical Framework or Muliehnic Rec-
onciliaion (Grand Rapids Kregel Academic 104862698308810486251048625)6D J Chuang and imohy seng eds Conversaions Asian American Evangelical Teologies in
Formaion (Washingon DC L1048626 Foundaion 1048626983088983088983094)
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 1135
983089983088983088 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
he diversiy o he AAE communiy David Yoo a hisorian a Claremon
McKenna College surveys (wih wo collaboraors) he prendashWorld War II his-
ories o Japanese and Korean American Chrisians and urges ha religion needso be acored ino immigraion and race analyses o hese communiies even as
im seng a hisorian o American Chrisianiy and ounder o he Insiue or
he Sudy o Asian American Chrisianiy exposes he ldquocolor blindnessrdquo o
American church hisory and provides some hermeneuical opions or moving
beyond orienalis or assimilaionis models o he Asian American Chrisian
experience A pracical heologian a riniy Evangelical Diviniy School Peer
Cha discusses he challenges involved in ideniy ormaion among second-generaion Korean Americans An inriguing chaper is missiologis James Zorsquos
(affiliaed wih Logos Evangelical Seminary in El Mone Caliornia) insighul
analysis o how srucural and power issues complicae he assessmen o racism
prejudice and discriminaion on boh sides o he American and Asian American
equaion For a volume on evangelical heology he wo explicily heological
conribuions are by hisorical heologians Paul Lim (who specializes in early
modern England has augh a Gordon-Conwell Teological Seminary and nowis as o he ime o his wriing a Vanderbil Universiy) reveals he imporance
o biography in he consrucion o any Asian American evangelical heology and
Jeffrey Jue (a pos-Reormaion hisorian a Wesminser Teological Seminary)
seeks a way beyond boh modernis experienialism and posmodernis subjec-
ivism by reurning o he gospel Te conversaional approach o each chaper
in he volume invies ohers o join in he discussion
A second line o developmen lies wih Asian American evangelical womenmany o whom are also working in he area o biblical sudies1048631 A recen volume
includes en chapers mos springing off emale biblical characers all se wihin
wha Young Lee Herig calls a ldquoyinis paradigmrdquo ha is neiher merely eminis
(nor womanis nor mujerisa) nor ye acquiescen o he pariarchal srucures
dominan wihin Asian American Evangelicalism in paricular and (whie) evan-
gelical heology in general1048632 Mirrored Reflecions is hus a groundbreaking and
7See Young Lee Herig and Chloe Sun eds Mirrored Reflecions Refaming Biblical Characers (Eugene OR Wip amp Sock 10486269830881048625983088)
8See Herigrsquos lead chaper ldquoTe Asian American Alernaive o Feminism A Yinis Paradigmrdquo inHerig and Sun eds Mirrored Reflecions pp 1048627-1048625983092
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 1235
he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088983089
paradigmaic book no only or Asian American heology bu also or evan-
gelical biblical hermeneuics I opens up space or Asian American womenrsquos
readings o he Bible wihou mimicking oher eminis agendas i embracesreader-response approaches while honoring he scripural horizon i boldly
explores a counerculural conexualism polyphonous mulivocalism and in-
ersubjecive perspecivism wihou lapsing ino relaivism and i insiss on he
need or us o come o erms wih pluralism globalizaion and ransnaionalism
in he pursui o aihul Chrisian discipleship in our ime Arguably his is
biblical inerpreaion and heological reflecion a is bes engaging subversive
ransormaive and salvific991252or women and men1048633 Such pahs opened up by Asian American evangelical women may well be wha is mos generaive and
producive or Asian American evangelical heology in he longer run
Te conribuions o Herig and company run parallel o oher Asian
American evangelical voices ha find hemselves bewix-and-beween he
cener o he evangelical movemen and he mainline Proesan commu-
niies Soong-Chan Rahrsquos work mediaes hese spaces as represenaive o a
promising pah in conemporary Asian American evangelical heology9830891048624 Tepoency o Rahrsquos argumen is ha he speaks no only o Asian American
Evangelicals bu also o he evangelical heological esablishmen as a whole
Tis is because his is a call or he church o le go o is individualism con-
sumerism maerialism and racism991252all effecs o Wesern culure991252in order
o be reed rom is culural capiviy983089983089 Rahrsquos analysis however can find
deeper Asian American racion paricularly i wedded o he uncompro-
mising call or living ino he Asian American ideniy by heologians suchas Jonahan ran983089983090 Te later empowers a disincive Asian American voice
9Perhaps in conras o he dominan srands o Asian American evangelical biblical inerpreaionha have swallowed Wesern hermeneuical mehods almos hook line and sinker see Andrew Yueking Lee ldquoReading he Bible as an Asian American Issues in Asian American Biblical Inerpre-aionrdquo in Viji Nakka-Cammau and imohy seng eds Asian American Chrisianiy A Reader (Casro Valley CA Te Insiue or he Sudy o Asian American Chrisianiy 1048626983088983088983097) pp 983094983088-983094983097
10Soong-Chan Rah Te Nex Evangelicalism Freeing he Church fom Wesern Culural Capiviy (Downers Grove IL IVP Books 1048626983088983088983097)
11From a hermeneuical perspecive see he similar argumen o E Randolph Richards and Bran-don J OrsquoBrien Misreading Scripure wih Wesern Eyes Removing Culural Blinders o Beter Un-
dersand he Bible (Downers Grove IL IVP Books 104862698308810486251048626)12See Jonahan ran ldquoA Few Tings I Wan rom Asian American Evangelicalsrdquo in Nakka-Cammau
and seng Asian American Chrisianiy pp 10486269830921048627-9830931048625 c also ran ldquoIdeniy as MissiologyrdquoSANACS Journal 1048625 (1048626983088983088983097) 1048626983097-983092983088
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 1335
983089983088983090 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
albei one ha is no parochial since i addresses larger ecclesial (and perhaps
even social) concerns983089983091
Te ac o he mater is however ha here is litle else available on Asian American evangelical heology and ha Asian American Evangelicals are sill
a long way off rom hinking heologically as Asian Americans Par o he
reason is ha many Asian American Evangelicals even hose who are heo-
logically rained have basically replicaed he majoriy evangelical (whie)
approaches o Scripure Furher many second-generaion Asian Americans
have adoped he assimilaionis experience as heir model and have presumed
ha an ldquoAmerican universalismrdquo maps ono a biblical universalism9830891048628 Teresul is he subordinaion o heir racial and ehnic ideniies and modes o
hinking Among he many reasons or his is he dominan conservaism o
Asian American culure especially wihin ecclesial communiies o Eas Asian
descen (eg Chinese Korean Japanese and Vienamese churches) As such
Asian Americans are conen o persis wih he saus quo o evangelical he-
ology inheried rom heir (whie) evangelical eachers
Asian American evangelical conservatism Te phenomenon o Eas Asianor Conucian culural conservaism is o course a complicaed one o un-
angle On he one hand here is somehing o he sereoype o Eas Asian
Conucianism as essenially androcenric (in subordinaing women o men)
pariarchal (susained by he radiionrsquos emphasis on filial piey) and auhori-
arian (preserved in he king-subjec and older-younger broher aspecs o he
ldquofiveold relaionsrdquo) On he oher hand like mos exended culural radiions
Conucianism has been neiher saic nor ree rom dissening rends ha haveatemped o rerieve reappropriae and when necessary jetison hese radi-
13Mathew Soerens and Jenny Hwang Welcoming he Sranger Jusice Compassion and ruh in he
Immigraion Debae (Downers Grove IL IVP Books 1048626983088983088983097) is anoher example o Asian AmericanEvangelicals speaking ino wider conversaions precisely he hrus o his book and par o is goalin erms o moivaing Asian American evangelical heological inquiry I will reurn o discuss heproposals o his volume in more deph in chaper six
14Tis is my way o puting wha oher Asian American scholars have also observed see boh Anony W Alumkal ldquoTe Scandal o he lsquoModel Minoriyrsquo Mind Te Bible and Second-Generaion Asian American Evangelicalsrdquo and imohy seng ldquoSecond-Generaion Chinese Evangelical Use o heBible in Ideniy Discourse in Norh Americardquo boh in a-siong Benny Liew Te Bible in Asian
America Semeia 983097983088-9830971048625 (Alana Te Sociey o Biblical Lieraure 10486269830889830881048626) pp 10486261048627983095-983093983088 andpp 10486269830931048625-983094983095 respecively
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088983091
ional docrines or he lae modern world9830891048629 Cerainly in he Norh American
conex here are progressive orces a work especially among second and laer
generaions o Asian Americans bu equally cerainly he weigh o porableculural and philosophical radiions like Conucianism (see chaper wo)
means ha change occurs slowly
Wihin he Asian American evangelical communiy he gradual ransor-
maion o he inheried culural conservaism is cerainly being played ou
even i a a much slower pace han in nonevangelical conexs One he one
side he gospel is undersood as providing a criical perspecive on culure991252
on which I will say more momenarily on he oher side however here arecerain biblical hemes such as honoring o parens and he submission o
women (read off he surace o some Pauline exs) ha resonae wih he filial
piey o especially Conucian culures and hese have ineviably become
cenral issues or he orging o Asian American ideniies9830891048630 Hence Asian
American immigrans who are atraced o Chrisianiy are ofen drawn o
evangelical Proesanism because i provides a similarly conservaive
worldview one ha enables heir acculuraion ino American sociey Forhese reasons Conucian conservaism morphs among Asian American Pro-
esans ino a orm o evangelical conservaism
o be sure he exac role o Conucianism behind Asian American evan-
gelical conservaism migh be debaed among scholars paricularly since he
appropriaion o he Conucian radiion across he Asian American diaspora
is no all o one sripe A he same ime even i oher Asian radiions were o
be acored ino he marix o Asian American lie many are inormed by akind o pariarchal hierarchical and auhoriarian conservaism ha uncions
similarly in Eas Asian Conucian culure In shor perhaps he ldquomodel mi-
noriyrdquo sereoype as conesed as migh be such a designaion ha charac-
erizes much o he Asian American experience conribues o he conser-
vaism ha permeaes Asian American Evangelicalism
North American evangelical conservatism and its implications Bu high-
15See here Daniel A Bell Chinarsquos New Conucianism Poliics and Everyday Lie in a Changing Soci-
ey (Princeon NJ Princeon Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983096) chap 104862716Eg om Lin Losing Face and Finding Grace 983089983090 Bible Sudies or Asian Americans (Downers
Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 1048625983097983097983094) esp par 1048625
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 1535
983089983088983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
lighing Eas Asian conservaism ells only one side o he sory abou why
Asian Americans end o be conened wih and passive recipiens o he he-
ology o he dominan evangelical culure Te oher hal o his ale has o do wih Norh American conservaism as well O course hisorically Norh
American Evangelicalism was ormed ou o a long hisory o reacion o
mainline Proesan liberalism By definiion o be conservaive means o
resis he orces o change insoar as such changes are hough o compromise
he received values o a paricular radiion So while some changes have been
embraced evangelical conservaives have long resised wha are perceived as
adjusmens o hisoric Chrisian orhodoxy oised upon he Norh Americanchurch by heir liberal counerpars9830891048631 More recenly Evangelicals have also
enered ino he culure wars in deense o radiional amily values and oher
aspecs o he agenda o he Republican Pary
Over ime hen Evangelicals have been led o develop heological argu-
mens or heir conservaive sances Mos relevan or he Asian American
experience is how he dominan evangelical culure has acceped while
slighly redefining a leas more recenly he basic caegories o he classicalChris and Culure sudy o H Richard Niebuhr9830891048632 Ye hisorically Evangel-
icals have embraced he ldquoChris agains culurerdquo sance albei more recenly
shifing oward he ldquoChris ransorming culurerdquo posure Tis involves eiher
a wors he rejecion o culure which has radiionally characerized evan-
gelical secarianism (especially among undamenaliss he close cousins o
Evangelicals)9830891048633 or a bes an ambiguous relaionship wih culure one ea-
uring wha migh be called a culural hermeneuic o suspicion ha is alwaysconcerned abou syncreism wih he world Culure in popular evangelical
parlance is almos equivalen o he world and in ha sense is wha humans
need o be saved rom raher han parake o
17Tere are many versions o his sory my own elling is here ldquoTe Word and he Spiri or heSpiri and he Word Exploring he Boundaries o Evangelicalism in Relaionship o Modern Pen-ecosalismrdquo riniy Journal 10486261048627 no 1048626 (10486269830889830881048626) 10486261048627983093-9830931048626
18See H Richard Niebuhr Chris and Culure (10486259830979830931048625 repr San Francisco Harper orchligh1048625983097983093983094) c Glen H Sassen D M Yeager and John Howard Yoder Auhenic ransormaion A
New Vision o Chris and Culure (Nashville Abingdon 1048625983097983097983094)19Ie as manies in missionary and evangelisic sraegies ha called on convers o abandon heir
culural belies and pracices in ollowing Chris991252eg Birgi Meyer ranslaing he Devil Religion
and Moderniy Among he Ewe in Ghana (renon NJ Arica World Press 1048625983097983097983097)
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088983093
So how has his played ou in Asian American evangelical communiies
Mos poinedly Asian American Evangelicals have radiionally undersood
heir Chrisian conversion o involve eiher a urning away rom heir Asianculural roos or a minimizing o such aspecs o heir ideniy Ta Chrisian
conversion acually involves Americanizaion is quie prevalen across he
Asian American scene In my own case growing up as already indicaed in he
prologue we never alked abou he imporance o Chinese culure he em-
phasis a home (my parens were firs-generaion convers o Chrisianiy)
was always on embodying Chrisian culure Many Asian Americans hus end
o view heir Asian hisorical and culural legacies in binary erms ood dressand music migh be reained because hey concern he ouward aspecs o lie
which are incidenal anyway o rue human ideniy bu lierary philosophical
and religious ideas are o be cauiously approached (a bes) since hey are
probably represenaive o ldquohe worldrdquo and hus aniheical o he gospel
Tis confluence o Conucian and evangelical conservaism has been
srenghened hrough he process o heological educaion Asian American
Evangelicals end o atend solidly evangelical seminaries because o heirconservaive commimens So whereas mainline Proesan seminaries are
much more ocused on corporae ideniies evangelical seminaries and
heir curricula ocus more on personal ideniies paricularly he or-
maion o spiriual lives in relaionship o Chris9830901048624 Wha his means is ha
ehnic ideniies are minimized as having no more han biological signifi-
cance and hisorical and culural aspecs o Asian ideniy are acceped
only as accidenal o ideniy in Chris Asian American Evangelicals arefirs and oremos Chrisians and only secondarily i a all Asians (al-
hough ineresingly he prevalence o naionalism among Evangelicals
means ha American ideniy is much more imporan han evangelical
rheoric usually les on) Evangelical heological educaion hus provides
he philosophical and heological apparaus o make sense o such modes
o ideniy consrucion
20Russell Jeung ldquoEvangelical and Mainline eachings on Asian American Ideniyrdquo in Liew and Yee Bible in Asian America pp 104862610486251048625-1048627983094 reprined in Nakka-Cammau and seng Asian American
Chrisianiy pp 1048625983097983095-10486261048625983094
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 1735
983089983088983094 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
T983144983141 B983157983154983140983141983150 983151983142 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161 A M983145983150983151983154983145983156983161 R983141983152983151983154983156
In he ollowing I highligh he major episemological hermeneuical meh-
odological and docrinal aspecs o (whie) evangelical heology embraced bymany Asian American Evangelicals I argue no ha hese are he only ways in
which Asian American Evangelicals have accommodaed o he dominan
(whie) evangelical subculural worldview nor ha Asian American evan-
gelical heology can be reduced o hese eaures I sugges however ha hese
provide some explanaion or how many Asian American evangelical heolo-
gians view he Asian dimension o heir work in conexual erms bu do no
also undersand he dominan whie heological consrucs similarly Teresul is ha Asian American concerns are no only subordinaed bu also e-
ecively silenced in many cases In he ollowing I criically assess his dom-
inan view rom he marginal horizons o he Asian American experience
A (putatively) global epistemology I begin wih he Enlighenmen epis-
emology and is ques or or presumpion o have atained he universal per-
specive In heir batle agains liberalism Evangelicals have highlighed he
imporance o developing a biblical worldview983090983089 Worldview consrucion isineviably an inellecual exercise983090983090 Wha mos Evangelicals do no ofen
inerrogae is how rooed he worldview ques is in he Enlighenmen projec
As such evangelical worldview ormulaion operaes episemologically ac-
cording o modernis canons o raionaliy Tis is reinorced in evangelical
seminary educaion variously no leas in he embrace o some orm o oun-
daionalism characerisic o he Enlighenmen ques or cerainy hough
o secure evangelical claims o universal ruh983090983091
Foundaionalism classically undersood is he view ha all belies can be
jusified direcly (ounded upon) sense experience or reason available o all991252
hence universal991252raher han inerred rom oher (subjecively held) be-
lies9830901048628 While Evangelicals are philosophically jus as sophisicaed as anyone
21Tus InerVarsiy Press has jus published in 1048626983088983088983097 he fifh ediion o James Sirersquos Te Universe Nex
Door A Basic Worldview Caalog a esimony o is populariy a evangelical colleges and universiies22 Anoher popular ex among Evangelicals noes is concepual naure David K Naugle World-
view Te Hisory o a Concep (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048626)23 As refleced in anoher popular evangelical exbook J P Moreland and William Lane Craig
Philosophical Foundaions or a Chrisian Worldview (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 10486269830889830881048627)24Noe ha he dualism beween objeciviy and subjeciviy is isel a modernis consrucion I
discuss hese maters as well as evangelical orms o oundaionalism in my ldquoTe Demise o Foun-
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088 983095
else in heir deense o oundaionalism9830901048629 more ofen han no hey are epis-
emological oundaionaliss or wo reasons Negaively pu episemic oun-
daionalism is a deerren o wha hey see as he hreaening alernaive oepisemological skepicism philosophical i no moral relaivism and reli-
gious and heological pluralism Posiively pu he oundaions o Chrisian
knowing are given in he Bible I will reurn in a momen o address he her-
meneuical issues involved wih such an appeal For he momen however I
simply noe ha evangelical oundaionalism in whaever is guise butresses
is claims o have access o a universal sandpoin or (heological) knowledge
Such a universal vanage poin is o course relaed o he Enlighenmenques or cerain knowledge Hence he undermining o oundaionalism
opens up o perspecivism Evangelicals resis episemic perspecivism or he
same reasons ha hey deend oundaionalism because ha is el o be he
only way o secure raionally he sabiliy o ruh claims Opening he door
o perspecivism invies he mulipliciy o views ha characerizes he rela-
ivism o he posmodern siuaion Conservaive Evangelicals are hus very
concerned abou he ascendency o he posmodern agenda9830901048630
Wha does his have o do wih Asian American Evangelicalism My claim is
ha Asian Americans educaed a conservaive evangelical seminaries have un-
witingly embraced no only he oundaionalis episemology o heir eachers
bu also is atendan applicaions In order o ward off episemic skepicism
moral relaivism and heological pluralism Asian American Evangelicals have
also uncriically rejeced he perspecivism cenral o posoundaionalis epis-
emology9830901048631 More o he poin he deense o oundaionalism is also he de-ense o he saus quo he universal rame o reerence claimed by evangelical
daionalism and he Reenion o ruh Wha Evangelicals Can Learn rom C S Peircerdquo Chrisian
Scholarrsquos Review 1048626983097 no 1048627 (Spring 1048626983088983088983088) 9830939830941048627-98309698309625Eg J P Moreland and Garret DeWeese ldquoTe Premaure Repor o Foundaionalismrsquos Demiserdquo
in Millard J Erickson Paul Kjoss Helseh and Jusin aylor eds Reclaiming he Cener Confon-
ing Evangelical Accommodaion in Posmodern imes (Wheaon IL Crossway 1048626983088983088983092) pp 9830961048625-104862598308898309526Tus par 1048626 o Millard J Erickson Posmodernizing he Faih Evangelical Responses o he Chal-
lenge o Posmodernism (Grand Rapids Baker Books 1048625983097983097983096) is iled ldquoNegaive Responses o
Posmodernismrdquo and discusses a number o conemporary and recen deenders o classical evan-gelical aih David Wells Tomas Oden and Francis Schaeffer
27 As argued eg by Sanley J Grenz and John R Franke Beyond Foundaionalism Shaping Teology in
a Posmodern Conex (Louisville Wesminser John Knox 10486269830889830881048625) he criical and apologeic responsehas been he recogniion ha his akes us ldquobeyond Evangelicalismrdquo991252see Seven Knowles Beyond
Evangelicalism Te Teological Mehodology o Sanley J Grenz (Burlingon V Ashgae 1048626983088983088983097)
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 1935
983089983088983096 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
heology Simulaneously so he argumen goes he abandonmen o ounda-
ionalism opens he door o perspecivism and pluralism And i he later are
problemaic so are heir ideological movemens especially and including muli-culuralism (wih some advocaes o such having reinerpreed Chrisian eaching
in ligh o a poliics o ideniy insead o vice versa)9830901048632 Asian American Evan-
gelicals are hus armed oundaionally o conron engage and resis he perils
o cynicism relaivism and pluralism Unbeknowns o hem however his no
only undercus he ideology o muliculuralism bu also assails he basis upon
which hey can reclaim heir own hisorical and culural ideniies O course
Evangelicals have more recenly recognized a leas in general he imporanceo embracing he diversiy o culures even o celebraing hem bu only so
long as doing so does no hreaen he oundaions o evangelical ceriude
An (allegedly) a-cultural hermeneutic Tis presumpion o having a uni-
versal perspecive while undergirded as biblical raher han recognized as
ounded on an Enlighenmen paradigm bleeds over ino evangelical herme-
neuics In he Asian American evangelical landscape such hermeneuical pre-
supposiions bracke Asian America wheher inenionally (more ofen) or noIn his way Asian American Evangelicals have imbibed no only he oundaion-
alism o heir classical seminary educaion bu also he biblical hermeneuic ha
works o secure such an episemic sance Unsurprisingly a he hear o he
evangelical inerpreaion o Scripure is anoher insrumen rom he modernis
oolki ha o hisorical criicism Tis ime however such a hermeneuical
approach is deployed o access he auhorial inen o he Scripures and i is
his ha is cenral (oundaional) o ideniying he biblical message which inurn enables he Bible o serve as he unshakable norm or Chrisian belie
Tere is much o unpack in he preceding brie descripion o evangelical
hermeneuics classically considered Bu I wan o ocus insead on he prin-
ciples o biblical exegesis as emphasized in evangelical seminary educaion9830901048633
Te goal o exegesis is o draw ou o or o cull rom he Bible wha he original
auhors mean o communicae Tis involves undersanding firs and
28Tus have some Evangelicals harangued agains muliculuralism as an ideology or example991252Dennis McCallum ed Te Deah o ruh Wharsquos Wrong wih Muliculuralism he Rejecion o
Reason and he New Posmodern Diversiy (Minneapolis Behany House 1048625983097983097983094)29Eg Waler C Kaiser oward an Exegeical Teology Biblical Exegesis or Preaching and eaching
(Grand Rapids Baker Books 1048625983097983097983096)
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088983097
oremos how he biblical auhors were undersood by heir iniial audiences
in he ancien conex Exegesis accesses hese primordially inended biblical
principles Wha he Bible means oday is hereby a secondary issue de-penden primarily on wha i originally mean o he firs hearers and readers
o he Scripures Conemporary applicaion hus involves idenificaion o
he original and or some single meaning o he biblical exs9830911048624
Te flip side o he emphasis on exegesis hen involves he rejecion o
eisegesis he inserion o conemporary perspecives ino he meaning o he
biblical ex I he burden o biblical hermeneuics is o ake away rom he
Scripures wha is auhors inended o communicae he bane o evangelicalinerpreaion is o read ino he Bible whaever our presen viewpoins may
dicae Tis o course is a violaion o he cardinal rule o evangelical herme-
neuics readers should leave heir prejudices and biases a he door and allow
he Bible o inorm hem insead Oherwise he concern is ha he reader
will find whaever he or she is looking or and his inecs conaminaes
skews and disors he prisine message o he Bible983091983089
Te problem here is no jus ha he lines beween exegesis and eisegesis aremuch more blurred han Evangelicals usually acknowledge983091983090 bu ha he per-
sisen applicaion o such an approach o he Bible dicaes ha evangelical
readers inenionally bracke or a leas atemp o hold in abeyance heir own
hisories experiences and perspecives as being o secondary impor i o any
relevance a all or heir reading o Scripure Now I am cerainly no suggesing
ha we all willy-nilly inser our biases in appropriaing he biblical ex Simul-
aneously I urge ha he cos o such hermeneuical brackeing is oo high or
30See Rober L Tomas Evangelical Hermeneuics Te New Versus he Old (Grand Rapids Kregel10486269830889830881048626) chap 983094 iled ldquoTe Principle o Single Meaningrdquo which argues ha he pluralism po-lyphony and plurivociy o meaning advocaed by recen progressive Evangelicals reflecs more heeffecs o humaniyrsquos all ino sin han i does he classical assumpions o evangelical biblical in-erpreaion For a counerargumen one ha I am largely sympaheic wih see James K ASmih Te Fall o Inerpreaion Philosophical Foundaions or a Creaional Hermeneuic (DownersGrove IL InerVarsiy Press 1048626983088983088983088)
31For evangelical concerns regarding reader-response hermeneuics see Norman R Gulley ldquoReader-
Response Teories in Posmodern Hermeneuics A Challenge o Evangelical Teologyrdquo in DavidS Dockery ed Te Challenge o Posmodernism An Evangelical Engagemen (Wheaon IL VicorBooks 1048625983097983097983093) pp 1048626983088983096-1048627983096
32In mainline Proesan circles o course here has long been recogniion ha he radiional line beween exegesis and eisegesis is much blurrier han previously hough see Jay G WilliamsldquoExegesis-Eisegesis Is Tere a Differencerdquo Teology oday 1048627983088 no 1048627 (10486259830979830951048627) 10486261048625983096-1048626983095
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2135
983089 983089983088 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
ehnic minoriies who are Evangelicals since his in effec rejecs heir quesions
and concerns as perinen o heir engagemen wih he Bible In addiion such
presumpive brackeing blinds whie Evangelicals o he ac ha heir own ho-rizons and perspecives are involved in any reading o ancien exs and his lack
o awareness makes i doubly difficul o recognize moderae or correc
I would urge insead ha we recognize and embrace he ension involved
in he usion o biblical and conemporary horizons bu do so in a way ha
boh allows conemporary readers o ener ino he world o he Bible on he
one hand (ldquohis is hardquo) and or he Bible o map ono our conemporary lives
on he oher hand (ldquoha is hisrdquo)983091983091 Tis no only allows or an Asian American reading o he Bible somehing ha is barred in he evangelical
environmen i also invies even encourages such an approach and his in
urn gives Asian Americans991252all people acually991252permission o read he
Bible as i i really matered o heir lives
A (presumably) biblical-theological method Enlighenmen assumpions
hus inorm no only Asian American evangelical episemology and herme-
neuics bu also heological mehod and hey do so in ways ha marginalize Asian America Tis is consisen wih he general evangelical ear o licensing
wha hey see as merely subjecive readings o he Bible or he same reasons
ha hey are wary abou enabling heological mehodologies ha consciously
acknowledge he role o experience In oher words he saus quo in evan-
gelical approaches o he Bible (wih is accenuaion o exegesis and rejecion
o eisegesis) has is counerpar in evangelical approaches o heological re-
flecion his ime wih he emphasis on he Bible as he primary i no solesource or heology over and agains hisory radiion culure and experience
A one level he sola scripura commimens o Reormaion radiions have
a very specific hisory and should be undersood according o he nuances
wih which his idea has developed in he pas five hundred years9830911048628 A anoher
33I explicae some aspecs o he ldquohis is hardquo hermeneuic rom a Penecosal perspecive in myldquoReading Scripure and Naure Penecosal Hermeneuics and Teir Implicaions or he Con-
emporary Evangelical Teology and Science Conversaionrdquo Perspecives on Science and ChrisianFaih 9830931048627 no 1048625 (104862698308810486251048625) 1048625-10486251048627
34Reflecing developmens rom he publicaion o Te Fundamenals o he ldquoChicago Saemen onBiblical Inerrancyrdquo (1048625983097983095983096) many conservaive Norh American Evangelicals991252eg rom NormanL Geisler Inerrancy (Grand Rapids Zondervan 1048625983097983096983088) o James R Whie Scripure Alone (Min-neapolis Behany House 1048626983088983088983092)991252have seen and coninue o see boh sola scripura and he doc-
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2335
983089 983089 983090 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
Te problem however is ha Asian Americans have rarely i ever ques-
ioned more rigid applicaions o his mehodological norm or evangelical
heology Raher hey have inernalized he evangelical bias agains hisoryradiion and experience hus silencing he role ha paricular perspecives
migh play in he heological ask I we appeal o our experience a all we
mus do so apologeically as i admiting ha such heological inerprea-
ions are a bes parochial concerns o a communiy no ye assimilaed o
he dominan culure or a wors signaling our heological immauriy and
need o grow up rom or ranscend he ldquobackwardnessrdquo represening our
hisory and experience beore our lie in Chris Ironically however suchinenional marginalizaion o he Asian American experience no o
menion Asian American philosophical ways o hinking and reasoning
does no call ino quesion how he predominanly Anglo- and Euro-
American experiences o moderniy have shaped evangelical heology As a
resul Asian American Evangelicals have adoped wha is claimed o be a
biblical worldview and heological ramework supposedly shorn o he sub-
jecive biases o hisorically siuaed human inerpreers Bu hese aresurely devoid o heir own experienial and conexual (Asian American)
locaions and ye uncriically naive in hinking ha Euro-American his-
orical accidens have been adequaely ldquoChrisianizedrdquo
So ar I have suggesed ha episemologically hermeneuically and meh-
odologically Asian Americans have rarely quesioned he modernis Enligh-
enmen and Anglo- and Euro-American presupposiions o he evangelical
heological endeavor And since his underaking has never acknowledged heculural conexs and perspecives o he predominanly whie ramers o he
evangelical heological radiion10486281048624 he assumpion is ha ehniciy plays litle
i any role in he work o heology No surprisingly hen Asian American
heologians have been reicen o sugges ha ehniciy culure and hisoriciy
coun in heological reflecion By exension he heological and docrinal
40My poin is no ha whie perspecives have disored he gospel his isel assumes a sor oa-culural gospel ha needs conexualizaion991252a poin ha needs o be addressed and nuanced which we will do momenarily My poin is ha such whie viewpoins are no only unrecognized bu ha hey are hen presumed o be normaive or nonwhies I is par o he goal o his chapero call Asian American heologians o atend o his assumpion and o find ways o inenionallyaddress and subver i
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983091
resuls have been ormulaed and ransmited as biblically unded and univer-
sally applicable regardless o conexual consideraions
A (supposedly) universal doctrinal famework One example o how Norh American evangelical heology has proceeded wih universalisic assumpions
and hereby overlooked i no inenionally ignored oher culural perspec-
ives has o do wih he docrine o he aonemen and wha i addresses Pu
crassly humankind suffers rom one overall problem ha o sin agains God
and ha one problem demands basically one soluion he subsiuionary
aonemen o he Sonrsquos deah on he cross1048628983089 Now I realize ha i is unair o
depic evangelical views regarding he aonemen in such homogeneous ermssince he mater isel is sill being conesed1048628983090 Bu he ac is ha in some
evangelical circles deparure rom he subsiuionary view o he aonemen
is considered deviaion rom evangelical orhodoxy1048628983091 From his posiion oher
biblical aspecs and alernaive inerpreaions are eiher subsumed under he
docrine o penal subsiuion or argued o be flawed in some respec
O course such a viewpoin minimizes he role o medieval eudalism and
he jurisprudenial background o some o he Reormers in he emergenceand esablishmen o his undersanding o he aonemen in he evangelical
radiion jus as i really does no quesion he basically Augusinian anhro-
pology presumed in his process Now I am no a hisorical deerminis who
believes ha conex leads inexorably o our heological ideas jus as I do no
hink ha allowance or hisorical conexual acors relaivizes he ruh o
heological claims or produces docrinal heerodoxy Raher wihou denying
41Te World Evangelical Alliancersquos Saemen o Faih affirms ldquoWe believe in Our Lord JesusChris God manies in he flesh His virgin birh His sinless human lie His divine miracles His vicarious and aoning deah His bodily resurrecion His ascension His mediaorial work and HisPersonal reurn in power and glory Te Salvaion o los and sinul man hrough he shed bloodo he Lord Jesus Chris by aih apar rom works and regeneraion by he Holy Spirirdquo (see worldevangelicalorgweasaemenhm emphases original)
42See James Beilby and Paul R Eddy eds Te Naure o he Aonemen Four Views (DownersGrove IL IVP Academic 1048626983088983088983094) and Derek idball David Hilborn and Jusin Tacker eds Te
Aonemen Debae Papers fom he London Symposium on he Teology o he Aonemen (Grand
Rapids Zondervan 1048626983088983088983093) c J Denny Weaver Te Nonviolen Aonemen (Grand Rapids Eerd-mans 10486269830889830881048625) and Hans Boersma Violence Hospialiy and he Cross Recovering he Aonemen
radiion (Grand Rapids Baker Academic 1048626983088983088983092)43See S Lewis Johnson Jr ldquoBehold he Lamb Te Gospel and Subsiuionary Aonemenrdquo in John
H Armsrong ed Te Coming Evangelical Crisis Curren Challenges o he Auhoriy o Scripure
and he Gospel (Chicago Moody Press 1048625983097983097983094) pp 10486251048625983097-1048627983096
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983089 983089 983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
he imporance o he biblical and heological heme o subsiuion or he
docrine o he aonemen I am simply suggesing ha oher culural perspec-
ives and even assumpions migh highligh and emphasize oher biblicalmeaphors regarding Chrisrsquos salvific work
Bu o pursue he quesion ono Asian American errain wha difference
will i make i we recognize ha some Asians and Asian Americans live and
exis in a shame raher han guil culure How migh evangelical hinking
abou he aonemen be adjused revised and maybe even ransormed i
Chrisrsquos work no only assuaged he guil o sin rom human lives bu also re-
moved he shame in human hears10486281048628 My poin is ha evangelical heologicalendencies generally urge a universalisic sandpoin and in his paradigm
here is no need o atend o he pariculariies o or ariculae Asian Asian
American or oher culural perspecives since hese are all subsumed wihin he
biblical ramework read in an evangelical way In his case here isnrsquo even a
need o ask wheher radiional evangelical heologies and docrines like hose
regarding he aonemen may need o be revisied and reariculaed in ligh o
oher hisorical culural and experienial dynamics In ac Asian Americansare boh oo shameul and oo shy o even consider asking abou hese maters
I have argued so ar in his secion ha Asian American Evangelicals ormed
heologically according o he sensibiliies o he dominan evangelical culure
in Norh America have inernalized he whie evangelical worldview and in ha
sense mosly do no see he need o hink explicily rom an Asian American
vanage poin Asian American evangelical views are hereore a bes no more
han a minoriy heological perspecive wo relaed summary consequenceshave ollowed Asian American acquiescence o he majoriy culure Firs meh-
odologically and maerially evangelical heology has been undersood o be a-
hisorical a-culural and even a-conexual Te assumpion is ha he Bible
addresses all human beings so any plain reading o he Scripure will or should
be able o access he Word o God a any and all imes and places radiionally
ormulaed and ramed evangelical docrines derived rom an inducive sudy
44 Asian Americans are beginning o do jus his however991252eg Rachel Y Lei ldquoSaving Significanceo he Cross in he Asian American Conexrdquo SANACS Journal 1048625 (1048626983088983088983097) 983097983093-10486251048625983094 c Mark D Bakerand Joel B Green Recovering he Scandal o he Cross Te Aonemen in New esamen and Con-
emporary Conexs (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 1048626983088983088983088) chap 983094 ldquoRemoving AlienaingShame Te Saving Significance o he Cross in Japanrdquo
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983093
o Scripure hus orm he undispuable and unrevisable core o he gospel
Tere is litle recogniion o he hisorical culural and conexual perspecives
ha have conribued o he ariculaion o such evangelical belies Wha his means is ha here sill remains a core se o evangelical docrinal
achievemens and hese remain valid across space and ime alhough hey
may be supplemened by or ranslaed ino local conexual and siuaional
perspecives and idioms As we saw previously (chaper one) he recen Cam-
bridge Companion o Evangelical Teology reflecs precisely his mindse10486281048629 Te
Companion we know is divided ino wo pars Te firs is iled ldquoEvan-
gelicals and Chrisian Docrinerdquo and his includes eigh chapers on he oun-daional docrinal marix o evangelical belies he riniy Scripure chris-
ology heological anhropology jusificaionaonemen pneumaology
conversionsancificaion and ecclesiology Par wo ldquoTe Conexs o Evan-
gelical Teologyrdquo hen provides anoher nine chapers and hese cover issues
relaed o culure gender race and pluralism and include five chapers on
evangelical heology in Arican Asian European Lain American and Norh
American conexs Tis srucure o he Companion communicaes a wooldmessage ha evangelical docrine is a-conexually derived (par one) and
ha various hisorical conexs (par wo) can add a mos parochial ruhs
ha will no upse he docrinal supersrucure o he evangelical heological
landscape In shor basic heological and docrinal ruhs o he Chrisian
aih have already been ormulaed and can be ound in any oher evangelical
sysemaic heological ex quie apar rom Asian American or any oher
more specified perspecivesPu more poinedly i Asian Americans (or any oher ehnic or culural
group) were o wrie heir own heologies hese would be provincial under-
akings wih marginal relevance or he wider evangelical communiy Tese
would be o value only or ldquohoserdquo people (maybe immigrans reugees or
exiles) who have no ye been assimilaed ino he broader American evan-
gelical culure Litle wonder hen ha ew Asian Americans have venured
ino heological errioryhe second summary consequence o inernalizing he dominan
45imohy Larsen and Daniel J reier eds Te Cambridge Companion o Evangelical Teology (Cambridge Cambridge Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983095)
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983089 983089983094 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
worldview991252ha evangelical heology a leas in is dogmaic and sysemaic
configuraions is by and large a finished projec wih minimal inpu needed
rom Asian American or oher perspecives991252is ha Asian Americans wihheological educaion have urned in general o work in he hisorical and
social scienific disciplines10486281048630 Tere cerainly remains imporan work o be
done by hose working across he disciplines so I am no decrying such effors
Ye he ac ha hisorical sociological or oher disciplinary explicaions o
Asian American lie are published by universiy presses communicaes o
Asian Americans ha heir role is o shed new ligh on he Asian American
experience A he same ime he prevalence o hese analyical approachesamid he lacuna o explicily heological works suggess ha he ormer is o
minimal value a leas or he ldquorealrdquo heological work o dogmaics and sys-
emaics Furher ha hese scholarly publishers do no eaure exs on Asian
American evangelical heology confirms his division o labor (whie Evan-
gelicals wrie real heology Asian American Evangelicals do hisory sociology
ec) A he end o he day evangelical heologyrsquos assumpion remains undis-
urbed ha here are core docrines ha only need o be conexualized991252ha is ranslaed and made relevan991252around he world In his ramework
Asian Americans can conribue no o he ormer heological ormulaion bu
only o he later ranslaion and disseminaion ask10486281048631
46Eg he work o imohy seng and David Yoo in hisory Fenggang Yang and Rebecca Kim insociology and Russell Jeung in Asian American sudies among ohers see also my ldquoAsian Amer-ican Religion A Review Essayrdquo Nova Religio Te Journal o Alernaive and Emergen Religions 983097
no 1048627 (1048626983088983088983094) 9830971048626-104862598308898309547One could argue ha a parallel ye disinc moivaion drives Lain American or Hispanic evan-
gelical heology in a similar direcion I Asian Americans are cauioned agains hinking heo-logically rom ou o ehnic hisorical and conexual lives because o heir uncriical embrace o whie evangelical assumpions Hispanic Evangelicals may have adoped similar commimensalbei or slighly differen reasons relaed o he Lain American conex Te dominance o heRoman Caholic Church along wih is heological and olk radiions in he later environmenmay be behind Hispanic evangelical suspicions abou he role o hisory and culure in he doingo heology Te ani-Caholic senimen in hisoric Evangelicalism no doub is atracive oLainoas on he migran rail (rom Lain America o he Unied Saes) alhough such accom-modaion has brough wih i he heological coss elaboraed in he preceding pages For urher
discussion and oher angles on hese issues see Oscar Garcia-Johnson Te Mesizoa Communiyo he Spiri A Posmodern Lainoa Ecclesiology (Eugene OR Wip amp Sock 1048626983088983088983097) Sammy Alaro Divino Compantildeero oward a Hispanic Penecosal Chrisology (Eugene OR Pickwick10486269830881048625983088) Juan Mariacutenez ldquolsquoOuside he Gaersquo Evangelicalism and Laino Proesan Teologyrdquo in JeffreyGreenman and Gene L Green eds Global Teology in Evangelical Perspecive Exploring he Conex-
ual Naure o Teology and Mission (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 104862698308810486251048626) pp 1048625983095983097-983097983092 and
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983095
T983144983141 M983137983150983140983137983156983141 983151983142 A983155983145983137983150 A983149983141983154983145983139983137983150 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161
Te preceding analysis raises sel-criical awareness or Asian American Evan-
gelicals and invies hem in dialogue wih oher Evangelicals o consider wheher heir minoriy saus is problemaic and wha i anyhing can and
ough o be done abou i Now I am aware ha here are developmens wihin
he evangelical heological radiion broadly consrued ha have moved
beyond some o he sricures idenified in he preceding secion Progressive
Evangelicals he evangelical lef and posconservaive Evangelicals denoe jus
a ew o he rends among ohers percolaing on he margins o evangelical
heology10486281048632 Bu ha is precisely par o he problem hese are movemens haexcep or a small minoriy remain ouside he evangelical mainsream and
have also by and large been ignored by Asian American evangelical scholars
and heologians I believe ha producive ways orward can be chared via
Asian American Evangelicals in dialogue wih some o hese ideas alhough
a he end o he day such conversaions will only be producive as Asian
American Evangelicals ormulae a plaorm on which hey can bring some-
hing subsanive o he discussion Tis later ask is par o he presen chal-lenge and burden o he presen book
Insoar hen as I am ineresed in he quesion o wha Asian Americans can
conribue o evangelical heology no jus hisorically or sociologically bu a
a heological level my claim is ha pursui o hese maters ironically also in-
volves aking seriously he hisoriciy and pariculariy o Asian American cul-
ures experiences and perspecives In his final par o his chaper I do no
more han sugges in broad srokes how o go abou such an underakingRealities o the Asian American diaspora Par o ldquohe problem o evan-
gelical heologyrdquo can be clarified i we siuae Asian American evangelical
heology amid he broader Asian American diasporic hisorical and social
realiies described in par a he beginning o chaper wo Doing so enables
he sark realizaion ha Asian American Evangelicals are composed by a
wide range o experiences on he one hand and pressure o assimilae o
Juan F Mariacutenez and Lindy Scot eds Los Evangeacutelicos Porrais o Laino Proesanism in he
Unied Saes (Eugene OR Wip amp Sock 1048626983088983088983097)48Many o hese are discussed in Roger E Olson Reormed and Always Reorming Te Posconser-
vaive Approach o Evangelical Teology (Grand Rapids Baker Academic 1048626983088983088983095)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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983089 983089983096 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
American culure on he oher W hile Asians have lived in Norh America
since he ounding o he republic and had even conribued o he building
o he American empire during he nineeenh cenury he 983089983097983094983093 Immigraion Ac ha repealed he Orienal Exclusion Ac o 983089983097983090983092 reopened he door o a
new wave o Asian migraion During he las generaion Asian American lie
has been urher ransormed by he orces o globalizaion diasporas creaed
by modernizaion indusrializaion and urbanizaion reugee populaions
displaced by war amine and climae changes movemen enabled by he
emergence o a worldwide marke economy advances in echnology and mass
communicaion he cross-erilizaion o ideologies and shifs in inerna-ional relaions10486281048633 Te resul as saw in he previous chaper is he appearance
o a wide range o Asian American communiies across Norh America Lie
in such communiies is fluid affeced by migraion paterns socioeconomic
pressures and he srengh o relaions wih hose ldquoback homerdquo Te sronger
he ransnaional ies beween Asian immigrans in he Wes and heir amilies
organizaions and insiuions (religious and oherwise) in heir homeland
he more inense and longer-lasing he exchange o religious goods and ideas(in he orm o books periodicals and various orms o elecommunicaion)
Unsurprisingly hen firs-generaion immigrans ofen deepen he reli-
gious commimens ha hey held or praciced perhaps more nominally
beore moving Someimes immigrans conver o he more dominan religion
o heir new home In eiher case religious affiliaion ofen serves o secure
social neworks coner saus oherwise difficul o come by or immigrans
and srenghen ehnic culural and linguisic bonds and ideniies Bu or he983089983093 generaion (hose born in Asia bu who grew up a leas in par in he
Unied Saes like mysel) he process o assimilaion is well under way In
hese cases he ehnic enclave will develop English-speaking secions as well
as social organizaions school clubs and Chrisian congregaions
For young adul Asian American Evangelicals however here is ofen a
49For an overview o hese issues see Wanni W Anderson and Rober G Lee eds Displacemensand Diasporas Asians in he Americas (New Brunswick NJ Rugers Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983093) Idiscuss urher he implicaions o globalizaion or Chrisian heology in Amos Yong and PeerHelzel ldquoRober Cummings Neville and he Global Fuure o Teologyrdquo in Yong and Helzel edsTeology in Global Conex Essays in Honor o Rober Cummings Neville (New York amp Clark1048626983088983088983092) pp 1048626983097-9830921048626 esp pp 1048627983088-1048627983092
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983097
keen sense ha heir own ehnically organized congregaions or groups are
somehow less religiously and heologically legiimae because hey do no
have he more ldquouniversalrdquo appeal o whie or muliculural evangelicalchurches or parachurch organizaions10486291048624 Te resul is eiher he ransiion o
ehnic congregaions ino pan-ehnic congregaions or movemen rom heir
ldquohomerdquo congregaion o oher less ehnically defined church environmens1048629983089
By he ime he second generaion atains adulhood he remaining culural
or linguisic barriers o ull assimilaion ino American sociey are pracically
overcome ofen o he dismay o parens and grandparens1048629983090
Wha does such assimilaion consis o Cerainly speaking Englishparicipaing in he marke economy and adaping o he opions provided
by American seculariy and poliics are minimal adjusmens Bu perhaps
assimilaion also requires abandoning he norms o he immigran culure
in avor o American norms or amily and gender relaions and engaging
wih he public square on is erms I so would his no lead o an evan-
gelical sel-undersanding deeply ormed by American culure poliics
and economics Would his no resul in a subordinaion and even deor-maion o all ha is Asian excep or he biological phenoype I would
appear hen ha becoming American would more easily aciliae he
embrace o evangelical Chrisianiy991252i such is deined as a suburban
Midwesern whie middle-class religious phenomenon wih Wheaon
Illinois as is veriable ldquoMeccardquo991252bu his brings wih i he cos o losing
onersquos Asianness Does his mean ha ull accepance o Evangelicalism
50See eg Rebecca Y Kim ldquoNegoiaion o Ehnic and Religious Boundaries by Asian AmericanCampus Evangelicalsrdquo in ony Carnes and Fenggang Yang eds Asian American Religions Te
Making and Remaking o Borders and Boundaries (New York New York Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983092) pp10486259830921048625-983093983097 and Rudy V Buso ldquoTe Gospel According o he Model Minoriy Hazarding an Inerpre-aion o Asian American Evangelical College Sudensrdquo in David K Yoo ed New Spiriual Homes
Religion and Asian Americans (Honolulu Universiy o Hawaii Press 1048625983097983097983097) pp 1048625983094983097-98309698309551See Russell Jeung Faihul Generaions Race and New Asian American Churches (New Brunswick
NJ Rugers Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983092)52 As can be discerned by reading beween he lines o he Bible sudies in om Linrsquos Losing Face
and Finding Grace Tis appears o be he case wheher he second generaion inenionally a-emps o disinguish is ehnic congregaional lie rom ha o he firs immigran generaion or wheher he second generaion becomes absorbed ino nonehnic or even muliehnic congrega-ions on his poin see Elaine Howard Ecklund ldquoModels o Civic Responsibiliy Korean Amer-icans in Congregaions wih Differen Ehnic Composiionsrdquo Journal or he Scienific Sudy o
Religion 983092983092 no 1048625 (1048626983088983088983093) 1048625983093-1048626983096
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3135
983089 983090 983088 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
includes ldquorepenancerdquo rom Asia and ldquoconversionrdquo o Americanism1048629983091
Ta his is no he case seems o be borne ou by he sociological lieraure
which confirms ha ehniciy remains jus as imporan as religion in he or-maion o Asian American ideniy10486291048628 Bu i so evangelical heology has no
even begun o wresle wih he imporance o ehniciy and race no o
menion heir heological implicaions Second-generaion Korean Amer-
icans or insance seem o be inuiively drawn o churches and parachurch
minisries ha oreground heir Korean culural ideniy10486291048629 bu hey have
developed ew heological raionales or such orms o social organizaion
more o he poin heir own heological presupposiions miigae agains suchaciviy which may explain heir ideniy conflicedness
Unsurprisingly hen Asian American evangelical heology has ye o ge
off he ground even a he beginning o he weny-firs cenury Asian
American Evangelicals geting degrees rom insiuions o higher educaion
have had o wresle wihagains his assimilaive impulse o sruggle wih he
quesion o wheher hey are or should be doing (descripive) sociology raher
han heology (as normaive reflecion) and o ariculae an apologeic ordoing Asian American evangelical heology raher han jus evangelical he-
ology For oo many Asian American Evangelicals heir saus ldquobewix and
beweenrdquo991252on he one hand belonging o Asia and o he Unied Saes in
some respecs bu on he oher hand being a sranger o boh Asia and he
Unied Saes in oher respecs991252pus hem in a unique posiion o inerrogae
evangelical heology bu (o dae) leaves hem ouside he ormal organiza-
ional and insiuional srucures o criique effecively and ransorm heevangelical heological radiion
53One could also make he reverse argumen however ha Evangelicalism in he Unied Saes hasalready been molded by is social culural and hisorical conex o he exen ha he very eauresha mark he American way o lie991252ie individualism experienialism pragmaism even con-sumerism991252have also come o characerize evangelical Chrisianiy For an insighul analysis ohe ofenimes uncriical conflaion o Evangelicalism and Americanism and o he orces ha havealso resised such accommodaions see D G Har Ta Old-ime Religion in Modern America
Evangelical Proesanism in he wenieh Cenury (Chicago Ivan R Dee 10486269830889830881048626)54See Jerry Z Park ldquoTe Ehnic and Religious Ideniies o Young Asian Americansrdquo (PhD diss
Universiy o Nore Dame 1048626983088983088983092)55See Sharon Kim and Rebecca Y Kim ldquoSecond-Generaion Korean American Chrisiansrsquo Com-
muniies Congregaional Hybridiyrdquo in Carolyn Chen and Russell Jeung eds Susaining Faih
radiions Race Ehniciy and Religion Among he Laino and Asian American Second Generaion (New York New York Universiy Press 104862698308810486251048626) pp 1048625983095983094-9830971048627
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983090 983089
Moving trajectories o theological reflection O course i Asian Americans
hope o climb he ranks o he Norh American evangelical heological
academy hey can only do so on he erms esablished by heir hoss Andraher han responding o sociopoliical acors he evangelical heological
guild has always undersood isel primarily in heological erms and seen is
charge as deending hisorical orhodoxy wheher ha be agains liberalismrsquos
denial o biblical supernauralism agains neo-orhodoxyrsquos ambiguous sance
on Scripure agains mainsream sciencersquos heory o evoluion agains open
heismrsquos docrine o God and so on10486291048630 I evangelical heology has never
beore enerained ehnic perspecives in is discursive consrucion why nowundermine he (is presumed) universal ramework and applicabiliy by
adding he Asian or Asian American qualifiers
While in a sense his enire book provides a se o responses o his quesion
here I sugges hree reasons ha can moivae such a heological pah orward
Firs he Asian diaspora in he Unied Saes is now in a siuaion o reflec
subsanively on is experience o migraion While here are remendous
challenges o migraion10486291048631 some Asian Americans have achieved a level oupward social mobiliy so ha hey are now in he posiion o producing
scholarship inormed by such experienial perspecives Since he memory o
migraion among Asian Americans is more recen han hose o heir Cau-
casian colleagues such perspecives migh be helpul o ideniy how he mi-
graion rom he European coninen has shaped he evangelical heological
enerprise as a whole I Asian Americans can help heir evangelical colleagues
ideniy he hisorical impac o old o new world migraion on he belies andpracices o Norh American Evangelicalism ha in isel will open up pos-
sibiliies or considering aresh Asian American hisories and heir conribu-
ions o he wider conversaion
Second Asian Americans are orced o hink abou race and ehniciy in a
way unlike mos o heir whie brohers and sisers alhough heir reflecions
56Evangelical heologyrsquos many inernal and exernal batles are documened by Jon R Sone On heBoundaries o American Evangelicalism Te Poswar Evangelical Coaliion (New York S MarinrsquosPress 1048625983097983097983095)
57Some o hese are documened by Kenneh J Gues God in Chinaown Religion and Survival in
New Yorkrsquos Evolving Immigran Communiy (New York New York Universiy Press 10486269830889830881048627) whose work we will reurn o in chaper six
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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983089 983090 983090 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
can also mediae perspecive in an oherwise whie-and-black demarcaed
world Race and ehniciy are undeniable aspecs o Asian American hisory
and experience Te impor o his is a leas woold Firs Asian Americansare posiioned o engage he discussion opened up by black evangelical heo-
logians regarding conemporary heology991252even in is evangelical guises991252as
reflecing he ascen o whie perspecives in he early modern period a he
expense o Jewish and oher nonwhie culural realiies Asian American per-
specives on race and ehniciy will open up new visas on he racial and ehnic
dimensions o he biblical world10486291048632 In oher words he marginalized hisories
and perspecives o Asian American Evangelicals have much o conribue oconemporary biblical inerpreaion and heological explicaion Te dom-
inan orms o evangelical heology orged in par ou o he hegemony o
Chrisendom are in need o criical analysis and dialogical revision
Las bu no leas cenral and ongoing elemens o Asian American hisory
are par o he presen experiences o ransnaionalism and globalizaion Te
issues here are complex10486291048633 One mater ha needs o be addressed is he iner-
woven characer o he global economy and how i affecs people around he world differenly depending on various social poliical and culural circum-
sances In addiion wih regard o he Asian American side o his equaion
here remain difficul issues relaed o how he quesion o assimilaion or ac-
culuraion is being negoiaed and adjudicaed Firs- second- and hird-gener-
aion perspecives differ someimes momenously and his does no even acor
in he perspecives o he 983089983093 generaion I heology is o engage he hisorical
realiies o real flesh-and-blood human beings i mus engage such quesions inour conemporary world Asian American Evangelicals can lead he way in
hinking heologically abou such hings and his will benefi no only Asian
58 Asian Evangelicals hus need o build rom he insighul readings o mainline Proesan biblicalscholar a-Siong Benny Liew Wha Is Asian American Biblical Hermeneuics Reading he New
esamen (Honolulu Universiy o Hawaii Press 1048626983088983088983096) regarding he ehnic dynamics under-neah Jewish-Genile relaions in he New esamen o be sure Liewrsquos mainline Proesan as-sumpions may be raher disan rom evangelical ones so some criical dialogue and perhaps
correcion may also be in order Ye he srengh o Liewrsquos book is o sugges how Asian Americanexperiences o ehnic marginaliy can illuminae he dispues beween Jewish and Genile ollow-ers o he Messiah in he firs cenury Tis is an issue worh subsanial engagemen rom anevangelical perspecive
59Eg Neil J Ormerod and Shane Clifon Globalizaion and he Mission o he Church (New York amp Clark 104862698308810486251048625)
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983090983091
American communiies bu also hose o oher ehnic racial and culural groups
who are also wresling wih lie in he weny-firs-cenury global conex
Evangelical heology oday will need o heed more inenionally han i has beore acors o migraion ehniciy globalizaion and ransnaionalism
Asian American Evangelicals can assis wih hese maters i hey will arise o
he occasion Tis does no derac rom he universaliy o he gospel message
On he conrary i addresses quesions o universal significance ha are oher-
wise negleced or engaged rom or wihin only one (dominan cenris) se
o perspecives
Reconnecting to the broader evangelical theological tradition Beore con-cluding his chaper however an imporan cavea ough o be sounded None
o he preceding should be read as denying eiher Asian American indebedness
o he evangelical radiion or he inerrelaedness o Asian American and oher
evangelical effors in he conemporary heological ask Te preceding migh
sugges ha Asian Americans are only poining accusing fingers a heir whie
evangelical riends Wihou aking away anyhing rom he seriousness o he
oregoing discussion I also realize ha whie Evangelicals in paricular and Americans in general have been welcoming o Asians and ha we have made i
his ar on our diasporic journey only wih he help o such riends
Beyond such ecclesial collegialiy however I would gran ha Asian Amer-
icans are in various respecs beholden heologically o American Evangelicals
as well In paricular American evangelical commimens o Chris-
ceneredness biblical aihulness and missionary zealousness are imporan
elemens o Chrisian belie and pracice in he weny-firs cenury Asian American Evangelicals should embrace and live ou such commimens no
only or hemselves bu also or oher Evangelicals and even or he world
Ye my claim is precisely ha such a posure enables Asian American Evan-
gelicals o conribue heologically o he ormaion o an evangelical belie
and praxis relevan o he weny-firs cenury For his o happen however
Asian American Evangelicals mus embrace no only he evangel bu also he
hisoriciy o heir diasporic experiences Te incarnaion o he Son o Godconsised afer all o aking on he concreeness palpabiliy and emporaliy
o human Jewish and firs-cenury Palesinian flesh and he oupouring o he
Spiri o God on he Day o Penecos involved he redempion o he diversiy
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3535
983089 983090 983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
o human ongues languages and culures so ha hey migh bear winess o
he wondrous works o God (Acs 983090983089983089) Tis penecosal heme991252relaed o
Acs 983090 firs and oremos albei reraced unavoidably hrough he lens o mymodern penecosal ecclesial sensibiliies991252will inorm he deep srucure o
he argumen in he remainder o his volume ye achieved wihin a pen-
evangelical raher han merely charismaic rame o reerence My poin going
orward however is ha in ligh o hese heological and riniarian commi-
mens Evangelicals should be he firs o embrace he diversiy o heir his-
orical pariculariies raher han shy away rom hem radiionally o course
Evangelicals have subordinaed he vicissiudes o hisory and wih ha heiranxieies abou he flux and subjeciviies o experience o he surey and
oundaionalism o he Word o God as revealed in he Scripures My pro-
posal however is ha work o God in Chris and by he Spiri redeems us
amid wih and hrough he specificiies o our hisorical and culural expe-
rience (raher han saving us rom ou o such alogeher) and hus ha he
Word o God speaks ino such realiies (raher han ha we have o deny hem
or rejec hem as par o who we are)In shor Asian American Evangelicals do no need o be apologeic abou
heir lives experiences and perspecives Raher by ollowing he pah o he
Son o God ino he ar counry by receiving he infilling o he Spiri o God
poured ou on all flesh and by aihully atemping o live ou such a Chris-
cenered and Spiri-empowered aih in he ooseps o heir evangelical ore-
bears and ancesors Asian Americans may hen be able o bring heir heo-
logical gifs o he conversaion able gifs ha will challenge he discussion while simulaneously enriching he are or all hose concerned abou he
euangelion in he presen ime I is ime o heologize as Asian Americans no
jus as Evangelicals in order ha Evangelicalism isel can be renewed and
invigoraed or he sake o he gospel and in anicipaion o he reign o God
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3
THE LEGACY OF EVANGEL ICAL THEOLOGY
Asian American Reception and Interrogations
In his chaper we drill deeper ino he inner logic o Asian American evan-
gelical heology Why has he Asian American naure o evangelical heology
been relaively underplayed when compared o Asian evangelical heology
and o Asian American heology in mainline Proesan and Roman Caholic
circles Tis chaper argues ha here are many reasons or his and ha hey
relae boh o he legacy o he (whie) Norh American evangelical endeavor
as a whole and o how his radiion has been received and inernalized by
Asian American Evangelicals
Te hree secions o come inroduce he whence o Asian American evan-
gelical heology and is largely conservaive ehos explore how his conser-
vaism is he resul o inernalizing he heo-logic o he dominan (Wesern)
evangelical culure and conclude by urging Asian American Evangelicals o
live more inenionally ino and ou o he pariculariy socialiy and hiso-
riciy o heir experiences While Asian American evangelical heology has
been by and large consonan wih ha o he (whie) evangelical esablishmen
i has no ound much o is own voice Par o he goal is o clariy why and
how he curren generaion o Asian American Evangelicals aces a ork in he
road o allow nonehnic (read whie) Evangelicals o coninue o se he
heological agenda ha minimizes or marginalizes heir perspecives or o
asser why he hisoriciy and pariculariy o he Asian American hisory and
experience is imporan no only or Asian American evangelical heology
specifically bu also or he evangelical heological ask as a whole
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 935
983097 983096 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
I he firs wo chapers have atemped o map he broader global and wider
Asian American heological landscapes his chaper conducs a sel-criical
analysis o aspecs o Asian American evangelical hinking While here is morediversiy underneah he Asian American evangelical label han many hink
here is also some jusificaion or discussing i in erms I presen Tis chaper
probes some o hese aken-or-graned eaures o he Asian American evan-
gelical menaliy ha have inhibied creaive and consrucive heological re-
flecion Noe however ha he poin is no o merely be criical o he whie
evangelical heological esablishmen raher he poin is o highligh how in
our conemporary global conex he evangelical radiion can be expandedrenewed and developed in dialogue wih non-Euro-American conversaion
parners Posiively pu hen he ollowing inends o open up a way orward
or he pen-evangelical heological pah ha chapers our and ollowing char
A983155983145983137983150 A983149983141983154983145983139983137983150 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161 W983144983141983150983139983141
983137983150983140 W(983144)983145983156983144983141983154
I is air o say ha we are sill a he very beginning sages o Asian Americanevangelical heologizing983089 As we shall see we can only speak abou Asian
American evangelical heology i undersood in a very broad sense Te ol-
lowing skeches hree sreams o such reflecion which enables compre-
hension o is largely conservaive insincs
Paricularly or Asian Americans rom an Eas Asian background he Con-
ucian emphasis on filial piey plays ou in heir evangelical spiriualiy Some
o he earlies works on Asian American evangelical heology hereore wereocused on how especially second-generaion Asian Americans could honor
heir parens while ollowing Chris983090 Tis was and remains an especially
imporan mater i he immigran generaion were non-Chrisians Beyond
his is he pressure o perecionis expecaions by parens no o menion
having also o live ino he ldquomodel minoriyrdquo sereoype ouside he home
1One o he ew orays ino he quesion remains Young Lee Herig ldquoWhy Asian American Evan-gelical Teologiesrdquo Journal o Asian and Asian American Teology 983095 (1048626983088983088983093ndash1048626983088983088983094) 1048625-10486261048627
2See Jeanete Yep ed Following Jesus Wihou Dishonoring Your Parens Asian American Discipleship (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 1048625983097983097983096) and Nikki A oyama and racey Gee eds More
Tan Serving ea Asian American Women on Expecaions Relaionships Leadership and Faih (Downers Grove IL IVP Books 1048626983088983088983094)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983097 983097
When combined wih he deerenial Eas Asian posure many Asian Amer-
icans develop a sel-inerioriy complex991252devasaing wihin a culure o
shame991252paricularly when having also o conron linguisic challenges innavigaing hrough school and hen a career
Te ecclesial or congregaional domain is also one where Asian American
Evangelicals have expended some effor Tis is o be expeced given he long
hisory o ehnic churches and he many debaes no o menion challenges
relaed o assimilaion o he dominan culure Wihin he lieraure on Asian
American Evangelicalism we find works on pasoral minisry (designed o
equip minisers o cross generaional culural ecclesial gender and oherdivides)983091 congregaional healh and effeciveness (which provide models
or ehnic-dominan bilingual and even mixed ecclesial communiies)1048628 and
even a growing number o pan-Asian or pan-ehnic visions o he uure
(which ofen deal wih he issues o race and racializaion wihin an evan-
gelical paradigm)1048629 Asian American Evangelicals have ocused some o heir
energies on hese ecclesiological maters Wha can be hoped or is ha hese
more pracical miniserial and missional emphases will also ranslae in duecourse ino more robus ecclesiological and heological reflecion
Recent developments in Asian American evangelical theologyI is a he more
properly undersood heological level ha Asian American Evangelicals can be
said o be barely ou o he saring gae Sill even in hese gesaional imes some
poenial roues or developmen can be discerned One is a collecion o essays
ha appeared in 9830909830889830889830941048630 Published by he L983090 Foundaion an organizaion devoed
o Asian American leadership and legacy developmen his is he firs book oappear on he opic o Asian American evangelical heology Te six essayiss reflec
3Eg Ken Uyeda Fong Pursuing he Pearl A Comprehensive Resource or Muli-Asian Minisry (Val-ley Forge PA Judson Press 1048625983097983097983097) and Russell Yee Worship on he Way Exploring Asian Norh
American Chrisian Experience (Valley Forge PA Judson Press 104862698308810486251048626)4See Peer Cha S Seve Kang and Helen Lee eds Growing Healhy Asian American Congregaions (Downers Grove IL IVP Books 1048626983088983088983094) and M Sydney Park Soong-Chan Rah and Al izon edsHonoring he Generaions Learning wih Asian Norh American Congregaions (Valley Forge PA Judson Press 104862698308810486251048626)
5Elizabeh Conde-Frazier S Seve Kang and Gary A Parret A Many-Colored Kingdom Mulicul-ural Dynamics or Spiriual Formaion (Grand Rapids Baker Academic 1048626983088983088983092) and Kenneh AMahews and M Sydney Park Te Pos-Racial Church A Biblical Framework or Muliehnic Rec-
onciliaion (Grand Rapids Kregel Academic 104862698308810486251048625)6D J Chuang and imohy seng eds Conversaions Asian American Evangelical Teologies in
Formaion (Washingon DC L1048626 Foundaion 1048626983088983088983094)
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 1135
983089983088983088 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
he diversiy o he AAE communiy David Yoo a hisorian a Claremon
McKenna College surveys (wih wo collaboraors) he prendashWorld War II his-
ories o Japanese and Korean American Chrisians and urges ha religion needso be acored ino immigraion and race analyses o hese communiies even as
im seng a hisorian o American Chrisianiy and ounder o he Insiue or
he Sudy o Asian American Chrisianiy exposes he ldquocolor blindnessrdquo o
American church hisory and provides some hermeneuical opions or moving
beyond orienalis or assimilaionis models o he Asian American Chrisian
experience A pracical heologian a riniy Evangelical Diviniy School Peer
Cha discusses he challenges involved in ideniy ormaion among second-generaion Korean Americans An inriguing chaper is missiologis James Zorsquos
(affiliaed wih Logos Evangelical Seminary in El Mone Caliornia) insighul
analysis o how srucural and power issues complicae he assessmen o racism
prejudice and discriminaion on boh sides o he American and Asian American
equaion For a volume on evangelical heology he wo explicily heological
conribuions are by hisorical heologians Paul Lim (who specializes in early
modern England has augh a Gordon-Conwell Teological Seminary and nowis as o he ime o his wriing a Vanderbil Universiy) reveals he imporance
o biography in he consrucion o any Asian American evangelical heology and
Jeffrey Jue (a pos-Reormaion hisorian a Wesminser Teological Seminary)
seeks a way beyond boh modernis experienialism and posmodernis subjec-
ivism by reurning o he gospel Te conversaional approach o each chaper
in he volume invies ohers o join in he discussion
A second line o developmen lies wih Asian American evangelical womenmany o whom are also working in he area o biblical sudies1048631 A recen volume
includes en chapers mos springing off emale biblical characers all se wihin
wha Young Lee Herig calls a ldquoyinis paradigmrdquo ha is neiher merely eminis
(nor womanis nor mujerisa) nor ye acquiescen o he pariarchal srucures
dominan wihin Asian American Evangelicalism in paricular and (whie) evan-
gelical heology in general1048632 Mirrored Reflecions is hus a groundbreaking and
7See Young Lee Herig and Chloe Sun eds Mirrored Reflecions Refaming Biblical Characers (Eugene OR Wip amp Sock 10486269830881048625983088)
8See Herigrsquos lead chaper ldquoTe Asian American Alernaive o Feminism A Yinis Paradigmrdquo inHerig and Sun eds Mirrored Reflecions pp 1048627-1048625983092
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088983089
paradigmaic book no only or Asian American heology bu also or evan-
gelical biblical hermeneuics I opens up space or Asian American womenrsquos
readings o he Bible wihou mimicking oher eminis agendas i embracesreader-response approaches while honoring he scripural horizon i boldly
explores a counerculural conexualism polyphonous mulivocalism and in-
ersubjecive perspecivism wihou lapsing ino relaivism and i insiss on he
need or us o come o erms wih pluralism globalizaion and ransnaionalism
in he pursui o aihul Chrisian discipleship in our ime Arguably his is
biblical inerpreaion and heological reflecion a is bes engaging subversive
ransormaive and salvific991252or women and men1048633 Such pahs opened up by Asian American evangelical women may well be wha is mos generaive and
producive or Asian American evangelical heology in he longer run
Te conribuions o Herig and company run parallel o oher Asian
American evangelical voices ha find hemselves bewix-and-beween he
cener o he evangelical movemen and he mainline Proesan commu-
niies Soong-Chan Rahrsquos work mediaes hese spaces as represenaive o a
promising pah in conemporary Asian American evangelical heology9830891048624 Tepoency o Rahrsquos argumen is ha he speaks no only o Asian American
Evangelicals bu also o he evangelical heological esablishmen as a whole
Tis is because his is a call or he church o le go o is individualism con-
sumerism maerialism and racism991252all effecs o Wesern culure991252in order
o be reed rom is culural capiviy983089983089 Rahrsquos analysis however can find
deeper Asian American racion paricularly i wedded o he uncompro-
mising call or living ino he Asian American ideniy by heologians suchas Jonahan ran983089983090 Te later empowers a disincive Asian American voice
9Perhaps in conras o he dominan srands o Asian American evangelical biblical inerpreaionha have swallowed Wesern hermeneuical mehods almos hook line and sinker see Andrew Yueking Lee ldquoReading he Bible as an Asian American Issues in Asian American Biblical Inerpre-aionrdquo in Viji Nakka-Cammau and imohy seng eds Asian American Chrisianiy A Reader (Casro Valley CA Te Insiue or he Sudy o Asian American Chrisianiy 1048626983088983088983097) pp 983094983088-983094983097
10Soong-Chan Rah Te Nex Evangelicalism Freeing he Church fom Wesern Culural Capiviy (Downers Grove IL IVP Books 1048626983088983088983097)
11From a hermeneuical perspecive see he similar argumen o E Randolph Richards and Bran-don J OrsquoBrien Misreading Scripure wih Wesern Eyes Removing Culural Blinders o Beter Un-
dersand he Bible (Downers Grove IL IVP Books 104862698308810486251048626)12See Jonahan ran ldquoA Few Tings I Wan rom Asian American Evangelicalsrdquo in Nakka-Cammau
and seng Asian American Chrisianiy pp 10486269830921048627-9830931048625 c also ran ldquoIdeniy as MissiologyrdquoSANACS Journal 1048625 (1048626983088983088983097) 1048626983097-983092983088
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983089983088983090 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
albei one ha is no parochial since i addresses larger ecclesial (and perhaps
even social) concerns983089983091
Te ac o he mater is however ha here is litle else available on Asian American evangelical heology and ha Asian American Evangelicals are sill
a long way off rom hinking heologically as Asian Americans Par o he
reason is ha many Asian American Evangelicals even hose who are heo-
logically rained have basically replicaed he majoriy evangelical (whie)
approaches o Scripure Furher many second-generaion Asian Americans
have adoped he assimilaionis experience as heir model and have presumed
ha an ldquoAmerican universalismrdquo maps ono a biblical universalism9830891048628 Teresul is he subordinaion o heir racial and ehnic ideniies and modes o
hinking Among he many reasons or his is he dominan conservaism o
Asian American culure especially wihin ecclesial communiies o Eas Asian
descen (eg Chinese Korean Japanese and Vienamese churches) As such
Asian Americans are conen o persis wih he saus quo o evangelical he-
ology inheried rom heir (whie) evangelical eachers
Asian American evangelical conservatism Te phenomenon o Eas Asianor Conucian culural conservaism is o course a complicaed one o un-
angle On he one hand here is somehing o he sereoype o Eas Asian
Conucianism as essenially androcenric (in subordinaing women o men)
pariarchal (susained by he radiionrsquos emphasis on filial piey) and auhori-
arian (preserved in he king-subjec and older-younger broher aspecs o he
ldquofiveold relaionsrdquo) On he oher hand like mos exended culural radiions
Conucianism has been neiher saic nor ree rom dissening rends ha haveatemped o rerieve reappropriae and when necessary jetison hese radi-
13Mathew Soerens and Jenny Hwang Welcoming he Sranger Jusice Compassion and ruh in he
Immigraion Debae (Downers Grove IL IVP Books 1048626983088983088983097) is anoher example o Asian AmericanEvangelicals speaking ino wider conversaions precisely he hrus o his book and par o is goalin erms o moivaing Asian American evangelical heological inquiry I will reurn o discuss heproposals o his volume in more deph in chaper six
14Tis is my way o puting wha oher Asian American scholars have also observed see boh Anony W Alumkal ldquoTe Scandal o he lsquoModel Minoriyrsquo Mind Te Bible and Second-Generaion Asian American Evangelicalsrdquo and imohy seng ldquoSecond-Generaion Chinese Evangelical Use o heBible in Ideniy Discourse in Norh Americardquo boh in a-siong Benny Liew Te Bible in Asian
America Semeia 983097983088-9830971048625 (Alana Te Sociey o Biblical Lieraure 10486269830889830881048626) pp 10486261048627983095-983093983088 andpp 10486269830931048625-983094983095 respecively
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088983091
ional docrines or he lae modern world9830891048629 Cerainly in he Norh American
conex here are progressive orces a work especially among second and laer
generaions o Asian Americans bu equally cerainly he weigh o porableculural and philosophical radiions like Conucianism (see chaper wo)
means ha change occurs slowly
Wihin he Asian American evangelical communiy he gradual ransor-
maion o he inheried culural conservaism is cerainly being played ou
even i a a much slower pace han in nonevangelical conexs One he one
side he gospel is undersood as providing a criical perspecive on culure991252
on which I will say more momenarily on he oher side however here arecerain biblical hemes such as honoring o parens and he submission o
women (read off he surace o some Pauline exs) ha resonae wih he filial
piey o especially Conucian culures and hese have ineviably become
cenral issues or he orging o Asian American ideniies9830891048630 Hence Asian
American immigrans who are atraced o Chrisianiy are ofen drawn o
evangelical Proesanism because i provides a similarly conservaive
worldview one ha enables heir acculuraion ino American sociey Forhese reasons Conucian conservaism morphs among Asian American Pro-
esans ino a orm o evangelical conservaism
o be sure he exac role o Conucianism behind Asian American evan-
gelical conservaism migh be debaed among scholars paricularly since he
appropriaion o he Conucian radiion across he Asian American diaspora
is no all o one sripe A he same ime even i oher Asian radiions were o
be acored ino he marix o Asian American lie many are inormed by akind o pariarchal hierarchical and auhoriarian conservaism ha uncions
similarly in Eas Asian Conucian culure In shor perhaps he ldquomodel mi-
noriyrdquo sereoype as conesed as migh be such a designaion ha charac-
erizes much o he Asian American experience conribues o he conser-
vaism ha permeaes Asian American Evangelicalism
North American evangelical conservatism and its implications Bu high-
15See here Daniel A Bell Chinarsquos New Conucianism Poliics and Everyday Lie in a Changing Soci-
ey (Princeon NJ Princeon Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983096) chap 104862716Eg om Lin Losing Face and Finding Grace 983089983090 Bible Sudies or Asian Americans (Downers
Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 1048625983097983097983094) esp par 1048625
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 1535
983089983088983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
lighing Eas Asian conservaism ells only one side o he sory abou why
Asian Americans end o be conened wih and passive recipiens o he he-
ology o he dominan evangelical culure Te oher hal o his ale has o do wih Norh American conservaism as well O course hisorically Norh
American Evangelicalism was ormed ou o a long hisory o reacion o
mainline Proesan liberalism By definiion o be conservaive means o
resis he orces o change insoar as such changes are hough o compromise
he received values o a paricular radiion So while some changes have been
embraced evangelical conservaives have long resised wha are perceived as
adjusmens o hisoric Chrisian orhodoxy oised upon he Norh Americanchurch by heir liberal counerpars9830891048631 More recenly Evangelicals have also
enered ino he culure wars in deense o radiional amily values and oher
aspecs o he agenda o he Republican Pary
Over ime hen Evangelicals have been led o develop heological argu-
mens or heir conservaive sances Mos relevan or he Asian American
experience is how he dominan evangelical culure has acceped while
slighly redefining a leas more recenly he basic caegories o he classicalChris and Culure sudy o H Richard Niebuhr9830891048632 Ye hisorically Evangel-
icals have embraced he ldquoChris agains culurerdquo sance albei more recenly
shifing oward he ldquoChris ransorming culurerdquo posure Tis involves eiher
a wors he rejecion o culure which has radiionally characerized evan-
gelical secarianism (especially among undamenaliss he close cousins o
Evangelicals)9830891048633 or a bes an ambiguous relaionship wih culure one ea-
uring wha migh be called a culural hermeneuic o suspicion ha is alwaysconcerned abou syncreism wih he world Culure in popular evangelical
parlance is almos equivalen o he world and in ha sense is wha humans
need o be saved rom raher han parake o
17Tere are many versions o his sory my own elling is here ldquoTe Word and he Spiri or heSpiri and he Word Exploring he Boundaries o Evangelicalism in Relaionship o Modern Pen-ecosalismrdquo riniy Journal 10486261048627 no 1048626 (10486269830889830881048626) 10486261048627983093-9830931048626
18See H Richard Niebuhr Chris and Culure (10486259830979830931048625 repr San Francisco Harper orchligh1048625983097983093983094) c Glen H Sassen D M Yeager and John Howard Yoder Auhenic ransormaion A
New Vision o Chris and Culure (Nashville Abingdon 1048625983097983097983094)19Ie as manies in missionary and evangelisic sraegies ha called on convers o abandon heir
culural belies and pracices in ollowing Chris991252eg Birgi Meyer ranslaing he Devil Religion
and Moderniy Among he Ewe in Ghana (renon NJ Arica World Press 1048625983097983097983097)
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088983093
So how has his played ou in Asian American evangelical communiies
Mos poinedly Asian American Evangelicals have radiionally undersood
heir Chrisian conversion o involve eiher a urning away rom heir Asianculural roos or a minimizing o such aspecs o heir ideniy Ta Chrisian
conversion acually involves Americanizaion is quie prevalen across he
Asian American scene In my own case growing up as already indicaed in he
prologue we never alked abou he imporance o Chinese culure he em-
phasis a home (my parens were firs-generaion convers o Chrisianiy)
was always on embodying Chrisian culure Many Asian Americans hus end
o view heir Asian hisorical and culural legacies in binary erms ood dressand music migh be reained because hey concern he ouward aspecs o lie
which are incidenal anyway o rue human ideniy bu lierary philosophical
and religious ideas are o be cauiously approached (a bes) since hey are
probably represenaive o ldquohe worldrdquo and hus aniheical o he gospel
Tis confluence o Conucian and evangelical conservaism has been
srenghened hrough he process o heological educaion Asian American
Evangelicals end o atend solidly evangelical seminaries because o heirconservaive commimens So whereas mainline Proesan seminaries are
much more ocused on corporae ideniies evangelical seminaries and
heir curricula ocus more on personal ideniies paricularly he or-
maion o spiriual lives in relaionship o Chris9830901048624 Wha his means is ha
ehnic ideniies are minimized as having no more han biological signifi-
cance and hisorical and culural aspecs o Asian ideniy are acceped
only as accidenal o ideniy in Chris Asian American Evangelicals arefirs and oremos Chrisians and only secondarily i a all Asians (al-
hough ineresingly he prevalence o naionalism among Evangelicals
means ha American ideniy is much more imporan han evangelical
rheoric usually les on) Evangelical heological educaion hus provides
he philosophical and heological apparaus o make sense o such modes
o ideniy consrucion
20Russell Jeung ldquoEvangelical and Mainline eachings on Asian American Ideniyrdquo in Liew and Yee Bible in Asian America pp 104862610486251048625-1048627983094 reprined in Nakka-Cammau and seng Asian American
Chrisianiy pp 1048625983097983095-10486261048625983094
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 1735
983089983088983094 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
T983144983141 B983157983154983140983141983150 983151983142 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161 A M983145983150983151983154983145983156983161 R983141983152983151983154983156
In he ollowing I highligh he major episemological hermeneuical meh-
odological and docrinal aspecs o (whie) evangelical heology embraced bymany Asian American Evangelicals I argue no ha hese are he only ways in
which Asian American Evangelicals have accommodaed o he dominan
(whie) evangelical subculural worldview nor ha Asian American evan-
gelical heology can be reduced o hese eaures I sugges however ha hese
provide some explanaion or how many Asian American evangelical heolo-
gians view he Asian dimension o heir work in conexual erms bu do no
also undersand he dominan whie heological consrucs similarly Teresul is ha Asian American concerns are no only subordinaed bu also e-
ecively silenced in many cases In he ollowing I criically assess his dom-
inan view rom he marginal horizons o he Asian American experience
A (putatively) global epistemology I begin wih he Enlighenmen epis-
emology and is ques or or presumpion o have atained he universal per-
specive In heir batle agains liberalism Evangelicals have highlighed he
imporance o developing a biblical worldview983090983089 Worldview consrucion isineviably an inellecual exercise983090983090 Wha mos Evangelicals do no ofen
inerrogae is how rooed he worldview ques is in he Enlighenmen projec
As such evangelical worldview ormulaion operaes episemologically ac-
cording o modernis canons o raionaliy Tis is reinorced in evangelical
seminary educaion variously no leas in he embrace o some orm o oun-
daionalism characerisic o he Enlighenmen ques or cerainy hough
o secure evangelical claims o universal ruh983090983091
Foundaionalism classically undersood is he view ha all belies can be
jusified direcly (ounded upon) sense experience or reason available o all991252
hence universal991252raher han inerred rom oher (subjecively held) be-
lies9830901048628 While Evangelicals are philosophically jus as sophisicaed as anyone
21Tus InerVarsiy Press has jus published in 1048626983088983088983097 he fifh ediion o James Sirersquos Te Universe Nex
Door A Basic Worldview Caalog a esimony o is populariy a evangelical colleges and universiies22 Anoher popular ex among Evangelicals noes is concepual naure David K Naugle World-
view Te Hisory o a Concep (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048626)23 As refleced in anoher popular evangelical exbook J P Moreland and William Lane Craig
Philosophical Foundaions or a Chrisian Worldview (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 10486269830889830881048627)24Noe ha he dualism beween objeciviy and subjeciviy is isel a modernis consrucion I
discuss hese maters as well as evangelical orms o oundaionalism in my ldquoTe Demise o Foun-
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088 983095
else in heir deense o oundaionalism9830901048629 more ofen han no hey are epis-
emological oundaionaliss or wo reasons Negaively pu episemic oun-
daionalism is a deerren o wha hey see as he hreaening alernaive oepisemological skepicism philosophical i no moral relaivism and reli-
gious and heological pluralism Posiively pu he oundaions o Chrisian
knowing are given in he Bible I will reurn in a momen o address he her-
meneuical issues involved wih such an appeal For he momen however I
simply noe ha evangelical oundaionalism in whaever is guise butresses
is claims o have access o a universal sandpoin or (heological) knowledge
Such a universal vanage poin is o course relaed o he Enlighenmenques or cerain knowledge Hence he undermining o oundaionalism
opens up o perspecivism Evangelicals resis episemic perspecivism or he
same reasons ha hey deend oundaionalism because ha is el o be he
only way o secure raionally he sabiliy o ruh claims Opening he door
o perspecivism invies he mulipliciy o views ha characerizes he rela-
ivism o he posmodern siuaion Conservaive Evangelicals are hus very
concerned abou he ascendency o he posmodern agenda9830901048630
Wha does his have o do wih Asian American Evangelicalism My claim is
ha Asian Americans educaed a conservaive evangelical seminaries have un-
witingly embraced no only he oundaionalis episemology o heir eachers
bu also is atendan applicaions In order o ward off episemic skepicism
moral relaivism and heological pluralism Asian American Evangelicals have
also uncriically rejeced he perspecivism cenral o posoundaionalis epis-
emology9830901048631 More o he poin he deense o oundaionalism is also he de-ense o he saus quo he universal rame o reerence claimed by evangelical
daionalism and he Reenion o ruh Wha Evangelicals Can Learn rom C S Peircerdquo Chrisian
Scholarrsquos Review 1048626983097 no 1048627 (Spring 1048626983088983088983088) 9830939830941048627-98309698309625Eg J P Moreland and Garret DeWeese ldquoTe Premaure Repor o Foundaionalismrsquos Demiserdquo
in Millard J Erickson Paul Kjoss Helseh and Jusin aylor eds Reclaiming he Cener Confon-
ing Evangelical Accommodaion in Posmodern imes (Wheaon IL Crossway 1048626983088983088983092) pp 9830961048625-104862598308898309526Tus par 1048626 o Millard J Erickson Posmodernizing he Faih Evangelical Responses o he Chal-
lenge o Posmodernism (Grand Rapids Baker Books 1048625983097983097983096) is iled ldquoNegaive Responses o
Posmodernismrdquo and discusses a number o conemporary and recen deenders o classical evan-gelical aih David Wells Tomas Oden and Francis Schaeffer
27 As argued eg by Sanley J Grenz and John R Franke Beyond Foundaionalism Shaping Teology in
a Posmodern Conex (Louisville Wesminser John Knox 10486269830889830881048625) he criical and apologeic responsehas been he recogniion ha his akes us ldquobeyond Evangelicalismrdquo991252see Seven Knowles Beyond
Evangelicalism Te Teological Mehodology o Sanley J Grenz (Burlingon V Ashgae 1048626983088983088983097)
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 1935
983089983088983096 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
heology Simulaneously so he argumen goes he abandonmen o ounda-
ionalism opens he door o perspecivism and pluralism And i he later are
problemaic so are heir ideological movemens especially and including muli-culuralism (wih some advocaes o such having reinerpreed Chrisian eaching
in ligh o a poliics o ideniy insead o vice versa)9830901048632 Asian American Evan-
gelicals are hus armed oundaionally o conron engage and resis he perils
o cynicism relaivism and pluralism Unbeknowns o hem however his no
only undercus he ideology o muliculuralism bu also assails he basis upon
which hey can reclaim heir own hisorical and culural ideniies O course
Evangelicals have more recenly recognized a leas in general he imporanceo embracing he diversiy o culures even o celebraing hem bu only so
long as doing so does no hreaen he oundaions o evangelical ceriude
An (allegedly) a-cultural hermeneutic Tis presumpion o having a uni-
versal perspecive while undergirded as biblical raher han recognized as
ounded on an Enlighenmen paradigm bleeds over ino evangelical herme-
neuics In he Asian American evangelical landscape such hermeneuical pre-
supposiions bracke Asian America wheher inenionally (more ofen) or noIn his way Asian American Evangelicals have imbibed no only he oundaion-
alism o heir classical seminary educaion bu also he biblical hermeneuic ha
works o secure such an episemic sance Unsurprisingly a he hear o he
evangelical inerpreaion o Scripure is anoher insrumen rom he modernis
oolki ha o hisorical criicism Tis ime however such a hermeneuical
approach is deployed o access he auhorial inen o he Scripures and i is
his ha is cenral (oundaional) o ideniying he biblical message which inurn enables he Bible o serve as he unshakable norm or Chrisian belie
Tere is much o unpack in he preceding brie descripion o evangelical
hermeneuics classically considered Bu I wan o ocus insead on he prin-
ciples o biblical exegesis as emphasized in evangelical seminary educaion9830901048633
Te goal o exegesis is o draw ou o or o cull rom he Bible wha he original
auhors mean o communicae Tis involves undersanding firs and
28Tus have some Evangelicals harangued agains muliculuralism as an ideology or example991252Dennis McCallum ed Te Deah o ruh Wharsquos Wrong wih Muliculuralism he Rejecion o
Reason and he New Posmodern Diversiy (Minneapolis Behany House 1048625983097983097983094)29Eg Waler C Kaiser oward an Exegeical Teology Biblical Exegesis or Preaching and eaching
(Grand Rapids Baker Books 1048625983097983097983096)
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088983097
oremos how he biblical auhors were undersood by heir iniial audiences
in he ancien conex Exegesis accesses hese primordially inended biblical
principles Wha he Bible means oday is hereby a secondary issue de-penden primarily on wha i originally mean o he firs hearers and readers
o he Scripures Conemporary applicaion hus involves idenificaion o
he original and or some single meaning o he biblical exs9830911048624
Te flip side o he emphasis on exegesis hen involves he rejecion o
eisegesis he inserion o conemporary perspecives ino he meaning o he
biblical ex I he burden o biblical hermeneuics is o ake away rom he
Scripures wha is auhors inended o communicae he bane o evangelicalinerpreaion is o read ino he Bible whaever our presen viewpoins may
dicae Tis o course is a violaion o he cardinal rule o evangelical herme-
neuics readers should leave heir prejudices and biases a he door and allow
he Bible o inorm hem insead Oherwise he concern is ha he reader
will find whaever he or she is looking or and his inecs conaminaes
skews and disors he prisine message o he Bible983091983089
Te problem here is no jus ha he lines beween exegesis and eisegesis aremuch more blurred han Evangelicals usually acknowledge983091983090 bu ha he per-
sisen applicaion o such an approach o he Bible dicaes ha evangelical
readers inenionally bracke or a leas atemp o hold in abeyance heir own
hisories experiences and perspecives as being o secondary impor i o any
relevance a all or heir reading o Scripure Now I am cerainly no suggesing
ha we all willy-nilly inser our biases in appropriaing he biblical ex Simul-
aneously I urge ha he cos o such hermeneuical brackeing is oo high or
30See Rober L Tomas Evangelical Hermeneuics Te New Versus he Old (Grand Rapids Kregel10486269830889830881048626) chap 983094 iled ldquoTe Principle o Single Meaningrdquo which argues ha he pluralism po-lyphony and plurivociy o meaning advocaed by recen progressive Evangelicals reflecs more heeffecs o humaniyrsquos all ino sin han i does he classical assumpions o evangelical biblical in-erpreaion For a counerargumen one ha I am largely sympaheic wih see James K ASmih Te Fall o Inerpreaion Philosophical Foundaions or a Creaional Hermeneuic (DownersGrove IL InerVarsiy Press 1048626983088983088983088)
31For evangelical concerns regarding reader-response hermeneuics see Norman R Gulley ldquoReader-
Response Teories in Posmodern Hermeneuics A Challenge o Evangelical Teologyrdquo in DavidS Dockery ed Te Challenge o Posmodernism An Evangelical Engagemen (Wheaon IL VicorBooks 1048625983097983097983093) pp 1048626983088983096-1048627983096
32In mainline Proesan circles o course here has long been recogniion ha he radiional line beween exegesis and eisegesis is much blurrier han previously hough see Jay G WilliamsldquoExegesis-Eisegesis Is Tere a Differencerdquo Teology oday 1048627983088 no 1048627 (10486259830979830951048627) 10486261048625983096-1048626983095
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2135
983089 983089983088 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
ehnic minoriies who are Evangelicals since his in effec rejecs heir quesions
and concerns as perinen o heir engagemen wih he Bible In addiion such
presumpive brackeing blinds whie Evangelicals o he ac ha heir own ho-rizons and perspecives are involved in any reading o ancien exs and his lack
o awareness makes i doubly difficul o recognize moderae or correc
I would urge insead ha we recognize and embrace he ension involved
in he usion o biblical and conemporary horizons bu do so in a way ha
boh allows conemporary readers o ener ino he world o he Bible on he
one hand (ldquohis is hardquo) and or he Bible o map ono our conemporary lives
on he oher hand (ldquoha is hisrdquo)983091983091 Tis no only allows or an Asian American reading o he Bible somehing ha is barred in he evangelical
environmen i also invies even encourages such an approach and his in
urn gives Asian Americans991252all people acually991252permission o read he
Bible as i i really matered o heir lives
A (presumably) biblical-theological method Enlighenmen assumpions
hus inorm no only Asian American evangelical episemology and herme-
neuics bu also heological mehod and hey do so in ways ha marginalize Asian America Tis is consisen wih he general evangelical ear o licensing
wha hey see as merely subjecive readings o he Bible or he same reasons
ha hey are wary abou enabling heological mehodologies ha consciously
acknowledge he role o experience In oher words he saus quo in evan-
gelical approaches o he Bible (wih is accenuaion o exegesis and rejecion
o eisegesis) has is counerpar in evangelical approaches o heological re-
flecion his ime wih he emphasis on he Bible as he primary i no solesource or heology over and agains hisory radiion culure and experience
A one level he sola scripura commimens o Reormaion radiions have
a very specific hisory and should be undersood according o he nuances
wih which his idea has developed in he pas five hundred years9830911048628 A anoher
33I explicae some aspecs o he ldquohis is hardquo hermeneuic rom a Penecosal perspecive in myldquoReading Scripure and Naure Penecosal Hermeneuics and Teir Implicaions or he Con-
emporary Evangelical Teology and Science Conversaionrdquo Perspecives on Science and ChrisianFaih 9830931048627 no 1048625 (104862698308810486251048625) 1048625-10486251048627
34Reflecing developmens rom he publicaion o Te Fundamenals o he ldquoChicago Saemen onBiblical Inerrancyrdquo (1048625983097983095983096) many conservaive Norh American Evangelicals991252eg rom NormanL Geisler Inerrancy (Grand Rapids Zondervan 1048625983097983096983088) o James R Whie Scripure Alone (Min-neapolis Behany House 1048626983088983088983092)991252have seen and coninue o see boh sola scripura and he doc-
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2335
983089 983089 983090 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
Te problem however is ha Asian Americans have rarely i ever ques-
ioned more rigid applicaions o his mehodological norm or evangelical
heology Raher hey have inernalized he evangelical bias agains hisoryradiion and experience hus silencing he role ha paricular perspecives
migh play in he heological ask I we appeal o our experience a all we
mus do so apologeically as i admiting ha such heological inerprea-
ions are a bes parochial concerns o a communiy no ye assimilaed o
he dominan culure or a wors signaling our heological immauriy and
need o grow up rom or ranscend he ldquobackwardnessrdquo represening our
hisory and experience beore our lie in Chris Ironically however suchinenional marginalizaion o he Asian American experience no o
menion Asian American philosophical ways o hinking and reasoning
does no call ino quesion how he predominanly Anglo- and Euro-
American experiences o moderniy have shaped evangelical heology As a
resul Asian American Evangelicals have adoped wha is claimed o be a
biblical worldview and heological ramework supposedly shorn o he sub-
jecive biases o hisorically siuaed human inerpreers Bu hese aresurely devoid o heir own experienial and conexual (Asian American)
locaions and ye uncriically naive in hinking ha Euro-American his-
orical accidens have been adequaely ldquoChrisianizedrdquo
So ar I have suggesed ha episemologically hermeneuically and meh-
odologically Asian Americans have rarely quesioned he modernis Enligh-
enmen and Anglo- and Euro-American presupposiions o he evangelical
heological endeavor And since his underaking has never acknowledged heculural conexs and perspecives o he predominanly whie ramers o he
evangelical heological radiion10486281048624 he assumpion is ha ehniciy plays litle
i any role in he work o heology No surprisingly hen Asian American
heologians have been reicen o sugges ha ehniciy culure and hisoriciy
coun in heological reflecion By exension he heological and docrinal
40My poin is no ha whie perspecives have disored he gospel his isel assumes a sor oa-culural gospel ha needs conexualizaion991252a poin ha needs o be addressed and nuanced which we will do momenarily My poin is ha such whie viewpoins are no only unrecognized bu ha hey are hen presumed o be normaive or nonwhies I is par o he goal o his chapero call Asian American heologians o atend o his assumpion and o find ways o inenionallyaddress and subver i
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983091
resuls have been ormulaed and ransmited as biblically unded and univer-
sally applicable regardless o conexual consideraions
A (supposedly) universal doctrinal famework One example o how Norh American evangelical heology has proceeded wih universalisic assumpions
and hereby overlooked i no inenionally ignored oher culural perspec-
ives has o do wih he docrine o he aonemen and wha i addresses Pu
crassly humankind suffers rom one overall problem ha o sin agains God
and ha one problem demands basically one soluion he subsiuionary
aonemen o he Sonrsquos deah on he cross1048628983089 Now I realize ha i is unair o
depic evangelical views regarding he aonemen in such homogeneous ermssince he mater isel is sill being conesed1048628983090 Bu he ac is ha in some
evangelical circles deparure rom he subsiuionary view o he aonemen
is considered deviaion rom evangelical orhodoxy1048628983091 From his posiion oher
biblical aspecs and alernaive inerpreaions are eiher subsumed under he
docrine o penal subsiuion or argued o be flawed in some respec
O course such a viewpoin minimizes he role o medieval eudalism and
he jurisprudenial background o some o he Reormers in he emergenceand esablishmen o his undersanding o he aonemen in he evangelical
radiion jus as i really does no quesion he basically Augusinian anhro-
pology presumed in his process Now I am no a hisorical deerminis who
believes ha conex leads inexorably o our heological ideas jus as I do no
hink ha allowance or hisorical conexual acors relaivizes he ruh o
heological claims or produces docrinal heerodoxy Raher wihou denying
41Te World Evangelical Alliancersquos Saemen o Faih affirms ldquoWe believe in Our Lord JesusChris God manies in he flesh His virgin birh His sinless human lie His divine miracles His vicarious and aoning deah His bodily resurrecion His ascension His mediaorial work and HisPersonal reurn in power and glory Te Salvaion o los and sinul man hrough he shed bloodo he Lord Jesus Chris by aih apar rom works and regeneraion by he Holy Spirirdquo (see worldevangelicalorgweasaemenhm emphases original)
42See James Beilby and Paul R Eddy eds Te Naure o he Aonemen Four Views (DownersGrove IL IVP Academic 1048626983088983088983094) and Derek idball David Hilborn and Jusin Tacker eds Te
Aonemen Debae Papers fom he London Symposium on he Teology o he Aonemen (Grand
Rapids Zondervan 1048626983088983088983093) c J Denny Weaver Te Nonviolen Aonemen (Grand Rapids Eerd-mans 10486269830889830881048625) and Hans Boersma Violence Hospialiy and he Cross Recovering he Aonemen
radiion (Grand Rapids Baker Academic 1048626983088983088983092)43See S Lewis Johnson Jr ldquoBehold he Lamb Te Gospel and Subsiuionary Aonemenrdquo in John
H Armsrong ed Te Coming Evangelical Crisis Curren Challenges o he Auhoriy o Scripure
and he Gospel (Chicago Moody Press 1048625983097983097983094) pp 10486251048625983097-1048627983096
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983089 983089 983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
he imporance o he biblical and heological heme o subsiuion or he
docrine o he aonemen I am simply suggesing ha oher culural perspec-
ives and even assumpions migh highligh and emphasize oher biblicalmeaphors regarding Chrisrsquos salvific work
Bu o pursue he quesion ono Asian American errain wha difference
will i make i we recognize ha some Asians and Asian Americans live and
exis in a shame raher han guil culure How migh evangelical hinking
abou he aonemen be adjused revised and maybe even ransormed i
Chrisrsquos work no only assuaged he guil o sin rom human lives bu also re-
moved he shame in human hears10486281048628 My poin is ha evangelical heologicalendencies generally urge a universalisic sandpoin and in his paradigm
here is no need o atend o he pariculariies o or ariculae Asian Asian
American or oher culural perspecives since hese are all subsumed wihin he
biblical ramework read in an evangelical way In his case here isnrsquo even a
need o ask wheher radiional evangelical heologies and docrines like hose
regarding he aonemen may need o be revisied and reariculaed in ligh o
oher hisorical culural and experienial dynamics In ac Asian Americansare boh oo shameul and oo shy o even consider asking abou hese maters
I have argued so ar in his secion ha Asian American Evangelicals ormed
heologically according o he sensibiliies o he dominan evangelical culure
in Norh America have inernalized he whie evangelical worldview and in ha
sense mosly do no see he need o hink explicily rom an Asian American
vanage poin Asian American evangelical views are hereore a bes no more
han a minoriy heological perspecive wo relaed summary consequenceshave ollowed Asian American acquiescence o he majoriy culure Firs meh-
odologically and maerially evangelical heology has been undersood o be a-
hisorical a-culural and even a-conexual Te assumpion is ha he Bible
addresses all human beings so any plain reading o he Scripure will or should
be able o access he Word o God a any and all imes and places radiionally
ormulaed and ramed evangelical docrines derived rom an inducive sudy
44 Asian Americans are beginning o do jus his however991252eg Rachel Y Lei ldquoSaving Significanceo he Cross in he Asian American Conexrdquo SANACS Journal 1048625 (1048626983088983088983097) 983097983093-10486251048625983094 c Mark D Bakerand Joel B Green Recovering he Scandal o he Cross Te Aonemen in New esamen and Con-
emporary Conexs (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 1048626983088983088983088) chap 983094 ldquoRemoving AlienaingShame Te Saving Significance o he Cross in Japanrdquo
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983093
o Scripure hus orm he undispuable and unrevisable core o he gospel
Tere is litle recogniion o he hisorical culural and conexual perspecives
ha have conribued o he ariculaion o such evangelical belies Wha his means is ha here sill remains a core se o evangelical docrinal
achievemens and hese remain valid across space and ime alhough hey
may be supplemened by or ranslaed ino local conexual and siuaional
perspecives and idioms As we saw previously (chaper one) he recen Cam-
bridge Companion o Evangelical Teology reflecs precisely his mindse10486281048629 Te
Companion we know is divided ino wo pars Te firs is iled ldquoEvan-
gelicals and Chrisian Docrinerdquo and his includes eigh chapers on he oun-daional docrinal marix o evangelical belies he riniy Scripure chris-
ology heological anhropology jusificaionaonemen pneumaology
conversionsancificaion and ecclesiology Par wo ldquoTe Conexs o Evan-
gelical Teologyrdquo hen provides anoher nine chapers and hese cover issues
relaed o culure gender race and pluralism and include five chapers on
evangelical heology in Arican Asian European Lain American and Norh
American conexs Tis srucure o he Companion communicaes a wooldmessage ha evangelical docrine is a-conexually derived (par one) and
ha various hisorical conexs (par wo) can add a mos parochial ruhs
ha will no upse he docrinal supersrucure o he evangelical heological
landscape In shor basic heological and docrinal ruhs o he Chrisian
aih have already been ormulaed and can be ound in any oher evangelical
sysemaic heological ex quie apar rom Asian American or any oher
more specified perspecivesPu more poinedly i Asian Americans (or any oher ehnic or culural
group) were o wrie heir own heologies hese would be provincial under-
akings wih marginal relevance or he wider evangelical communiy Tese
would be o value only or ldquohoserdquo people (maybe immigrans reugees or
exiles) who have no ye been assimilaed ino he broader American evan-
gelical culure Litle wonder hen ha ew Asian Americans have venured
ino heological errioryhe second summary consequence o inernalizing he dominan
45imohy Larsen and Daniel J reier eds Te Cambridge Companion o Evangelical Teology (Cambridge Cambridge Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983095)
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983089 983089983094 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
worldview991252ha evangelical heology a leas in is dogmaic and sysemaic
configuraions is by and large a finished projec wih minimal inpu needed
rom Asian American or oher perspecives991252is ha Asian Americans wihheological educaion have urned in general o work in he hisorical and
social scienific disciplines10486281048630 Tere cerainly remains imporan work o be
done by hose working across he disciplines so I am no decrying such effors
Ye he ac ha hisorical sociological or oher disciplinary explicaions o
Asian American lie are published by universiy presses communicaes o
Asian Americans ha heir role is o shed new ligh on he Asian American
experience A he same ime he prevalence o hese analyical approachesamid he lacuna o explicily heological works suggess ha he ormer is o
minimal value a leas or he ldquorealrdquo heological work o dogmaics and sys-
emaics Furher ha hese scholarly publishers do no eaure exs on Asian
American evangelical heology confirms his division o labor (whie Evan-
gelicals wrie real heology Asian American Evangelicals do hisory sociology
ec) A he end o he day evangelical heologyrsquos assumpion remains undis-
urbed ha here are core docrines ha only need o be conexualized991252ha is ranslaed and made relevan991252around he world In his ramework
Asian Americans can conribue no o he ormer heological ormulaion bu
only o he later ranslaion and disseminaion ask10486281048631
46Eg he work o imohy seng and David Yoo in hisory Fenggang Yang and Rebecca Kim insociology and Russell Jeung in Asian American sudies among ohers see also my ldquoAsian Amer-ican Religion A Review Essayrdquo Nova Religio Te Journal o Alernaive and Emergen Religions 983097
no 1048627 (1048626983088983088983094) 9830971048626-104862598308898309547One could argue ha a parallel ye disinc moivaion drives Lain American or Hispanic evan-
gelical heology in a similar direcion I Asian Americans are cauioned agains hinking heo-logically rom ou o ehnic hisorical and conexual lives because o heir uncriical embrace o whie evangelical assumpions Hispanic Evangelicals may have adoped similar commimensalbei or slighly differen reasons relaed o he Lain American conex Te dominance o heRoman Caholic Church along wih is heological and olk radiions in he later environmenmay be behind Hispanic evangelical suspicions abou he role o hisory and culure in he doingo heology Te ani-Caholic senimen in hisoric Evangelicalism no doub is atracive oLainoas on he migran rail (rom Lain America o he Unied Saes) alhough such accom-modaion has brough wih i he heological coss elaboraed in he preceding pages For urher
discussion and oher angles on hese issues see Oscar Garcia-Johnson Te Mesizoa Communiyo he Spiri A Posmodern Lainoa Ecclesiology (Eugene OR Wip amp Sock 1048626983088983088983097) Sammy Alaro Divino Compantildeero oward a Hispanic Penecosal Chrisology (Eugene OR Pickwick10486269830881048625983088) Juan Mariacutenez ldquolsquoOuside he Gaersquo Evangelicalism and Laino Proesan Teologyrdquo in JeffreyGreenman and Gene L Green eds Global Teology in Evangelical Perspecive Exploring he Conex-
ual Naure o Teology and Mission (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 104862698308810486251048626) pp 1048625983095983097-983097983092 and
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983095
T983144983141 M983137983150983140983137983156983141 983151983142 A983155983145983137983150 A983149983141983154983145983139983137983150 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161
Te preceding analysis raises sel-criical awareness or Asian American Evan-
gelicals and invies hem in dialogue wih oher Evangelicals o consider wheher heir minoriy saus is problemaic and wha i anyhing can and
ough o be done abou i Now I am aware ha here are developmens wihin
he evangelical heological radiion broadly consrued ha have moved
beyond some o he sricures idenified in he preceding secion Progressive
Evangelicals he evangelical lef and posconservaive Evangelicals denoe jus
a ew o he rends among ohers percolaing on he margins o evangelical
heology10486281048632 Bu ha is precisely par o he problem hese are movemens haexcep or a small minoriy remain ouside he evangelical mainsream and
have also by and large been ignored by Asian American evangelical scholars
and heologians I believe ha producive ways orward can be chared via
Asian American Evangelicals in dialogue wih some o hese ideas alhough
a he end o he day such conversaions will only be producive as Asian
American Evangelicals ormulae a plaorm on which hey can bring some-
hing subsanive o he discussion Tis later ask is par o he presen chal-lenge and burden o he presen book
Insoar hen as I am ineresed in he quesion o wha Asian Americans can
conribue o evangelical heology no jus hisorically or sociologically bu a
a heological level my claim is ha pursui o hese maters ironically also in-
volves aking seriously he hisoriciy and pariculariy o Asian American cul-
ures experiences and perspecives In his final par o his chaper I do no
more han sugges in broad srokes how o go abou such an underakingRealities o the Asian American diaspora Par o ldquohe problem o evan-
gelical heologyrdquo can be clarified i we siuae Asian American evangelical
heology amid he broader Asian American diasporic hisorical and social
realiies described in par a he beginning o chaper wo Doing so enables
he sark realizaion ha Asian American Evangelicals are composed by a
wide range o experiences on he one hand and pressure o assimilae o
Juan F Mariacutenez and Lindy Scot eds Los Evangeacutelicos Porrais o Laino Proesanism in he
Unied Saes (Eugene OR Wip amp Sock 1048626983088983088983097)48Many o hese are discussed in Roger E Olson Reormed and Always Reorming Te Posconser-
vaive Approach o Evangelical Teology (Grand Rapids Baker Academic 1048626983088983088983095)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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983089 983089983096 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
American culure on he oher W hile Asians have lived in Norh America
since he ounding o he republic and had even conribued o he building
o he American empire during he nineeenh cenury he 983089983097983094983093 Immigraion Ac ha repealed he Orienal Exclusion Ac o 983089983097983090983092 reopened he door o a
new wave o Asian migraion During he las generaion Asian American lie
has been urher ransormed by he orces o globalizaion diasporas creaed
by modernizaion indusrializaion and urbanizaion reugee populaions
displaced by war amine and climae changes movemen enabled by he
emergence o a worldwide marke economy advances in echnology and mass
communicaion he cross-erilizaion o ideologies and shifs in inerna-ional relaions10486281048633 Te resul as saw in he previous chaper is he appearance
o a wide range o Asian American communiies across Norh America Lie
in such communiies is fluid affeced by migraion paterns socioeconomic
pressures and he srengh o relaions wih hose ldquoback homerdquo Te sronger
he ransnaional ies beween Asian immigrans in he Wes and heir amilies
organizaions and insiuions (religious and oherwise) in heir homeland
he more inense and longer-lasing he exchange o religious goods and ideas(in he orm o books periodicals and various orms o elecommunicaion)
Unsurprisingly hen firs-generaion immigrans ofen deepen he reli-
gious commimens ha hey held or praciced perhaps more nominally
beore moving Someimes immigrans conver o he more dominan religion
o heir new home In eiher case religious affiliaion ofen serves o secure
social neworks coner saus oherwise difficul o come by or immigrans
and srenghen ehnic culural and linguisic bonds and ideniies Bu or he983089983093 generaion (hose born in Asia bu who grew up a leas in par in he
Unied Saes like mysel) he process o assimilaion is well under way In
hese cases he ehnic enclave will develop English-speaking secions as well
as social organizaions school clubs and Chrisian congregaions
For young adul Asian American Evangelicals however here is ofen a
49For an overview o hese issues see Wanni W Anderson and Rober G Lee eds Displacemensand Diasporas Asians in he Americas (New Brunswick NJ Rugers Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983093) Idiscuss urher he implicaions o globalizaion or Chrisian heology in Amos Yong and PeerHelzel ldquoRober Cummings Neville and he Global Fuure o Teologyrdquo in Yong and Helzel edsTeology in Global Conex Essays in Honor o Rober Cummings Neville (New York amp Clark1048626983088983088983092) pp 1048626983097-9830921048626 esp pp 1048627983088-1048627983092
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983097
keen sense ha heir own ehnically organized congregaions or groups are
somehow less religiously and heologically legiimae because hey do no
have he more ldquouniversalrdquo appeal o whie or muliculural evangelicalchurches or parachurch organizaions10486291048624 Te resul is eiher he ransiion o
ehnic congregaions ino pan-ehnic congregaions or movemen rom heir
ldquohomerdquo congregaion o oher less ehnically defined church environmens1048629983089
By he ime he second generaion atains adulhood he remaining culural
or linguisic barriers o ull assimilaion ino American sociey are pracically
overcome ofen o he dismay o parens and grandparens1048629983090
Wha does such assimilaion consis o Cerainly speaking Englishparicipaing in he marke economy and adaping o he opions provided
by American seculariy and poliics are minimal adjusmens Bu perhaps
assimilaion also requires abandoning he norms o he immigran culure
in avor o American norms or amily and gender relaions and engaging
wih he public square on is erms I so would his no lead o an evan-
gelical sel-undersanding deeply ormed by American culure poliics
and economics Would his no resul in a subordinaion and even deor-maion o all ha is Asian excep or he biological phenoype I would
appear hen ha becoming American would more easily aciliae he
embrace o evangelical Chrisianiy991252i such is deined as a suburban
Midwesern whie middle-class religious phenomenon wih Wheaon
Illinois as is veriable ldquoMeccardquo991252bu his brings wih i he cos o losing
onersquos Asianness Does his mean ha ull accepance o Evangelicalism
50See eg Rebecca Y Kim ldquoNegoiaion o Ehnic and Religious Boundaries by Asian AmericanCampus Evangelicalsrdquo in ony Carnes and Fenggang Yang eds Asian American Religions Te
Making and Remaking o Borders and Boundaries (New York New York Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983092) pp10486259830921048625-983093983097 and Rudy V Buso ldquoTe Gospel According o he Model Minoriy Hazarding an Inerpre-aion o Asian American Evangelical College Sudensrdquo in David K Yoo ed New Spiriual Homes
Religion and Asian Americans (Honolulu Universiy o Hawaii Press 1048625983097983097983097) pp 1048625983094983097-98309698309551See Russell Jeung Faihul Generaions Race and New Asian American Churches (New Brunswick
NJ Rugers Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983092)52 As can be discerned by reading beween he lines o he Bible sudies in om Linrsquos Losing Face
and Finding Grace Tis appears o be he case wheher he second generaion inenionally a-emps o disinguish is ehnic congregaional lie rom ha o he firs immigran generaion or wheher he second generaion becomes absorbed ino nonehnic or even muliehnic congrega-ions on his poin see Elaine Howard Ecklund ldquoModels o Civic Responsibiliy Korean Amer-icans in Congregaions wih Differen Ehnic Composiionsrdquo Journal or he Scienific Sudy o
Religion 983092983092 no 1048625 (1048626983088983088983093) 1048625983093-1048626983096
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3135
983089 983090 983088 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
includes ldquorepenancerdquo rom Asia and ldquoconversionrdquo o Americanism1048629983091
Ta his is no he case seems o be borne ou by he sociological lieraure
which confirms ha ehniciy remains jus as imporan as religion in he or-maion o Asian American ideniy10486291048628 Bu i so evangelical heology has no
even begun o wresle wih he imporance o ehniciy and race no o
menion heir heological implicaions Second-generaion Korean Amer-
icans or insance seem o be inuiively drawn o churches and parachurch
minisries ha oreground heir Korean culural ideniy10486291048629 bu hey have
developed ew heological raionales or such orms o social organizaion
more o he poin heir own heological presupposiions miigae agains suchaciviy which may explain heir ideniy conflicedness
Unsurprisingly hen Asian American evangelical heology has ye o ge
off he ground even a he beginning o he weny-firs cenury Asian
American Evangelicals geting degrees rom insiuions o higher educaion
have had o wresle wihagains his assimilaive impulse o sruggle wih he
quesion o wheher hey are or should be doing (descripive) sociology raher
han heology (as normaive reflecion) and o ariculae an apologeic ordoing Asian American evangelical heology raher han jus evangelical he-
ology For oo many Asian American Evangelicals heir saus ldquobewix and
beweenrdquo991252on he one hand belonging o Asia and o he Unied Saes in
some respecs bu on he oher hand being a sranger o boh Asia and he
Unied Saes in oher respecs991252pus hem in a unique posiion o inerrogae
evangelical heology bu (o dae) leaves hem ouside he ormal organiza-
ional and insiuional srucures o criique effecively and ransorm heevangelical heological radiion
53One could also make he reverse argumen however ha Evangelicalism in he Unied Saes hasalready been molded by is social culural and hisorical conex o he exen ha he very eauresha mark he American way o lie991252ie individualism experienialism pragmaism even con-sumerism991252have also come o characerize evangelical Chrisianiy For an insighul analysis ohe ofenimes uncriical conflaion o Evangelicalism and Americanism and o he orces ha havealso resised such accommodaions see D G Har Ta Old-ime Religion in Modern America
Evangelical Proesanism in he wenieh Cenury (Chicago Ivan R Dee 10486269830889830881048626)54See Jerry Z Park ldquoTe Ehnic and Religious Ideniies o Young Asian Americansrdquo (PhD diss
Universiy o Nore Dame 1048626983088983088983092)55See Sharon Kim and Rebecca Y Kim ldquoSecond-Generaion Korean American Chrisiansrsquo Com-
muniies Congregaional Hybridiyrdquo in Carolyn Chen and Russell Jeung eds Susaining Faih
radiions Race Ehniciy and Religion Among he Laino and Asian American Second Generaion (New York New York Universiy Press 104862698308810486251048626) pp 1048625983095983094-9830971048627
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983090 983089
Moving trajectories o theological reflection O course i Asian Americans
hope o climb he ranks o he Norh American evangelical heological
academy hey can only do so on he erms esablished by heir hoss Andraher han responding o sociopoliical acors he evangelical heological
guild has always undersood isel primarily in heological erms and seen is
charge as deending hisorical orhodoxy wheher ha be agains liberalismrsquos
denial o biblical supernauralism agains neo-orhodoxyrsquos ambiguous sance
on Scripure agains mainsream sciencersquos heory o evoluion agains open
heismrsquos docrine o God and so on10486291048630 I evangelical heology has never
beore enerained ehnic perspecives in is discursive consrucion why nowundermine he (is presumed) universal ramework and applicabiliy by
adding he Asian or Asian American qualifiers
While in a sense his enire book provides a se o responses o his quesion
here I sugges hree reasons ha can moivae such a heological pah orward
Firs he Asian diaspora in he Unied Saes is now in a siuaion o reflec
subsanively on is experience o migraion While here are remendous
challenges o migraion10486291048631 some Asian Americans have achieved a level oupward social mobiliy so ha hey are now in he posiion o producing
scholarship inormed by such experienial perspecives Since he memory o
migraion among Asian Americans is more recen han hose o heir Cau-
casian colleagues such perspecives migh be helpul o ideniy how he mi-
graion rom he European coninen has shaped he evangelical heological
enerprise as a whole I Asian Americans can help heir evangelical colleagues
ideniy he hisorical impac o old o new world migraion on he belies andpracices o Norh American Evangelicalism ha in isel will open up pos-
sibiliies or considering aresh Asian American hisories and heir conribu-
ions o he wider conversaion
Second Asian Americans are orced o hink abou race and ehniciy in a
way unlike mos o heir whie brohers and sisers alhough heir reflecions
56Evangelical heologyrsquos many inernal and exernal batles are documened by Jon R Sone On heBoundaries o American Evangelicalism Te Poswar Evangelical Coaliion (New York S MarinrsquosPress 1048625983097983097983095)
57Some o hese are documened by Kenneh J Gues God in Chinaown Religion and Survival in
New Yorkrsquos Evolving Immigran Communiy (New York New York Universiy Press 10486269830889830881048627) whose work we will reurn o in chaper six
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3335
983089 983090 983090 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
can also mediae perspecive in an oherwise whie-and-black demarcaed
world Race and ehniciy are undeniable aspecs o Asian American hisory
and experience Te impor o his is a leas woold Firs Asian Americansare posiioned o engage he discussion opened up by black evangelical heo-
logians regarding conemporary heology991252even in is evangelical guises991252as
reflecing he ascen o whie perspecives in he early modern period a he
expense o Jewish and oher nonwhie culural realiies Asian American per-
specives on race and ehniciy will open up new visas on he racial and ehnic
dimensions o he biblical world10486291048632 In oher words he marginalized hisories
and perspecives o Asian American Evangelicals have much o conribue oconemporary biblical inerpreaion and heological explicaion Te dom-
inan orms o evangelical heology orged in par ou o he hegemony o
Chrisendom are in need o criical analysis and dialogical revision
Las bu no leas cenral and ongoing elemens o Asian American hisory
are par o he presen experiences o ransnaionalism and globalizaion Te
issues here are complex10486291048633 One mater ha needs o be addressed is he iner-
woven characer o he global economy and how i affecs people around he world differenly depending on various social poliical and culural circum-
sances In addiion wih regard o he Asian American side o his equaion
here remain difficul issues relaed o how he quesion o assimilaion or ac-
culuraion is being negoiaed and adjudicaed Firs- second- and hird-gener-
aion perspecives differ someimes momenously and his does no even acor
in he perspecives o he 983089983093 generaion I heology is o engage he hisorical
realiies o real flesh-and-blood human beings i mus engage such quesions inour conemporary world Asian American Evangelicals can lead he way in
hinking heologically abou such hings and his will benefi no only Asian
58 Asian Evangelicals hus need o build rom he insighul readings o mainline Proesan biblicalscholar a-Siong Benny Liew Wha Is Asian American Biblical Hermeneuics Reading he New
esamen (Honolulu Universiy o Hawaii Press 1048626983088983088983096) regarding he ehnic dynamics under-neah Jewish-Genile relaions in he New esamen o be sure Liewrsquos mainline Proesan as-sumpions may be raher disan rom evangelical ones so some criical dialogue and perhaps
correcion may also be in order Ye he srengh o Liewrsquos book is o sugges how Asian Americanexperiences o ehnic marginaliy can illuminae he dispues beween Jewish and Genile ollow-ers o he Messiah in he firs cenury Tis is an issue worh subsanial engagemen rom anevangelical perspecive
59Eg Neil J Ormerod and Shane Clifon Globalizaion and he Mission o he Church (New York amp Clark 104862698308810486251048625)
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983090983091
American communiies bu also hose o oher ehnic racial and culural groups
who are also wresling wih lie in he weny-firs-cenury global conex
Evangelical heology oday will need o heed more inenionally han i has beore acors o migraion ehniciy globalizaion and ransnaionalism
Asian American Evangelicals can assis wih hese maters i hey will arise o
he occasion Tis does no derac rom he universaliy o he gospel message
On he conrary i addresses quesions o universal significance ha are oher-
wise negleced or engaged rom or wihin only one (dominan cenris) se
o perspecives
Reconnecting to the broader evangelical theological tradition Beore con-cluding his chaper however an imporan cavea ough o be sounded None
o he preceding should be read as denying eiher Asian American indebedness
o he evangelical radiion or he inerrelaedness o Asian American and oher
evangelical effors in he conemporary heological ask Te preceding migh
sugges ha Asian Americans are only poining accusing fingers a heir whie
evangelical riends Wihou aking away anyhing rom he seriousness o he
oregoing discussion I also realize ha whie Evangelicals in paricular and Americans in general have been welcoming o Asians and ha we have made i
his ar on our diasporic journey only wih he help o such riends
Beyond such ecclesial collegialiy however I would gran ha Asian Amer-
icans are in various respecs beholden heologically o American Evangelicals
as well In paricular American evangelical commimens o Chris-
ceneredness biblical aihulness and missionary zealousness are imporan
elemens o Chrisian belie and pracice in he weny-firs cenury Asian American Evangelicals should embrace and live ou such commimens no
only or hemselves bu also or oher Evangelicals and even or he world
Ye my claim is precisely ha such a posure enables Asian American Evan-
gelicals o conribue heologically o he ormaion o an evangelical belie
and praxis relevan o he weny-firs cenury For his o happen however
Asian American Evangelicals mus embrace no only he evangel bu also he
hisoriciy o heir diasporic experiences Te incarnaion o he Son o Godconsised afer all o aking on he concreeness palpabiliy and emporaliy
o human Jewish and firs-cenury Palesinian flesh and he oupouring o he
Spiri o God on he Day o Penecos involved he redempion o he diversiy
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983089 983090 983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
o human ongues languages and culures so ha hey migh bear winess o
he wondrous works o God (Acs 983090983089983089) Tis penecosal heme991252relaed o
Acs 983090 firs and oremos albei reraced unavoidably hrough he lens o mymodern penecosal ecclesial sensibiliies991252will inorm he deep srucure o
he argumen in he remainder o his volume ye achieved wihin a pen-
evangelical raher han merely charismaic rame o reerence My poin going
orward however is ha in ligh o hese heological and riniarian commi-
mens Evangelicals should be he firs o embrace he diversiy o heir his-
orical pariculariies raher han shy away rom hem radiionally o course
Evangelicals have subordinaed he vicissiudes o hisory and wih ha heiranxieies abou he flux and subjeciviies o experience o he surey and
oundaionalism o he Word o God as revealed in he Scripures My pro-
posal however is ha work o God in Chris and by he Spiri redeems us
amid wih and hrough he specificiies o our hisorical and culural expe-
rience (raher han saving us rom ou o such alogeher) and hus ha he
Word o God speaks ino such realiies (raher han ha we have o deny hem
or rejec hem as par o who we are)In shor Asian American Evangelicals do no need o be apologeic abou
heir lives experiences and perspecives Raher by ollowing he pah o he
Son o God ino he ar counry by receiving he infilling o he Spiri o God
poured ou on all flesh and by aihully atemping o live ou such a Chris-
cenered and Spiri-empowered aih in he ooseps o heir evangelical ore-
bears and ancesors Asian Americans may hen be able o bring heir heo-
logical gifs o he conversaion able gifs ha will challenge he discussion while simulaneously enriching he are or all hose concerned abou he
euangelion in he presen ime I is ime o heologize as Asian Americans no
jus as Evangelicals in order ha Evangelicalism isel can be renewed and
invigoraed or he sake o he gospel and in anicipaion o he reign o God
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 935
983097 983096 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
I he firs wo chapers have atemped o map he broader global and wider
Asian American heological landscapes his chaper conducs a sel-criical
analysis o aspecs o Asian American evangelical hinking While here is morediversiy underneah he Asian American evangelical label han many hink
here is also some jusificaion or discussing i in erms I presen Tis chaper
probes some o hese aken-or-graned eaures o he Asian American evan-
gelical menaliy ha have inhibied creaive and consrucive heological re-
flecion Noe however ha he poin is no o merely be criical o he whie
evangelical heological esablishmen raher he poin is o highligh how in
our conemporary global conex he evangelical radiion can be expandedrenewed and developed in dialogue wih non-Euro-American conversaion
parners Posiively pu hen he ollowing inends o open up a way orward
or he pen-evangelical heological pah ha chapers our and ollowing char
A983155983145983137983150 A983149983141983154983145983139983137983150 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161 W983144983141983150983139983141
983137983150983140 W(983144)983145983156983144983141983154
I is air o say ha we are sill a he very beginning sages o Asian Americanevangelical heologizing983089 As we shall see we can only speak abou Asian
American evangelical heology i undersood in a very broad sense Te ol-
lowing skeches hree sreams o such reflecion which enables compre-
hension o is largely conservaive insincs
Paricularly or Asian Americans rom an Eas Asian background he Con-
ucian emphasis on filial piey plays ou in heir evangelical spiriualiy Some
o he earlies works on Asian American evangelical heology hereore wereocused on how especially second-generaion Asian Americans could honor
heir parens while ollowing Chris983090 Tis was and remains an especially
imporan mater i he immigran generaion were non-Chrisians Beyond
his is he pressure o perecionis expecaions by parens no o menion
having also o live ino he ldquomodel minoriyrdquo sereoype ouside he home
1One o he ew orays ino he quesion remains Young Lee Herig ldquoWhy Asian American Evan-gelical Teologiesrdquo Journal o Asian and Asian American Teology 983095 (1048626983088983088983093ndash1048626983088983088983094) 1048625-10486261048627
2See Jeanete Yep ed Following Jesus Wihou Dishonoring Your Parens Asian American Discipleship (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 1048625983097983097983096) and Nikki A oyama and racey Gee eds More
Tan Serving ea Asian American Women on Expecaions Relaionships Leadership and Faih (Downers Grove IL IVP Books 1048626983088983088983094)
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983097 983097
When combined wih he deerenial Eas Asian posure many Asian Amer-
icans develop a sel-inerioriy complex991252devasaing wihin a culure o
shame991252paricularly when having also o conron linguisic challenges innavigaing hrough school and hen a career
Te ecclesial or congregaional domain is also one where Asian American
Evangelicals have expended some effor Tis is o be expeced given he long
hisory o ehnic churches and he many debaes no o menion challenges
relaed o assimilaion o he dominan culure Wihin he lieraure on Asian
American Evangelicalism we find works on pasoral minisry (designed o
equip minisers o cross generaional culural ecclesial gender and oherdivides)983091 congregaional healh and effeciveness (which provide models
or ehnic-dominan bilingual and even mixed ecclesial communiies)1048628 and
even a growing number o pan-Asian or pan-ehnic visions o he uure
(which ofen deal wih he issues o race and racializaion wihin an evan-
gelical paradigm)1048629 Asian American Evangelicals have ocused some o heir
energies on hese ecclesiological maters Wha can be hoped or is ha hese
more pracical miniserial and missional emphases will also ranslae in duecourse ino more robus ecclesiological and heological reflecion
Recent developments in Asian American evangelical theologyI is a he more
properly undersood heological level ha Asian American Evangelicals can be
said o be barely ou o he saring gae Sill even in hese gesaional imes some
poenial roues or developmen can be discerned One is a collecion o essays
ha appeared in 9830909830889830889830941048630 Published by he L983090 Foundaion an organizaion devoed
o Asian American leadership and legacy developmen his is he firs book oappear on he opic o Asian American evangelical heology Te six essayiss reflec
3Eg Ken Uyeda Fong Pursuing he Pearl A Comprehensive Resource or Muli-Asian Minisry (Val-ley Forge PA Judson Press 1048625983097983097983097) and Russell Yee Worship on he Way Exploring Asian Norh
American Chrisian Experience (Valley Forge PA Judson Press 104862698308810486251048626)4See Peer Cha S Seve Kang and Helen Lee eds Growing Healhy Asian American Congregaions (Downers Grove IL IVP Books 1048626983088983088983094) and M Sydney Park Soong-Chan Rah and Al izon edsHonoring he Generaions Learning wih Asian Norh American Congregaions (Valley Forge PA Judson Press 104862698308810486251048626)
5Elizabeh Conde-Frazier S Seve Kang and Gary A Parret A Many-Colored Kingdom Mulicul-ural Dynamics or Spiriual Formaion (Grand Rapids Baker Academic 1048626983088983088983092) and Kenneh AMahews and M Sydney Park Te Pos-Racial Church A Biblical Framework or Muliehnic Rec-
onciliaion (Grand Rapids Kregel Academic 104862698308810486251048625)6D J Chuang and imohy seng eds Conversaions Asian American Evangelical Teologies in
Formaion (Washingon DC L1048626 Foundaion 1048626983088983088983094)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 1135
983089983088983088 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
he diversiy o he AAE communiy David Yoo a hisorian a Claremon
McKenna College surveys (wih wo collaboraors) he prendashWorld War II his-
ories o Japanese and Korean American Chrisians and urges ha religion needso be acored ino immigraion and race analyses o hese communiies even as
im seng a hisorian o American Chrisianiy and ounder o he Insiue or
he Sudy o Asian American Chrisianiy exposes he ldquocolor blindnessrdquo o
American church hisory and provides some hermeneuical opions or moving
beyond orienalis or assimilaionis models o he Asian American Chrisian
experience A pracical heologian a riniy Evangelical Diviniy School Peer
Cha discusses he challenges involved in ideniy ormaion among second-generaion Korean Americans An inriguing chaper is missiologis James Zorsquos
(affiliaed wih Logos Evangelical Seminary in El Mone Caliornia) insighul
analysis o how srucural and power issues complicae he assessmen o racism
prejudice and discriminaion on boh sides o he American and Asian American
equaion For a volume on evangelical heology he wo explicily heological
conribuions are by hisorical heologians Paul Lim (who specializes in early
modern England has augh a Gordon-Conwell Teological Seminary and nowis as o he ime o his wriing a Vanderbil Universiy) reveals he imporance
o biography in he consrucion o any Asian American evangelical heology and
Jeffrey Jue (a pos-Reormaion hisorian a Wesminser Teological Seminary)
seeks a way beyond boh modernis experienialism and posmodernis subjec-
ivism by reurning o he gospel Te conversaional approach o each chaper
in he volume invies ohers o join in he discussion
A second line o developmen lies wih Asian American evangelical womenmany o whom are also working in he area o biblical sudies1048631 A recen volume
includes en chapers mos springing off emale biblical characers all se wihin
wha Young Lee Herig calls a ldquoyinis paradigmrdquo ha is neiher merely eminis
(nor womanis nor mujerisa) nor ye acquiescen o he pariarchal srucures
dominan wihin Asian American Evangelicalism in paricular and (whie) evan-
gelical heology in general1048632 Mirrored Reflecions is hus a groundbreaking and
7See Young Lee Herig and Chloe Sun eds Mirrored Reflecions Refaming Biblical Characers (Eugene OR Wip amp Sock 10486269830881048625983088)
8See Herigrsquos lead chaper ldquoTe Asian American Alernaive o Feminism A Yinis Paradigmrdquo inHerig and Sun eds Mirrored Reflecions pp 1048627-1048625983092
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088983089
paradigmaic book no only or Asian American heology bu also or evan-
gelical biblical hermeneuics I opens up space or Asian American womenrsquos
readings o he Bible wihou mimicking oher eminis agendas i embracesreader-response approaches while honoring he scripural horizon i boldly
explores a counerculural conexualism polyphonous mulivocalism and in-
ersubjecive perspecivism wihou lapsing ino relaivism and i insiss on he
need or us o come o erms wih pluralism globalizaion and ransnaionalism
in he pursui o aihul Chrisian discipleship in our ime Arguably his is
biblical inerpreaion and heological reflecion a is bes engaging subversive
ransormaive and salvific991252or women and men1048633 Such pahs opened up by Asian American evangelical women may well be wha is mos generaive and
producive or Asian American evangelical heology in he longer run
Te conribuions o Herig and company run parallel o oher Asian
American evangelical voices ha find hemselves bewix-and-beween he
cener o he evangelical movemen and he mainline Proesan commu-
niies Soong-Chan Rahrsquos work mediaes hese spaces as represenaive o a
promising pah in conemporary Asian American evangelical heology9830891048624 Tepoency o Rahrsquos argumen is ha he speaks no only o Asian American
Evangelicals bu also o he evangelical heological esablishmen as a whole
Tis is because his is a call or he church o le go o is individualism con-
sumerism maerialism and racism991252all effecs o Wesern culure991252in order
o be reed rom is culural capiviy983089983089 Rahrsquos analysis however can find
deeper Asian American racion paricularly i wedded o he uncompro-
mising call or living ino he Asian American ideniy by heologians suchas Jonahan ran983089983090 Te later empowers a disincive Asian American voice
9Perhaps in conras o he dominan srands o Asian American evangelical biblical inerpreaionha have swallowed Wesern hermeneuical mehods almos hook line and sinker see Andrew Yueking Lee ldquoReading he Bible as an Asian American Issues in Asian American Biblical Inerpre-aionrdquo in Viji Nakka-Cammau and imohy seng eds Asian American Chrisianiy A Reader (Casro Valley CA Te Insiue or he Sudy o Asian American Chrisianiy 1048626983088983088983097) pp 983094983088-983094983097
10Soong-Chan Rah Te Nex Evangelicalism Freeing he Church fom Wesern Culural Capiviy (Downers Grove IL IVP Books 1048626983088983088983097)
11From a hermeneuical perspecive see he similar argumen o E Randolph Richards and Bran-don J OrsquoBrien Misreading Scripure wih Wesern Eyes Removing Culural Blinders o Beter Un-
dersand he Bible (Downers Grove IL IVP Books 104862698308810486251048626)12See Jonahan ran ldquoA Few Tings I Wan rom Asian American Evangelicalsrdquo in Nakka-Cammau
and seng Asian American Chrisianiy pp 10486269830921048627-9830931048625 c also ran ldquoIdeniy as MissiologyrdquoSANACS Journal 1048625 (1048626983088983088983097) 1048626983097-983092983088
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983089983088983090 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
albei one ha is no parochial since i addresses larger ecclesial (and perhaps
even social) concerns983089983091
Te ac o he mater is however ha here is litle else available on Asian American evangelical heology and ha Asian American Evangelicals are sill
a long way off rom hinking heologically as Asian Americans Par o he
reason is ha many Asian American Evangelicals even hose who are heo-
logically rained have basically replicaed he majoriy evangelical (whie)
approaches o Scripure Furher many second-generaion Asian Americans
have adoped he assimilaionis experience as heir model and have presumed
ha an ldquoAmerican universalismrdquo maps ono a biblical universalism9830891048628 Teresul is he subordinaion o heir racial and ehnic ideniies and modes o
hinking Among he many reasons or his is he dominan conservaism o
Asian American culure especially wihin ecclesial communiies o Eas Asian
descen (eg Chinese Korean Japanese and Vienamese churches) As such
Asian Americans are conen o persis wih he saus quo o evangelical he-
ology inheried rom heir (whie) evangelical eachers
Asian American evangelical conservatism Te phenomenon o Eas Asianor Conucian culural conservaism is o course a complicaed one o un-
angle On he one hand here is somehing o he sereoype o Eas Asian
Conucianism as essenially androcenric (in subordinaing women o men)
pariarchal (susained by he radiionrsquos emphasis on filial piey) and auhori-
arian (preserved in he king-subjec and older-younger broher aspecs o he
ldquofiveold relaionsrdquo) On he oher hand like mos exended culural radiions
Conucianism has been neiher saic nor ree rom dissening rends ha haveatemped o rerieve reappropriae and when necessary jetison hese radi-
13Mathew Soerens and Jenny Hwang Welcoming he Sranger Jusice Compassion and ruh in he
Immigraion Debae (Downers Grove IL IVP Books 1048626983088983088983097) is anoher example o Asian AmericanEvangelicals speaking ino wider conversaions precisely he hrus o his book and par o is goalin erms o moivaing Asian American evangelical heological inquiry I will reurn o discuss heproposals o his volume in more deph in chaper six
14Tis is my way o puting wha oher Asian American scholars have also observed see boh Anony W Alumkal ldquoTe Scandal o he lsquoModel Minoriyrsquo Mind Te Bible and Second-Generaion Asian American Evangelicalsrdquo and imohy seng ldquoSecond-Generaion Chinese Evangelical Use o heBible in Ideniy Discourse in Norh Americardquo boh in a-siong Benny Liew Te Bible in Asian
America Semeia 983097983088-9830971048625 (Alana Te Sociey o Biblical Lieraure 10486269830889830881048626) pp 10486261048627983095-983093983088 andpp 10486269830931048625-983094983095 respecively
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088983091
ional docrines or he lae modern world9830891048629 Cerainly in he Norh American
conex here are progressive orces a work especially among second and laer
generaions o Asian Americans bu equally cerainly he weigh o porableculural and philosophical radiions like Conucianism (see chaper wo)
means ha change occurs slowly
Wihin he Asian American evangelical communiy he gradual ransor-
maion o he inheried culural conservaism is cerainly being played ou
even i a a much slower pace han in nonevangelical conexs One he one
side he gospel is undersood as providing a criical perspecive on culure991252
on which I will say more momenarily on he oher side however here arecerain biblical hemes such as honoring o parens and he submission o
women (read off he surace o some Pauline exs) ha resonae wih he filial
piey o especially Conucian culures and hese have ineviably become
cenral issues or he orging o Asian American ideniies9830891048630 Hence Asian
American immigrans who are atraced o Chrisianiy are ofen drawn o
evangelical Proesanism because i provides a similarly conservaive
worldview one ha enables heir acculuraion ino American sociey Forhese reasons Conucian conservaism morphs among Asian American Pro-
esans ino a orm o evangelical conservaism
o be sure he exac role o Conucianism behind Asian American evan-
gelical conservaism migh be debaed among scholars paricularly since he
appropriaion o he Conucian radiion across he Asian American diaspora
is no all o one sripe A he same ime even i oher Asian radiions were o
be acored ino he marix o Asian American lie many are inormed by akind o pariarchal hierarchical and auhoriarian conservaism ha uncions
similarly in Eas Asian Conucian culure In shor perhaps he ldquomodel mi-
noriyrdquo sereoype as conesed as migh be such a designaion ha charac-
erizes much o he Asian American experience conribues o he conser-
vaism ha permeaes Asian American Evangelicalism
North American evangelical conservatism and its implications Bu high-
15See here Daniel A Bell Chinarsquos New Conucianism Poliics and Everyday Lie in a Changing Soci-
ey (Princeon NJ Princeon Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983096) chap 104862716Eg om Lin Losing Face and Finding Grace 983089983090 Bible Sudies or Asian Americans (Downers
Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 1048625983097983097983094) esp par 1048625
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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983089983088983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
lighing Eas Asian conservaism ells only one side o he sory abou why
Asian Americans end o be conened wih and passive recipiens o he he-
ology o he dominan evangelical culure Te oher hal o his ale has o do wih Norh American conservaism as well O course hisorically Norh
American Evangelicalism was ormed ou o a long hisory o reacion o
mainline Proesan liberalism By definiion o be conservaive means o
resis he orces o change insoar as such changes are hough o compromise
he received values o a paricular radiion So while some changes have been
embraced evangelical conservaives have long resised wha are perceived as
adjusmens o hisoric Chrisian orhodoxy oised upon he Norh Americanchurch by heir liberal counerpars9830891048631 More recenly Evangelicals have also
enered ino he culure wars in deense o radiional amily values and oher
aspecs o he agenda o he Republican Pary
Over ime hen Evangelicals have been led o develop heological argu-
mens or heir conservaive sances Mos relevan or he Asian American
experience is how he dominan evangelical culure has acceped while
slighly redefining a leas more recenly he basic caegories o he classicalChris and Culure sudy o H Richard Niebuhr9830891048632 Ye hisorically Evangel-
icals have embraced he ldquoChris agains culurerdquo sance albei more recenly
shifing oward he ldquoChris ransorming culurerdquo posure Tis involves eiher
a wors he rejecion o culure which has radiionally characerized evan-
gelical secarianism (especially among undamenaliss he close cousins o
Evangelicals)9830891048633 or a bes an ambiguous relaionship wih culure one ea-
uring wha migh be called a culural hermeneuic o suspicion ha is alwaysconcerned abou syncreism wih he world Culure in popular evangelical
parlance is almos equivalen o he world and in ha sense is wha humans
need o be saved rom raher han parake o
17Tere are many versions o his sory my own elling is here ldquoTe Word and he Spiri or heSpiri and he Word Exploring he Boundaries o Evangelicalism in Relaionship o Modern Pen-ecosalismrdquo riniy Journal 10486261048627 no 1048626 (10486269830889830881048626) 10486261048627983093-9830931048626
18See H Richard Niebuhr Chris and Culure (10486259830979830931048625 repr San Francisco Harper orchligh1048625983097983093983094) c Glen H Sassen D M Yeager and John Howard Yoder Auhenic ransormaion A
New Vision o Chris and Culure (Nashville Abingdon 1048625983097983097983094)19Ie as manies in missionary and evangelisic sraegies ha called on convers o abandon heir
culural belies and pracices in ollowing Chris991252eg Birgi Meyer ranslaing he Devil Religion
and Moderniy Among he Ewe in Ghana (renon NJ Arica World Press 1048625983097983097983097)
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088983093
So how has his played ou in Asian American evangelical communiies
Mos poinedly Asian American Evangelicals have radiionally undersood
heir Chrisian conversion o involve eiher a urning away rom heir Asianculural roos or a minimizing o such aspecs o heir ideniy Ta Chrisian
conversion acually involves Americanizaion is quie prevalen across he
Asian American scene In my own case growing up as already indicaed in he
prologue we never alked abou he imporance o Chinese culure he em-
phasis a home (my parens were firs-generaion convers o Chrisianiy)
was always on embodying Chrisian culure Many Asian Americans hus end
o view heir Asian hisorical and culural legacies in binary erms ood dressand music migh be reained because hey concern he ouward aspecs o lie
which are incidenal anyway o rue human ideniy bu lierary philosophical
and religious ideas are o be cauiously approached (a bes) since hey are
probably represenaive o ldquohe worldrdquo and hus aniheical o he gospel
Tis confluence o Conucian and evangelical conservaism has been
srenghened hrough he process o heological educaion Asian American
Evangelicals end o atend solidly evangelical seminaries because o heirconservaive commimens So whereas mainline Proesan seminaries are
much more ocused on corporae ideniies evangelical seminaries and
heir curricula ocus more on personal ideniies paricularly he or-
maion o spiriual lives in relaionship o Chris9830901048624 Wha his means is ha
ehnic ideniies are minimized as having no more han biological signifi-
cance and hisorical and culural aspecs o Asian ideniy are acceped
only as accidenal o ideniy in Chris Asian American Evangelicals arefirs and oremos Chrisians and only secondarily i a all Asians (al-
hough ineresingly he prevalence o naionalism among Evangelicals
means ha American ideniy is much more imporan han evangelical
rheoric usually les on) Evangelical heological educaion hus provides
he philosophical and heological apparaus o make sense o such modes
o ideniy consrucion
20Russell Jeung ldquoEvangelical and Mainline eachings on Asian American Ideniyrdquo in Liew and Yee Bible in Asian America pp 104862610486251048625-1048627983094 reprined in Nakka-Cammau and seng Asian American
Chrisianiy pp 1048625983097983095-10486261048625983094
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 1735
983089983088983094 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
T983144983141 B983157983154983140983141983150 983151983142 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161 A M983145983150983151983154983145983156983161 R983141983152983151983154983156
In he ollowing I highligh he major episemological hermeneuical meh-
odological and docrinal aspecs o (whie) evangelical heology embraced bymany Asian American Evangelicals I argue no ha hese are he only ways in
which Asian American Evangelicals have accommodaed o he dominan
(whie) evangelical subculural worldview nor ha Asian American evan-
gelical heology can be reduced o hese eaures I sugges however ha hese
provide some explanaion or how many Asian American evangelical heolo-
gians view he Asian dimension o heir work in conexual erms bu do no
also undersand he dominan whie heological consrucs similarly Teresul is ha Asian American concerns are no only subordinaed bu also e-
ecively silenced in many cases In he ollowing I criically assess his dom-
inan view rom he marginal horizons o he Asian American experience
A (putatively) global epistemology I begin wih he Enlighenmen epis-
emology and is ques or or presumpion o have atained he universal per-
specive In heir batle agains liberalism Evangelicals have highlighed he
imporance o developing a biblical worldview983090983089 Worldview consrucion isineviably an inellecual exercise983090983090 Wha mos Evangelicals do no ofen
inerrogae is how rooed he worldview ques is in he Enlighenmen projec
As such evangelical worldview ormulaion operaes episemologically ac-
cording o modernis canons o raionaliy Tis is reinorced in evangelical
seminary educaion variously no leas in he embrace o some orm o oun-
daionalism characerisic o he Enlighenmen ques or cerainy hough
o secure evangelical claims o universal ruh983090983091
Foundaionalism classically undersood is he view ha all belies can be
jusified direcly (ounded upon) sense experience or reason available o all991252
hence universal991252raher han inerred rom oher (subjecively held) be-
lies9830901048628 While Evangelicals are philosophically jus as sophisicaed as anyone
21Tus InerVarsiy Press has jus published in 1048626983088983088983097 he fifh ediion o James Sirersquos Te Universe Nex
Door A Basic Worldview Caalog a esimony o is populariy a evangelical colleges and universiies22 Anoher popular ex among Evangelicals noes is concepual naure David K Naugle World-
view Te Hisory o a Concep (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048626)23 As refleced in anoher popular evangelical exbook J P Moreland and William Lane Craig
Philosophical Foundaions or a Chrisian Worldview (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 10486269830889830881048627)24Noe ha he dualism beween objeciviy and subjeciviy is isel a modernis consrucion I
discuss hese maters as well as evangelical orms o oundaionalism in my ldquoTe Demise o Foun-
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088 983095
else in heir deense o oundaionalism9830901048629 more ofen han no hey are epis-
emological oundaionaliss or wo reasons Negaively pu episemic oun-
daionalism is a deerren o wha hey see as he hreaening alernaive oepisemological skepicism philosophical i no moral relaivism and reli-
gious and heological pluralism Posiively pu he oundaions o Chrisian
knowing are given in he Bible I will reurn in a momen o address he her-
meneuical issues involved wih such an appeal For he momen however I
simply noe ha evangelical oundaionalism in whaever is guise butresses
is claims o have access o a universal sandpoin or (heological) knowledge
Such a universal vanage poin is o course relaed o he Enlighenmenques or cerain knowledge Hence he undermining o oundaionalism
opens up o perspecivism Evangelicals resis episemic perspecivism or he
same reasons ha hey deend oundaionalism because ha is el o be he
only way o secure raionally he sabiliy o ruh claims Opening he door
o perspecivism invies he mulipliciy o views ha characerizes he rela-
ivism o he posmodern siuaion Conservaive Evangelicals are hus very
concerned abou he ascendency o he posmodern agenda9830901048630
Wha does his have o do wih Asian American Evangelicalism My claim is
ha Asian Americans educaed a conservaive evangelical seminaries have un-
witingly embraced no only he oundaionalis episemology o heir eachers
bu also is atendan applicaions In order o ward off episemic skepicism
moral relaivism and heological pluralism Asian American Evangelicals have
also uncriically rejeced he perspecivism cenral o posoundaionalis epis-
emology9830901048631 More o he poin he deense o oundaionalism is also he de-ense o he saus quo he universal rame o reerence claimed by evangelical
daionalism and he Reenion o ruh Wha Evangelicals Can Learn rom C S Peircerdquo Chrisian
Scholarrsquos Review 1048626983097 no 1048627 (Spring 1048626983088983088983088) 9830939830941048627-98309698309625Eg J P Moreland and Garret DeWeese ldquoTe Premaure Repor o Foundaionalismrsquos Demiserdquo
in Millard J Erickson Paul Kjoss Helseh and Jusin aylor eds Reclaiming he Cener Confon-
ing Evangelical Accommodaion in Posmodern imes (Wheaon IL Crossway 1048626983088983088983092) pp 9830961048625-104862598308898309526Tus par 1048626 o Millard J Erickson Posmodernizing he Faih Evangelical Responses o he Chal-
lenge o Posmodernism (Grand Rapids Baker Books 1048625983097983097983096) is iled ldquoNegaive Responses o
Posmodernismrdquo and discusses a number o conemporary and recen deenders o classical evan-gelical aih David Wells Tomas Oden and Francis Schaeffer
27 As argued eg by Sanley J Grenz and John R Franke Beyond Foundaionalism Shaping Teology in
a Posmodern Conex (Louisville Wesminser John Knox 10486269830889830881048625) he criical and apologeic responsehas been he recogniion ha his akes us ldquobeyond Evangelicalismrdquo991252see Seven Knowles Beyond
Evangelicalism Te Teological Mehodology o Sanley J Grenz (Burlingon V Ashgae 1048626983088983088983097)
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 1935
983089983088983096 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
heology Simulaneously so he argumen goes he abandonmen o ounda-
ionalism opens he door o perspecivism and pluralism And i he later are
problemaic so are heir ideological movemens especially and including muli-culuralism (wih some advocaes o such having reinerpreed Chrisian eaching
in ligh o a poliics o ideniy insead o vice versa)9830901048632 Asian American Evan-
gelicals are hus armed oundaionally o conron engage and resis he perils
o cynicism relaivism and pluralism Unbeknowns o hem however his no
only undercus he ideology o muliculuralism bu also assails he basis upon
which hey can reclaim heir own hisorical and culural ideniies O course
Evangelicals have more recenly recognized a leas in general he imporanceo embracing he diversiy o culures even o celebraing hem bu only so
long as doing so does no hreaen he oundaions o evangelical ceriude
An (allegedly) a-cultural hermeneutic Tis presumpion o having a uni-
versal perspecive while undergirded as biblical raher han recognized as
ounded on an Enlighenmen paradigm bleeds over ino evangelical herme-
neuics In he Asian American evangelical landscape such hermeneuical pre-
supposiions bracke Asian America wheher inenionally (more ofen) or noIn his way Asian American Evangelicals have imbibed no only he oundaion-
alism o heir classical seminary educaion bu also he biblical hermeneuic ha
works o secure such an episemic sance Unsurprisingly a he hear o he
evangelical inerpreaion o Scripure is anoher insrumen rom he modernis
oolki ha o hisorical criicism Tis ime however such a hermeneuical
approach is deployed o access he auhorial inen o he Scripures and i is
his ha is cenral (oundaional) o ideniying he biblical message which inurn enables he Bible o serve as he unshakable norm or Chrisian belie
Tere is much o unpack in he preceding brie descripion o evangelical
hermeneuics classically considered Bu I wan o ocus insead on he prin-
ciples o biblical exegesis as emphasized in evangelical seminary educaion9830901048633
Te goal o exegesis is o draw ou o or o cull rom he Bible wha he original
auhors mean o communicae Tis involves undersanding firs and
28Tus have some Evangelicals harangued agains muliculuralism as an ideology or example991252Dennis McCallum ed Te Deah o ruh Wharsquos Wrong wih Muliculuralism he Rejecion o
Reason and he New Posmodern Diversiy (Minneapolis Behany House 1048625983097983097983094)29Eg Waler C Kaiser oward an Exegeical Teology Biblical Exegesis or Preaching and eaching
(Grand Rapids Baker Books 1048625983097983097983096)
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088983097
oremos how he biblical auhors were undersood by heir iniial audiences
in he ancien conex Exegesis accesses hese primordially inended biblical
principles Wha he Bible means oday is hereby a secondary issue de-penden primarily on wha i originally mean o he firs hearers and readers
o he Scripures Conemporary applicaion hus involves idenificaion o
he original and or some single meaning o he biblical exs9830911048624
Te flip side o he emphasis on exegesis hen involves he rejecion o
eisegesis he inserion o conemporary perspecives ino he meaning o he
biblical ex I he burden o biblical hermeneuics is o ake away rom he
Scripures wha is auhors inended o communicae he bane o evangelicalinerpreaion is o read ino he Bible whaever our presen viewpoins may
dicae Tis o course is a violaion o he cardinal rule o evangelical herme-
neuics readers should leave heir prejudices and biases a he door and allow
he Bible o inorm hem insead Oherwise he concern is ha he reader
will find whaever he or she is looking or and his inecs conaminaes
skews and disors he prisine message o he Bible983091983089
Te problem here is no jus ha he lines beween exegesis and eisegesis aremuch more blurred han Evangelicals usually acknowledge983091983090 bu ha he per-
sisen applicaion o such an approach o he Bible dicaes ha evangelical
readers inenionally bracke or a leas atemp o hold in abeyance heir own
hisories experiences and perspecives as being o secondary impor i o any
relevance a all or heir reading o Scripure Now I am cerainly no suggesing
ha we all willy-nilly inser our biases in appropriaing he biblical ex Simul-
aneously I urge ha he cos o such hermeneuical brackeing is oo high or
30See Rober L Tomas Evangelical Hermeneuics Te New Versus he Old (Grand Rapids Kregel10486269830889830881048626) chap 983094 iled ldquoTe Principle o Single Meaningrdquo which argues ha he pluralism po-lyphony and plurivociy o meaning advocaed by recen progressive Evangelicals reflecs more heeffecs o humaniyrsquos all ino sin han i does he classical assumpions o evangelical biblical in-erpreaion For a counerargumen one ha I am largely sympaheic wih see James K ASmih Te Fall o Inerpreaion Philosophical Foundaions or a Creaional Hermeneuic (DownersGrove IL InerVarsiy Press 1048626983088983088983088)
31For evangelical concerns regarding reader-response hermeneuics see Norman R Gulley ldquoReader-
Response Teories in Posmodern Hermeneuics A Challenge o Evangelical Teologyrdquo in DavidS Dockery ed Te Challenge o Posmodernism An Evangelical Engagemen (Wheaon IL VicorBooks 1048625983097983097983093) pp 1048626983088983096-1048627983096
32In mainline Proesan circles o course here has long been recogniion ha he radiional line beween exegesis and eisegesis is much blurrier han previously hough see Jay G WilliamsldquoExegesis-Eisegesis Is Tere a Differencerdquo Teology oday 1048627983088 no 1048627 (10486259830979830951048627) 10486261048625983096-1048626983095
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2135
983089 983089983088 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
ehnic minoriies who are Evangelicals since his in effec rejecs heir quesions
and concerns as perinen o heir engagemen wih he Bible In addiion such
presumpive brackeing blinds whie Evangelicals o he ac ha heir own ho-rizons and perspecives are involved in any reading o ancien exs and his lack
o awareness makes i doubly difficul o recognize moderae or correc
I would urge insead ha we recognize and embrace he ension involved
in he usion o biblical and conemporary horizons bu do so in a way ha
boh allows conemporary readers o ener ino he world o he Bible on he
one hand (ldquohis is hardquo) and or he Bible o map ono our conemporary lives
on he oher hand (ldquoha is hisrdquo)983091983091 Tis no only allows or an Asian American reading o he Bible somehing ha is barred in he evangelical
environmen i also invies even encourages such an approach and his in
urn gives Asian Americans991252all people acually991252permission o read he
Bible as i i really matered o heir lives
A (presumably) biblical-theological method Enlighenmen assumpions
hus inorm no only Asian American evangelical episemology and herme-
neuics bu also heological mehod and hey do so in ways ha marginalize Asian America Tis is consisen wih he general evangelical ear o licensing
wha hey see as merely subjecive readings o he Bible or he same reasons
ha hey are wary abou enabling heological mehodologies ha consciously
acknowledge he role o experience In oher words he saus quo in evan-
gelical approaches o he Bible (wih is accenuaion o exegesis and rejecion
o eisegesis) has is counerpar in evangelical approaches o heological re-
flecion his ime wih he emphasis on he Bible as he primary i no solesource or heology over and agains hisory radiion culure and experience
A one level he sola scripura commimens o Reormaion radiions have
a very specific hisory and should be undersood according o he nuances
wih which his idea has developed in he pas five hundred years9830911048628 A anoher
33I explicae some aspecs o he ldquohis is hardquo hermeneuic rom a Penecosal perspecive in myldquoReading Scripure and Naure Penecosal Hermeneuics and Teir Implicaions or he Con-
emporary Evangelical Teology and Science Conversaionrdquo Perspecives on Science and ChrisianFaih 9830931048627 no 1048625 (104862698308810486251048625) 1048625-10486251048627
34Reflecing developmens rom he publicaion o Te Fundamenals o he ldquoChicago Saemen onBiblical Inerrancyrdquo (1048625983097983095983096) many conservaive Norh American Evangelicals991252eg rom NormanL Geisler Inerrancy (Grand Rapids Zondervan 1048625983097983096983088) o James R Whie Scripure Alone (Min-neapolis Behany House 1048626983088983088983092)991252have seen and coninue o see boh sola scripura and he doc-
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2235
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2335
983089 983089 983090 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
Te problem however is ha Asian Americans have rarely i ever ques-
ioned more rigid applicaions o his mehodological norm or evangelical
heology Raher hey have inernalized he evangelical bias agains hisoryradiion and experience hus silencing he role ha paricular perspecives
migh play in he heological ask I we appeal o our experience a all we
mus do so apologeically as i admiting ha such heological inerprea-
ions are a bes parochial concerns o a communiy no ye assimilaed o
he dominan culure or a wors signaling our heological immauriy and
need o grow up rom or ranscend he ldquobackwardnessrdquo represening our
hisory and experience beore our lie in Chris Ironically however suchinenional marginalizaion o he Asian American experience no o
menion Asian American philosophical ways o hinking and reasoning
does no call ino quesion how he predominanly Anglo- and Euro-
American experiences o moderniy have shaped evangelical heology As a
resul Asian American Evangelicals have adoped wha is claimed o be a
biblical worldview and heological ramework supposedly shorn o he sub-
jecive biases o hisorically siuaed human inerpreers Bu hese aresurely devoid o heir own experienial and conexual (Asian American)
locaions and ye uncriically naive in hinking ha Euro-American his-
orical accidens have been adequaely ldquoChrisianizedrdquo
So ar I have suggesed ha episemologically hermeneuically and meh-
odologically Asian Americans have rarely quesioned he modernis Enligh-
enmen and Anglo- and Euro-American presupposiions o he evangelical
heological endeavor And since his underaking has never acknowledged heculural conexs and perspecives o he predominanly whie ramers o he
evangelical heological radiion10486281048624 he assumpion is ha ehniciy plays litle
i any role in he work o heology No surprisingly hen Asian American
heologians have been reicen o sugges ha ehniciy culure and hisoriciy
coun in heological reflecion By exension he heological and docrinal
40My poin is no ha whie perspecives have disored he gospel his isel assumes a sor oa-culural gospel ha needs conexualizaion991252a poin ha needs o be addressed and nuanced which we will do momenarily My poin is ha such whie viewpoins are no only unrecognized bu ha hey are hen presumed o be normaive or nonwhies I is par o he goal o his chapero call Asian American heologians o atend o his assumpion and o find ways o inenionallyaddress and subver i
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983091
resuls have been ormulaed and ransmited as biblically unded and univer-
sally applicable regardless o conexual consideraions
A (supposedly) universal doctrinal famework One example o how Norh American evangelical heology has proceeded wih universalisic assumpions
and hereby overlooked i no inenionally ignored oher culural perspec-
ives has o do wih he docrine o he aonemen and wha i addresses Pu
crassly humankind suffers rom one overall problem ha o sin agains God
and ha one problem demands basically one soluion he subsiuionary
aonemen o he Sonrsquos deah on he cross1048628983089 Now I realize ha i is unair o
depic evangelical views regarding he aonemen in such homogeneous ermssince he mater isel is sill being conesed1048628983090 Bu he ac is ha in some
evangelical circles deparure rom he subsiuionary view o he aonemen
is considered deviaion rom evangelical orhodoxy1048628983091 From his posiion oher
biblical aspecs and alernaive inerpreaions are eiher subsumed under he
docrine o penal subsiuion or argued o be flawed in some respec
O course such a viewpoin minimizes he role o medieval eudalism and
he jurisprudenial background o some o he Reormers in he emergenceand esablishmen o his undersanding o he aonemen in he evangelical
radiion jus as i really does no quesion he basically Augusinian anhro-
pology presumed in his process Now I am no a hisorical deerminis who
believes ha conex leads inexorably o our heological ideas jus as I do no
hink ha allowance or hisorical conexual acors relaivizes he ruh o
heological claims or produces docrinal heerodoxy Raher wihou denying
41Te World Evangelical Alliancersquos Saemen o Faih affirms ldquoWe believe in Our Lord JesusChris God manies in he flesh His virgin birh His sinless human lie His divine miracles His vicarious and aoning deah His bodily resurrecion His ascension His mediaorial work and HisPersonal reurn in power and glory Te Salvaion o los and sinul man hrough he shed bloodo he Lord Jesus Chris by aih apar rom works and regeneraion by he Holy Spirirdquo (see worldevangelicalorgweasaemenhm emphases original)
42See James Beilby and Paul R Eddy eds Te Naure o he Aonemen Four Views (DownersGrove IL IVP Academic 1048626983088983088983094) and Derek idball David Hilborn and Jusin Tacker eds Te
Aonemen Debae Papers fom he London Symposium on he Teology o he Aonemen (Grand
Rapids Zondervan 1048626983088983088983093) c J Denny Weaver Te Nonviolen Aonemen (Grand Rapids Eerd-mans 10486269830889830881048625) and Hans Boersma Violence Hospialiy and he Cross Recovering he Aonemen
radiion (Grand Rapids Baker Academic 1048626983088983088983092)43See S Lewis Johnson Jr ldquoBehold he Lamb Te Gospel and Subsiuionary Aonemenrdquo in John
H Armsrong ed Te Coming Evangelical Crisis Curren Challenges o he Auhoriy o Scripure
and he Gospel (Chicago Moody Press 1048625983097983097983094) pp 10486251048625983097-1048627983096
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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983089 983089 983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
he imporance o he biblical and heological heme o subsiuion or he
docrine o he aonemen I am simply suggesing ha oher culural perspec-
ives and even assumpions migh highligh and emphasize oher biblicalmeaphors regarding Chrisrsquos salvific work
Bu o pursue he quesion ono Asian American errain wha difference
will i make i we recognize ha some Asians and Asian Americans live and
exis in a shame raher han guil culure How migh evangelical hinking
abou he aonemen be adjused revised and maybe even ransormed i
Chrisrsquos work no only assuaged he guil o sin rom human lives bu also re-
moved he shame in human hears10486281048628 My poin is ha evangelical heologicalendencies generally urge a universalisic sandpoin and in his paradigm
here is no need o atend o he pariculariies o or ariculae Asian Asian
American or oher culural perspecives since hese are all subsumed wihin he
biblical ramework read in an evangelical way In his case here isnrsquo even a
need o ask wheher radiional evangelical heologies and docrines like hose
regarding he aonemen may need o be revisied and reariculaed in ligh o
oher hisorical culural and experienial dynamics In ac Asian Americansare boh oo shameul and oo shy o even consider asking abou hese maters
I have argued so ar in his secion ha Asian American Evangelicals ormed
heologically according o he sensibiliies o he dominan evangelical culure
in Norh America have inernalized he whie evangelical worldview and in ha
sense mosly do no see he need o hink explicily rom an Asian American
vanage poin Asian American evangelical views are hereore a bes no more
han a minoriy heological perspecive wo relaed summary consequenceshave ollowed Asian American acquiescence o he majoriy culure Firs meh-
odologically and maerially evangelical heology has been undersood o be a-
hisorical a-culural and even a-conexual Te assumpion is ha he Bible
addresses all human beings so any plain reading o he Scripure will or should
be able o access he Word o God a any and all imes and places radiionally
ormulaed and ramed evangelical docrines derived rom an inducive sudy
44 Asian Americans are beginning o do jus his however991252eg Rachel Y Lei ldquoSaving Significanceo he Cross in he Asian American Conexrdquo SANACS Journal 1048625 (1048626983088983088983097) 983097983093-10486251048625983094 c Mark D Bakerand Joel B Green Recovering he Scandal o he Cross Te Aonemen in New esamen and Con-
emporary Conexs (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 1048626983088983088983088) chap 983094 ldquoRemoving AlienaingShame Te Saving Significance o he Cross in Japanrdquo
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983093
o Scripure hus orm he undispuable and unrevisable core o he gospel
Tere is litle recogniion o he hisorical culural and conexual perspecives
ha have conribued o he ariculaion o such evangelical belies Wha his means is ha here sill remains a core se o evangelical docrinal
achievemens and hese remain valid across space and ime alhough hey
may be supplemened by or ranslaed ino local conexual and siuaional
perspecives and idioms As we saw previously (chaper one) he recen Cam-
bridge Companion o Evangelical Teology reflecs precisely his mindse10486281048629 Te
Companion we know is divided ino wo pars Te firs is iled ldquoEvan-
gelicals and Chrisian Docrinerdquo and his includes eigh chapers on he oun-daional docrinal marix o evangelical belies he riniy Scripure chris-
ology heological anhropology jusificaionaonemen pneumaology
conversionsancificaion and ecclesiology Par wo ldquoTe Conexs o Evan-
gelical Teologyrdquo hen provides anoher nine chapers and hese cover issues
relaed o culure gender race and pluralism and include five chapers on
evangelical heology in Arican Asian European Lain American and Norh
American conexs Tis srucure o he Companion communicaes a wooldmessage ha evangelical docrine is a-conexually derived (par one) and
ha various hisorical conexs (par wo) can add a mos parochial ruhs
ha will no upse he docrinal supersrucure o he evangelical heological
landscape In shor basic heological and docrinal ruhs o he Chrisian
aih have already been ormulaed and can be ound in any oher evangelical
sysemaic heological ex quie apar rom Asian American or any oher
more specified perspecivesPu more poinedly i Asian Americans (or any oher ehnic or culural
group) were o wrie heir own heologies hese would be provincial under-
akings wih marginal relevance or he wider evangelical communiy Tese
would be o value only or ldquohoserdquo people (maybe immigrans reugees or
exiles) who have no ye been assimilaed ino he broader American evan-
gelical culure Litle wonder hen ha ew Asian Americans have venured
ino heological errioryhe second summary consequence o inernalizing he dominan
45imohy Larsen and Daniel J reier eds Te Cambridge Companion o Evangelical Teology (Cambridge Cambridge Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983095)
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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983089 983089983094 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
worldview991252ha evangelical heology a leas in is dogmaic and sysemaic
configuraions is by and large a finished projec wih minimal inpu needed
rom Asian American or oher perspecives991252is ha Asian Americans wihheological educaion have urned in general o work in he hisorical and
social scienific disciplines10486281048630 Tere cerainly remains imporan work o be
done by hose working across he disciplines so I am no decrying such effors
Ye he ac ha hisorical sociological or oher disciplinary explicaions o
Asian American lie are published by universiy presses communicaes o
Asian Americans ha heir role is o shed new ligh on he Asian American
experience A he same ime he prevalence o hese analyical approachesamid he lacuna o explicily heological works suggess ha he ormer is o
minimal value a leas or he ldquorealrdquo heological work o dogmaics and sys-
emaics Furher ha hese scholarly publishers do no eaure exs on Asian
American evangelical heology confirms his division o labor (whie Evan-
gelicals wrie real heology Asian American Evangelicals do hisory sociology
ec) A he end o he day evangelical heologyrsquos assumpion remains undis-
urbed ha here are core docrines ha only need o be conexualized991252ha is ranslaed and made relevan991252around he world In his ramework
Asian Americans can conribue no o he ormer heological ormulaion bu
only o he later ranslaion and disseminaion ask10486281048631
46Eg he work o imohy seng and David Yoo in hisory Fenggang Yang and Rebecca Kim insociology and Russell Jeung in Asian American sudies among ohers see also my ldquoAsian Amer-ican Religion A Review Essayrdquo Nova Religio Te Journal o Alernaive and Emergen Religions 983097
no 1048627 (1048626983088983088983094) 9830971048626-104862598308898309547One could argue ha a parallel ye disinc moivaion drives Lain American or Hispanic evan-
gelical heology in a similar direcion I Asian Americans are cauioned agains hinking heo-logically rom ou o ehnic hisorical and conexual lives because o heir uncriical embrace o whie evangelical assumpions Hispanic Evangelicals may have adoped similar commimensalbei or slighly differen reasons relaed o he Lain American conex Te dominance o heRoman Caholic Church along wih is heological and olk radiions in he later environmenmay be behind Hispanic evangelical suspicions abou he role o hisory and culure in he doingo heology Te ani-Caholic senimen in hisoric Evangelicalism no doub is atracive oLainoas on he migran rail (rom Lain America o he Unied Saes) alhough such accom-modaion has brough wih i he heological coss elaboraed in he preceding pages For urher
discussion and oher angles on hese issues see Oscar Garcia-Johnson Te Mesizoa Communiyo he Spiri A Posmodern Lainoa Ecclesiology (Eugene OR Wip amp Sock 1048626983088983088983097) Sammy Alaro Divino Compantildeero oward a Hispanic Penecosal Chrisology (Eugene OR Pickwick10486269830881048625983088) Juan Mariacutenez ldquolsquoOuside he Gaersquo Evangelicalism and Laino Proesan Teologyrdquo in JeffreyGreenman and Gene L Green eds Global Teology in Evangelical Perspecive Exploring he Conex-
ual Naure o Teology and Mission (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 104862698308810486251048626) pp 1048625983095983097-983097983092 and
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983095
T983144983141 M983137983150983140983137983156983141 983151983142 A983155983145983137983150 A983149983141983154983145983139983137983150 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161
Te preceding analysis raises sel-criical awareness or Asian American Evan-
gelicals and invies hem in dialogue wih oher Evangelicals o consider wheher heir minoriy saus is problemaic and wha i anyhing can and
ough o be done abou i Now I am aware ha here are developmens wihin
he evangelical heological radiion broadly consrued ha have moved
beyond some o he sricures idenified in he preceding secion Progressive
Evangelicals he evangelical lef and posconservaive Evangelicals denoe jus
a ew o he rends among ohers percolaing on he margins o evangelical
heology10486281048632 Bu ha is precisely par o he problem hese are movemens haexcep or a small minoriy remain ouside he evangelical mainsream and
have also by and large been ignored by Asian American evangelical scholars
and heologians I believe ha producive ways orward can be chared via
Asian American Evangelicals in dialogue wih some o hese ideas alhough
a he end o he day such conversaions will only be producive as Asian
American Evangelicals ormulae a plaorm on which hey can bring some-
hing subsanive o he discussion Tis later ask is par o he presen chal-lenge and burden o he presen book
Insoar hen as I am ineresed in he quesion o wha Asian Americans can
conribue o evangelical heology no jus hisorically or sociologically bu a
a heological level my claim is ha pursui o hese maters ironically also in-
volves aking seriously he hisoriciy and pariculariy o Asian American cul-
ures experiences and perspecives In his final par o his chaper I do no
more han sugges in broad srokes how o go abou such an underakingRealities o the Asian American diaspora Par o ldquohe problem o evan-
gelical heologyrdquo can be clarified i we siuae Asian American evangelical
heology amid he broader Asian American diasporic hisorical and social
realiies described in par a he beginning o chaper wo Doing so enables
he sark realizaion ha Asian American Evangelicals are composed by a
wide range o experiences on he one hand and pressure o assimilae o
Juan F Mariacutenez and Lindy Scot eds Los Evangeacutelicos Porrais o Laino Proesanism in he
Unied Saes (Eugene OR Wip amp Sock 1048626983088983088983097)48Many o hese are discussed in Roger E Olson Reormed and Always Reorming Te Posconser-
vaive Approach o Evangelical Teology (Grand Rapids Baker Academic 1048626983088983088983095)
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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983089 983089983096 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
American culure on he oher W hile Asians have lived in Norh America
since he ounding o he republic and had even conribued o he building
o he American empire during he nineeenh cenury he 983089983097983094983093 Immigraion Ac ha repealed he Orienal Exclusion Ac o 983089983097983090983092 reopened he door o a
new wave o Asian migraion During he las generaion Asian American lie
has been urher ransormed by he orces o globalizaion diasporas creaed
by modernizaion indusrializaion and urbanizaion reugee populaions
displaced by war amine and climae changes movemen enabled by he
emergence o a worldwide marke economy advances in echnology and mass
communicaion he cross-erilizaion o ideologies and shifs in inerna-ional relaions10486281048633 Te resul as saw in he previous chaper is he appearance
o a wide range o Asian American communiies across Norh America Lie
in such communiies is fluid affeced by migraion paterns socioeconomic
pressures and he srengh o relaions wih hose ldquoback homerdquo Te sronger
he ransnaional ies beween Asian immigrans in he Wes and heir amilies
organizaions and insiuions (religious and oherwise) in heir homeland
he more inense and longer-lasing he exchange o religious goods and ideas(in he orm o books periodicals and various orms o elecommunicaion)
Unsurprisingly hen firs-generaion immigrans ofen deepen he reli-
gious commimens ha hey held or praciced perhaps more nominally
beore moving Someimes immigrans conver o he more dominan religion
o heir new home In eiher case religious affiliaion ofen serves o secure
social neworks coner saus oherwise difficul o come by or immigrans
and srenghen ehnic culural and linguisic bonds and ideniies Bu or he983089983093 generaion (hose born in Asia bu who grew up a leas in par in he
Unied Saes like mysel) he process o assimilaion is well under way In
hese cases he ehnic enclave will develop English-speaking secions as well
as social organizaions school clubs and Chrisian congregaions
For young adul Asian American Evangelicals however here is ofen a
49For an overview o hese issues see Wanni W Anderson and Rober G Lee eds Displacemensand Diasporas Asians in he Americas (New Brunswick NJ Rugers Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983093) Idiscuss urher he implicaions o globalizaion or Chrisian heology in Amos Yong and PeerHelzel ldquoRober Cummings Neville and he Global Fuure o Teologyrdquo in Yong and Helzel edsTeology in Global Conex Essays in Honor o Rober Cummings Neville (New York amp Clark1048626983088983088983092) pp 1048626983097-9830921048626 esp pp 1048627983088-1048627983092
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983097
keen sense ha heir own ehnically organized congregaions or groups are
somehow less religiously and heologically legiimae because hey do no
have he more ldquouniversalrdquo appeal o whie or muliculural evangelicalchurches or parachurch organizaions10486291048624 Te resul is eiher he ransiion o
ehnic congregaions ino pan-ehnic congregaions or movemen rom heir
ldquohomerdquo congregaion o oher less ehnically defined church environmens1048629983089
By he ime he second generaion atains adulhood he remaining culural
or linguisic barriers o ull assimilaion ino American sociey are pracically
overcome ofen o he dismay o parens and grandparens1048629983090
Wha does such assimilaion consis o Cerainly speaking Englishparicipaing in he marke economy and adaping o he opions provided
by American seculariy and poliics are minimal adjusmens Bu perhaps
assimilaion also requires abandoning he norms o he immigran culure
in avor o American norms or amily and gender relaions and engaging
wih he public square on is erms I so would his no lead o an evan-
gelical sel-undersanding deeply ormed by American culure poliics
and economics Would his no resul in a subordinaion and even deor-maion o all ha is Asian excep or he biological phenoype I would
appear hen ha becoming American would more easily aciliae he
embrace o evangelical Chrisianiy991252i such is deined as a suburban
Midwesern whie middle-class religious phenomenon wih Wheaon
Illinois as is veriable ldquoMeccardquo991252bu his brings wih i he cos o losing
onersquos Asianness Does his mean ha ull accepance o Evangelicalism
50See eg Rebecca Y Kim ldquoNegoiaion o Ehnic and Religious Boundaries by Asian AmericanCampus Evangelicalsrdquo in ony Carnes and Fenggang Yang eds Asian American Religions Te
Making and Remaking o Borders and Boundaries (New York New York Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983092) pp10486259830921048625-983093983097 and Rudy V Buso ldquoTe Gospel According o he Model Minoriy Hazarding an Inerpre-aion o Asian American Evangelical College Sudensrdquo in David K Yoo ed New Spiriual Homes
Religion and Asian Americans (Honolulu Universiy o Hawaii Press 1048625983097983097983097) pp 1048625983094983097-98309698309551See Russell Jeung Faihul Generaions Race and New Asian American Churches (New Brunswick
NJ Rugers Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983092)52 As can be discerned by reading beween he lines o he Bible sudies in om Linrsquos Losing Face
and Finding Grace Tis appears o be he case wheher he second generaion inenionally a-emps o disinguish is ehnic congregaional lie rom ha o he firs immigran generaion or wheher he second generaion becomes absorbed ino nonehnic or even muliehnic congrega-ions on his poin see Elaine Howard Ecklund ldquoModels o Civic Responsibiliy Korean Amer-icans in Congregaions wih Differen Ehnic Composiionsrdquo Journal or he Scienific Sudy o
Religion 983092983092 no 1048625 (1048626983088983088983093) 1048625983093-1048626983096
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983089 983090 983088 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
includes ldquorepenancerdquo rom Asia and ldquoconversionrdquo o Americanism1048629983091
Ta his is no he case seems o be borne ou by he sociological lieraure
which confirms ha ehniciy remains jus as imporan as religion in he or-maion o Asian American ideniy10486291048628 Bu i so evangelical heology has no
even begun o wresle wih he imporance o ehniciy and race no o
menion heir heological implicaions Second-generaion Korean Amer-
icans or insance seem o be inuiively drawn o churches and parachurch
minisries ha oreground heir Korean culural ideniy10486291048629 bu hey have
developed ew heological raionales or such orms o social organizaion
more o he poin heir own heological presupposiions miigae agains suchaciviy which may explain heir ideniy conflicedness
Unsurprisingly hen Asian American evangelical heology has ye o ge
off he ground even a he beginning o he weny-firs cenury Asian
American Evangelicals geting degrees rom insiuions o higher educaion
have had o wresle wihagains his assimilaive impulse o sruggle wih he
quesion o wheher hey are or should be doing (descripive) sociology raher
han heology (as normaive reflecion) and o ariculae an apologeic ordoing Asian American evangelical heology raher han jus evangelical he-
ology For oo many Asian American Evangelicals heir saus ldquobewix and
beweenrdquo991252on he one hand belonging o Asia and o he Unied Saes in
some respecs bu on he oher hand being a sranger o boh Asia and he
Unied Saes in oher respecs991252pus hem in a unique posiion o inerrogae
evangelical heology bu (o dae) leaves hem ouside he ormal organiza-
ional and insiuional srucures o criique effecively and ransorm heevangelical heological radiion
53One could also make he reverse argumen however ha Evangelicalism in he Unied Saes hasalready been molded by is social culural and hisorical conex o he exen ha he very eauresha mark he American way o lie991252ie individualism experienialism pragmaism even con-sumerism991252have also come o characerize evangelical Chrisianiy For an insighul analysis ohe ofenimes uncriical conflaion o Evangelicalism and Americanism and o he orces ha havealso resised such accommodaions see D G Har Ta Old-ime Religion in Modern America
Evangelical Proesanism in he wenieh Cenury (Chicago Ivan R Dee 10486269830889830881048626)54See Jerry Z Park ldquoTe Ehnic and Religious Ideniies o Young Asian Americansrdquo (PhD diss
Universiy o Nore Dame 1048626983088983088983092)55See Sharon Kim and Rebecca Y Kim ldquoSecond-Generaion Korean American Chrisiansrsquo Com-
muniies Congregaional Hybridiyrdquo in Carolyn Chen and Russell Jeung eds Susaining Faih
radiions Race Ehniciy and Religion Among he Laino and Asian American Second Generaion (New York New York Universiy Press 104862698308810486251048626) pp 1048625983095983094-9830971048627
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3235
he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983090 983089
Moving trajectories o theological reflection O course i Asian Americans
hope o climb he ranks o he Norh American evangelical heological
academy hey can only do so on he erms esablished by heir hoss Andraher han responding o sociopoliical acors he evangelical heological
guild has always undersood isel primarily in heological erms and seen is
charge as deending hisorical orhodoxy wheher ha be agains liberalismrsquos
denial o biblical supernauralism agains neo-orhodoxyrsquos ambiguous sance
on Scripure agains mainsream sciencersquos heory o evoluion agains open
heismrsquos docrine o God and so on10486291048630 I evangelical heology has never
beore enerained ehnic perspecives in is discursive consrucion why nowundermine he (is presumed) universal ramework and applicabiliy by
adding he Asian or Asian American qualifiers
While in a sense his enire book provides a se o responses o his quesion
here I sugges hree reasons ha can moivae such a heological pah orward
Firs he Asian diaspora in he Unied Saes is now in a siuaion o reflec
subsanively on is experience o migraion While here are remendous
challenges o migraion10486291048631 some Asian Americans have achieved a level oupward social mobiliy so ha hey are now in he posiion o producing
scholarship inormed by such experienial perspecives Since he memory o
migraion among Asian Americans is more recen han hose o heir Cau-
casian colleagues such perspecives migh be helpul o ideniy how he mi-
graion rom he European coninen has shaped he evangelical heological
enerprise as a whole I Asian Americans can help heir evangelical colleagues
ideniy he hisorical impac o old o new world migraion on he belies andpracices o Norh American Evangelicalism ha in isel will open up pos-
sibiliies or considering aresh Asian American hisories and heir conribu-
ions o he wider conversaion
Second Asian Americans are orced o hink abou race and ehniciy in a
way unlike mos o heir whie brohers and sisers alhough heir reflecions
56Evangelical heologyrsquos many inernal and exernal batles are documened by Jon R Sone On heBoundaries o American Evangelicalism Te Poswar Evangelical Coaliion (New York S MarinrsquosPress 1048625983097983097983095)
57Some o hese are documened by Kenneh J Gues God in Chinaown Religion and Survival in
New Yorkrsquos Evolving Immigran Communiy (New York New York Universiy Press 10486269830889830881048627) whose work we will reurn o in chaper six
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3335
983089 983090 983090 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
can also mediae perspecive in an oherwise whie-and-black demarcaed
world Race and ehniciy are undeniable aspecs o Asian American hisory
and experience Te impor o his is a leas woold Firs Asian Americansare posiioned o engage he discussion opened up by black evangelical heo-
logians regarding conemporary heology991252even in is evangelical guises991252as
reflecing he ascen o whie perspecives in he early modern period a he
expense o Jewish and oher nonwhie culural realiies Asian American per-
specives on race and ehniciy will open up new visas on he racial and ehnic
dimensions o he biblical world10486291048632 In oher words he marginalized hisories
and perspecives o Asian American Evangelicals have much o conribue oconemporary biblical inerpreaion and heological explicaion Te dom-
inan orms o evangelical heology orged in par ou o he hegemony o
Chrisendom are in need o criical analysis and dialogical revision
Las bu no leas cenral and ongoing elemens o Asian American hisory
are par o he presen experiences o ransnaionalism and globalizaion Te
issues here are complex10486291048633 One mater ha needs o be addressed is he iner-
woven characer o he global economy and how i affecs people around he world differenly depending on various social poliical and culural circum-
sances In addiion wih regard o he Asian American side o his equaion
here remain difficul issues relaed o how he quesion o assimilaion or ac-
culuraion is being negoiaed and adjudicaed Firs- second- and hird-gener-
aion perspecives differ someimes momenously and his does no even acor
in he perspecives o he 983089983093 generaion I heology is o engage he hisorical
realiies o real flesh-and-blood human beings i mus engage such quesions inour conemporary world Asian American Evangelicals can lead he way in
hinking heologically abou such hings and his will benefi no only Asian
58 Asian Evangelicals hus need o build rom he insighul readings o mainline Proesan biblicalscholar a-Siong Benny Liew Wha Is Asian American Biblical Hermeneuics Reading he New
esamen (Honolulu Universiy o Hawaii Press 1048626983088983088983096) regarding he ehnic dynamics under-neah Jewish-Genile relaions in he New esamen o be sure Liewrsquos mainline Proesan as-sumpions may be raher disan rom evangelical ones so some criical dialogue and perhaps
correcion may also be in order Ye he srengh o Liewrsquos book is o sugges how Asian Americanexperiences o ehnic marginaliy can illuminae he dispues beween Jewish and Genile ollow-ers o he Messiah in he firs cenury Tis is an issue worh subsanial engagemen rom anevangelical perspecive
59Eg Neil J Ormerod and Shane Clifon Globalizaion and he Mission o he Church (New York amp Clark 104862698308810486251048625)
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983090983091
American communiies bu also hose o oher ehnic racial and culural groups
who are also wresling wih lie in he weny-firs-cenury global conex
Evangelical heology oday will need o heed more inenionally han i has beore acors o migraion ehniciy globalizaion and ransnaionalism
Asian American Evangelicals can assis wih hese maters i hey will arise o
he occasion Tis does no derac rom he universaliy o he gospel message
On he conrary i addresses quesions o universal significance ha are oher-
wise negleced or engaged rom or wihin only one (dominan cenris) se
o perspecives
Reconnecting to the broader evangelical theological tradition Beore con-cluding his chaper however an imporan cavea ough o be sounded None
o he preceding should be read as denying eiher Asian American indebedness
o he evangelical radiion or he inerrelaedness o Asian American and oher
evangelical effors in he conemporary heological ask Te preceding migh
sugges ha Asian Americans are only poining accusing fingers a heir whie
evangelical riends Wihou aking away anyhing rom he seriousness o he
oregoing discussion I also realize ha whie Evangelicals in paricular and Americans in general have been welcoming o Asians and ha we have made i
his ar on our diasporic journey only wih he help o such riends
Beyond such ecclesial collegialiy however I would gran ha Asian Amer-
icans are in various respecs beholden heologically o American Evangelicals
as well In paricular American evangelical commimens o Chris-
ceneredness biblical aihulness and missionary zealousness are imporan
elemens o Chrisian belie and pracice in he weny-firs cenury Asian American Evangelicals should embrace and live ou such commimens no
only or hemselves bu also or oher Evangelicals and even or he world
Ye my claim is precisely ha such a posure enables Asian American Evan-
gelicals o conribue heologically o he ormaion o an evangelical belie
and praxis relevan o he weny-firs cenury For his o happen however
Asian American Evangelicals mus embrace no only he evangel bu also he
hisoriciy o heir diasporic experiences Te incarnaion o he Son o Godconsised afer all o aking on he concreeness palpabiliy and emporaliy
o human Jewish and firs-cenury Palesinian flesh and he oupouring o he
Spiri o God on he Day o Penecos involved he redempion o he diversiy
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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983089 983090 983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
o human ongues languages and culures so ha hey migh bear winess o
he wondrous works o God (Acs 983090983089983089) Tis penecosal heme991252relaed o
Acs 983090 firs and oremos albei reraced unavoidably hrough he lens o mymodern penecosal ecclesial sensibiliies991252will inorm he deep srucure o
he argumen in he remainder o his volume ye achieved wihin a pen-
evangelical raher han merely charismaic rame o reerence My poin going
orward however is ha in ligh o hese heological and riniarian commi-
mens Evangelicals should be he firs o embrace he diversiy o heir his-
orical pariculariies raher han shy away rom hem radiionally o course
Evangelicals have subordinaed he vicissiudes o hisory and wih ha heiranxieies abou he flux and subjeciviies o experience o he surey and
oundaionalism o he Word o God as revealed in he Scripures My pro-
posal however is ha work o God in Chris and by he Spiri redeems us
amid wih and hrough he specificiies o our hisorical and culural expe-
rience (raher han saving us rom ou o such alogeher) and hus ha he
Word o God speaks ino such realiies (raher han ha we have o deny hem
or rejec hem as par o who we are)In shor Asian American Evangelicals do no need o be apologeic abou
heir lives experiences and perspecives Raher by ollowing he pah o he
Son o God ino he ar counry by receiving he infilling o he Spiri o God
poured ou on all flesh and by aihully atemping o live ou such a Chris-
cenered and Spiri-empowered aih in he ooseps o heir evangelical ore-
bears and ancesors Asian Americans may hen be able o bring heir heo-
logical gifs o he conversaion able gifs ha will challenge he discussion while simulaneously enriching he are or all hose concerned abou he
euangelion in he presen ime I is ime o heologize as Asian Americans no
jus as Evangelicals in order ha Evangelicalism isel can be renewed and
invigoraed or he sake o he gospel and in anicipaion o he reign o God
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983097 983097
When combined wih he deerenial Eas Asian posure many Asian Amer-
icans develop a sel-inerioriy complex991252devasaing wihin a culure o
shame991252paricularly when having also o conron linguisic challenges innavigaing hrough school and hen a career
Te ecclesial or congregaional domain is also one where Asian American
Evangelicals have expended some effor Tis is o be expeced given he long
hisory o ehnic churches and he many debaes no o menion challenges
relaed o assimilaion o he dominan culure Wihin he lieraure on Asian
American Evangelicalism we find works on pasoral minisry (designed o
equip minisers o cross generaional culural ecclesial gender and oherdivides)983091 congregaional healh and effeciveness (which provide models
or ehnic-dominan bilingual and even mixed ecclesial communiies)1048628 and
even a growing number o pan-Asian or pan-ehnic visions o he uure
(which ofen deal wih he issues o race and racializaion wihin an evan-
gelical paradigm)1048629 Asian American Evangelicals have ocused some o heir
energies on hese ecclesiological maters Wha can be hoped or is ha hese
more pracical miniserial and missional emphases will also ranslae in duecourse ino more robus ecclesiological and heological reflecion
Recent developments in Asian American evangelical theologyI is a he more
properly undersood heological level ha Asian American Evangelicals can be
said o be barely ou o he saring gae Sill even in hese gesaional imes some
poenial roues or developmen can be discerned One is a collecion o essays
ha appeared in 9830909830889830889830941048630 Published by he L983090 Foundaion an organizaion devoed
o Asian American leadership and legacy developmen his is he firs book oappear on he opic o Asian American evangelical heology Te six essayiss reflec
3Eg Ken Uyeda Fong Pursuing he Pearl A Comprehensive Resource or Muli-Asian Minisry (Val-ley Forge PA Judson Press 1048625983097983097983097) and Russell Yee Worship on he Way Exploring Asian Norh
American Chrisian Experience (Valley Forge PA Judson Press 104862698308810486251048626)4See Peer Cha S Seve Kang and Helen Lee eds Growing Healhy Asian American Congregaions (Downers Grove IL IVP Books 1048626983088983088983094) and M Sydney Park Soong-Chan Rah and Al izon edsHonoring he Generaions Learning wih Asian Norh American Congregaions (Valley Forge PA Judson Press 104862698308810486251048626)
5Elizabeh Conde-Frazier S Seve Kang and Gary A Parret A Many-Colored Kingdom Mulicul-ural Dynamics or Spiriual Formaion (Grand Rapids Baker Academic 1048626983088983088983092) and Kenneh AMahews and M Sydney Park Te Pos-Racial Church A Biblical Framework or Muliehnic Rec-
onciliaion (Grand Rapids Kregel Academic 104862698308810486251048625)6D J Chuang and imohy seng eds Conversaions Asian American Evangelical Teologies in
Formaion (Washingon DC L1048626 Foundaion 1048626983088983088983094)
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 1135
983089983088983088 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
he diversiy o he AAE communiy David Yoo a hisorian a Claremon
McKenna College surveys (wih wo collaboraors) he prendashWorld War II his-
ories o Japanese and Korean American Chrisians and urges ha religion needso be acored ino immigraion and race analyses o hese communiies even as
im seng a hisorian o American Chrisianiy and ounder o he Insiue or
he Sudy o Asian American Chrisianiy exposes he ldquocolor blindnessrdquo o
American church hisory and provides some hermeneuical opions or moving
beyond orienalis or assimilaionis models o he Asian American Chrisian
experience A pracical heologian a riniy Evangelical Diviniy School Peer
Cha discusses he challenges involved in ideniy ormaion among second-generaion Korean Americans An inriguing chaper is missiologis James Zorsquos
(affiliaed wih Logos Evangelical Seminary in El Mone Caliornia) insighul
analysis o how srucural and power issues complicae he assessmen o racism
prejudice and discriminaion on boh sides o he American and Asian American
equaion For a volume on evangelical heology he wo explicily heological
conribuions are by hisorical heologians Paul Lim (who specializes in early
modern England has augh a Gordon-Conwell Teological Seminary and nowis as o he ime o his wriing a Vanderbil Universiy) reveals he imporance
o biography in he consrucion o any Asian American evangelical heology and
Jeffrey Jue (a pos-Reormaion hisorian a Wesminser Teological Seminary)
seeks a way beyond boh modernis experienialism and posmodernis subjec-
ivism by reurning o he gospel Te conversaional approach o each chaper
in he volume invies ohers o join in he discussion
A second line o developmen lies wih Asian American evangelical womenmany o whom are also working in he area o biblical sudies1048631 A recen volume
includes en chapers mos springing off emale biblical characers all se wihin
wha Young Lee Herig calls a ldquoyinis paradigmrdquo ha is neiher merely eminis
(nor womanis nor mujerisa) nor ye acquiescen o he pariarchal srucures
dominan wihin Asian American Evangelicalism in paricular and (whie) evan-
gelical heology in general1048632 Mirrored Reflecions is hus a groundbreaking and
7See Young Lee Herig and Chloe Sun eds Mirrored Reflecions Refaming Biblical Characers (Eugene OR Wip amp Sock 10486269830881048625983088)
8See Herigrsquos lead chaper ldquoTe Asian American Alernaive o Feminism A Yinis Paradigmrdquo inHerig and Sun eds Mirrored Reflecions pp 1048627-1048625983092
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088983089
paradigmaic book no only or Asian American heology bu also or evan-
gelical biblical hermeneuics I opens up space or Asian American womenrsquos
readings o he Bible wihou mimicking oher eminis agendas i embracesreader-response approaches while honoring he scripural horizon i boldly
explores a counerculural conexualism polyphonous mulivocalism and in-
ersubjecive perspecivism wihou lapsing ino relaivism and i insiss on he
need or us o come o erms wih pluralism globalizaion and ransnaionalism
in he pursui o aihul Chrisian discipleship in our ime Arguably his is
biblical inerpreaion and heological reflecion a is bes engaging subversive
ransormaive and salvific991252or women and men1048633 Such pahs opened up by Asian American evangelical women may well be wha is mos generaive and
producive or Asian American evangelical heology in he longer run
Te conribuions o Herig and company run parallel o oher Asian
American evangelical voices ha find hemselves bewix-and-beween he
cener o he evangelical movemen and he mainline Proesan commu-
niies Soong-Chan Rahrsquos work mediaes hese spaces as represenaive o a
promising pah in conemporary Asian American evangelical heology9830891048624 Tepoency o Rahrsquos argumen is ha he speaks no only o Asian American
Evangelicals bu also o he evangelical heological esablishmen as a whole
Tis is because his is a call or he church o le go o is individualism con-
sumerism maerialism and racism991252all effecs o Wesern culure991252in order
o be reed rom is culural capiviy983089983089 Rahrsquos analysis however can find
deeper Asian American racion paricularly i wedded o he uncompro-
mising call or living ino he Asian American ideniy by heologians suchas Jonahan ran983089983090 Te later empowers a disincive Asian American voice
9Perhaps in conras o he dominan srands o Asian American evangelical biblical inerpreaionha have swallowed Wesern hermeneuical mehods almos hook line and sinker see Andrew Yueking Lee ldquoReading he Bible as an Asian American Issues in Asian American Biblical Inerpre-aionrdquo in Viji Nakka-Cammau and imohy seng eds Asian American Chrisianiy A Reader (Casro Valley CA Te Insiue or he Sudy o Asian American Chrisianiy 1048626983088983088983097) pp 983094983088-983094983097
10Soong-Chan Rah Te Nex Evangelicalism Freeing he Church fom Wesern Culural Capiviy (Downers Grove IL IVP Books 1048626983088983088983097)
11From a hermeneuical perspecive see he similar argumen o E Randolph Richards and Bran-don J OrsquoBrien Misreading Scripure wih Wesern Eyes Removing Culural Blinders o Beter Un-
dersand he Bible (Downers Grove IL IVP Books 104862698308810486251048626)12See Jonahan ran ldquoA Few Tings I Wan rom Asian American Evangelicalsrdquo in Nakka-Cammau
and seng Asian American Chrisianiy pp 10486269830921048627-9830931048625 c also ran ldquoIdeniy as MissiologyrdquoSANACS Journal 1048625 (1048626983088983088983097) 1048626983097-983092983088
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 1335
983089983088983090 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
albei one ha is no parochial since i addresses larger ecclesial (and perhaps
even social) concerns983089983091
Te ac o he mater is however ha here is litle else available on Asian American evangelical heology and ha Asian American Evangelicals are sill
a long way off rom hinking heologically as Asian Americans Par o he
reason is ha many Asian American Evangelicals even hose who are heo-
logically rained have basically replicaed he majoriy evangelical (whie)
approaches o Scripure Furher many second-generaion Asian Americans
have adoped he assimilaionis experience as heir model and have presumed
ha an ldquoAmerican universalismrdquo maps ono a biblical universalism9830891048628 Teresul is he subordinaion o heir racial and ehnic ideniies and modes o
hinking Among he many reasons or his is he dominan conservaism o
Asian American culure especially wihin ecclesial communiies o Eas Asian
descen (eg Chinese Korean Japanese and Vienamese churches) As such
Asian Americans are conen o persis wih he saus quo o evangelical he-
ology inheried rom heir (whie) evangelical eachers
Asian American evangelical conservatism Te phenomenon o Eas Asianor Conucian culural conservaism is o course a complicaed one o un-
angle On he one hand here is somehing o he sereoype o Eas Asian
Conucianism as essenially androcenric (in subordinaing women o men)
pariarchal (susained by he radiionrsquos emphasis on filial piey) and auhori-
arian (preserved in he king-subjec and older-younger broher aspecs o he
ldquofiveold relaionsrdquo) On he oher hand like mos exended culural radiions
Conucianism has been neiher saic nor ree rom dissening rends ha haveatemped o rerieve reappropriae and when necessary jetison hese radi-
13Mathew Soerens and Jenny Hwang Welcoming he Sranger Jusice Compassion and ruh in he
Immigraion Debae (Downers Grove IL IVP Books 1048626983088983088983097) is anoher example o Asian AmericanEvangelicals speaking ino wider conversaions precisely he hrus o his book and par o is goalin erms o moivaing Asian American evangelical heological inquiry I will reurn o discuss heproposals o his volume in more deph in chaper six
14Tis is my way o puting wha oher Asian American scholars have also observed see boh Anony W Alumkal ldquoTe Scandal o he lsquoModel Minoriyrsquo Mind Te Bible and Second-Generaion Asian American Evangelicalsrdquo and imohy seng ldquoSecond-Generaion Chinese Evangelical Use o heBible in Ideniy Discourse in Norh Americardquo boh in a-siong Benny Liew Te Bible in Asian
America Semeia 983097983088-9830971048625 (Alana Te Sociey o Biblical Lieraure 10486269830889830881048626) pp 10486261048627983095-983093983088 andpp 10486269830931048625-983094983095 respecively
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088983091
ional docrines or he lae modern world9830891048629 Cerainly in he Norh American
conex here are progressive orces a work especially among second and laer
generaions o Asian Americans bu equally cerainly he weigh o porableculural and philosophical radiions like Conucianism (see chaper wo)
means ha change occurs slowly
Wihin he Asian American evangelical communiy he gradual ransor-
maion o he inheried culural conservaism is cerainly being played ou
even i a a much slower pace han in nonevangelical conexs One he one
side he gospel is undersood as providing a criical perspecive on culure991252
on which I will say more momenarily on he oher side however here arecerain biblical hemes such as honoring o parens and he submission o
women (read off he surace o some Pauline exs) ha resonae wih he filial
piey o especially Conucian culures and hese have ineviably become
cenral issues or he orging o Asian American ideniies9830891048630 Hence Asian
American immigrans who are atraced o Chrisianiy are ofen drawn o
evangelical Proesanism because i provides a similarly conservaive
worldview one ha enables heir acculuraion ino American sociey Forhese reasons Conucian conservaism morphs among Asian American Pro-
esans ino a orm o evangelical conservaism
o be sure he exac role o Conucianism behind Asian American evan-
gelical conservaism migh be debaed among scholars paricularly since he
appropriaion o he Conucian radiion across he Asian American diaspora
is no all o one sripe A he same ime even i oher Asian radiions were o
be acored ino he marix o Asian American lie many are inormed by akind o pariarchal hierarchical and auhoriarian conservaism ha uncions
similarly in Eas Asian Conucian culure In shor perhaps he ldquomodel mi-
noriyrdquo sereoype as conesed as migh be such a designaion ha charac-
erizes much o he Asian American experience conribues o he conser-
vaism ha permeaes Asian American Evangelicalism
North American evangelical conservatism and its implications Bu high-
15See here Daniel A Bell Chinarsquos New Conucianism Poliics and Everyday Lie in a Changing Soci-
ey (Princeon NJ Princeon Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983096) chap 104862716Eg om Lin Losing Face and Finding Grace 983089983090 Bible Sudies or Asian Americans (Downers
Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 1048625983097983097983094) esp par 1048625
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983089983088983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
lighing Eas Asian conservaism ells only one side o he sory abou why
Asian Americans end o be conened wih and passive recipiens o he he-
ology o he dominan evangelical culure Te oher hal o his ale has o do wih Norh American conservaism as well O course hisorically Norh
American Evangelicalism was ormed ou o a long hisory o reacion o
mainline Proesan liberalism By definiion o be conservaive means o
resis he orces o change insoar as such changes are hough o compromise
he received values o a paricular radiion So while some changes have been
embraced evangelical conservaives have long resised wha are perceived as
adjusmens o hisoric Chrisian orhodoxy oised upon he Norh Americanchurch by heir liberal counerpars9830891048631 More recenly Evangelicals have also
enered ino he culure wars in deense o radiional amily values and oher
aspecs o he agenda o he Republican Pary
Over ime hen Evangelicals have been led o develop heological argu-
mens or heir conservaive sances Mos relevan or he Asian American
experience is how he dominan evangelical culure has acceped while
slighly redefining a leas more recenly he basic caegories o he classicalChris and Culure sudy o H Richard Niebuhr9830891048632 Ye hisorically Evangel-
icals have embraced he ldquoChris agains culurerdquo sance albei more recenly
shifing oward he ldquoChris ransorming culurerdquo posure Tis involves eiher
a wors he rejecion o culure which has radiionally characerized evan-
gelical secarianism (especially among undamenaliss he close cousins o
Evangelicals)9830891048633 or a bes an ambiguous relaionship wih culure one ea-
uring wha migh be called a culural hermeneuic o suspicion ha is alwaysconcerned abou syncreism wih he world Culure in popular evangelical
parlance is almos equivalen o he world and in ha sense is wha humans
need o be saved rom raher han parake o
17Tere are many versions o his sory my own elling is here ldquoTe Word and he Spiri or heSpiri and he Word Exploring he Boundaries o Evangelicalism in Relaionship o Modern Pen-ecosalismrdquo riniy Journal 10486261048627 no 1048626 (10486269830889830881048626) 10486261048627983093-9830931048626
18See H Richard Niebuhr Chris and Culure (10486259830979830931048625 repr San Francisco Harper orchligh1048625983097983093983094) c Glen H Sassen D M Yeager and John Howard Yoder Auhenic ransormaion A
New Vision o Chris and Culure (Nashville Abingdon 1048625983097983097983094)19Ie as manies in missionary and evangelisic sraegies ha called on convers o abandon heir
culural belies and pracices in ollowing Chris991252eg Birgi Meyer ranslaing he Devil Religion
and Moderniy Among he Ewe in Ghana (renon NJ Arica World Press 1048625983097983097983097)
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088983093
So how has his played ou in Asian American evangelical communiies
Mos poinedly Asian American Evangelicals have radiionally undersood
heir Chrisian conversion o involve eiher a urning away rom heir Asianculural roos or a minimizing o such aspecs o heir ideniy Ta Chrisian
conversion acually involves Americanizaion is quie prevalen across he
Asian American scene In my own case growing up as already indicaed in he
prologue we never alked abou he imporance o Chinese culure he em-
phasis a home (my parens were firs-generaion convers o Chrisianiy)
was always on embodying Chrisian culure Many Asian Americans hus end
o view heir Asian hisorical and culural legacies in binary erms ood dressand music migh be reained because hey concern he ouward aspecs o lie
which are incidenal anyway o rue human ideniy bu lierary philosophical
and religious ideas are o be cauiously approached (a bes) since hey are
probably represenaive o ldquohe worldrdquo and hus aniheical o he gospel
Tis confluence o Conucian and evangelical conservaism has been
srenghened hrough he process o heological educaion Asian American
Evangelicals end o atend solidly evangelical seminaries because o heirconservaive commimens So whereas mainline Proesan seminaries are
much more ocused on corporae ideniies evangelical seminaries and
heir curricula ocus more on personal ideniies paricularly he or-
maion o spiriual lives in relaionship o Chris9830901048624 Wha his means is ha
ehnic ideniies are minimized as having no more han biological signifi-
cance and hisorical and culural aspecs o Asian ideniy are acceped
only as accidenal o ideniy in Chris Asian American Evangelicals arefirs and oremos Chrisians and only secondarily i a all Asians (al-
hough ineresingly he prevalence o naionalism among Evangelicals
means ha American ideniy is much more imporan han evangelical
rheoric usually les on) Evangelical heological educaion hus provides
he philosophical and heological apparaus o make sense o such modes
o ideniy consrucion
20Russell Jeung ldquoEvangelical and Mainline eachings on Asian American Ideniyrdquo in Liew and Yee Bible in Asian America pp 104862610486251048625-1048627983094 reprined in Nakka-Cammau and seng Asian American
Chrisianiy pp 1048625983097983095-10486261048625983094
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 1735
983089983088983094 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
T983144983141 B983157983154983140983141983150 983151983142 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161 A M983145983150983151983154983145983156983161 R983141983152983151983154983156
In he ollowing I highligh he major episemological hermeneuical meh-
odological and docrinal aspecs o (whie) evangelical heology embraced bymany Asian American Evangelicals I argue no ha hese are he only ways in
which Asian American Evangelicals have accommodaed o he dominan
(whie) evangelical subculural worldview nor ha Asian American evan-
gelical heology can be reduced o hese eaures I sugges however ha hese
provide some explanaion or how many Asian American evangelical heolo-
gians view he Asian dimension o heir work in conexual erms bu do no
also undersand he dominan whie heological consrucs similarly Teresul is ha Asian American concerns are no only subordinaed bu also e-
ecively silenced in many cases In he ollowing I criically assess his dom-
inan view rom he marginal horizons o he Asian American experience
A (putatively) global epistemology I begin wih he Enlighenmen epis-
emology and is ques or or presumpion o have atained he universal per-
specive In heir batle agains liberalism Evangelicals have highlighed he
imporance o developing a biblical worldview983090983089 Worldview consrucion isineviably an inellecual exercise983090983090 Wha mos Evangelicals do no ofen
inerrogae is how rooed he worldview ques is in he Enlighenmen projec
As such evangelical worldview ormulaion operaes episemologically ac-
cording o modernis canons o raionaliy Tis is reinorced in evangelical
seminary educaion variously no leas in he embrace o some orm o oun-
daionalism characerisic o he Enlighenmen ques or cerainy hough
o secure evangelical claims o universal ruh983090983091
Foundaionalism classically undersood is he view ha all belies can be
jusified direcly (ounded upon) sense experience or reason available o all991252
hence universal991252raher han inerred rom oher (subjecively held) be-
lies9830901048628 While Evangelicals are philosophically jus as sophisicaed as anyone
21Tus InerVarsiy Press has jus published in 1048626983088983088983097 he fifh ediion o James Sirersquos Te Universe Nex
Door A Basic Worldview Caalog a esimony o is populariy a evangelical colleges and universiies22 Anoher popular ex among Evangelicals noes is concepual naure David K Naugle World-
view Te Hisory o a Concep (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048626)23 As refleced in anoher popular evangelical exbook J P Moreland and William Lane Craig
Philosophical Foundaions or a Chrisian Worldview (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 10486269830889830881048627)24Noe ha he dualism beween objeciviy and subjeciviy is isel a modernis consrucion I
discuss hese maters as well as evangelical orms o oundaionalism in my ldquoTe Demise o Foun-
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088 983095
else in heir deense o oundaionalism9830901048629 more ofen han no hey are epis-
emological oundaionaliss or wo reasons Negaively pu episemic oun-
daionalism is a deerren o wha hey see as he hreaening alernaive oepisemological skepicism philosophical i no moral relaivism and reli-
gious and heological pluralism Posiively pu he oundaions o Chrisian
knowing are given in he Bible I will reurn in a momen o address he her-
meneuical issues involved wih such an appeal For he momen however I
simply noe ha evangelical oundaionalism in whaever is guise butresses
is claims o have access o a universal sandpoin or (heological) knowledge
Such a universal vanage poin is o course relaed o he Enlighenmenques or cerain knowledge Hence he undermining o oundaionalism
opens up o perspecivism Evangelicals resis episemic perspecivism or he
same reasons ha hey deend oundaionalism because ha is el o be he
only way o secure raionally he sabiliy o ruh claims Opening he door
o perspecivism invies he mulipliciy o views ha characerizes he rela-
ivism o he posmodern siuaion Conservaive Evangelicals are hus very
concerned abou he ascendency o he posmodern agenda9830901048630
Wha does his have o do wih Asian American Evangelicalism My claim is
ha Asian Americans educaed a conservaive evangelical seminaries have un-
witingly embraced no only he oundaionalis episemology o heir eachers
bu also is atendan applicaions In order o ward off episemic skepicism
moral relaivism and heological pluralism Asian American Evangelicals have
also uncriically rejeced he perspecivism cenral o posoundaionalis epis-
emology9830901048631 More o he poin he deense o oundaionalism is also he de-ense o he saus quo he universal rame o reerence claimed by evangelical
daionalism and he Reenion o ruh Wha Evangelicals Can Learn rom C S Peircerdquo Chrisian
Scholarrsquos Review 1048626983097 no 1048627 (Spring 1048626983088983088983088) 9830939830941048627-98309698309625Eg J P Moreland and Garret DeWeese ldquoTe Premaure Repor o Foundaionalismrsquos Demiserdquo
in Millard J Erickson Paul Kjoss Helseh and Jusin aylor eds Reclaiming he Cener Confon-
ing Evangelical Accommodaion in Posmodern imes (Wheaon IL Crossway 1048626983088983088983092) pp 9830961048625-104862598308898309526Tus par 1048626 o Millard J Erickson Posmodernizing he Faih Evangelical Responses o he Chal-
lenge o Posmodernism (Grand Rapids Baker Books 1048625983097983097983096) is iled ldquoNegaive Responses o
Posmodernismrdquo and discusses a number o conemporary and recen deenders o classical evan-gelical aih David Wells Tomas Oden and Francis Schaeffer
27 As argued eg by Sanley J Grenz and John R Franke Beyond Foundaionalism Shaping Teology in
a Posmodern Conex (Louisville Wesminser John Knox 10486269830889830881048625) he criical and apologeic responsehas been he recogniion ha his akes us ldquobeyond Evangelicalismrdquo991252see Seven Knowles Beyond
Evangelicalism Te Teological Mehodology o Sanley J Grenz (Burlingon V Ashgae 1048626983088983088983097)
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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983089983088983096 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
heology Simulaneously so he argumen goes he abandonmen o ounda-
ionalism opens he door o perspecivism and pluralism And i he later are
problemaic so are heir ideological movemens especially and including muli-culuralism (wih some advocaes o such having reinerpreed Chrisian eaching
in ligh o a poliics o ideniy insead o vice versa)9830901048632 Asian American Evan-
gelicals are hus armed oundaionally o conron engage and resis he perils
o cynicism relaivism and pluralism Unbeknowns o hem however his no
only undercus he ideology o muliculuralism bu also assails he basis upon
which hey can reclaim heir own hisorical and culural ideniies O course
Evangelicals have more recenly recognized a leas in general he imporanceo embracing he diversiy o culures even o celebraing hem bu only so
long as doing so does no hreaen he oundaions o evangelical ceriude
An (allegedly) a-cultural hermeneutic Tis presumpion o having a uni-
versal perspecive while undergirded as biblical raher han recognized as
ounded on an Enlighenmen paradigm bleeds over ino evangelical herme-
neuics In he Asian American evangelical landscape such hermeneuical pre-
supposiions bracke Asian America wheher inenionally (more ofen) or noIn his way Asian American Evangelicals have imbibed no only he oundaion-
alism o heir classical seminary educaion bu also he biblical hermeneuic ha
works o secure such an episemic sance Unsurprisingly a he hear o he
evangelical inerpreaion o Scripure is anoher insrumen rom he modernis
oolki ha o hisorical criicism Tis ime however such a hermeneuical
approach is deployed o access he auhorial inen o he Scripures and i is
his ha is cenral (oundaional) o ideniying he biblical message which inurn enables he Bible o serve as he unshakable norm or Chrisian belie
Tere is much o unpack in he preceding brie descripion o evangelical
hermeneuics classically considered Bu I wan o ocus insead on he prin-
ciples o biblical exegesis as emphasized in evangelical seminary educaion9830901048633
Te goal o exegesis is o draw ou o or o cull rom he Bible wha he original
auhors mean o communicae Tis involves undersanding firs and
28Tus have some Evangelicals harangued agains muliculuralism as an ideology or example991252Dennis McCallum ed Te Deah o ruh Wharsquos Wrong wih Muliculuralism he Rejecion o
Reason and he New Posmodern Diversiy (Minneapolis Behany House 1048625983097983097983094)29Eg Waler C Kaiser oward an Exegeical Teology Biblical Exegesis or Preaching and eaching
(Grand Rapids Baker Books 1048625983097983097983096)
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088983097
oremos how he biblical auhors were undersood by heir iniial audiences
in he ancien conex Exegesis accesses hese primordially inended biblical
principles Wha he Bible means oday is hereby a secondary issue de-penden primarily on wha i originally mean o he firs hearers and readers
o he Scripures Conemporary applicaion hus involves idenificaion o
he original and or some single meaning o he biblical exs9830911048624
Te flip side o he emphasis on exegesis hen involves he rejecion o
eisegesis he inserion o conemporary perspecives ino he meaning o he
biblical ex I he burden o biblical hermeneuics is o ake away rom he
Scripures wha is auhors inended o communicae he bane o evangelicalinerpreaion is o read ino he Bible whaever our presen viewpoins may
dicae Tis o course is a violaion o he cardinal rule o evangelical herme-
neuics readers should leave heir prejudices and biases a he door and allow
he Bible o inorm hem insead Oherwise he concern is ha he reader
will find whaever he or she is looking or and his inecs conaminaes
skews and disors he prisine message o he Bible983091983089
Te problem here is no jus ha he lines beween exegesis and eisegesis aremuch more blurred han Evangelicals usually acknowledge983091983090 bu ha he per-
sisen applicaion o such an approach o he Bible dicaes ha evangelical
readers inenionally bracke or a leas atemp o hold in abeyance heir own
hisories experiences and perspecives as being o secondary impor i o any
relevance a all or heir reading o Scripure Now I am cerainly no suggesing
ha we all willy-nilly inser our biases in appropriaing he biblical ex Simul-
aneously I urge ha he cos o such hermeneuical brackeing is oo high or
30See Rober L Tomas Evangelical Hermeneuics Te New Versus he Old (Grand Rapids Kregel10486269830889830881048626) chap 983094 iled ldquoTe Principle o Single Meaningrdquo which argues ha he pluralism po-lyphony and plurivociy o meaning advocaed by recen progressive Evangelicals reflecs more heeffecs o humaniyrsquos all ino sin han i does he classical assumpions o evangelical biblical in-erpreaion For a counerargumen one ha I am largely sympaheic wih see James K ASmih Te Fall o Inerpreaion Philosophical Foundaions or a Creaional Hermeneuic (DownersGrove IL InerVarsiy Press 1048626983088983088983088)
31For evangelical concerns regarding reader-response hermeneuics see Norman R Gulley ldquoReader-
Response Teories in Posmodern Hermeneuics A Challenge o Evangelical Teologyrdquo in DavidS Dockery ed Te Challenge o Posmodernism An Evangelical Engagemen (Wheaon IL VicorBooks 1048625983097983097983093) pp 1048626983088983096-1048627983096
32In mainline Proesan circles o course here has long been recogniion ha he radiional line beween exegesis and eisegesis is much blurrier han previously hough see Jay G WilliamsldquoExegesis-Eisegesis Is Tere a Differencerdquo Teology oday 1048627983088 no 1048627 (10486259830979830951048627) 10486261048625983096-1048626983095
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2135
983089 983089983088 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
ehnic minoriies who are Evangelicals since his in effec rejecs heir quesions
and concerns as perinen o heir engagemen wih he Bible In addiion such
presumpive brackeing blinds whie Evangelicals o he ac ha heir own ho-rizons and perspecives are involved in any reading o ancien exs and his lack
o awareness makes i doubly difficul o recognize moderae or correc
I would urge insead ha we recognize and embrace he ension involved
in he usion o biblical and conemporary horizons bu do so in a way ha
boh allows conemporary readers o ener ino he world o he Bible on he
one hand (ldquohis is hardquo) and or he Bible o map ono our conemporary lives
on he oher hand (ldquoha is hisrdquo)983091983091 Tis no only allows or an Asian American reading o he Bible somehing ha is barred in he evangelical
environmen i also invies even encourages such an approach and his in
urn gives Asian Americans991252all people acually991252permission o read he
Bible as i i really matered o heir lives
A (presumably) biblical-theological method Enlighenmen assumpions
hus inorm no only Asian American evangelical episemology and herme-
neuics bu also heological mehod and hey do so in ways ha marginalize Asian America Tis is consisen wih he general evangelical ear o licensing
wha hey see as merely subjecive readings o he Bible or he same reasons
ha hey are wary abou enabling heological mehodologies ha consciously
acknowledge he role o experience In oher words he saus quo in evan-
gelical approaches o he Bible (wih is accenuaion o exegesis and rejecion
o eisegesis) has is counerpar in evangelical approaches o heological re-
flecion his ime wih he emphasis on he Bible as he primary i no solesource or heology over and agains hisory radiion culure and experience
A one level he sola scripura commimens o Reormaion radiions have
a very specific hisory and should be undersood according o he nuances
wih which his idea has developed in he pas five hundred years9830911048628 A anoher
33I explicae some aspecs o he ldquohis is hardquo hermeneuic rom a Penecosal perspecive in myldquoReading Scripure and Naure Penecosal Hermeneuics and Teir Implicaions or he Con-
emporary Evangelical Teology and Science Conversaionrdquo Perspecives on Science and ChrisianFaih 9830931048627 no 1048625 (104862698308810486251048625) 1048625-10486251048627
34Reflecing developmens rom he publicaion o Te Fundamenals o he ldquoChicago Saemen onBiblical Inerrancyrdquo (1048625983097983095983096) many conservaive Norh American Evangelicals991252eg rom NormanL Geisler Inerrancy (Grand Rapids Zondervan 1048625983097983096983088) o James R Whie Scripure Alone (Min-neapolis Behany House 1048626983088983088983092)991252have seen and coninue o see boh sola scripura and he doc-
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2235
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2335
983089 983089 983090 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
Te problem however is ha Asian Americans have rarely i ever ques-
ioned more rigid applicaions o his mehodological norm or evangelical
heology Raher hey have inernalized he evangelical bias agains hisoryradiion and experience hus silencing he role ha paricular perspecives
migh play in he heological ask I we appeal o our experience a all we
mus do so apologeically as i admiting ha such heological inerprea-
ions are a bes parochial concerns o a communiy no ye assimilaed o
he dominan culure or a wors signaling our heological immauriy and
need o grow up rom or ranscend he ldquobackwardnessrdquo represening our
hisory and experience beore our lie in Chris Ironically however suchinenional marginalizaion o he Asian American experience no o
menion Asian American philosophical ways o hinking and reasoning
does no call ino quesion how he predominanly Anglo- and Euro-
American experiences o moderniy have shaped evangelical heology As a
resul Asian American Evangelicals have adoped wha is claimed o be a
biblical worldview and heological ramework supposedly shorn o he sub-
jecive biases o hisorically siuaed human inerpreers Bu hese aresurely devoid o heir own experienial and conexual (Asian American)
locaions and ye uncriically naive in hinking ha Euro-American his-
orical accidens have been adequaely ldquoChrisianizedrdquo
So ar I have suggesed ha episemologically hermeneuically and meh-
odologically Asian Americans have rarely quesioned he modernis Enligh-
enmen and Anglo- and Euro-American presupposiions o he evangelical
heological endeavor And since his underaking has never acknowledged heculural conexs and perspecives o he predominanly whie ramers o he
evangelical heological radiion10486281048624 he assumpion is ha ehniciy plays litle
i any role in he work o heology No surprisingly hen Asian American
heologians have been reicen o sugges ha ehniciy culure and hisoriciy
coun in heological reflecion By exension he heological and docrinal
40My poin is no ha whie perspecives have disored he gospel his isel assumes a sor oa-culural gospel ha needs conexualizaion991252a poin ha needs o be addressed and nuanced which we will do momenarily My poin is ha such whie viewpoins are no only unrecognized bu ha hey are hen presumed o be normaive or nonwhies I is par o he goal o his chapero call Asian American heologians o atend o his assumpion and o find ways o inenionallyaddress and subver i
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983091
resuls have been ormulaed and ransmited as biblically unded and univer-
sally applicable regardless o conexual consideraions
A (supposedly) universal doctrinal famework One example o how Norh American evangelical heology has proceeded wih universalisic assumpions
and hereby overlooked i no inenionally ignored oher culural perspec-
ives has o do wih he docrine o he aonemen and wha i addresses Pu
crassly humankind suffers rom one overall problem ha o sin agains God
and ha one problem demands basically one soluion he subsiuionary
aonemen o he Sonrsquos deah on he cross1048628983089 Now I realize ha i is unair o
depic evangelical views regarding he aonemen in such homogeneous ermssince he mater isel is sill being conesed1048628983090 Bu he ac is ha in some
evangelical circles deparure rom he subsiuionary view o he aonemen
is considered deviaion rom evangelical orhodoxy1048628983091 From his posiion oher
biblical aspecs and alernaive inerpreaions are eiher subsumed under he
docrine o penal subsiuion or argued o be flawed in some respec
O course such a viewpoin minimizes he role o medieval eudalism and
he jurisprudenial background o some o he Reormers in he emergenceand esablishmen o his undersanding o he aonemen in he evangelical
radiion jus as i really does no quesion he basically Augusinian anhro-
pology presumed in his process Now I am no a hisorical deerminis who
believes ha conex leads inexorably o our heological ideas jus as I do no
hink ha allowance or hisorical conexual acors relaivizes he ruh o
heological claims or produces docrinal heerodoxy Raher wihou denying
41Te World Evangelical Alliancersquos Saemen o Faih affirms ldquoWe believe in Our Lord JesusChris God manies in he flesh His virgin birh His sinless human lie His divine miracles His vicarious and aoning deah His bodily resurrecion His ascension His mediaorial work and HisPersonal reurn in power and glory Te Salvaion o los and sinul man hrough he shed bloodo he Lord Jesus Chris by aih apar rom works and regeneraion by he Holy Spirirdquo (see worldevangelicalorgweasaemenhm emphases original)
42See James Beilby and Paul R Eddy eds Te Naure o he Aonemen Four Views (DownersGrove IL IVP Academic 1048626983088983088983094) and Derek idball David Hilborn and Jusin Tacker eds Te
Aonemen Debae Papers fom he London Symposium on he Teology o he Aonemen (Grand
Rapids Zondervan 1048626983088983088983093) c J Denny Weaver Te Nonviolen Aonemen (Grand Rapids Eerd-mans 10486269830889830881048625) and Hans Boersma Violence Hospialiy and he Cross Recovering he Aonemen
radiion (Grand Rapids Baker Academic 1048626983088983088983092)43See S Lewis Johnson Jr ldquoBehold he Lamb Te Gospel and Subsiuionary Aonemenrdquo in John
H Armsrong ed Te Coming Evangelical Crisis Curren Challenges o he Auhoriy o Scripure
and he Gospel (Chicago Moody Press 1048625983097983097983094) pp 10486251048625983097-1048627983096
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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983089 983089 983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
he imporance o he biblical and heological heme o subsiuion or he
docrine o he aonemen I am simply suggesing ha oher culural perspec-
ives and even assumpions migh highligh and emphasize oher biblicalmeaphors regarding Chrisrsquos salvific work
Bu o pursue he quesion ono Asian American errain wha difference
will i make i we recognize ha some Asians and Asian Americans live and
exis in a shame raher han guil culure How migh evangelical hinking
abou he aonemen be adjused revised and maybe even ransormed i
Chrisrsquos work no only assuaged he guil o sin rom human lives bu also re-
moved he shame in human hears10486281048628 My poin is ha evangelical heologicalendencies generally urge a universalisic sandpoin and in his paradigm
here is no need o atend o he pariculariies o or ariculae Asian Asian
American or oher culural perspecives since hese are all subsumed wihin he
biblical ramework read in an evangelical way In his case here isnrsquo even a
need o ask wheher radiional evangelical heologies and docrines like hose
regarding he aonemen may need o be revisied and reariculaed in ligh o
oher hisorical culural and experienial dynamics In ac Asian Americansare boh oo shameul and oo shy o even consider asking abou hese maters
I have argued so ar in his secion ha Asian American Evangelicals ormed
heologically according o he sensibiliies o he dominan evangelical culure
in Norh America have inernalized he whie evangelical worldview and in ha
sense mosly do no see he need o hink explicily rom an Asian American
vanage poin Asian American evangelical views are hereore a bes no more
han a minoriy heological perspecive wo relaed summary consequenceshave ollowed Asian American acquiescence o he majoriy culure Firs meh-
odologically and maerially evangelical heology has been undersood o be a-
hisorical a-culural and even a-conexual Te assumpion is ha he Bible
addresses all human beings so any plain reading o he Scripure will or should
be able o access he Word o God a any and all imes and places radiionally
ormulaed and ramed evangelical docrines derived rom an inducive sudy
44 Asian Americans are beginning o do jus his however991252eg Rachel Y Lei ldquoSaving Significanceo he Cross in he Asian American Conexrdquo SANACS Journal 1048625 (1048626983088983088983097) 983097983093-10486251048625983094 c Mark D Bakerand Joel B Green Recovering he Scandal o he Cross Te Aonemen in New esamen and Con-
emporary Conexs (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 1048626983088983088983088) chap 983094 ldquoRemoving AlienaingShame Te Saving Significance o he Cross in Japanrdquo
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983093
o Scripure hus orm he undispuable and unrevisable core o he gospel
Tere is litle recogniion o he hisorical culural and conexual perspecives
ha have conribued o he ariculaion o such evangelical belies Wha his means is ha here sill remains a core se o evangelical docrinal
achievemens and hese remain valid across space and ime alhough hey
may be supplemened by or ranslaed ino local conexual and siuaional
perspecives and idioms As we saw previously (chaper one) he recen Cam-
bridge Companion o Evangelical Teology reflecs precisely his mindse10486281048629 Te
Companion we know is divided ino wo pars Te firs is iled ldquoEvan-
gelicals and Chrisian Docrinerdquo and his includes eigh chapers on he oun-daional docrinal marix o evangelical belies he riniy Scripure chris-
ology heological anhropology jusificaionaonemen pneumaology
conversionsancificaion and ecclesiology Par wo ldquoTe Conexs o Evan-
gelical Teologyrdquo hen provides anoher nine chapers and hese cover issues
relaed o culure gender race and pluralism and include five chapers on
evangelical heology in Arican Asian European Lain American and Norh
American conexs Tis srucure o he Companion communicaes a wooldmessage ha evangelical docrine is a-conexually derived (par one) and
ha various hisorical conexs (par wo) can add a mos parochial ruhs
ha will no upse he docrinal supersrucure o he evangelical heological
landscape In shor basic heological and docrinal ruhs o he Chrisian
aih have already been ormulaed and can be ound in any oher evangelical
sysemaic heological ex quie apar rom Asian American or any oher
more specified perspecivesPu more poinedly i Asian Americans (or any oher ehnic or culural
group) were o wrie heir own heologies hese would be provincial under-
akings wih marginal relevance or he wider evangelical communiy Tese
would be o value only or ldquohoserdquo people (maybe immigrans reugees or
exiles) who have no ye been assimilaed ino he broader American evan-
gelical culure Litle wonder hen ha ew Asian Americans have venured
ino heological errioryhe second summary consequence o inernalizing he dominan
45imohy Larsen and Daniel J reier eds Te Cambridge Companion o Evangelical Teology (Cambridge Cambridge Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983095)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2735
983089 983089983094 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
worldview991252ha evangelical heology a leas in is dogmaic and sysemaic
configuraions is by and large a finished projec wih minimal inpu needed
rom Asian American or oher perspecives991252is ha Asian Americans wihheological educaion have urned in general o work in he hisorical and
social scienific disciplines10486281048630 Tere cerainly remains imporan work o be
done by hose working across he disciplines so I am no decrying such effors
Ye he ac ha hisorical sociological or oher disciplinary explicaions o
Asian American lie are published by universiy presses communicaes o
Asian Americans ha heir role is o shed new ligh on he Asian American
experience A he same ime he prevalence o hese analyical approachesamid he lacuna o explicily heological works suggess ha he ormer is o
minimal value a leas or he ldquorealrdquo heological work o dogmaics and sys-
emaics Furher ha hese scholarly publishers do no eaure exs on Asian
American evangelical heology confirms his division o labor (whie Evan-
gelicals wrie real heology Asian American Evangelicals do hisory sociology
ec) A he end o he day evangelical heologyrsquos assumpion remains undis-
urbed ha here are core docrines ha only need o be conexualized991252ha is ranslaed and made relevan991252around he world In his ramework
Asian Americans can conribue no o he ormer heological ormulaion bu
only o he later ranslaion and disseminaion ask10486281048631
46Eg he work o imohy seng and David Yoo in hisory Fenggang Yang and Rebecca Kim insociology and Russell Jeung in Asian American sudies among ohers see also my ldquoAsian Amer-ican Religion A Review Essayrdquo Nova Religio Te Journal o Alernaive and Emergen Religions 983097
no 1048627 (1048626983088983088983094) 9830971048626-104862598308898309547One could argue ha a parallel ye disinc moivaion drives Lain American or Hispanic evan-
gelical heology in a similar direcion I Asian Americans are cauioned agains hinking heo-logically rom ou o ehnic hisorical and conexual lives because o heir uncriical embrace o whie evangelical assumpions Hispanic Evangelicals may have adoped similar commimensalbei or slighly differen reasons relaed o he Lain American conex Te dominance o heRoman Caholic Church along wih is heological and olk radiions in he later environmenmay be behind Hispanic evangelical suspicions abou he role o hisory and culure in he doingo heology Te ani-Caholic senimen in hisoric Evangelicalism no doub is atracive oLainoas on he migran rail (rom Lain America o he Unied Saes) alhough such accom-modaion has brough wih i he heological coss elaboraed in he preceding pages For urher
discussion and oher angles on hese issues see Oscar Garcia-Johnson Te Mesizoa Communiyo he Spiri A Posmodern Lainoa Ecclesiology (Eugene OR Wip amp Sock 1048626983088983088983097) Sammy Alaro Divino Compantildeero oward a Hispanic Penecosal Chrisology (Eugene OR Pickwick10486269830881048625983088) Juan Mariacutenez ldquolsquoOuside he Gaersquo Evangelicalism and Laino Proesan Teologyrdquo in JeffreyGreenman and Gene L Green eds Global Teology in Evangelical Perspecive Exploring he Conex-
ual Naure o Teology and Mission (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 104862698308810486251048626) pp 1048625983095983097-983097983092 and
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983095
T983144983141 M983137983150983140983137983156983141 983151983142 A983155983145983137983150 A983149983141983154983145983139983137983150 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161
Te preceding analysis raises sel-criical awareness or Asian American Evan-
gelicals and invies hem in dialogue wih oher Evangelicals o consider wheher heir minoriy saus is problemaic and wha i anyhing can and
ough o be done abou i Now I am aware ha here are developmens wihin
he evangelical heological radiion broadly consrued ha have moved
beyond some o he sricures idenified in he preceding secion Progressive
Evangelicals he evangelical lef and posconservaive Evangelicals denoe jus
a ew o he rends among ohers percolaing on he margins o evangelical
heology10486281048632 Bu ha is precisely par o he problem hese are movemens haexcep or a small minoriy remain ouside he evangelical mainsream and
have also by and large been ignored by Asian American evangelical scholars
and heologians I believe ha producive ways orward can be chared via
Asian American Evangelicals in dialogue wih some o hese ideas alhough
a he end o he day such conversaions will only be producive as Asian
American Evangelicals ormulae a plaorm on which hey can bring some-
hing subsanive o he discussion Tis later ask is par o he presen chal-lenge and burden o he presen book
Insoar hen as I am ineresed in he quesion o wha Asian Americans can
conribue o evangelical heology no jus hisorically or sociologically bu a
a heological level my claim is ha pursui o hese maters ironically also in-
volves aking seriously he hisoriciy and pariculariy o Asian American cul-
ures experiences and perspecives In his final par o his chaper I do no
more han sugges in broad srokes how o go abou such an underakingRealities o the Asian American diaspora Par o ldquohe problem o evan-
gelical heologyrdquo can be clarified i we siuae Asian American evangelical
heology amid he broader Asian American diasporic hisorical and social
realiies described in par a he beginning o chaper wo Doing so enables
he sark realizaion ha Asian American Evangelicals are composed by a
wide range o experiences on he one hand and pressure o assimilae o
Juan F Mariacutenez and Lindy Scot eds Los Evangeacutelicos Porrais o Laino Proesanism in he
Unied Saes (Eugene OR Wip amp Sock 1048626983088983088983097)48Many o hese are discussed in Roger E Olson Reormed and Always Reorming Te Posconser-
vaive Approach o Evangelical Teology (Grand Rapids Baker Academic 1048626983088983088983095)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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983089 983089983096 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
American culure on he oher W hile Asians have lived in Norh America
since he ounding o he republic and had even conribued o he building
o he American empire during he nineeenh cenury he 983089983097983094983093 Immigraion Ac ha repealed he Orienal Exclusion Ac o 983089983097983090983092 reopened he door o a
new wave o Asian migraion During he las generaion Asian American lie
has been urher ransormed by he orces o globalizaion diasporas creaed
by modernizaion indusrializaion and urbanizaion reugee populaions
displaced by war amine and climae changes movemen enabled by he
emergence o a worldwide marke economy advances in echnology and mass
communicaion he cross-erilizaion o ideologies and shifs in inerna-ional relaions10486281048633 Te resul as saw in he previous chaper is he appearance
o a wide range o Asian American communiies across Norh America Lie
in such communiies is fluid affeced by migraion paterns socioeconomic
pressures and he srengh o relaions wih hose ldquoback homerdquo Te sronger
he ransnaional ies beween Asian immigrans in he Wes and heir amilies
organizaions and insiuions (religious and oherwise) in heir homeland
he more inense and longer-lasing he exchange o religious goods and ideas(in he orm o books periodicals and various orms o elecommunicaion)
Unsurprisingly hen firs-generaion immigrans ofen deepen he reli-
gious commimens ha hey held or praciced perhaps more nominally
beore moving Someimes immigrans conver o he more dominan religion
o heir new home In eiher case religious affiliaion ofen serves o secure
social neworks coner saus oherwise difficul o come by or immigrans
and srenghen ehnic culural and linguisic bonds and ideniies Bu or he983089983093 generaion (hose born in Asia bu who grew up a leas in par in he
Unied Saes like mysel) he process o assimilaion is well under way In
hese cases he ehnic enclave will develop English-speaking secions as well
as social organizaions school clubs and Chrisian congregaions
For young adul Asian American Evangelicals however here is ofen a
49For an overview o hese issues see Wanni W Anderson and Rober G Lee eds Displacemensand Diasporas Asians in he Americas (New Brunswick NJ Rugers Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983093) Idiscuss urher he implicaions o globalizaion or Chrisian heology in Amos Yong and PeerHelzel ldquoRober Cummings Neville and he Global Fuure o Teologyrdquo in Yong and Helzel edsTeology in Global Conex Essays in Honor o Rober Cummings Neville (New York amp Clark1048626983088983088983092) pp 1048626983097-9830921048626 esp pp 1048627983088-1048627983092
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983097
keen sense ha heir own ehnically organized congregaions or groups are
somehow less religiously and heologically legiimae because hey do no
have he more ldquouniversalrdquo appeal o whie or muliculural evangelicalchurches or parachurch organizaions10486291048624 Te resul is eiher he ransiion o
ehnic congregaions ino pan-ehnic congregaions or movemen rom heir
ldquohomerdquo congregaion o oher less ehnically defined church environmens1048629983089
By he ime he second generaion atains adulhood he remaining culural
or linguisic barriers o ull assimilaion ino American sociey are pracically
overcome ofen o he dismay o parens and grandparens1048629983090
Wha does such assimilaion consis o Cerainly speaking Englishparicipaing in he marke economy and adaping o he opions provided
by American seculariy and poliics are minimal adjusmens Bu perhaps
assimilaion also requires abandoning he norms o he immigran culure
in avor o American norms or amily and gender relaions and engaging
wih he public square on is erms I so would his no lead o an evan-
gelical sel-undersanding deeply ormed by American culure poliics
and economics Would his no resul in a subordinaion and even deor-maion o all ha is Asian excep or he biological phenoype I would
appear hen ha becoming American would more easily aciliae he
embrace o evangelical Chrisianiy991252i such is deined as a suburban
Midwesern whie middle-class religious phenomenon wih Wheaon
Illinois as is veriable ldquoMeccardquo991252bu his brings wih i he cos o losing
onersquos Asianness Does his mean ha ull accepance o Evangelicalism
50See eg Rebecca Y Kim ldquoNegoiaion o Ehnic and Religious Boundaries by Asian AmericanCampus Evangelicalsrdquo in ony Carnes and Fenggang Yang eds Asian American Religions Te
Making and Remaking o Borders and Boundaries (New York New York Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983092) pp10486259830921048625-983093983097 and Rudy V Buso ldquoTe Gospel According o he Model Minoriy Hazarding an Inerpre-aion o Asian American Evangelical College Sudensrdquo in David K Yoo ed New Spiriual Homes
Religion and Asian Americans (Honolulu Universiy o Hawaii Press 1048625983097983097983097) pp 1048625983094983097-98309698309551See Russell Jeung Faihul Generaions Race and New Asian American Churches (New Brunswick
NJ Rugers Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983092)52 As can be discerned by reading beween he lines o he Bible sudies in om Linrsquos Losing Face
and Finding Grace Tis appears o be he case wheher he second generaion inenionally a-emps o disinguish is ehnic congregaional lie rom ha o he firs immigran generaion or wheher he second generaion becomes absorbed ino nonehnic or even muliehnic congrega-ions on his poin see Elaine Howard Ecklund ldquoModels o Civic Responsibiliy Korean Amer-icans in Congregaions wih Differen Ehnic Composiionsrdquo Journal or he Scienific Sudy o
Religion 983092983092 no 1048625 (1048626983088983088983093) 1048625983093-1048626983096
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3135
983089 983090 983088 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
includes ldquorepenancerdquo rom Asia and ldquoconversionrdquo o Americanism1048629983091
Ta his is no he case seems o be borne ou by he sociological lieraure
which confirms ha ehniciy remains jus as imporan as religion in he or-maion o Asian American ideniy10486291048628 Bu i so evangelical heology has no
even begun o wresle wih he imporance o ehniciy and race no o
menion heir heological implicaions Second-generaion Korean Amer-
icans or insance seem o be inuiively drawn o churches and parachurch
minisries ha oreground heir Korean culural ideniy10486291048629 bu hey have
developed ew heological raionales or such orms o social organizaion
more o he poin heir own heological presupposiions miigae agains suchaciviy which may explain heir ideniy conflicedness
Unsurprisingly hen Asian American evangelical heology has ye o ge
off he ground even a he beginning o he weny-firs cenury Asian
American Evangelicals geting degrees rom insiuions o higher educaion
have had o wresle wihagains his assimilaive impulse o sruggle wih he
quesion o wheher hey are or should be doing (descripive) sociology raher
han heology (as normaive reflecion) and o ariculae an apologeic ordoing Asian American evangelical heology raher han jus evangelical he-
ology For oo many Asian American Evangelicals heir saus ldquobewix and
beweenrdquo991252on he one hand belonging o Asia and o he Unied Saes in
some respecs bu on he oher hand being a sranger o boh Asia and he
Unied Saes in oher respecs991252pus hem in a unique posiion o inerrogae
evangelical heology bu (o dae) leaves hem ouside he ormal organiza-
ional and insiuional srucures o criique effecively and ransorm heevangelical heological radiion
53One could also make he reverse argumen however ha Evangelicalism in he Unied Saes hasalready been molded by is social culural and hisorical conex o he exen ha he very eauresha mark he American way o lie991252ie individualism experienialism pragmaism even con-sumerism991252have also come o characerize evangelical Chrisianiy For an insighul analysis ohe ofenimes uncriical conflaion o Evangelicalism and Americanism and o he orces ha havealso resised such accommodaions see D G Har Ta Old-ime Religion in Modern America
Evangelical Proesanism in he wenieh Cenury (Chicago Ivan R Dee 10486269830889830881048626)54See Jerry Z Park ldquoTe Ehnic and Religious Ideniies o Young Asian Americansrdquo (PhD diss
Universiy o Nore Dame 1048626983088983088983092)55See Sharon Kim and Rebecca Y Kim ldquoSecond-Generaion Korean American Chrisiansrsquo Com-
muniies Congregaional Hybridiyrdquo in Carolyn Chen and Russell Jeung eds Susaining Faih
radiions Race Ehniciy and Religion Among he Laino and Asian American Second Generaion (New York New York Universiy Press 104862698308810486251048626) pp 1048625983095983094-9830971048627
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983090 983089
Moving trajectories o theological reflection O course i Asian Americans
hope o climb he ranks o he Norh American evangelical heological
academy hey can only do so on he erms esablished by heir hoss Andraher han responding o sociopoliical acors he evangelical heological
guild has always undersood isel primarily in heological erms and seen is
charge as deending hisorical orhodoxy wheher ha be agains liberalismrsquos
denial o biblical supernauralism agains neo-orhodoxyrsquos ambiguous sance
on Scripure agains mainsream sciencersquos heory o evoluion agains open
heismrsquos docrine o God and so on10486291048630 I evangelical heology has never
beore enerained ehnic perspecives in is discursive consrucion why nowundermine he (is presumed) universal ramework and applicabiliy by
adding he Asian or Asian American qualifiers
While in a sense his enire book provides a se o responses o his quesion
here I sugges hree reasons ha can moivae such a heological pah orward
Firs he Asian diaspora in he Unied Saes is now in a siuaion o reflec
subsanively on is experience o migraion While here are remendous
challenges o migraion10486291048631 some Asian Americans have achieved a level oupward social mobiliy so ha hey are now in he posiion o producing
scholarship inormed by such experienial perspecives Since he memory o
migraion among Asian Americans is more recen han hose o heir Cau-
casian colleagues such perspecives migh be helpul o ideniy how he mi-
graion rom he European coninen has shaped he evangelical heological
enerprise as a whole I Asian Americans can help heir evangelical colleagues
ideniy he hisorical impac o old o new world migraion on he belies andpracices o Norh American Evangelicalism ha in isel will open up pos-
sibiliies or considering aresh Asian American hisories and heir conribu-
ions o he wider conversaion
Second Asian Americans are orced o hink abou race and ehniciy in a
way unlike mos o heir whie brohers and sisers alhough heir reflecions
56Evangelical heologyrsquos many inernal and exernal batles are documened by Jon R Sone On heBoundaries o American Evangelicalism Te Poswar Evangelical Coaliion (New York S MarinrsquosPress 1048625983097983097983095)
57Some o hese are documened by Kenneh J Gues God in Chinaown Religion and Survival in
New Yorkrsquos Evolving Immigran Communiy (New York New York Universiy Press 10486269830889830881048627) whose work we will reurn o in chaper six
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983089 983090 983090 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
can also mediae perspecive in an oherwise whie-and-black demarcaed
world Race and ehniciy are undeniable aspecs o Asian American hisory
and experience Te impor o his is a leas woold Firs Asian Americansare posiioned o engage he discussion opened up by black evangelical heo-
logians regarding conemporary heology991252even in is evangelical guises991252as
reflecing he ascen o whie perspecives in he early modern period a he
expense o Jewish and oher nonwhie culural realiies Asian American per-
specives on race and ehniciy will open up new visas on he racial and ehnic
dimensions o he biblical world10486291048632 In oher words he marginalized hisories
and perspecives o Asian American Evangelicals have much o conribue oconemporary biblical inerpreaion and heological explicaion Te dom-
inan orms o evangelical heology orged in par ou o he hegemony o
Chrisendom are in need o criical analysis and dialogical revision
Las bu no leas cenral and ongoing elemens o Asian American hisory
are par o he presen experiences o ransnaionalism and globalizaion Te
issues here are complex10486291048633 One mater ha needs o be addressed is he iner-
woven characer o he global economy and how i affecs people around he world differenly depending on various social poliical and culural circum-
sances In addiion wih regard o he Asian American side o his equaion
here remain difficul issues relaed o how he quesion o assimilaion or ac-
culuraion is being negoiaed and adjudicaed Firs- second- and hird-gener-
aion perspecives differ someimes momenously and his does no even acor
in he perspecives o he 983089983093 generaion I heology is o engage he hisorical
realiies o real flesh-and-blood human beings i mus engage such quesions inour conemporary world Asian American Evangelicals can lead he way in
hinking heologically abou such hings and his will benefi no only Asian
58 Asian Evangelicals hus need o build rom he insighul readings o mainline Proesan biblicalscholar a-Siong Benny Liew Wha Is Asian American Biblical Hermeneuics Reading he New
esamen (Honolulu Universiy o Hawaii Press 1048626983088983088983096) regarding he ehnic dynamics under-neah Jewish-Genile relaions in he New esamen o be sure Liewrsquos mainline Proesan as-sumpions may be raher disan rom evangelical ones so some criical dialogue and perhaps
correcion may also be in order Ye he srengh o Liewrsquos book is o sugges how Asian Americanexperiences o ehnic marginaliy can illuminae he dispues beween Jewish and Genile ollow-ers o he Messiah in he firs cenury Tis is an issue worh subsanial engagemen rom anevangelical perspecive
59Eg Neil J Ormerod and Shane Clifon Globalizaion and he Mission o he Church (New York amp Clark 104862698308810486251048625)
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983090983091
American communiies bu also hose o oher ehnic racial and culural groups
who are also wresling wih lie in he weny-firs-cenury global conex
Evangelical heology oday will need o heed more inenionally han i has beore acors o migraion ehniciy globalizaion and ransnaionalism
Asian American Evangelicals can assis wih hese maters i hey will arise o
he occasion Tis does no derac rom he universaliy o he gospel message
On he conrary i addresses quesions o universal significance ha are oher-
wise negleced or engaged rom or wihin only one (dominan cenris) se
o perspecives
Reconnecting to the broader evangelical theological tradition Beore con-cluding his chaper however an imporan cavea ough o be sounded None
o he preceding should be read as denying eiher Asian American indebedness
o he evangelical radiion or he inerrelaedness o Asian American and oher
evangelical effors in he conemporary heological ask Te preceding migh
sugges ha Asian Americans are only poining accusing fingers a heir whie
evangelical riends Wihou aking away anyhing rom he seriousness o he
oregoing discussion I also realize ha whie Evangelicals in paricular and Americans in general have been welcoming o Asians and ha we have made i
his ar on our diasporic journey only wih he help o such riends
Beyond such ecclesial collegialiy however I would gran ha Asian Amer-
icans are in various respecs beholden heologically o American Evangelicals
as well In paricular American evangelical commimens o Chris-
ceneredness biblical aihulness and missionary zealousness are imporan
elemens o Chrisian belie and pracice in he weny-firs cenury Asian American Evangelicals should embrace and live ou such commimens no
only or hemselves bu also or oher Evangelicals and even or he world
Ye my claim is precisely ha such a posure enables Asian American Evan-
gelicals o conribue heologically o he ormaion o an evangelical belie
and praxis relevan o he weny-firs cenury For his o happen however
Asian American Evangelicals mus embrace no only he evangel bu also he
hisoriciy o heir diasporic experiences Te incarnaion o he Son o Godconsised afer all o aking on he concreeness palpabiliy and emporaliy
o human Jewish and firs-cenury Palesinian flesh and he oupouring o he
Spiri o God on he Day o Penecos involved he redempion o he diversiy
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983089 983090 983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
o human ongues languages and culures so ha hey migh bear winess o
he wondrous works o God (Acs 983090983089983089) Tis penecosal heme991252relaed o
Acs 983090 firs and oremos albei reraced unavoidably hrough he lens o mymodern penecosal ecclesial sensibiliies991252will inorm he deep srucure o
he argumen in he remainder o his volume ye achieved wihin a pen-
evangelical raher han merely charismaic rame o reerence My poin going
orward however is ha in ligh o hese heological and riniarian commi-
mens Evangelicals should be he firs o embrace he diversiy o heir his-
orical pariculariies raher han shy away rom hem radiionally o course
Evangelicals have subordinaed he vicissiudes o hisory and wih ha heiranxieies abou he flux and subjeciviies o experience o he surey and
oundaionalism o he Word o God as revealed in he Scripures My pro-
posal however is ha work o God in Chris and by he Spiri redeems us
amid wih and hrough he specificiies o our hisorical and culural expe-
rience (raher han saving us rom ou o such alogeher) and hus ha he
Word o God speaks ino such realiies (raher han ha we have o deny hem
or rejec hem as par o who we are)In shor Asian American Evangelicals do no need o be apologeic abou
heir lives experiences and perspecives Raher by ollowing he pah o he
Son o God ino he ar counry by receiving he infilling o he Spiri o God
poured ou on all flesh and by aihully atemping o live ou such a Chris-
cenered and Spiri-empowered aih in he ooseps o heir evangelical ore-
bears and ancesors Asian Americans may hen be able o bring heir heo-
logical gifs o he conversaion able gifs ha will challenge he discussion while simulaneously enriching he are or all hose concerned abou he
euangelion in he presen ime I is ime o heologize as Asian Americans no
jus as Evangelicals in order ha Evangelicalism isel can be renewed and
invigoraed or he sake o he gospel and in anicipaion o he reign o God
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 1135
983089983088983088 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
he diversiy o he AAE communiy David Yoo a hisorian a Claremon
McKenna College surveys (wih wo collaboraors) he prendashWorld War II his-
ories o Japanese and Korean American Chrisians and urges ha religion needso be acored ino immigraion and race analyses o hese communiies even as
im seng a hisorian o American Chrisianiy and ounder o he Insiue or
he Sudy o Asian American Chrisianiy exposes he ldquocolor blindnessrdquo o
American church hisory and provides some hermeneuical opions or moving
beyond orienalis or assimilaionis models o he Asian American Chrisian
experience A pracical heologian a riniy Evangelical Diviniy School Peer
Cha discusses he challenges involved in ideniy ormaion among second-generaion Korean Americans An inriguing chaper is missiologis James Zorsquos
(affiliaed wih Logos Evangelical Seminary in El Mone Caliornia) insighul
analysis o how srucural and power issues complicae he assessmen o racism
prejudice and discriminaion on boh sides o he American and Asian American
equaion For a volume on evangelical heology he wo explicily heological
conribuions are by hisorical heologians Paul Lim (who specializes in early
modern England has augh a Gordon-Conwell Teological Seminary and nowis as o he ime o his wriing a Vanderbil Universiy) reveals he imporance
o biography in he consrucion o any Asian American evangelical heology and
Jeffrey Jue (a pos-Reormaion hisorian a Wesminser Teological Seminary)
seeks a way beyond boh modernis experienialism and posmodernis subjec-
ivism by reurning o he gospel Te conversaional approach o each chaper
in he volume invies ohers o join in he discussion
A second line o developmen lies wih Asian American evangelical womenmany o whom are also working in he area o biblical sudies1048631 A recen volume
includes en chapers mos springing off emale biblical characers all se wihin
wha Young Lee Herig calls a ldquoyinis paradigmrdquo ha is neiher merely eminis
(nor womanis nor mujerisa) nor ye acquiescen o he pariarchal srucures
dominan wihin Asian American Evangelicalism in paricular and (whie) evan-
gelical heology in general1048632 Mirrored Reflecions is hus a groundbreaking and
7See Young Lee Herig and Chloe Sun eds Mirrored Reflecions Refaming Biblical Characers (Eugene OR Wip amp Sock 10486269830881048625983088)
8See Herigrsquos lead chaper ldquoTe Asian American Alernaive o Feminism A Yinis Paradigmrdquo inHerig and Sun eds Mirrored Reflecions pp 1048627-1048625983092
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088983089
paradigmaic book no only or Asian American heology bu also or evan-
gelical biblical hermeneuics I opens up space or Asian American womenrsquos
readings o he Bible wihou mimicking oher eminis agendas i embracesreader-response approaches while honoring he scripural horizon i boldly
explores a counerculural conexualism polyphonous mulivocalism and in-
ersubjecive perspecivism wihou lapsing ino relaivism and i insiss on he
need or us o come o erms wih pluralism globalizaion and ransnaionalism
in he pursui o aihul Chrisian discipleship in our ime Arguably his is
biblical inerpreaion and heological reflecion a is bes engaging subversive
ransormaive and salvific991252or women and men1048633 Such pahs opened up by Asian American evangelical women may well be wha is mos generaive and
producive or Asian American evangelical heology in he longer run
Te conribuions o Herig and company run parallel o oher Asian
American evangelical voices ha find hemselves bewix-and-beween he
cener o he evangelical movemen and he mainline Proesan commu-
niies Soong-Chan Rahrsquos work mediaes hese spaces as represenaive o a
promising pah in conemporary Asian American evangelical heology9830891048624 Tepoency o Rahrsquos argumen is ha he speaks no only o Asian American
Evangelicals bu also o he evangelical heological esablishmen as a whole
Tis is because his is a call or he church o le go o is individualism con-
sumerism maerialism and racism991252all effecs o Wesern culure991252in order
o be reed rom is culural capiviy983089983089 Rahrsquos analysis however can find
deeper Asian American racion paricularly i wedded o he uncompro-
mising call or living ino he Asian American ideniy by heologians suchas Jonahan ran983089983090 Te later empowers a disincive Asian American voice
9Perhaps in conras o he dominan srands o Asian American evangelical biblical inerpreaionha have swallowed Wesern hermeneuical mehods almos hook line and sinker see Andrew Yueking Lee ldquoReading he Bible as an Asian American Issues in Asian American Biblical Inerpre-aionrdquo in Viji Nakka-Cammau and imohy seng eds Asian American Chrisianiy A Reader (Casro Valley CA Te Insiue or he Sudy o Asian American Chrisianiy 1048626983088983088983097) pp 983094983088-983094983097
10Soong-Chan Rah Te Nex Evangelicalism Freeing he Church fom Wesern Culural Capiviy (Downers Grove IL IVP Books 1048626983088983088983097)
11From a hermeneuical perspecive see he similar argumen o E Randolph Richards and Bran-don J OrsquoBrien Misreading Scripure wih Wesern Eyes Removing Culural Blinders o Beter Un-
dersand he Bible (Downers Grove IL IVP Books 104862698308810486251048626)12See Jonahan ran ldquoA Few Tings I Wan rom Asian American Evangelicalsrdquo in Nakka-Cammau
and seng Asian American Chrisianiy pp 10486269830921048627-9830931048625 c also ran ldquoIdeniy as MissiologyrdquoSANACS Journal 1048625 (1048626983088983088983097) 1048626983097-983092983088
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983089983088983090 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
albei one ha is no parochial since i addresses larger ecclesial (and perhaps
even social) concerns983089983091
Te ac o he mater is however ha here is litle else available on Asian American evangelical heology and ha Asian American Evangelicals are sill
a long way off rom hinking heologically as Asian Americans Par o he
reason is ha many Asian American Evangelicals even hose who are heo-
logically rained have basically replicaed he majoriy evangelical (whie)
approaches o Scripure Furher many second-generaion Asian Americans
have adoped he assimilaionis experience as heir model and have presumed
ha an ldquoAmerican universalismrdquo maps ono a biblical universalism9830891048628 Teresul is he subordinaion o heir racial and ehnic ideniies and modes o
hinking Among he many reasons or his is he dominan conservaism o
Asian American culure especially wihin ecclesial communiies o Eas Asian
descen (eg Chinese Korean Japanese and Vienamese churches) As such
Asian Americans are conen o persis wih he saus quo o evangelical he-
ology inheried rom heir (whie) evangelical eachers
Asian American evangelical conservatism Te phenomenon o Eas Asianor Conucian culural conservaism is o course a complicaed one o un-
angle On he one hand here is somehing o he sereoype o Eas Asian
Conucianism as essenially androcenric (in subordinaing women o men)
pariarchal (susained by he radiionrsquos emphasis on filial piey) and auhori-
arian (preserved in he king-subjec and older-younger broher aspecs o he
ldquofiveold relaionsrdquo) On he oher hand like mos exended culural radiions
Conucianism has been neiher saic nor ree rom dissening rends ha haveatemped o rerieve reappropriae and when necessary jetison hese radi-
13Mathew Soerens and Jenny Hwang Welcoming he Sranger Jusice Compassion and ruh in he
Immigraion Debae (Downers Grove IL IVP Books 1048626983088983088983097) is anoher example o Asian AmericanEvangelicals speaking ino wider conversaions precisely he hrus o his book and par o is goalin erms o moivaing Asian American evangelical heological inquiry I will reurn o discuss heproposals o his volume in more deph in chaper six
14Tis is my way o puting wha oher Asian American scholars have also observed see boh Anony W Alumkal ldquoTe Scandal o he lsquoModel Minoriyrsquo Mind Te Bible and Second-Generaion Asian American Evangelicalsrdquo and imohy seng ldquoSecond-Generaion Chinese Evangelical Use o heBible in Ideniy Discourse in Norh Americardquo boh in a-siong Benny Liew Te Bible in Asian
America Semeia 983097983088-9830971048625 (Alana Te Sociey o Biblical Lieraure 10486269830889830881048626) pp 10486261048627983095-983093983088 andpp 10486269830931048625-983094983095 respecively
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088983091
ional docrines or he lae modern world9830891048629 Cerainly in he Norh American
conex here are progressive orces a work especially among second and laer
generaions o Asian Americans bu equally cerainly he weigh o porableculural and philosophical radiions like Conucianism (see chaper wo)
means ha change occurs slowly
Wihin he Asian American evangelical communiy he gradual ransor-
maion o he inheried culural conservaism is cerainly being played ou
even i a a much slower pace han in nonevangelical conexs One he one
side he gospel is undersood as providing a criical perspecive on culure991252
on which I will say more momenarily on he oher side however here arecerain biblical hemes such as honoring o parens and he submission o
women (read off he surace o some Pauline exs) ha resonae wih he filial
piey o especially Conucian culures and hese have ineviably become
cenral issues or he orging o Asian American ideniies9830891048630 Hence Asian
American immigrans who are atraced o Chrisianiy are ofen drawn o
evangelical Proesanism because i provides a similarly conservaive
worldview one ha enables heir acculuraion ino American sociey Forhese reasons Conucian conservaism morphs among Asian American Pro-
esans ino a orm o evangelical conservaism
o be sure he exac role o Conucianism behind Asian American evan-
gelical conservaism migh be debaed among scholars paricularly since he
appropriaion o he Conucian radiion across he Asian American diaspora
is no all o one sripe A he same ime even i oher Asian radiions were o
be acored ino he marix o Asian American lie many are inormed by akind o pariarchal hierarchical and auhoriarian conservaism ha uncions
similarly in Eas Asian Conucian culure In shor perhaps he ldquomodel mi-
noriyrdquo sereoype as conesed as migh be such a designaion ha charac-
erizes much o he Asian American experience conribues o he conser-
vaism ha permeaes Asian American Evangelicalism
North American evangelical conservatism and its implications Bu high-
15See here Daniel A Bell Chinarsquos New Conucianism Poliics and Everyday Lie in a Changing Soci-
ey (Princeon NJ Princeon Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983096) chap 104862716Eg om Lin Losing Face and Finding Grace 983089983090 Bible Sudies or Asian Americans (Downers
Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 1048625983097983097983094) esp par 1048625
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 1535
983089983088983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
lighing Eas Asian conservaism ells only one side o he sory abou why
Asian Americans end o be conened wih and passive recipiens o he he-
ology o he dominan evangelical culure Te oher hal o his ale has o do wih Norh American conservaism as well O course hisorically Norh
American Evangelicalism was ormed ou o a long hisory o reacion o
mainline Proesan liberalism By definiion o be conservaive means o
resis he orces o change insoar as such changes are hough o compromise
he received values o a paricular radiion So while some changes have been
embraced evangelical conservaives have long resised wha are perceived as
adjusmens o hisoric Chrisian orhodoxy oised upon he Norh Americanchurch by heir liberal counerpars9830891048631 More recenly Evangelicals have also
enered ino he culure wars in deense o radiional amily values and oher
aspecs o he agenda o he Republican Pary
Over ime hen Evangelicals have been led o develop heological argu-
mens or heir conservaive sances Mos relevan or he Asian American
experience is how he dominan evangelical culure has acceped while
slighly redefining a leas more recenly he basic caegories o he classicalChris and Culure sudy o H Richard Niebuhr9830891048632 Ye hisorically Evangel-
icals have embraced he ldquoChris agains culurerdquo sance albei more recenly
shifing oward he ldquoChris ransorming culurerdquo posure Tis involves eiher
a wors he rejecion o culure which has radiionally characerized evan-
gelical secarianism (especially among undamenaliss he close cousins o
Evangelicals)9830891048633 or a bes an ambiguous relaionship wih culure one ea-
uring wha migh be called a culural hermeneuic o suspicion ha is alwaysconcerned abou syncreism wih he world Culure in popular evangelical
parlance is almos equivalen o he world and in ha sense is wha humans
need o be saved rom raher han parake o
17Tere are many versions o his sory my own elling is here ldquoTe Word and he Spiri or heSpiri and he Word Exploring he Boundaries o Evangelicalism in Relaionship o Modern Pen-ecosalismrdquo riniy Journal 10486261048627 no 1048626 (10486269830889830881048626) 10486261048627983093-9830931048626
18See H Richard Niebuhr Chris and Culure (10486259830979830931048625 repr San Francisco Harper orchligh1048625983097983093983094) c Glen H Sassen D M Yeager and John Howard Yoder Auhenic ransormaion A
New Vision o Chris and Culure (Nashville Abingdon 1048625983097983097983094)19Ie as manies in missionary and evangelisic sraegies ha called on convers o abandon heir
culural belies and pracices in ollowing Chris991252eg Birgi Meyer ranslaing he Devil Religion
and Moderniy Among he Ewe in Ghana (renon NJ Arica World Press 1048625983097983097983097)
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088983093
So how has his played ou in Asian American evangelical communiies
Mos poinedly Asian American Evangelicals have radiionally undersood
heir Chrisian conversion o involve eiher a urning away rom heir Asianculural roos or a minimizing o such aspecs o heir ideniy Ta Chrisian
conversion acually involves Americanizaion is quie prevalen across he
Asian American scene In my own case growing up as already indicaed in he
prologue we never alked abou he imporance o Chinese culure he em-
phasis a home (my parens were firs-generaion convers o Chrisianiy)
was always on embodying Chrisian culure Many Asian Americans hus end
o view heir Asian hisorical and culural legacies in binary erms ood dressand music migh be reained because hey concern he ouward aspecs o lie
which are incidenal anyway o rue human ideniy bu lierary philosophical
and religious ideas are o be cauiously approached (a bes) since hey are
probably represenaive o ldquohe worldrdquo and hus aniheical o he gospel
Tis confluence o Conucian and evangelical conservaism has been
srenghened hrough he process o heological educaion Asian American
Evangelicals end o atend solidly evangelical seminaries because o heirconservaive commimens So whereas mainline Proesan seminaries are
much more ocused on corporae ideniies evangelical seminaries and
heir curricula ocus more on personal ideniies paricularly he or-
maion o spiriual lives in relaionship o Chris9830901048624 Wha his means is ha
ehnic ideniies are minimized as having no more han biological signifi-
cance and hisorical and culural aspecs o Asian ideniy are acceped
only as accidenal o ideniy in Chris Asian American Evangelicals arefirs and oremos Chrisians and only secondarily i a all Asians (al-
hough ineresingly he prevalence o naionalism among Evangelicals
means ha American ideniy is much more imporan han evangelical
rheoric usually les on) Evangelical heological educaion hus provides
he philosophical and heological apparaus o make sense o such modes
o ideniy consrucion
20Russell Jeung ldquoEvangelical and Mainline eachings on Asian American Ideniyrdquo in Liew and Yee Bible in Asian America pp 104862610486251048625-1048627983094 reprined in Nakka-Cammau and seng Asian American
Chrisianiy pp 1048625983097983095-10486261048625983094
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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983089983088983094 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
T983144983141 B983157983154983140983141983150 983151983142 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161 A M983145983150983151983154983145983156983161 R983141983152983151983154983156
In he ollowing I highligh he major episemological hermeneuical meh-
odological and docrinal aspecs o (whie) evangelical heology embraced bymany Asian American Evangelicals I argue no ha hese are he only ways in
which Asian American Evangelicals have accommodaed o he dominan
(whie) evangelical subculural worldview nor ha Asian American evan-
gelical heology can be reduced o hese eaures I sugges however ha hese
provide some explanaion or how many Asian American evangelical heolo-
gians view he Asian dimension o heir work in conexual erms bu do no
also undersand he dominan whie heological consrucs similarly Teresul is ha Asian American concerns are no only subordinaed bu also e-
ecively silenced in many cases In he ollowing I criically assess his dom-
inan view rom he marginal horizons o he Asian American experience
A (putatively) global epistemology I begin wih he Enlighenmen epis-
emology and is ques or or presumpion o have atained he universal per-
specive In heir batle agains liberalism Evangelicals have highlighed he
imporance o developing a biblical worldview983090983089 Worldview consrucion isineviably an inellecual exercise983090983090 Wha mos Evangelicals do no ofen
inerrogae is how rooed he worldview ques is in he Enlighenmen projec
As such evangelical worldview ormulaion operaes episemologically ac-
cording o modernis canons o raionaliy Tis is reinorced in evangelical
seminary educaion variously no leas in he embrace o some orm o oun-
daionalism characerisic o he Enlighenmen ques or cerainy hough
o secure evangelical claims o universal ruh983090983091
Foundaionalism classically undersood is he view ha all belies can be
jusified direcly (ounded upon) sense experience or reason available o all991252
hence universal991252raher han inerred rom oher (subjecively held) be-
lies9830901048628 While Evangelicals are philosophically jus as sophisicaed as anyone
21Tus InerVarsiy Press has jus published in 1048626983088983088983097 he fifh ediion o James Sirersquos Te Universe Nex
Door A Basic Worldview Caalog a esimony o is populariy a evangelical colleges and universiies22 Anoher popular ex among Evangelicals noes is concepual naure David K Naugle World-
view Te Hisory o a Concep (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048626)23 As refleced in anoher popular evangelical exbook J P Moreland and William Lane Craig
Philosophical Foundaions or a Chrisian Worldview (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 10486269830889830881048627)24Noe ha he dualism beween objeciviy and subjeciviy is isel a modernis consrucion I
discuss hese maters as well as evangelical orms o oundaionalism in my ldquoTe Demise o Foun-
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088 983095
else in heir deense o oundaionalism9830901048629 more ofen han no hey are epis-
emological oundaionaliss or wo reasons Negaively pu episemic oun-
daionalism is a deerren o wha hey see as he hreaening alernaive oepisemological skepicism philosophical i no moral relaivism and reli-
gious and heological pluralism Posiively pu he oundaions o Chrisian
knowing are given in he Bible I will reurn in a momen o address he her-
meneuical issues involved wih such an appeal For he momen however I
simply noe ha evangelical oundaionalism in whaever is guise butresses
is claims o have access o a universal sandpoin or (heological) knowledge
Such a universal vanage poin is o course relaed o he Enlighenmenques or cerain knowledge Hence he undermining o oundaionalism
opens up o perspecivism Evangelicals resis episemic perspecivism or he
same reasons ha hey deend oundaionalism because ha is el o be he
only way o secure raionally he sabiliy o ruh claims Opening he door
o perspecivism invies he mulipliciy o views ha characerizes he rela-
ivism o he posmodern siuaion Conservaive Evangelicals are hus very
concerned abou he ascendency o he posmodern agenda9830901048630
Wha does his have o do wih Asian American Evangelicalism My claim is
ha Asian Americans educaed a conservaive evangelical seminaries have un-
witingly embraced no only he oundaionalis episemology o heir eachers
bu also is atendan applicaions In order o ward off episemic skepicism
moral relaivism and heological pluralism Asian American Evangelicals have
also uncriically rejeced he perspecivism cenral o posoundaionalis epis-
emology9830901048631 More o he poin he deense o oundaionalism is also he de-ense o he saus quo he universal rame o reerence claimed by evangelical
daionalism and he Reenion o ruh Wha Evangelicals Can Learn rom C S Peircerdquo Chrisian
Scholarrsquos Review 1048626983097 no 1048627 (Spring 1048626983088983088983088) 9830939830941048627-98309698309625Eg J P Moreland and Garret DeWeese ldquoTe Premaure Repor o Foundaionalismrsquos Demiserdquo
in Millard J Erickson Paul Kjoss Helseh and Jusin aylor eds Reclaiming he Cener Confon-
ing Evangelical Accommodaion in Posmodern imes (Wheaon IL Crossway 1048626983088983088983092) pp 9830961048625-104862598308898309526Tus par 1048626 o Millard J Erickson Posmodernizing he Faih Evangelical Responses o he Chal-
lenge o Posmodernism (Grand Rapids Baker Books 1048625983097983097983096) is iled ldquoNegaive Responses o
Posmodernismrdquo and discusses a number o conemporary and recen deenders o classical evan-gelical aih David Wells Tomas Oden and Francis Schaeffer
27 As argued eg by Sanley J Grenz and John R Franke Beyond Foundaionalism Shaping Teology in
a Posmodern Conex (Louisville Wesminser John Knox 10486269830889830881048625) he criical and apologeic responsehas been he recogniion ha his akes us ldquobeyond Evangelicalismrdquo991252see Seven Knowles Beyond
Evangelicalism Te Teological Mehodology o Sanley J Grenz (Burlingon V Ashgae 1048626983088983088983097)
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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983089983088983096 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
heology Simulaneously so he argumen goes he abandonmen o ounda-
ionalism opens he door o perspecivism and pluralism And i he later are
problemaic so are heir ideological movemens especially and including muli-culuralism (wih some advocaes o such having reinerpreed Chrisian eaching
in ligh o a poliics o ideniy insead o vice versa)9830901048632 Asian American Evan-
gelicals are hus armed oundaionally o conron engage and resis he perils
o cynicism relaivism and pluralism Unbeknowns o hem however his no
only undercus he ideology o muliculuralism bu also assails he basis upon
which hey can reclaim heir own hisorical and culural ideniies O course
Evangelicals have more recenly recognized a leas in general he imporanceo embracing he diversiy o culures even o celebraing hem bu only so
long as doing so does no hreaen he oundaions o evangelical ceriude
An (allegedly) a-cultural hermeneutic Tis presumpion o having a uni-
versal perspecive while undergirded as biblical raher han recognized as
ounded on an Enlighenmen paradigm bleeds over ino evangelical herme-
neuics In he Asian American evangelical landscape such hermeneuical pre-
supposiions bracke Asian America wheher inenionally (more ofen) or noIn his way Asian American Evangelicals have imbibed no only he oundaion-
alism o heir classical seminary educaion bu also he biblical hermeneuic ha
works o secure such an episemic sance Unsurprisingly a he hear o he
evangelical inerpreaion o Scripure is anoher insrumen rom he modernis
oolki ha o hisorical criicism Tis ime however such a hermeneuical
approach is deployed o access he auhorial inen o he Scripures and i is
his ha is cenral (oundaional) o ideniying he biblical message which inurn enables he Bible o serve as he unshakable norm or Chrisian belie
Tere is much o unpack in he preceding brie descripion o evangelical
hermeneuics classically considered Bu I wan o ocus insead on he prin-
ciples o biblical exegesis as emphasized in evangelical seminary educaion9830901048633
Te goal o exegesis is o draw ou o or o cull rom he Bible wha he original
auhors mean o communicae Tis involves undersanding firs and
28Tus have some Evangelicals harangued agains muliculuralism as an ideology or example991252Dennis McCallum ed Te Deah o ruh Wharsquos Wrong wih Muliculuralism he Rejecion o
Reason and he New Posmodern Diversiy (Minneapolis Behany House 1048625983097983097983094)29Eg Waler C Kaiser oward an Exegeical Teology Biblical Exegesis or Preaching and eaching
(Grand Rapids Baker Books 1048625983097983097983096)
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088983097
oremos how he biblical auhors were undersood by heir iniial audiences
in he ancien conex Exegesis accesses hese primordially inended biblical
principles Wha he Bible means oday is hereby a secondary issue de-penden primarily on wha i originally mean o he firs hearers and readers
o he Scripures Conemporary applicaion hus involves idenificaion o
he original and or some single meaning o he biblical exs9830911048624
Te flip side o he emphasis on exegesis hen involves he rejecion o
eisegesis he inserion o conemporary perspecives ino he meaning o he
biblical ex I he burden o biblical hermeneuics is o ake away rom he
Scripures wha is auhors inended o communicae he bane o evangelicalinerpreaion is o read ino he Bible whaever our presen viewpoins may
dicae Tis o course is a violaion o he cardinal rule o evangelical herme-
neuics readers should leave heir prejudices and biases a he door and allow
he Bible o inorm hem insead Oherwise he concern is ha he reader
will find whaever he or she is looking or and his inecs conaminaes
skews and disors he prisine message o he Bible983091983089
Te problem here is no jus ha he lines beween exegesis and eisegesis aremuch more blurred han Evangelicals usually acknowledge983091983090 bu ha he per-
sisen applicaion o such an approach o he Bible dicaes ha evangelical
readers inenionally bracke or a leas atemp o hold in abeyance heir own
hisories experiences and perspecives as being o secondary impor i o any
relevance a all or heir reading o Scripure Now I am cerainly no suggesing
ha we all willy-nilly inser our biases in appropriaing he biblical ex Simul-
aneously I urge ha he cos o such hermeneuical brackeing is oo high or
30See Rober L Tomas Evangelical Hermeneuics Te New Versus he Old (Grand Rapids Kregel10486269830889830881048626) chap 983094 iled ldquoTe Principle o Single Meaningrdquo which argues ha he pluralism po-lyphony and plurivociy o meaning advocaed by recen progressive Evangelicals reflecs more heeffecs o humaniyrsquos all ino sin han i does he classical assumpions o evangelical biblical in-erpreaion For a counerargumen one ha I am largely sympaheic wih see James K ASmih Te Fall o Inerpreaion Philosophical Foundaions or a Creaional Hermeneuic (DownersGrove IL InerVarsiy Press 1048626983088983088983088)
31For evangelical concerns regarding reader-response hermeneuics see Norman R Gulley ldquoReader-
Response Teories in Posmodern Hermeneuics A Challenge o Evangelical Teologyrdquo in DavidS Dockery ed Te Challenge o Posmodernism An Evangelical Engagemen (Wheaon IL VicorBooks 1048625983097983097983093) pp 1048626983088983096-1048627983096
32In mainline Proesan circles o course here has long been recogniion ha he radiional line beween exegesis and eisegesis is much blurrier han previously hough see Jay G WilliamsldquoExegesis-Eisegesis Is Tere a Differencerdquo Teology oday 1048627983088 no 1048627 (10486259830979830951048627) 10486261048625983096-1048626983095
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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983089 983089983088 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
ehnic minoriies who are Evangelicals since his in effec rejecs heir quesions
and concerns as perinen o heir engagemen wih he Bible In addiion such
presumpive brackeing blinds whie Evangelicals o he ac ha heir own ho-rizons and perspecives are involved in any reading o ancien exs and his lack
o awareness makes i doubly difficul o recognize moderae or correc
I would urge insead ha we recognize and embrace he ension involved
in he usion o biblical and conemporary horizons bu do so in a way ha
boh allows conemporary readers o ener ino he world o he Bible on he
one hand (ldquohis is hardquo) and or he Bible o map ono our conemporary lives
on he oher hand (ldquoha is hisrdquo)983091983091 Tis no only allows or an Asian American reading o he Bible somehing ha is barred in he evangelical
environmen i also invies even encourages such an approach and his in
urn gives Asian Americans991252all people acually991252permission o read he
Bible as i i really matered o heir lives
A (presumably) biblical-theological method Enlighenmen assumpions
hus inorm no only Asian American evangelical episemology and herme-
neuics bu also heological mehod and hey do so in ways ha marginalize Asian America Tis is consisen wih he general evangelical ear o licensing
wha hey see as merely subjecive readings o he Bible or he same reasons
ha hey are wary abou enabling heological mehodologies ha consciously
acknowledge he role o experience In oher words he saus quo in evan-
gelical approaches o he Bible (wih is accenuaion o exegesis and rejecion
o eisegesis) has is counerpar in evangelical approaches o heological re-
flecion his ime wih he emphasis on he Bible as he primary i no solesource or heology over and agains hisory radiion culure and experience
A one level he sola scripura commimens o Reormaion radiions have
a very specific hisory and should be undersood according o he nuances
wih which his idea has developed in he pas five hundred years9830911048628 A anoher
33I explicae some aspecs o he ldquohis is hardquo hermeneuic rom a Penecosal perspecive in myldquoReading Scripure and Naure Penecosal Hermeneuics and Teir Implicaions or he Con-
emporary Evangelical Teology and Science Conversaionrdquo Perspecives on Science and ChrisianFaih 9830931048627 no 1048625 (104862698308810486251048625) 1048625-10486251048627
34Reflecing developmens rom he publicaion o Te Fundamenals o he ldquoChicago Saemen onBiblical Inerrancyrdquo (1048625983097983095983096) many conservaive Norh American Evangelicals991252eg rom NormanL Geisler Inerrancy (Grand Rapids Zondervan 1048625983097983096983088) o James R Whie Scripure Alone (Min-neapolis Behany House 1048626983088983088983092)991252have seen and coninue o see boh sola scripura and he doc-
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2235
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2335
983089 983089 983090 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
Te problem however is ha Asian Americans have rarely i ever ques-
ioned more rigid applicaions o his mehodological norm or evangelical
heology Raher hey have inernalized he evangelical bias agains hisoryradiion and experience hus silencing he role ha paricular perspecives
migh play in he heological ask I we appeal o our experience a all we
mus do so apologeically as i admiting ha such heological inerprea-
ions are a bes parochial concerns o a communiy no ye assimilaed o
he dominan culure or a wors signaling our heological immauriy and
need o grow up rom or ranscend he ldquobackwardnessrdquo represening our
hisory and experience beore our lie in Chris Ironically however suchinenional marginalizaion o he Asian American experience no o
menion Asian American philosophical ways o hinking and reasoning
does no call ino quesion how he predominanly Anglo- and Euro-
American experiences o moderniy have shaped evangelical heology As a
resul Asian American Evangelicals have adoped wha is claimed o be a
biblical worldview and heological ramework supposedly shorn o he sub-
jecive biases o hisorically siuaed human inerpreers Bu hese aresurely devoid o heir own experienial and conexual (Asian American)
locaions and ye uncriically naive in hinking ha Euro-American his-
orical accidens have been adequaely ldquoChrisianizedrdquo
So ar I have suggesed ha episemologically hermeneuically and meh-
odologically Asian Americans have rarely quesioned he modernis Enligh-
enmen and Anglo- and Euro-American presupposiions o he evangelical
heological endeavor And since his underaking has never acknowledged heculural conexs and perspecives o he predominanly whie ramers o he
evangelical heological radiion10486281048624 he assumpion is ha ehniciy plays litle
i any role in he work o heology No surprisingly hen Asian American
heologians have been reicen o sugges ha ehniciy culure and hisoriciy
coun in heological reflecion By exension he heological and docrinal
40My poin is no ha whie perspecives have disored he gospel his isel assumes a sor oa-culural gospel ha needs conexualizaion991252a poin ha needs o be addressed and nuanced which we will do momenarily My poin is ha such whie viewpoins are no only unrecognized bu ha hey are hen presumed o be normaive or nonwhies I is par o he goal o his chapero call Asian American heologians o atend o his assumpion and o find ways o inenionallyaddress and subver i
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983091
resuls have been ormulaed and ransmited as biblically unded and univer-
sally applicable regardless o conexual consideraions
A (supposedly) universal doctrinal famework One example o how Norh American evangelical heology has proceeded wih universalisic assumpions
and hereby overlooked i no inenionally ignored oher culural perspec-
ives has o do wih he docrine o he aonemen and wha i addresses Pu
crassly humankind suffers rom one overall problem ha o sin agains God
and ha one problem demands basically one soluion he subsiuionary
aonemen o he Sonrsquos deah on he cross1048628983089 Now I realize ha i is unair o
depic evangelical views regarding he aonemen in such homogeneous ermssince he mater isel is sill being conesed1048628983090 Bu he ac is ha in some
evangelical circles deparure rom he subsiuionary view o he aonemen
is considered deviaion rom evangelical orhodoxy1048628983091 From his posiion oher
biblical aspecs and alernaive inerpreaions are eiher subsumed under he
docrine o penal subsiuion or argued o be flawed in some respec
O course such a viewpoin minimizes he role o medieval eudalism and
he jurisprudenial background o some o he Reormers in he emergenceand esablishmen o his undersanding o he aonemen in he evangelical
radiion jus as i really does no quesion he basically Augusinian anhro-
pology presumed in his process Now I am no a hisorical deerminis who
believes ha conex leads inexorably o our heological ideas jus as I do no
hink ha allowance or hisorical conexual acors relaivizes he ruh o
heological claims or produces docrinal heerodoxy Raher wihou denying
41Te World Evangelical Alliancersquos Saemen o Faih affirms ldquoWe believe in Our Lord JesusChris God manies in he flesh His virgin birh His sinless human lie His divine miracles His vicarious and aoning deah His bodily resurrecion His ascension His mediaorial work and HisPersonal reurn in power and glory Te Salvaion o los and sinul man hrough he shed bloodo he Lord Jesus Chris by aih apar rom works and regeneraion by he Holy Spirirdquo (see worldevangelicalorgweasaemenhm emphases original)
42See James Beilby and Paul R Eddy eds Te Naure o he Aonemen Four Views (DownersGrove IL IVP Academic 1048626983088983088983094) and Derek idball David Hilborn and Jusin Tacker eds Te
Aonemen Debae Papers fom he London Symposium on he Teology o he Aonemen (Grand
Rapids Zondervan 1048626983088983088983093) c J Denny Weaver Te Nonviolen Aonemen (Grand Rapids Eerd-mans 10486269830889830881048625) and Hans Boersma Violence Hospialiy and he Cross Recovering he Aonemen
radiion (Grand Rapids Baker Academic 1048626983088983088983092)43See S Lewis Johnson Jr ldquoBehold he Lamb Te Gospel and Subsiuionary Aonemenrdquo in John
H Armsrong ed Te Coming Evangelical Crisis Curren Challenges o he Auhoriy o Scripure
and he Gospel (Chicago Moody Press 1048625983097983097983094) pp 10486251048625983097-1048627983096
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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983089 983089 983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
he imporance o he biblical and heological heme o subsiuion or he
docrine o he aonemen I am simply suggesing ha oher culural perspec-
ives and even assumpions migh highligh and emphasize oher biblicalmeaphors regarding Chrisrsquos salvific work
Bu o pursue he quesion ono Asian American errain wha difference
will i make i we recognize ha some Asians and Asian Americans live and
exis in a shame raher han guil culure How migh evangelical hinking
abou he aonemen be adjused revised and maybe even ransormed i
Chrisrsquos work no only assuaged he guil o sin rom human lives bu also re-
moved he shame in human hears10486281048628 My poin is ha evangelical heologicalendencies generally urge a universalisic sandpoin and in his paradigm
here is no need o atend o he pariculariies o or ariculae Asian Asian
American or oher culural perspecives since hese are all subsumed wihin he
biblical ramework read in an evangelical way In his case here isnrsquo even a
need o ask wheher radiional evangelical heologies and docrines like hose
regarding he aonemen may need o be revisied and reariculaed in ligh o
oher hisorical culural and experienial dynamics In ac Asian Americansare boh oo shameul and oo shy o even consider asking abou hese maters
I have argued so ar in his secion ha Asian American Evangelicals ormed
heologically according o he sensibiliies o he dominan evangelical culure
in Norh America have inernalized he whie evangelical worldview and in ha
sense mosly do no see he need o hink explicily rom an Asian American
vanage poin Asian American evangelical views are hereore a bes no more
han a minoriy heological perspecive wo relaed summary consequenceshave ollowed Asian American acquiescence o he majoriy culure Firs meh-
odologically and maerially evangelical heology has been undersood o be a-
hisorical a-culural and even a-conexual Te assumpion is ha he Bible
addresses all human beings so any plain reading o he Scripure will or should
be able o access he Word o God a any and all imes and places radiionally
ormulaed and ramed evangelical docrines derived rom an inducive sudy
44 Asian Americans are beginning o do jus his however991252eg Rachel Y Lei ldquoSaving Significanceo he Cross in he Asian American Conexrdquo SANACS Journal 1048625 (1048626983088983088983097) 983097983093-10486251048625983094 c Mark D Bakerand Joel B Green Recovering he Scandal o he Cross Te Aonemen in New esamen and Con-
emporary Conexs (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 1048626983088983088983088) chap 983094 ldquoRemoving AlienaingShame Te Saving Significance o he Cross in Japanrdquo
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983093
o Scripure hus orm he undispuable and unrevisable core o he gospel
Tere is litle recogniion o he hisorical culural and conexual perspecives
ha have conribued o he ariculaion o such evangelical belies Wha his means is ha here sill remains a core se o evangelical docrinal
achievemens and hese remain valid across space and ime alhough hey
may be supplemened by or ranslaed ino local conexual and siuaional
perspecives and idioms As we saw previously (chaper one) he recen Cam-
bridge Companion o Evangelical Teology reflecs precisely his mindse10486281048629 Te
Companion we know is divided ino wo pars Te firs is iled ldquoEvan-
gelicals and Chrisian Docrinerdquo and his includes eigh chapers on he oun-daional docrinal marix o evangelical belies he riniy Scripure chris-
ology heological anhropology jusificaionaonemen pneumaology
conversionsancificaion and ecclesiology Par wo ldquoTe Conexs o Evan-
gelical Teologyrdquo hen provides anoher nine chapers and hese cover issues
relaed o culure gender race and pluralism and include five chapers on
evangelical heology in Arican Asian European Lain American and Norh
American conexs Tis srucure o he Companion communicaes a wooldmessage ha evangelical docrine is a-conexually derived (par one) and
ha various hisorical conexs (par wo) can add a mos parochial ruhs
ha will no upse he docrinal supersrucure o he evangelical heological
landscape In shor basic heological and docrinal ruhs o he Chrisian
aih have already been ormulaed and can be ound in any oher evangelical
sysemaic heological ex quie apar rom Asian American or any oher
more specified perspecivesPu more poinedly i Asian Americans (or any oher ehnic or culural
group) were o wrie heir own heologies hese would be provincial under-
akings wih marginal relevance or he wider evangelical communiy Tese
would be o value only or ldquohoserdquo people (maybe immigrans reugees or
exiles) who have no ye been assimilaed ino he broader American evan-
gelical culure Litle wonder hen ha ew Asian Americans have venured
ino heological errioryhe second summary consequence o inernalizing he dominan
45imohy Larsen and Daniel J reier eds Te Cambridge Companion o Evangelical Teology (Cambridge Cambridge Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983095)
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2735
983089 983089983094 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
worldview991252ha evangelical heology a leas in is dogmaic and sysemaic
configuraions is by and large a finished projec wih minimal inpu needed
rom Asian American or oher perspecives991252is ha Asian Americans wihheological educaion have urned in general o work in he hisorical and
social scienific disciplines10486281048630 Tere cerainly remains imporan work o be
done by hose working across he disciplines so I am no decrying such effors
Ye he ac ha hisorical sociological or oher disciplinary explicaions o
Asian American lie are published by universiy presses communicaes o
Asian Americans ha heir role is o shed new ligh on he Asian American
experience A he same ime he prevalence o hese analyical approachesamid he lacuna o explicily heological works suggess ha he ormer is o
minimal value a leas or he ldquorealrdquo heological work o dogmaics and sys-
emaics Furher ha hese scholarly publishers do no eaure exs on Asian
American evangelical heology confirms his division o labor (whie Evan-
gelicals wrie real heology Asian American Evangelicals do hisory sociology
ec) A he end o he day evangelical heologyrsquos assumpion remains undis-
urbed ha here are core docrines ha only need o be conexualized991252ha is ranslaed and made relevan991252around he world In his ramework
Asian Americans can conribue no o he ormer heological ormulaion bu
only o he later ranslaion and disseminaion ask10486281048631
46Eg he work o imohy seng and David Yoo in hisory Fenggang Yang and Rebecca Kim insociology and Russell Jeung in Asian American sudies among ohers see also my ldquoAsian Amer-ican Religion A Review Essayrdquo Nova Religio Te Journal o Alernaive and Emergen Religions 983097
no 1048627 (1048626983088983088983094) 9830971048626-104862598308898309547One could argue ha a parallel ye disinc moivaion drives Lain American or Hispanic evan-
gelical heology in a similar direcion I Asian Americans are cauioned agains hinking heo-logically rom ou o ehnic hisorical and conexual lives because o heir uncriical embrace o whie evangelical assumpions Hispanic Evangelicals may have adoped similar commimensalbei or slighly differen reasons relaed o he Lain American conex Te dominance o heRoman Caholic Church along wih is heological and olk radiions in he later environmenmay be behind Hispanic evangelical suspicions abou he role o hisory and culure in he doingo heology Te ani-Caholic senimen in hisoric Evangelicalism no doub is atracive oLainoas on he migran rail (rom Lain America o he Unied Saes) alhough such accom-modaion has brough wih i he heological coss elaboraed in he preceding pages For urher
discussion and oher angles on hese issues see Oscar Garcia-Johnson Te Mesizoa Communiyo he Spiri A Posmodern Lainoa Ecclesiology (Eugene OR Wip amp Sock 1048626983088983088983097) Sammy Alaro Divino Compantildeero oward a Hispanic Penecosal Chrisology (Eugene OR Pickwick10486269830881048625983088) Juan Mariacutenez ldquolsquoOuside he Gaersquo Evangelicalism and Laino Proesan Teologyrdquo in JeffreyGreenman and Gene L Green eds Global Teology in Evangelical Perspecive Exploring he Conex-
ual Naure o Teology and Mission (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 104862698308810486251048626) pp 1048625983095983097-983097983092 and
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983095
T983144983141 M983137983150983140983137983156983141 983151983142 A983155983145983137983150 A983149983141983154983145983139983137983150 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161
Te preceding analysis raises sel-criical awareness or Asian American Evan-
gelicals and invies hem in dialogue wih oher Evangelicals o consider wheher heir minoriy saus is problemaic and wha i anyhing can and
ough o be done abou i Now I am aware ha here are developmens wihin
he evangelical heological radiion broadly consrued ha have moved
beyond some o he sricures idenified in he preceding secion Progressive
Evangelicals he evangelical lef and posconservaive Evangelicals denoe jus
a ew o he rends among ohers percolaing on he margins o evangelical
heology10486281048632 Bu ha is precisely par o he problem hese are movemens haexcep or a small minoriy remain ouside he evangelical mainsream and
have also by and large been ignored by Asian American evangelical scholars
and heologians I believe ha producive ways orward can be chared via
Asian American Evangelicals in dialogue wih some o hese ideas alhough
a he end o he day such conversaions will only be producive as Asian
American Evangelicals ormulae a plaorm on which hey can bring some-
hing subsanive o he discussion Tis later ask is par o he presen chal-lenge and burden o he presen book
Insoar hen as I am ineresed in he quesion o wha Asian Americans can
conribue o evangelical heology no jus hisorically or sociologically bu a
a heological level my claim is ha pursui o hese maters ironically also in-
volves aking seriously he hisoriciy and pariculariy o Asian American cul-
ures experiences and perspecives In his final par o his chaper I do no
more han sugges in broad srokes how o go abou such an underakingRealities o the Asian American diaspora Par o ldquohe problem o evan-
gelical heologyrdquo can be clarified i we siuae Asian American evangelical
heology amid he broader Asian American diasporic hisorical and social
realiies described in par a he beginning o chaper wo Doing so enables
he sark realizaion ha Asian American Evangelicals are composed by a
wide range o experiences on he one hand and pressure o assimilae o
Juan F Mariacutenez and Lindy Scot eds Los Evangeacutelicos Porrais o Laino Proesanism in he
Unied Saes (Eugene OR Wip amp Sock 1048626983088983088983097)48Many o hese are discussed in Roger E Olson Reormed and Always Reorming Te Posconser-
vaive Approach o Evangelical Teology (Grand Rapids Baker Academic 1048626983088983088983095)
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2935
983089 983089983096 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
American culure on he oher W hile Asians have lived in Norh America
since he ounding o he republic and had even conribued o he building
o he American empire during he nineeenh cenury he 983089983097983094983093 Immigraion Ac ha repealed he Orienal Exclusion Ac o 983089983097983090983092 reopened he door o a
new wave o Asian migraion During he las generaion Asian American lie
has been urher ransormed by he orces o globalizaion diasporas creaed
by modernizaion indusrializaion and urbanizaion reugee populaions
displaced by war amine and climae changes movemen enabled by he
emergence o a worldwide marke economy advances in echnology and mass
communicaion he cross-erilizaion o ideologies and shifs in inerna-ional relaions10486281048633 Te resul as saw in he previous chaper is he appearance
o a wide range o Asian American communiies across Norh America Lie
in such communiies is fluid affeced by migraion paterns socioeconomic
pressures and he srengh o relaions wih hose ldquoback homerdquo Te sronger
he ransnaional ies beween Asian immigrans in he Wes and heir amilies
organizaions and insiuions (religious and oherwise) in heir homeland
he more inense and longer-lasing he exchange o religious goods and ideas(in he orm o books periodicals and various orms o elecommunicaion)
Unsurprisingly hen firs-generaion immigrans ofen deepen he reli-
gious commimens ha hey held or praciced perhaps more nominally
beore moving Someimes immigrans conver o he more dominan religion
o heir new home In eiher case religious affiliaion ofen serves o secure
social neworks coner saus oherwise difficul o come by or immigrans
and srenghen ehnic culural and linguisic bonds and ideniies Bu or he983089983093 generaion (hose born in Asia bu who grew up a leas in par in he
Unied Saes like mysel) he process o assimilaion is well under way In
hese cases he ehnic enclave will develop English-speaking secions as well
as social organizaions school clubs and Chrisian congregaions
For young adul Asian American Evangelicals however here is ofen a
49For an overview o hese issues see Wanni W Anderson and Rober G Lee eds Displacemensand Diasporas Asians in he Americas (New Brunswick NJ Rugers Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983093) Idiscuss urher he implicaions o globalizaion or Chrisian heology in Amos Yong and PeerHelzel ldquoRober Cummings Neville and he Global Fuure o Teologyrdquo in Yong and Helzel edsTeology in Global Conex Essays in Honor o Rober Cummings Neville (New York amp Clark1048626983088983088983092) pp 1048626983097-9830921048626 esp pp 1048627983088-1048627983092
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983097
keen sense ha heir own ehnically organized congregaions or groups are
somehow less religiously and heologically legiimae because hey do no
have he more ldquouniversalrdquo appeal o whie or muliculural evangelicalchurches or parachurch organizaions10486291048624 Te resul is eiher he ransiion o
ehnic congregaions ino pan-ehnic congregaions or movemen rom heir
ldquohomerdquo congregaion o oher less ehnically defined church environmens1048629983089
By he ime he second generaion atains adulhood he remaining culural
or linguisic barriers o ull assimilaion ino American sociey are pracically
overcome ofen o he dismay o parens and grandparens1048629983090
Wha does such assimilaion consis o Cerainly speaking Englishparicipaing in he marke economy and adaping o he opions provided
by American seculariy and poliics are minimal adjusmens Bu perhaps
assimilaion also requires abandoning he norms o he immigran culure
in avor o American norms or amily and gender relaions and engaging
wih he public square on is erms I so would his no lead o an evan-
gelical sel-undersanding deeply ormed by American culure poliics
and economics Would his no resul in a subordinaion and even deor-maion o all ha is Asian excep or he biological phenoype I would
appear hen ha becoming American would more easily aciliae he
embrace o evangelical Chrisianiy991252i such is deined as a suburban
Midwesern whie middle-class religious phenomenon wih Wheaon
Illinois as is veriable ldquoMeccardquo991252bu his brings wih i he cos o losing
onersquos Asianness Does his mean ha ull accepance o Evangelicalism
50See eg Rebecca Y Kim ldquoNegoiaion o Ehnic and Religious Boundaries by Asian AmericanCampus Evangelicalsrdquo in ony Carnes and Fenggang Yang eds Asian American Religions Te
Making and Remaking o Borders and Boundaries (New York New York Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983092) pp10486259830921048625-983093983097 and Rudy V Buso ldquoTe Gospel According o he Model Minoriy Hazarding an Inerpre-aion o Asian American Evangelical College Sudensrdquo in David K Yoo ed New Spiriual Homes
Religion and Asian Americans (Honolulu Universiy o Hawaii Press 1048625983097983097983097) pp 1048625983094983097-98309698309551See Russell Jeung Faihul Generaions Race and New Asian American Churches (New Brunswick
NJ Rugers Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983092)52 As can be discerned by reading beween he lines o he Bible sudies in om Linrsquos Losing Face
and Finding Grace Tis appears o be he case wheher he second generaion inenionally a-emps o disinguish is ehnic congregaional lie rom ha o he firs immigran generaion or wheher he second generaion becomes absorbed ino nonehnic or even muliehnic congrega-ions on his poin see Elaine Howard Ecklund ldquoModels o Civic Responsibiliy Korean Amer-icans in Congregaions wih Differen Ehnic Composiionsrdquo Journal or he Scienific Sudy o
Religion 983092983092 no 1048625 (1048626983088983088983093) 1048625983093-1048626983096
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3135
983089 983090 983088 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
includes ldquorepenancerdquo rom Asia and ldquoconversionrdquo o Americanism1048629983091
Ta his is no he case seems o be borne ou by he sociological lieraure
which confirms ha ehniciy remains jus as imporan as religion in he or-maion o Asian American ideniy10486291048628 Bu i so evangelical heology has no
even begun o wresle wih he imporance o ehniciy and race no o
menion heir heological implicaions Second-generaion Korean Amer-
icans or insance seem o be inuiively drawn o churches and parachurch
minisries ha oreground heir Korean culural ideniy10486291048629 bu hey have
developed ew heological raionales or such orms o social organizaion
more o he poin heir own heological presupposiions miigae agains suchaciviy which may explain heir ideniy conflicedness
Unsurprisingly hen Asian American evangelical heology has ye o ge
off he ground even a he beginning o he weny-firs cenury Asian
American Evangelicals geting degrees rom insiuions o higher educaion
have had o wresle wihagains his assimilaive impulse o sruggle wih he
quesion o wheher hey are or should be doing (descripive) sociology raher
han heology (as normaive reflecion) and o ariculae an apologeic ordoing Asian American evangelical heology raher han jus evangelical he-
ology For oo many Asian American Evangelicals heir saus ldquobewix and
beweenrdquo991252on he one hand belonging o Asia and o he Unied Saes in
some respecs bu on he oher hand being a sranger o boh Asia and he
Unied Saes in oher respecs991252pus hem in a unique posiion o inerrogae
evangelical heology bu (o dae) leaves hem ouside he ormal organiza-
ional and insiuional srucures o criique effecively and ransorm heevangelical heological radiion
53One could also make he reverse argumen however ha Evangelicalism in he Unied Saes hasalready been molded by is social culural and hisorical conex o he exen ha he very eauresha mark he American way o lie991252ie individualism experienialism pragmaism even con-sumerism991252have also come o characerize evangelical Chrisianiy For an insighul analysis ohe ofenimes uncriical conflaion o Evangelicalism and Americanism and o he orces ha havealso resised such accommodaions see D G Har Ta Old-ime Religion in Modern America
Evangelical Proesanism in he wenieh Cenury (Chicago Ivan R Dee 10486269830889830881048626)54See Jerry Z Park ldquoTe Ehnic and Religious Ideniies o Young Asian Americansrdquo (PhD diss
Universiy o Nore Dame 1048626983088983088983092)55See Sharon Kim and Rebecca Y Kim ldquoSecond-Generaion Korean American Chrisiansrsquo Com-
muniies Congregaional Hybridiyrdquo in Carolyn Chen and Russell Jeung eds Susaining Faih
radiions Race Ehniciy and Religion Among he Laino and Asian American Second Generaion (New York New York Universiy Press 104862698308810486251048626) pp 1048625983095983094-9830971048627
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983090 983089
Moving trajectories o theological reflection O course i Asian Americans
hope o climb he ranks o he Norh American evangelical heological
academy hey can only do so on he erms esablished by heir hoss Andraher han responding o sociopoliical acors he evangelical heological
guild has always undersood isel primarily in heological erms and seen is
charge as deending hisorical orhodoxy wheher ha be agains liberalismrsquos
denial o biblical supernauralism agains neo-orhodoxyrsquos ambiguous sance
on Scripure agains mainsream sciencersquos heory o evoluion agains open
heismrsquos docrine o God and so on10486291048630 I evangelical heology has never
beore enerained ehnic perspecives in is discursive consrucion why nowundermine he (is presumed) universal ramework and applicabiliy by
adding he Asian or Asian American qualifiers
While in a sense his enire book provides a se o responses o his quesion
here I sugges hree reasons ha can moivae such a heological pah orward
Firs he Asian diaspora in he Unied Saes is now in a siuaion o reflec
subsanively on is experience o migraion While here are remendous
challenges o migraion10486291048631 some Asian Americans have achieved a level oupward social mobiliy so ha hey are now in he posiion o producing
scholarship inormed by such experienial perspecives Since he memory o
migraion among Asian Americans is more recen han hose o heir Cau-
casian colleagues such perspecives migh be helpul o ideniy how he mi-
graion rom he European coninen has shaped he evangelical heological
enerprise as a whole I Asian Americans can help heir evangelical colleagues
ideniy he hisorical impac o old o new world migraion on he belies andpracices o Norh American Evangelicalism ha in isel will open up pos-
sibiliies or considering aresh Asian American hisories and heir conribu-
ions o he wider conversaion
Second Asian Americans are orced o hink abou race and ehniciy in a
way unlike mos o heir whie brohers and sisers alhough heir reflecions
56Evangelical heologyrsquos many inernal and exernal batles are documened by Jon R Sone On heBoundaries o American Evangelicalism Te Poswar Evangelical Coaliion (New York S MarinrsquosPress 1048625983097983097983095)
57Some o hese are documened by Kenneh J Gues God in Chinaown Religion and Survival in
New Yorkrsquos Evolving Immigran Communiy (New York New York Universiy Press 10486269830889830881048627) whose work we will reurn o in chaper six
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3335
983089 983090 983090 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
can also mediae perspecive in an oherwise whie-and-black demarcaed
world Race and ehniciy are undeniable aspecs o Asian American hisory
and experience Te impor o his is a leas woold Firs Asian Americansare posiioned o engage he discussion opened up by black evangelical heo-
logians regarding conemporary heology991252even in is evangelical guises991252as
reflecing he ascen o whie perspecives in he early modern period a he
expense o Jewish and oher nonwhie culural realiies Asian American per-
specives on race and ehniciy will open up new visas on he racial and ehnic
dimensions o he biblical world10486291048632 In oher words he marginalized hisories
and perspecives o Asian American Evangelicals have much o conribue oconemporary biblical inerpreaion and heological explicaion Te dom-
inan orms o evangelical heology orged in par ou o he hegemony o
Chrisendom are in need o criical analysis and dialogical revision
Las bu no leas cenral and ongoing elemens o Asian American hisory
are par o he presen experiences o ransnaionalism and globalizaion Te
issues here are complex10486291048633 One mater ha needs o be addressed is he iner-
woven characer o he global economy and how i affecs people around he world differenly depending on various social poliical and culural circum-
sances In addiion wih regard o he Asian American side o his equaion
here remain difficul issues relaed o how he quesion o assimilaion or ac-
culuraion is being negoiaed and adjudicaed Firs- second- and hird-gener-
aion perspecives differ someimes momenously and his does no even acor
in he perspecives o he 983089983093 generaion I heology is o engage he hisorical
realiies o real flesh-and-blood human beings i mus engage such quesions inour conemporary world Asian American Evangelicals can lead he way in
hinking heologically abou such hings and his will benefi no only Asian
58 Asian Evangelicals hus need o build rom he insighul readings o mainline Proesan biblicalscholar a-Siong Benny Liew Wha Is Asian American Biblical Hermeneuics Reading he New
esamen (Honolulu Universiy o Hawaii Press 1048626983088983088983096) regarding he ehnic dynamics under-neah Jewish-Genile relaions in he New esamen o be sure Liewrsquos mainline Proesan as-sumpions may be raher disan rom evangelical ones so some criical dialogue and perhaps
correcion may also be in order Ye he srengh o Liewrsquos book is o sugges how Asian Americanexperiences o ehnic marginaliy can illuminae he dispues beween Jewish and Genile ollow-ers o he Messiah in he firs cenury Tis is an issue worh subsanial engagemen rom anevangelical perspecive
59Eg Neil J Ormerod and Shane Clifon Globalizaion and he Mission o he Church (New York amp Clark 104862698308810486251048625)
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983090983091
American communiies bu also hose o oher ehnic racial and culural groups
who are also wresling wih lie in he weny-firs-cenury global conex
Evangelical heology oday will need o heed more inenionally han i has beore acors o migraion ehniciy globalizaion and ransnaionalism
Asian American Evangelicals can assis wih hese maters i hey will arise o
he occasion Tis does no derac rom he universaliy o he gospel message
On he conrary i addresses quesions o universal significance ha are oher-
wise negleced or engaged rom or wihin only one (dominan cenris) se
o perspecives
Reconnecting to the broader evangelical theological tradition Beore con-cluding his chaper however an imporan cavea ough o be sounded None
o he preceding should be read as denying eiher Asian American indebedness
o he evangelical radiion or he inerrelaedness o Asian American and oher
evangelical effors in he conemporary heological ask Te preceding migh
sugges ha Asian Americans are only poining accusing fingers a heir whie
evangelical riends Wihou aking away anyhing rom he seriousness o he
oregoing discussion I also realize ha whie Evangelicals in paricular and Americans in general have been welcoming o Asians and ha we have made i
his ar on our diasporic journey only wih he help o such riends
Beyond such ecclesial collegialiy however I would gran ha Asian Amer-
icans are in various respecs beholden heologically o American Evangelicals
as well In paricular American evangelical commimens o Chris-
ceneredness biblical aihulness and missionary zealousness are imporan
elemens o Chrisian belie and pracice in he weny-firs cenury Asian American Evangelicals should embrace and live ou such commimens no
only or hemselves bu also or oher Evangelicals and even or he world
Ye my claim is precisely ha such a posure enables Asian American Evan-
gelicals o conribue heologically o he ormaion o an evangelical belie
and praxis relevan o he weny-firs cenury For his o happen however
Asian American Evangelicals mus embrace no only he evangel bu also he
hisoriciy o heir diasporic experiences Te incarnaion o he Son o Godconsised afer all o aking on he concreeness palpabiliy and emporaliy
o human Jewish and firs-cenury Palesinian flesh and he oupouring o he
Spiri o God on he Day o Penecos involved he redempion o he diversiy
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3535
983089 983090 983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
o human ongues languages and culures so ha hey migh bear winess o
he wondrous works o God (Acs 983090983089983089) Tis penecosal heme991252relaed o
Acs 983090 firs and oremos albei reraced unavoidably hrough he lens o mymodern penecosal ecclesial sensibiliies991252will inorm he deep srucure o
he argumen in he remainder o his volume ye achieved wihin a pen-
evangelical raher han merely charismaic rame o reerence My poin going
orward however is ha in ligh o hese heological and riniarian commi-
mens Evangelicals should be he firs o embrace he diversiy o heir his-
orical pariculariies raher han shy away rom hem radiionally o course
Evangelicals have subordinaed he vicissiudes o hisory and wih ha heiranxieies abou he flux and subjeciviies o experience o he surey and
oundaionalism o he Word o God as revealed in he Scripures My pro-
posal however is ha work o God in Chris and by he Spiri redeems us
amid wih and hrough he specificiies o our hisorical and culural expe-
rience (raher han saving us rom ou o such alogeher) and hus ha he
Word o God speaks ino such realiies (raher han ha we have o deny hem
or rejec hem as par o who we are)In shor Asian American Evangelicals do no need o be apologeic abou
heir lives experiences and perspecives Raher by ollowing he pah o he
Son o God ino he ar counry by receiving he infilling o he Spiri o God
poured ou on all flesh and by aihully atemping o live ou such a Chris-
cenered and Spiri-empowered aih in he ooseps o heir evangelical ore-
bears and ancesors Asian Americans may hen be able o bring heir heo-
logical gifs o he conversaion able gifs ha will challenge he discussion while simulaneously enriching he are or all hose concerned abou he
euangelion in he presen ime I is ime o heologize as Asian Americans no
jus as Evangelicals in order ha Evangelicalism isel can be renewed and
invigoraed or he sake o he gospel and in anicipaion o he reign o God
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088983089
paradigmaic book no only or Asian American heology bu also or evan-
gelical biblical hermeneuics I opens up space or Asian American womenrsquos
readings o he Bible wihou mimicking oher eminis agendas i embracesreader-response approaches while honoring he scripural horizon i boldly
explores a counerculural conexualism polyphonous mulivocalism and in-
ersubjecive perspecivism wihou lapsing ino relaivism and i insiss on he
need or us o come o erms wih pluralism globalizaion and ransnaionalism
in he pursui o aihul Chrisian discipleship in our ime Arguably his is
biblical inerpreaion and heological reflecion a is bes engaging subversive
ransormaive and salvific991252or women and men1048633 Such pahs opened up by Asian American evangelical women may well be wha is mos generaive and
producive or Asian American evangelical heology in he longer run
Te conribuions o Herig and company run parallel o oher Asian
American evangelical voices ha find hemselves bewix-and-beween he
cener o he evangelical movemen and he mainline Proesan commu-
niies Soong-Chan Rahrsquos work mediaes hese spaces as represenaive o a
promising pah in conemporary Asian American evangelical heology9830891048624 Tepoency o Rahrsquos argumen is ha he speaks no only o Asian American
Evangelicals bu also o he evangelical heological esablishmen as a whole
Tis is because his is a call or he church o le go o is individualism con-
sumerism maerialism and racism991252all effecs o Wesern culure991252in order
o be reed rom is culural capiviy983089983089 Rahrsquos analysis however can find
deeper Asian American racion paricularly i wedded o he uncompro-
mising call or living ino he Asian American ideniy by heologians suchas Jonahan ran983089983090 Te later empowers a disincive Asian American voice
9Perhaps in conras o he dominan srands o Asian American evangelical biblical inerpreaionha have swallowed Wesern hermeneuical mehods almos hook line and sinker see Andrew Yueking Lee ldquoReading he Bible as an Asian American Issues in Asian American Biblical Inerpre-aionrdquo in Viji Nakka-Cammau and imohy seng eds Asian American Chrisianiy A Reader (Casro Valley CA Te Insiue or he Sudy o Asian American Chrisianiy 1048626983088983088983097) pp 983094983088-983094983097
10Soong-Chan Rah Te Nex Evangelicalism Freeing he Church fom Wesern Culural Capiviy (Downers Grove IL IVP Books 1048626983088983088983097)
11From a hermeneuical perspecive see he similar argumen o E Randolph Richards and Bran-don J OrsquoBrien Misreading Scripure wih Wesern Eyes Removing Culural Blinders o Beter Un-
dersand he Bible (Downers Grove IL IVP Books 104862698308810486251048626)12See Jonahan ran ldquoA Few Tings I Wan rom Asian American Evangelicalsrdquo in Nakka-Cammau
and seng Asian American Chrisianiy pp 10486269830921048627-9830931048625 c also ran ldquoIdeniy as MissiologyrdquoSANACS Journal 1048625 (1048626983088983088983097) 1048626983097-983092983088
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 1335
983089983088983090 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
albei one ha is no parochial since i addresses larger ecclesial (and perhaps
even social) concerns983089983091
Te ac o he mater is however ha here is litle else available on Asian American evangelical heology and ha Asian American Evangelicals are sill
a long way off rom hinking heologically as Asian Americans Par o he
reason is ha many Asian American Evangelicals even hose who are heo-
logically rained have basically replicaed he majoriy evangelical (whie)
approaches o Scripure Furher many second-generaion Asian Americans
have adoped he assimilaionis experience as heir model and have presumed
ha an ldquoAmerican universalismrdquo maps ono a biblical universalism9830891048628 Teresul is he subordinaion o heir racial and ehnic ideniies and modes o
hinking Among he many reasons or his is he dominan conservaism o
Asian American culure especially wihin ecclesial communiies o Eas Asian
descen (eg Chinese Korean Japanese and Vienamese churches) As such
Asian Americans are conen o persis wih he saus quo o evangelical he-
ology inheried rom heir (whie) evangelical eachers
Asian American evangelical conservatism Te phenomenon o Eas Asianor Conucian culural conservaism is o course a complicaed one o un-
angle On he one hand here is somehing o he sereoype o Eas Asian
Conucianism as essenially androcenric (in subordinaing women o men)
pariarchal (susained by he radiionrsquos emphasis on filial piey) and auhori-
arian (preserved in he king-subjec and older-younger broher aspecs o he
ldquofiveold relaionsrdquo) On he oher hand like mos exended culural radiions
Conucianism has been neiher saic nor ree rom dissening rends ha haveatemped o rerieve reappropriae and when necessary jetison hese radi-
13Mathew Soerens and Jenny Hwang Welcoming he Sranger Jusice Compassion and ruh in he
Immigraion Debae (Downers Grove IL IVP Books 1048626983088983088983097) is anoher example o Asian AmericanEvangelicals speaking ino wider conversaions precisely he hrus o his book and par o is goalin erms o moivaing Asian American evangelical heological inquiry I will reurn o discuss heproposals o his volume in more deph in chaper six
14Tis is my way o puting wha oher Asian American scholars have also observed see boh Anony W Alumkal ldquoTe Scandal o he lsquoModel Minoriyrsquo Mind Te Bible and Second-Generaion Asian American Evangelicalsrdquo and imohy seng ldquoSecond-Generaion Chinese Evangelical Use o heBible in Ideniy Discourse in Norh Americardquo boh in a-siong Benny Liew Te Bible in Asian
America Semeia 983097983088-9830971048625 (Alana Te Sociey o Biblical Lieraure 10486269830889830881048626) pp 10486261048627983095-983093983088 andpp 10486269830931048625-983094983095 respecively
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088983091
ional docrines or he lae modern world9830891048629 Cerainly in he Norh American
conex here are progressive orces a work especially among second and laer
generaions o Asian Americans bu equally cerainly he weigh o porableculural and philosophical radiions like Conucianism (see chaper wo)
means ha change occurs slowly
Wihin he Asian American evangelical communiy he gradual ransor-
maion o he inheried culural conservaism is cerainly being played ou
even i a a much slower pace han in nonevangelical conexs One he one
side he gospel is undersood as providing a criical perspecive on culure991252
on which I will say more momenarily on he oher side however here arecerain biblical hemes such as honoring o parens and he submission o
women (read off he surace o some Pauline exs) ha resonae wih he filial
piey o especially Conucian culures and hese have ineviably become
cenral issues or he orging o Asian American ideniies9830891048630 Hence Asian
American immigrans who are atraced o Chrisianiy are ofen drawn o
evangelical Proesanism because i provides a similarly conservaive
worldview one ha enables heir acculuraion ino American sociey Forhese reasons Conucian conservaism morphs among Asian American Pro-
esans ino a orm o evangelical conservaism
o be sure he exac role o Conucianism behind Asian American evan-
gelical conservaism migh be debaed among scholars paricularly since he
appropriaion o he Conucian radiion across he Asian American diaspora
is no all o one sripe A he same ime even i oher Asian radiions were o
be acored ino he marix o Asian American lie many are inormed by akind o pariarchal hierarchical and auhoriarian conservaism ha uncions
similarly in Eas Asian Conucian culure In shor perhaps he ldquomodel mi-
noriyrdquo sereoype as conesed as migh be such a designaion ha charac-
erizes much o he Asian American experience conribues o he conser-
vaism ha permeaes Asian American Evangelicalism
North American evangelical conservatism and its implications Bu high-
15See here Daniel A Bell Chinarsquos New Conucianism Poliics and Everyday Lie in a Changing Soci-
ey (Princeon NJ Princeon Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983096) chap 104862716Eg om Lin Losing Face and Finding Grace 983089983090 Bible Sudies or Asian Americans (Downers
Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 1048625983097983097983094) esp par 1048625
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 1535
983089983088983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
lighing Eas Asian conservaism ells only one side o he sory abou why
Asian Americans end o be conened wih and passive recipiens o he he-
ology o he dominan evangelical culure Te oher hal o his ale has o do wih Norh American conservaism as well O course hisorically Norh
American Evangelicalism was ormed ou o a long hisory o reacion o
mainline Proesan liberalism By definiion o be conservaive means o
resis he orces o change insoar as such changes are hough o compromise
he received values o a paricular radiion So while some changes have been
embraced evangelical conservaives have long resised wha are perceived as
adjusmens o hisoric Chrisian orhodoxy oised upon he Norh Americanchurch by heir liberal counerpars9830891048631 More recenly Evangelicals have also
enered ino he culure wars in deense o radiional amily values and oher
aspecs o he agenda o he Republican Pary
Over ime hen Evangelicals have been led o develop heological argu-
mens or heir conservaive sances Mos relevan or he Asian American
experience is how he dominan evangelical culure has acceped while
slighly redefining a leas more recenly he basic caegories o he classicalChris and Culure sudy o H Richard Niebuhr9830891048632 Ye hisorically Evangel-
icals have embraced he ldquoChris agains culurerdquo sance albei more recenly
shifing oward he ldquoChris ransorming culurerdquo posure Tis involves eiher
a wors he rejecion o culure which has radiionally characerized evan-
gelical secarianism (especially among undamenaliss he close cousins o
Evangelicals)9830891048633 or a bes an ambiguous relaionship wih culure one ea-
uring wha migh be called a culural hermeneuic o suspicion ha is alwaysconcerned abou syncreism wih he world Culure in popular evangelical
parlance is almos equivalen o he world and in ha sense is wha humans
need o be saved rom raher han parake o
17Tere are many versions o his sory my own elling is here ldquoTe Word and he Spiri or heSpiri and he Word Exploring he Boundaries o Evangelicalism in Relaionship o Modern Pen-ecosalismrdquo riniy Journal 10486261048627 no 1048626 (10486269830889830881048626) 10486261048627983093-9830931048626
18See H Richard Niebuhr Chris and Culure (10486259830979830931048625 repr San Francisco Harper orchligh1048625983097983093983094) c Glen H Sassen D M Yeager and John Howard Yoder Auhenic ransormaion A
New Vision o Chris and Culure (Nashville Abingdon 1048625983097983097983094)19Ie as manies in missionary and evangelisic sraegies ha called on convers o abandon heir
culural belies and pracices in ollowing Chris991252eg Birgi Meyer ranslaing he Devil Religion
and Moderniy Among he Ewe in Ghana (renon NJ Arica World Press 1048625983097983097983097)
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088983093
So how has his played ou in Asian American evangelical communiies
Mos poinedly Asian American Evangelicals have radiionally undersood
heir Chrisian conversion o involve eiher a urning away rom heir Asianculural roos or a minimizing o such aspecs o heir ideniy Ta Chrisian
conversion acually involves Americanizaion is quie prevalen across he
Asian American scene In my own case growing up as already indicaed in he
prologue we never alked abou he imporance o Chinese culure he em-
phasis a home (my parens were firs-generaion convers o Chrisianiy)
was always on embodying Chrisian culure Many Asian Americans hus end
o view heir Asian hisorical and culural legacies in binary erms ood dressand music migh be reained because hey concern he ouward aspecs o lie
which are incidenal anyway o rue human ideniy bu lierary philosophical
and religious ideas are o be cauiously approached (a bes) since hey are
probably represenaive o ldquohe worldrdquo and hus aniheical o he gospel
Tis confluence o Conucian and evangelical conservaism has been
srenghened hrough he process o heological educaion Asian American
Evangelicals end o atend solidly evangelical seminaries because o heirconservaive commimens So whereas mainline Proesan seminaries are
much more ocused on corporae ideniies evangelical seminaries and
heir curricula ocus more on personal ideniies paricularly he or-
maion o spiriual lives in relaionship o Chris9830901048624 Wha his means is ha
ehnic ideniies are minimized as having no more han biological signifi-
cance and hisorical and culural aspecs o Asian ideniy are acceped
only as accidenal o ideniy in Chris Asian American Evangelicals arefirs and oremos Chrisians and only secondarily i a all Asians (al-
hough ineresingly he prevalence o naionalism among Evangelicals
means ha American ideniy is much more imporan han evangelical
rheoric usually les on) Evangelical heological educaion hus provides
he philosophical and heological apparaus o make sense o such modes
o ideniy consrucion
20Russell Jeung ldquoEvangelical and Mainline eachings on Asian American Ideniyrdquo in Liew and Yee Bible in Asian America pp 104862610486251048625-1048627983094 reprined in Nakka-Cammau and seng Asian American
Chrisianiy pp 1048625983097983095-10486261048625983094
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 1735
983089983088983094 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
T983144983141 B983157983154983140983141983150 983151983142 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161 A M983145983150983151983154983145983156983161 R983141983152983151983154983156
In he ollowing I highligh he major episemological hermeneuical meh-
odological and docrinal aspecs o (whie) evangelical heology embraced bymany Asian American Evangelicals I argue no ha hese are he only ways in
which Asian American Evangelicals have accommodaed o he dominan
(whie) evangelical subculural worldview nor ha Asian American evan-
gelical heology can be reduced o hese eaures I sugges however ha hese
provide some explanaion or how many Asian American evangelical heolo-
gians view he Asian dimension o heir work in conexual erms bu do no
also undersand he dominan whie heological consrucs similarly Teresul is ha Asian American concerns are no only subordinaed bu also e-
ecively silenced in many cases In he ollowing I criically assess his dom-
inan view rom he marginal horizons o he Asian American experience
A (putatively) global epistemology I begin wih he Enlighenmen epis-
emology and is ques or or presumpion o have atained he universal per-
specive In heir batle agains liberalism Evangelicals have highlighed he
imporance o developing a biblical worldview983090983089 Worldview consrucion isineviably an inellecual exercise983090983090 Wha mos Evangelicals do no ofen
inerrogae is how rooed he worldview ques is in he Enlighenmen projec
As such evangelical worldview ormulaion operaes episemologically ac-
cording o modernis canons o raionaliy Tis is reinorced in evangelical
seminary educaion variously no leas in he embrace o some orm o oun-
daionalism characerisic o he Enlighenmen ques or cerainy hough
o secure evangelical claims o universal ruh983090983091
Foundaionalism classically undersood is he view ha all belies can be
jusified direcly (ounded upon) sense experience or reason available o all991252
hence universal991252raher han inerred rom oher (subjecively held) be-
lies9830901048628 While Evangelicals are philosophically jus as sophisicaed as anyone
21Tus InerVarsiy Press has jus published in 1048626983088983088983097 he fifh ediion o James Sirersquos Te Universe Nex
Door A Basic Worldview Caalog a esimony o is populariy a evangelical colleges and universiies22 Anoher popular ex among Evangelicals noes is concepual naure David K Naugle World-
view Te Hisory o a Concep (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048626)23 As refleced in anoher popular evangelical exbook J P Moreland and William Lane Craig
Philosophical Foundaions or a Chrisian Worldview (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 10486269830889830881048627)24Noe ha he dualism beween objeciviy and subjeciviy is isel a modernis consrucion I
discuss hese maters as well as evangelical orms o oundaionalism in my ldquoTe Demise o Foun-
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088 983095
else in heir deense o oundaionalism9830901048629 more ofen han no hey are epis-
emological oundaionaliss or wo reasons Negaively pu episemic oun-
daionalism is a deerren o wha hey see as he hreaening alernaive oepisemological skepicism philosophical i no moral relaivism and reli-
gious and heological pluralism Posiively pu he oundaions o Chrisian
knowing are given in he Bible I will reurn in a momen o address he her-
meneuical issues involved wih such an appeal For he momen however I
simply noe ha evangelical oundaionalism in whaever is guise butresses
is claims o have access o a universal sandpoin or (heological) knowledge
Such a universal vanage poin is o course relaed o he Enlighenmenques or cerain knowledge Hence he undermining o oundaionalism
opens up o perspecivism Evangelicals resis episemic perspecivism or he
same reasons ha hey deend oundaionalism because ha is el o be he
only way o secure raionally he sabiliy o ruh claims Opening he door
o perspecivism invies he mulipliciy o views ha characerizes he rela-
ivism o he posmodern siuaion Conservaive Evangelicals are hus very
concerned abou he ascendency o he posmodern agenda9830901048630
Wha does his have o do wih Asian American Evangelicalism My claim is
ha Asian Americans educaed a conservaive evangelical seminaries have un-
witingly embraced no only he oundaionalis episemology o heir eachers
bu also is atendan applicaions In order o ward off episemic skepicism
moral relaivism and heological pluralism Asian American Evangelicals have
also uncriically rejeced he perspecivism cenral o posoundaionalis epis-
emology9830901048631 More o he poin he deense o oundaionalism is also he de-ense o he saus quo he universal rame o reerence claimed by evangelical
daionalism and he Reenion o ruh Wha Evangelicals Can Learn rom C S Peircerdquo Chrisian
Scholarrsquos Review 1048626983097 no 1048627 (Spring 1048626983088983088983088) 9830939830941048627-98309698309625Eg J P Moreland and Garret DeWeese ldquoTe Premaure Repor o Foundaionalismrsquos Demiserdquo
in Millard J Erickson Paul Kjoss Helseh and Jusin aylor eds Reclaiming he Cener Confon-
ing Evangelical Accommodaion in Posmodern imes (Wheaon IL Crossway 1048626983088983088983092) pp 9830961048625-104862598308898309526Tus par 1048626 o Millard J Erickson Posmodernizing he Faih Evangelical Responses o he Chal-
lenge o Posmodernism (Grand Rapids Baker Books 1048625983097983097983096) is iled ldquoNegaive Responses o
Posmodernismrdquo and discusses a number o conemporary and recen deenders o classical evan-gelical aih David Wells Tomas Oden and Francis Schaeffer
27 As argued eg by Sanley J Grenz and John R Franke Beyond Foundaionalism Shaping Teology in
a Posmodern Conex (Louisville Wesminser John Knox 10486269830889830881048625) he criical and apologeic responsehas been he recogniion ha his akes us ldquobeyond Evangelicalismrdquo991252see Seven Knowles Beyond
Evangelicalism Te Teological Mehodology o Sanley J Grenz (Burlingon V Ashgae 1048626983088983088983097)
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 1935
983089983088983096 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
heology Simulaneously so he argumen goes he abandonmen o ounda-
ionalism opens he door o perspecivism and pluralism And i he later are
problemaic so are heir ideological movemens especially and including muli-culuralism (wih some advocaes o such having reinerpreed Chrisian eaching
in ligh o a poliics o ideniy insead o vice versa)9830901048632 Asian American Evan-
gelicals are hus armed oundaionally o conron engage and resis he perils
o cynicism relaivism and pluralism Unbeknowns o hem however his no
only undercus he ideology o muliculuralism bu also assails he basis upon
which hey can reclaim heir own hisorical and culural ideniies O course
Evangelicals have more recenly recognized a leas in general he imporanceo embracing he diversiy o culures even o celebraing hem bu only so
long as doing so does no hreaen he oundaions o evangelical ceriude
An (allegedly) a-cultural hermeneutic Tis presumpion o having a uni-
versal perspecive while undergirded as biblical raher han recognized as
ounded on an Enlighenmen paradigm bleeds over ino evangelical herme-
neuics In he Asian American evangelical landscape such hermeneuical pre-
supposiions bracke Asian America wheher inenionally (more ofen) or noIn his way Asian American Evangelicals have imbibed no only he oundaion-
alism o heir classical seminary educaion bu also he biblical hermeneuic ha
works o secure such an episemic sance Unsurprisingly a he hear o he
evangelical inerpreaion o Scripure is anoher insrumen rom he modernis
oolki ha o hisorical criicism Tis ime however such a hermeneuical
approach is deployed o access he auhorial inen o he Scripures and i is
his ha is cenral (oundaional) o ideniying he biblical message which inurn enables he Bible o serve as he unshakable norm or Chrisian belie
Tere is much o unpack in he preceding brie descripion o evangelical
hermeneuics classically considered Bu I wan o ocus insead on he prin-
ciples o biblical exegesis as emphasized in evangelical seminary educaion9830901048633
Te goal o exegesis is o draw ou o or o cull rom he Bible wha he original
auhors mean o communicae Tis involves undersanding firs and
28Tus have some Evangelicals harangued agains muliculuralism as an ideology or example991252Dennis McCallum ed Te Deah o ruh Wharsquos Wrong wih Muliculuralism he Rejecion o
Reason and he New Posmodern Diversiy (Minneapolis Behany House 1048625983097983097983094)29Eg Waler C Kaiser oward an Exegeical Teology Biblical Exegesis or Preaching and eaching
(Grand Rapids Baker Books 1048625983097983097983096)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088983097
oremos how he biblical auhors were undersood by heir iniial audiences
in he ancien conex Exegesis accesses hese primordially inended biblical
principles Wha he Bible means oday is hereby a secondary issue de-penden primarily on wha i originally mean o he firs hearers and readers
o he Scripures Conemporary applicaion hus involves idenificaion o
he original and or some single meaning o he biblical exs9830911048624
Te flip side o he emphasis on exegesis hen involves he rejecion o
eisegesis he inserion o conemporary perspecives ino he meaning o he
biblical ex I he burden o biblical hermeneuics is o ake away rom he
Scripures wha is auhors inended o communicae he bane o evangelicalinerpreaion is o read ino he Bible whaever our presen viewpoins may
dicae Tis o course is a violaion o he cardinal rule o evangelical herme-
neuics readers should leave heir prejudices and biases a he door and allow
he Bible o inorm hem insead Oherwise he concern is ha he reader
will find whaever he or she is looking or and his inecs conaminaes
skews and disors he prisine message o he Bible983091983089
Te problem here is no jus ha he lines beween exegesis and eisegesis aremuch more blurred han Evangelicals usually acknowledge983091983090 bu ha he per-
sisen applicaion o such an approach o he Bible dicaes ha evangelical
readers inenionally bracke or a leas atemp o hold in abeyance heir own
hisories experiences and perspecives as being o secondary impor i o any
relevance a all or heir reading o Scripure Now I am cerainly no suggesing
ha we all willy-nilly inser our biases in appropriaing he biblical ex Simul-
aneously I urge ha he cos o such hermeneuical brackeing is oo high or
30See Rober L Tomas Evangelical Hermeneuics Te New Versus he Old (Grand Rapids Kregel10486269830889830881048626) chap 983094 iled ldquoTe Principle o Single Meaningrdquo which argues ha he pluralism po-lyphony and plurivociy o meaning advocaed by recen progressive Evangelicals reflecs more heeffecs o humaniyrsquos all ino sin han i does he classical assumpions o evangelical biblical in-erpreaion For a counerargumen one ha I am largely sympaheic wih see James K ASmih Te Fall o Inerpreaion Philosophical Foundaions or a Creaional Hermeneuic (DownersGrove IL InerVarsiy Press 1048626983088983088983088)
31For evangelical concerns regarding reader-response hermeneuics see Norman R Gulley ldquoReader-
Response Teories in Posmodern Hermeneuics A Challenge o Evangelical Teologyrdquo in DavidS Dockery ed Te Challenge o Posmodernism An Evangelical Engagemen (Wheaon IL VicorBooks 1048625983097983097983093) pp 1048626983088983096-1048627983096
32In mainline Proesan circles o course here has long been recogniion ha he radiional line beween exegesis and eisegesis is much blurrier han previously hough see Jay G WilliamsldquoExegesis-Eisegesis Is Tere a Differencerdquo Teology oday 1048627983088 no 1048627 (10486259830979830951048627) 10486261048625983096-1048626983095
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2135
983089 983089983088 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
ehnic minoriies who are Evangelicals since his in effec rejecs heir quesions
and concerns as perinen o heir engagemen wih he Bible In addiion such
presumpive brackeing blinds whie Evangelicals o he ac ha heir own ho-rizons and perspecives are involved in any reading o ancien exs and his lack
o awareness makes i doubly difficul o recognize moderae or correc
I would urge insead ha we recognize and embrace he ension involved
in he usion o biblical and conemporary horizons bu do so in a way ha
boh allows conemporary readers o ener ino he world o he Bible on he
one hand (ldquohis is hardquo) and or he Bible o map ono our conemporary lives
on he oher hand (ldquoha is hisrdquo)983091983091 Tis no only allows or an Asian American reading o he Bible somehing ha is barred in he evangelical
environmen i also invies even encourages such an approach and his in
urn gives Asian Americans991252all people acually991252permission o read he
Bible as i i really matered o heir lives
A (presumably) biblical-theological method Enlighenmen assumpions
hus inorm no only Asian American evangelical episemology and herme-
neuics bu also heological mehod and hey do so in ways ha marginalize Asian America Tis is consisen wih he general evangelical ear o licensing
wha hey see as merely subjecive readings o he Bible or he same reasons
ha hey are wary abou enabling heological mehodologies ha consciously
acknowledge he role o experience In oher words he saus quo in evan-
gelical approaches o he Bible (wih is accenuaion o exegesis and rejecion
o eisegesis) has is counerpar in evangelical approaches o heological re-
flecion his ime wih he emphasis on he Bible as he primary i no solesource or heology over and agains hisory radiion culure and experience
A one level he sola scripura commimens o Reormaion radiions have
a very specific hisory and should be undersood according o he nuances
wih which his idea has developed in he pas five hundred years9830911048628 A anoher
33I explicae some aspecs o he ldquohis is hardquo hermeneuic rom a Penecosal perspecive in myldquoReading Scripure and Naure Penecosal Hermeneuics and Teir Implicaions or he Con-
emporary Evangelical Teology and Science Conversaionrdquo Perspecives on Science and ChrisianFaih 9830931048627 no 1048625 (104862698308810486251048625) 1048625-10486251048627
34Reflecing developmens rom he publicaion o Te Fundamenals o he ldquoChicago Saemen onBiblical Inerrancyrdquo (1048625983097983095983096) many conservaive Norh American Evangelicals991252eg rom NormanL Geisler Inerrancy (Grand Rapids Zondervan 1048625983097983096983088) o James R Whie Scripure Alone (Min-neapolis Behany House 1048626983088983088983092)991252have seen and coninue o see boh sola scripura and he doc-
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2235
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2335
983089 983089 983090 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
Te problem however is ha Asian Americans have rarely i ever ques-
ioned more rigid applicaions o his mehodological norm or evangelical
heology Raher hey have inernalized he evangelical bias agains hisoryradiion and experience hus silencing he role ha paricular perspecives
migh play in he heological ask I we appeal o our experience a all we
mus do so apologeically as i admiting ha such heological inerprea-
ions are a bes parochial concerns o a communiy no ye assimilaed o
he dominan culure or a wors signaling our heological immauriy and
need o grow up rom or ranscend he ldquobackwardnessrdquo represening our
hisory and experience beore our lie in Chris Ironically however suchinenional marginalizaion o he Asian American experience no o
menion Asian American philosophical ways o hinking and reasoning
does no call ino quesion how he predominanly Anglo- and Euro-
American experiences o moderniy have shaped evangelical heology As a
resul Asian American Evangelicals have adoped wha is claimed o be a
biblical worldview and heological ramework supposedly shorn o he sub-
jecive biases o hisorically siuaed human inerpreers Bu hese aresurely devoid o heir own experienial and conexual (Asian American)
locaions and ye uncriically naive in hinking ha Euro-American his-
orical accidens have been adequaely ldquoChrisianizedrdquo
So ar I have suggesed ha episemologically hermeneuically and meh-
odologically Asian Americans have rarely quesioned he modernis Enligh-
enmen and Anglo- and Euro-American presupposiions o he evangelical
heological endeavor And since his underaking has never acknowledged heculural conexs and perspecives o he predominanly whie ramers o he
evangelical heological radiion10486281048624 he assumpion is ha ehniciy plays litle
i any role in he work o heology No surprisingly hen Asian American
heologians have been reicen o sugges ha ehniciy culure and hisoriciy
coun in heological reflecion By exension he heological and docrinal
40My poin is no ha whie perspecives have disored he gospel his isel assumes a sor oa-culural gospel ha needs conexualizaion991252a poin ha needs o be addressed and nuanced which we will do momenarily My poin is ha such whie viewpoins are no only unrecognized bu ha hey are hen presumed o be normaive or nonwhies I is par o he goal o his chapero call Asian American heologians o atend o his assumpion and o find ways o inenionallyaddress and subver i
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983091
resuls have been ormulaed and ransmited as biblically unded and univer-
sally applicable regardless o conexual consideraions
A (supposedly) universal doctrinal famework One example o how Norh American evangelical heology has proceeded wih universalisic assumpions
and hereby overlooked i no inenionally ignored oher culural perspec-
ives has o do wih he docrine o he aonemen and wha i addresses Pu
crassly humankind suffers rom one overall problem ha o sin agains God
and ha one problem demands basically one soluion he subsiuionary
aonemen o he Sonrsquos deah on he cross1048628983089 Now I realize ha i is unair o
depic evangelical views regarding he aonemen in such homogeneous ermssince he mater isel is sill being conesed1048628983090 Bu he ac is ha in some
evangelical circles deparure rom he subsiuionary view o he aonemen
is considered deviaion rom evangelical orhodoxy1048628983091 From his posiion oher
biblical aspecs and alernaive inerpreaions are eiher subsumed under he
docrine o penal subsiuion or argued o be flawed in some respec
O course such a viewpoin minimizes he role o medieval eudalism and
he jurisprudenial background o some o he Reormers in he emergenceand esablishmen o his undersanding o he aonemen in he evangelical
radiion jus as i really does no quesion he basically Augusinian anhro-
pology presumed in his process Now I am no a hisorical deerminis who
believes ha conex leads inexorably o our heological ideas jus as I do no
hink ha allowance or hisorical conexual acors relaivizes he ruh o
heological claims or produces docrinal heerodoxy Raher wihou denying
41Te World Evangelical Alliancersquos Saemen o Faih affirms ldquoWe believe in Our Lord JesusChris God manies in he flesh His virgin birh His sinless human lie His divine miracles His vicarious and aoning deah His bodily resurrecion His ascension His mediaorial work and HisPersonal reurn in power and glory Te Salvaion o los and sinul man hrough he shed bloodo he Lord Jesus Chris by aih apar rom works and regeneraion by he Holy Spirirdquo (see worldevangelicalorgweasaemenhm emphases original)
42See James Beilby and Paul R Eddy eds Te Naure o he Aonemen Four Views (DownersGrove IL IVP Academic 1048626983088983088983094) and Derek idball David Hilborn and Jusin Tacker eds Te
Aonemen Debae Papers fom he London Symposium on he Teology o he Aonemen (Grand
Rapids Zondervan 1048626983088983088983093) c J Denny Weaver Te Nonviolen Aonemen (Grand Rapids Eerd-mans 10486269830889830881048625) and Hans Boersma Violence Hospialiy and he Cross Recovering he Aonemen
radiion (Grand Rapids Baker Academic 1048626983088983088983092)43See S Lewis Johnson Jr ldquoBehold he Lamb Te Gospel and Subsiuionary Aonemenrdquo in John
H Armsrong ed Te Coming Evangelical Crisis Curren Challenges o he Auhoriy o Scripure
and he Gospel (Chicago Moody Press 1048625983097983097983094) pp 10486251048625983097-1048627983096
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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983089 983089 983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
he imporance o he biblical and heological heme o subsiuion or he
docrine o he aonemen I am simply suggesing ha oher culural perspec-
ives and even assumpions migh highligh and emphasize oher biblicalmeaphors regarding Chrisrsquos salvific work
Bu o pursue he quesion ono Asian American errain wha difference
will i make i we recognize ha some Asians and Asian Americans live and
exis in a shame raher han guil culure How migh evangelical hinking
abou he aonemen be adjused revised and maybe even ransormed i
Chrisrsquos work no only assuaged he guil o sin rom human lives bu also re-
moved he shame in human hears10486281048628 My poin is ha evangelical heologicalendencies generally urge a universalisic sandpoin and in his paradigm
here is no need o atend o he pariculariies o or ariculae Asian Asian
American or oher culural perspecives since hese are all subsumed wihin he
biblical ramework read in an evangelical way In his case here isnrsquo even a
need o ask wheher radiional evangelical heologies and docrines like hose
regarding he aonemen may need o be revisied and reariculaed in ligh o
oher hisorical culural and experienial dynamics In ac Asian Americansare boh oo shameul and oo shy o even consider asking abou hese maters
I have argued so ar in his secion ha Asian American Evangelicals ormed
heologically according o he sensibiliies o he dominan evangelical culure
in Norh America have inernalized he whie evangelical worldview and in ha
sense mosly do no see he need o hink explicily rom an Asian American
vanage poin Asian American evangelical views are hereore a bes no more
han a minoriy heological perspecive wo relaed summary consequenceshave ollowed Asian American acquiescence o he majoriy culure Firs meh-
odologically and maerially evangelical heology has been undersood o be a-
hisorical a-culural and even a-conexual Te assumpion is ha he Bible
addresses all human beings so any plain reading o he Scripure will or should
be able o access he Word o God a any and all imes and places radiionally
ormulaed and ramed evangelical docrines derived rom an inducive sudy
44 Asian Americans are beginning o do jus his however991252eg Rachel Y Lei ldquoSaving Significanceo he Cross in he Asian American Conexrdquo SANACS Journal 1048625 (1048626983088983088983097) 983097983093-10486251048625983094 c Mark D Bakerand Joel B Green Recovering he Scandal o he Cross Te Aonemen in New esamen and Con-
emporary Conexs (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 1048626983088983088983088) chap 983094 ldquoRemoving AlienaingShame Te Saving Significance o he Cross in Japanrdquo
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983093
o Scripure hus orm he undispuable and unrevisable core o he gospel
Tere is litle recogniion o he hisorical culural and conexual perspecives
ha have conribued o he ariculaion o such evangelical belies Wha his means is ha here sill remains a core se o evangelical docrinal
achievemens and hese remain valid across space and ime alhough hey
may be supplemened by or ranslaed ino local conexual and siuaional
perspecives and idioms As we saw previously (chaper one) he recen Cam-
bridge Companion o Evangelical Teology reflecs precisely his mindse10486281048629 Te
Companion we know is divided ino wo pars Te firs is iled ldquoEvan-
gelicals and Chrisian Docrinerdquo and his includes eigh chapers on he oun-daional docrinal marix o evangelical belies he riniy Scripure chris-
ology heological anhropology jusificaionaonemen pneumaology
conversionsancificaion and ecclesiology Par wo ldquoTe Conexs o Evan-
gelical Teologyrdquo hen provides anoher nine chapers and hese cover issues
relaed o culure gender race and pluralism and include five chapers on
evangelical heology in Arican Asian European Lain American and Norh
American conexs Tis srucure o he Companion communicaes a wooldmessage ha evangelical docrine is a-conexually derived (par one) and
ha various hisorical conexs (par wo) can add a mos parochial ruhs
ha will no upse he docrinal supersrucure o he evangelical heological
landscape In shor basic heological and docrinal ruhs o he Chrisian
aih have already been ormulaed and can be ound in any oher evangelical
sysemaic heological ex quie apar rom Asian American or any oher
more specified perspecivesPu more poinedly i Asian Americans (or any oher ehnic or culural
group) were o wrie heir own heologies hese would be provincial under-
akings wih marginal relevance or he wider evangelical communiy Tese
would be o value only or ldquohoserdquo people (maybe immigrans reugees or
exiles) who have no ye been assimilaed ino he broader American evan-
gelical culure Litle wonder hen ha ew Asian Americans have venured
ino heological errioryhe second summary consequence o inernalizing he dominan
45imohy Larsen and Daniel J reier eds Te Cambridge Companion o Evangelical Teology (Cambridge Cambridge Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983095)
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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983089 983089983094 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
worldview991252ha evangelical heology a leas in is dogmaic and sysemaic
configuraions is by and large a finished projec wih minimal inpu needed
rom Asian American or oher perspecives991252is ha Asian Americans wihheological educaion have urned in general o work in he hisorical and
social scienific disciplines10486281048630 Tere cerainly remains imporan work o be
done by hose working across he disciplines so I am no decrying such effors
Ye he ac ha hisorical sociological or oher disciplinary explicaions o
Asian American lie are published by universiy presses communicaes o
Asian Americans ha heir role is o shed new ligh on he Asian American
experience A he same ime he prevalence o hese analyical approachesamid he lacuna o explicily heological works suggess ha he ormer is o
minimal value a leas or he ldquorealrdquo heological work o dogmaics and sys-
emaics Furher ha hese scholarly publishers do no eaure exs on Asian
American evangelical heology confirms his division o labor (whie Evan-
gelicals wrie real heology Asian American Evangelicals do hisory sociology
ec) A he end o he day evangelical heologyrsquos assumpion remains undis-
urbed ha here are core docrines ha only need o be conexualized991252ha is ranslaed and made relevan991252around he world In his ramework
Asian Americans can conribue no o he ormer heological ormulaion bu
only o he later ranslaion and disseminaion ask10486281048631
46Eg he work o imohy seng and David Yoo in hisory Fenggang Yang and Rebecca Kim insociology and Russell Jeung in Asian American sudies among ohers see also my ldquoAsian Amer-ican Religion A Review Essayrdquo Nova Religio Te Journal o Alernaive and Emergen Religions 983097
no 1048627 (1048626983088983088983094) 9830971048626-104862598308898309547One could argue ha a parallel ye disinc moivaion drives Lain American or Hispanic evan-
gelical heology in a similar direcion I Asian Americans are cauioned agains hinking heo-logically rom ou o ehnic hisorical and conexual lives because o heir uncriical embrace o whie evangelical assumpions Hispanic Evangelicals may have adoped similar commimensalbei or slighly differen reasons relaed o he Lain American conex Te dominance o heRoman Caholic Church along wih is heological and olk radiions in he later environmenmay be behind Hispanic evangelical suspicions abou he role o hisory and culure in he doingo heology Te ani-Caholic senimen in hisoric Evangelicalism no doub is atracive oLainoas on he migran rail (rom Lain America o he Unied Saes) alhough such accom-modaion has brough wih i he heological coss elaboraed in he preceding pages For urher
discussion and oher angles on hese issues see Oscar Garcia-Johnson Te Mesizoa Communiyo he Spiri A Posmodern Lainoa Ecclesiology (Eugene OR Wip amp Sock 1048626983088983088983097) Sammy Alaro Divino Compantildeero oward a Hispanic Penecosal Chrisology (Eugene OR Pickwick10486269830881048625983088) Juan Mariacutenez ldquolsquoOuside he Gaersquo Evangelicalism and Laino Proesan Teologyrdquo in JeffreyGreenman and Gene L Green eds Global Teology in Evangelical Perspecive Exploring he Conex-
ual Naure o Teology and Mission (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 104862698308810486251048626) pp 1048625983095983097-983097983092 and
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983095
T983144983141 M983137983150983140983137983156983141 983151983142 A983155983145983137983150 A983149983141983154983145983139983137983150 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161
Te preceding analysis raises sel-criical awareness or Asian American Evan-
gelicals and invies hem in dialogue wih oher Evangelicals o consider wheher heir minoriy saus is problemaic and wha i anyhing can and
ough o be done abou i Now I am aware ha here are developmens wihin
he evangelical heological radiion broadly consrued ha have moved
beyond some o he sricures idenified in he preceding secion Progressive
Evangelicals he evangelical lef and posconservaive Evangelicals denoe jus
a ew o he rends among ohers percolaing on he margins o evangelical
heology10486281048632 Bu ha is precisely par o he problem hese are movemens haexcep or a small minoriy remain ouside he evangelical mainsream and
have also by and large been ignored by Asian American evangelical scholars
and heologians I believe ha producive ways orward can be chared via
Asian American Evangelicals in dialogue wih some o hese ideas alhough
a he end o he day such conversaions will only be producive as Asian
American Evangelicals ormulae a plaorm on which hey can bring some-
hing subsanive o he discussion Tis later ask is par o he presen chal-lenge and burden o he presen book
Insoar hen as I am ineresed in he quesion o wha Asian Americans can
conribue o evangelical heology no jus hisorically or sociologically bu a
a heological level my claim is ha pursui o hese maters ironically also in-
volves aking seriously he hisoriciy and pariculariy o Asian American cul-
ures experiences and perspecives In his final par o his chaper I do no
more han sugges in broad srokes how o go abou such an underakingRealities o the Asian American diaspora Par o ldquohe problem o evan-
gelical heologyrdquo can be clarified i we siuae Asian American evangelical
heology amid he broader Asian American diasporic hisorical and social
realiies described in par a he beginning o chaper wo Doing so enables
he sark realizaion ha Asian American Evangelicals are composed by a
wide range o experiences on he one hand and pressure o assimilae o
Juan F Mariacutenez and Lindy Scot eds Los Evangeacutelicos Porrais o Laino Proesanism in he
Unied Saes (Eugene OR Wip amp Sock 1048626983088983088983097)48Many o hese are discussed in Roger E Olson Reormed and Always Reorming Te Posconser-
vaive Approach o Evangelical Teology (Grand Rapids Baker Academic 1048626983088983088983095)
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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983089 983089983096 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
American culure on he oher W hile Asians have lived in Norh America
since he ounding o he republic and had even conribued o he building
o he American empire during he nineeenh cenury he 983089983097983094983093 Immigraion Ac ha repealed he Orienal Exclusion Ac o 983089983097983090983092 reopened he door o a
new wave o Asian migraion During he las generaion Asian American lie
has been urher ransormed by he orces o globalizaion diasporas creaed
by modernizaion indusrializaion and urbanizaion reugee populaions
displaced by war amine and climae changes movemen enabled by he
emergence o a worldwide marke economy advances in echnology and mass
communicaion he cross-erilizaion o ideologies and shifs in inerna-ional relaions10486281048633 Te resul as saw in he previous chaper is he appearance
o a wide range o Asian American communiies across Norh America Lie
in such communiies is fluid affeced by migraion paterns socioeconomic
pressures and he srengh o relaions wih hose ldquoback homerdquo Te sronger
he ransnaional ies beween Asian immigrans in he Wes and heir amilies
organizaions and insiuions (religious and oherwise) in heir homeland
he more inense and longer-lasing he exchange o religious goods and ideas(in he orm o books periodicals and various orms o elecommunicaion)
Unsurprisingly hen firs-generaion immigrans ofen deepen he reli-
gious commimens ha hey held or praciced perhaps more nominally
beore moving Someimes immigrans conver o he more dominan religion
o heir new home In eiher case religious affiliaion ofen serves o secure
social neworks coner saus oherwise difficul o come by or immigrans
and srenghen ehnic culural and linguisic bonds and ideniies Bu or he983089983093 generaion (hose born in Asia bu who grew up a leas in par in he
Unied Saes like mysel) he process o assimilaion is well under way In
hese cases he ehnic enclave will develop English-speaking secions as well
as social organizaions school clubs and Chrisian congregaions
For young adul Asian American Evangelicals however here is ofen a
49For an overview o hese issues see Wanni W Anderson and Rober G Lee eds Displacemensand Diasporas Asians in he Americas (New Brunswick NJ Rugers Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983093) Idiscuss urher he implicaions o globalizaion or Chrisian heology in Amos Yong and PeerHelzel ldquoRober Cummings Neville and he Global Fuure o Teologyrdquo in Yong and Helzel edsTeology in Global Conex Essays in Honor o Rober Cummings Neville (New York amp Clark1048626983088983088983092) pp 1048626983097-9830921048626 esp pp 1048627983088-1048627983092
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983097
keen sense ha heir own ehnically organized congregaions or groups are
somehow less religiously and heologically legiimae because hey do no
have he more ldquouniversalrdquo appeal o whie or muliculural evangelicalchurches or parachurch organizaions10486291048624 Te resul is eiher he ransiion o
ehnic congregaions ino pan-ehnic congregaions or movemen rom heir
ldquohomerdquo congregaion o oher less ehnically defined church environmens1048629983089
By he ime he second generaion atains adulhood he remaining culural
or linguisic barriers o ull assimilaion ino American sociey are pracically
overcome ofen o he dismay o parens and grandparens1048629983090
Wha does such assimilaion consis o Cerainly speaking Englishparicipaing in he marke economy and adaping o he opions provided
by American seculariy and poliics are minimal adjusmens Bu perhaps
assimilaion also requires abandoning he norms o he immigran culure
in avor o American norms or amily and gender relaions and engaging
wih he public square on is erms I so would his no lead o an evan-
gelical sel-undersanding deeply ormed by American culure poliics
and economics Would his no resul in a subordinaion and even deor-maion o all ha is Asian excep or he biological phenoype I would
appear hen ha becoming American would more easily aciliae he
embrace o evangelical Chrisianiy991252i such is deined as a suburban
Midwesern whie middle-class religious phenomenon wih Wheaon
Illinois as is veriable ldquoMeccardquo991252bu his brings wih i he cos o losing
onersquos Asianness Does his mean ha ull accepance o Evangelicalism
50See eg Rebecca Y Kim ldquoNegoiaion o Ehnic and Religious Boundaries by Asian AmericanCampus Evangelicalsrdquo in ony Carnes and Fenggang Yang eds Asian American Religions Te
Making and Remaking o Borders and Boundaries (New York New York Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983092) pp10486259830921048625-983093983097 and Rudy V Buso ldquoTe Gospel According o he Model Minoriy Hazarding an Inerpre-aion o Asian American Evangelical College Sudensrdquo in David K Yoo ed New Spiriual Homes
Religion and Asian Americans (Honolulu Universiy o Hawaii Press 1048625983097983097983097) pp 1048625983094983097-98309698309551See Russell Jeung Faihul Generaions Race and New Asian American Churches (New Brunswick
NJ Rugers Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983092)52 As can be discerned by reading beween he lines o he Bible sudies in om Linrsquos Losing Face
and Finding Grace Tis appears o be he case wheher he second generaion inenionally a-emps o disinguish is ehnic congregaional lie rom ha o he firs immigran generaion or wheher he second generaion becomes absorbed ino nonehnic or even muliehnic congrega-ions on his poin see Elaine Howard Ecklund ldquoModels o Civic Responsibiliy Korean Amer-icans in Congregaions wih Differen Ehnic Composiionsrdquo Journal or he Scienific Sudy o
Religion 983092983092 no 1048625 (1048626983088983088983093) 1048625983093-1048626983096
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3135
983089 983090 983088 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
includes ldquorepenancerdquo rom Asia and ldquoconversionrdquo o Americanism1048629983091
Ta his is no he case seems o be borne ou by he sociological lieraure
which confirms ha ehniciy remains jus as imporan as religion in he or-maion o Asian American ideniy10486291048628 Bu i so evangelical heology has no
even begun o wresle wih he imporance o ehniciy and race no o
menion heir heological implicaions Second-generaion Korean Amer-
icans or insance seem o be inuiively drawn o churches and parachurch
minisries ha oreground heir Korean culural ideniy10486291048629 bu hey have
developed ew heological raionales or such orms o social organizaion
more o he poin heir own heological presupposiions miigae agains suchaciviy which may explain heir ideniy conflicedness
Unsurprisingly hen Asian American evangelical heology has ye o ge
off he ground even a he beginning o he weny-firs cenury Asian
American Evangelicals geting degrees rom insiuions o higher educaion
have had o wresle wihagains his assimilaive impulse o sruggle wih he
quesion o wheher hey are or should be doing (descripive) sociology raher
han heology (as normaive reflecion) and o ariculae an apologeic ordoing Asian American evangelical heology raher han jus evangelical he-
ology For oo many Asian American Evangelicals heir saus ldquobewix and
beweenrdquo991252on he one hand belonging o Asia and o he Unied Saes in
some respecs bu on he oher hand being a sranger o boh Asia and he
Unied Saes in oher respecs991252pus hem in a unique posiion o inerrogae
evangelical heology bu (o dae) leaves hem ouside he ormal organiza-
ional and insiuional srucures o criique effecively and ransorm heevangelical heological radiion
53One could also make he reverse argumen however ha Evangelicalism in he Unied Saes hasalready been molded by is social culural and hisorical conex o he exen ha he very eauresha mark he American way o lie991252ie individualism experienialism pragmaism even con-sumerism991252have also come o characerize evangelical Chrisianiy For an insighul analysis ohe ofenimes uncriical conflaion o Evangelicalism and Americanism and o he orces ha havealso resised such accommodaions see D G Har Ta Old-ime Religion in Modern America
Evangelical Proesanism in he wenieh Cenury (Chicago Ivan R Dee 10486269830889830881048626)54See Jerry Z Park ldquoTe Ehnic and Religious Ideniies o Young Asian Americansrdquo (PhD diss
Universiy o Nore Dame 1048626983088983088983092)55See Sharon Kim and Rebecca Y Kim ldquoSecond-Generaion Korean American Chrisiansrsquo Com-
muniies Congregaional Hybridiyrdquo in Carolyn Chen and Russell Jeung eds Susaining Faih
radiions Race Ehniciy and Religion Among he Laino and Asian American Second Generaion (New York New York Universiy Press 104862698308810486251048626) pp 1048625983095983094-9830971048627
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3235
he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983090 983089
Moving trajectories o theological reflection O course i Asian Americans
hope o climb he ranks o he Norh American evangelical heological
academy hey can only do so on he erms esablished by heir hoss Andraher han responding o sociopoliical acors he evangelical heological
guild has always undersood isel primarily in heological erms and seen is
charge as deending hisorical orhodoxy wheher ha be agains liberalismrsquos
denial o biblical supernauralism agains neo-orhodoxyrsquos ambiguous sance
on Scripure agains mainsream sciencersquos heory o evoluion agains open
heismrsquos docrine o God and so on10486291048630 I evangelical heology has never
beore enerained ehnic perspecives in is discursive consrucion why nowundermine he (is presumed) universal ramework and applicabiliy by
adding he Asian or Asian American qualifiers
While in a sense his enire book provides a se o responses o his quesion
here I sugges hree reasons ha can moivae such a heological pah orward
Firs he Asian diaspora in he Unied Saes is now in a siuaion o reflec
subsanively on is experience o migraion While here are remendous
challenges o migraion10486291048631 some Asian Americans have achieved a level oupward social mobiliy so ha hey are now in he posiion o producing
scholarship inormed by such experienial perspecives Since he memory o
migraion among Asian Americans is more recen han hose o heir Cau-
casian colleagues such perspecives migh be helpul o ideniy how he mi-
graion rom he European coninen has shaped he evangelical heological
enerprise as a whole I Asian Americans can help heir evangelical colleagues
ideniy he hisorical impac o old o new world migraion on he belies andpracices o Norh American Evangelicalism ha in isel will open up pos-
sibiliies or considering aresh Asian American hisories and heir conribu-
ions o he wider conversaion
Second Asian Americans are orced o hink abou race and ehniciy in a
way unlike mos o heir whie brohers and sisers alhough heir reflecions
56Evangelical heologyrsquos many inernal and exernal batles are documened by Jon R Sone On heBoundaries o American Evangelicalism Te Poswar Evangelical Coaliion (New York S MarinrsquosPress 1048625983097983097983095)
57Some o hese are documened by Kenneh J Gues God in Chinaown Religion and Survival in
New Yorkrsquos Evolving Immigran Communiy (New York New York Universiy Press 10486269830889830881048627) whose work we will reurn o in chaper six
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3335
983089 983090 983090 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
can also mediae perspecive in an oherwise whie-and-black demarcaed
world Race and ehniciy are undeniable aspecs o Asian American hisory
and experience Te impor o his is a leas woold Firs Asian Americansare posiioned o engage he discussion opened up by black evangelical heo-
logians regarding conemporary heology991252even in is evangelical guises991252as
reflecing he ascen o whie perspecives in he early modern period a he
expense o Jewish and oher nonwhie culural realiies Asian American per-
specives on race and ehniciy will open up new visas on he racial and ehnic
dimensions o he biblical world10486291048632 In oher words he marginalized hisories
and perspecives o Asian American Evangelicals have much o conribue oconemporary biblical inerpreaion and heological explicaion Te dom-
inan orms o evangelical heology orged in par ou o he hegemony o
Chrisendom are in need o criical analysis and dialogical revision
Las bu no leas cenral and ongoing elemens o Asian American hisory
are par o he presen experiences o ransnaionalism and globalizaion Te
issues here are complex10486291048633 One mater ha needs o be addressed is he iner-
woven characer o he global economy and how i affecs people around he world differenly depending on various social poliical and culural circum-
sances In addiion wih regard o he Asian American side o his equaion
here remain difficul issues relaed o how he quesion o assimilaion or ac-
culuraion is being negoiaed and adjudicaed Firs- second- and hird-gener-
aion perspecives differ someimes momenously and his does no even acor
in he perspecives o he 983089983093 generaion I heology is o engage he hisorical
realiies o real flesh-and-blood human beings i mus engage such quesions inour conemporary world Asian American Evangelicals can lead he way in
hinking heologically abou such hings and his will benefi no only Asian
58 Asian Evangelicals hus need o build rom he insighul readings o mainline Proesan biblicalscholar a-Siong Benny Liew Wha Is Asian American Biblical Hermeneuics Reading he New
esamen (Honolulu Universiy o Hawaii Press 1048626983088983088983096) regarding he ehnic dynamics under-neah Jewish-Genile relaions in he New esamen o be sure Liewrsquos mainline Proesan as-sumpions may be raher disan rom evangelical ones so some criical dialogue and perhaps
correcion may also be in order Ye he srengh o Liewrsquos book is o sugges how Asian Americanexperiences o ehnic marginaliy can illuminae he dispues beween Jewish and Genile ollow-ers o he Messiah in he firs cenury Tis is an issue worh subsanial engagemen rom anevangelical perspecive
59Eg Neil J Ormerod and Shane Clifon Globalizaion and he Mission o he Church (New York amp Clark 104862698308810486251048625)
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983090983091
American communiies bu also hose o oher ehnic racial and culural groups
who are also wresling wih lie in he weny-firs-cenury global conex
Evangelical heology oday will need o heed more inenionally han i has beore acors o migraion ehniciy globalizaion and ransnaionalism
Asian American Evangelicals can assis wih hese maters i hey will arise o
he occasion Tis does no derac rom he universaliy o he gospel message
On he conrary i addresses quesions o universal significance ha are oher-
wise negleced or engaged rom or wihin only one (dominan cenris) se
o perspecives
Reconnecting to the broader evangelical theological tradition Beore con-cluding his chaper however an imporan cavea ough o be sounded None
o he preceding should be read as denying eiher Asian American indebedness
o he evangelical radiion or he inerrelaedness o Asian American and oher
evangelical effors in he conemporary heological ask Te preceding migh
sugges ha Asian Americans are only poining accusing fingers a heir whie
evangelical riends Wihou aking away anyhing rom he seriousness o he
oregoing discussion I also realize ha whie Evangelicals in paricular and Americans in general have been welcoming o Asians and ha we have made i
his ar on our diasporic journey only wih he help o such riends
Beyond such ecclesial collegialiy however I would gran ha Asian Amer-
icans are in various respecs beholden heologically o American Evangelicals
as well In paricular American evangelical commimens o Chris-
ceneredness biblical aihulness and missionary zealousness are imporan
elemens o Chrisian belie and pracice in he weny-firs cenury Asian American Evangelicals should embrace and live ou such commimens no
only or hemselves bu also or oher Evangelicals and even or he world
Ye my claim is precisely ha such a posure enables Asian American Evan-
gelicals o conribue heologically o he ormaion o an evangelical belie
and praxis relevan o he weny-firs cenury For his o happen however
Asian American Evangelicals mus embrace no only he evangel bu also he
hisoriciy o heir diasporic experiences Te incarnaion o he Son o Godconsised afer all o aking on he concreeness palpabiliy and emporaliy
o human Jewish and firs-cenury Palesinian flesh and he oupouring o he
Spiri o God on he Day o Penecos involved he redempion o he diversiy
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3535
983089 983090 983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
o human ongues languages and culures so ha hey migh bear winess o
he wondrous works o God (Acs 983090983089983089) Tis penecosal heme991252relaed o
Acs 983090 firs and oremos albei reraced unavoidably hrough he lens o mymodern penecosal ecclesial sensibiliies991252will inorm he deep srucure o
he argumen in he remainder o his volume ye achieved wihin a pen-
evangelical raher han merely charismaic rame o reerence My poin going
orward however is ha in ligh o hese heological and riniarian commi-
mens Evangelicals should be he firs o embrace he diversiy o heir his-
orical pariculariies raher han shy away rom hem radiionally o course
Evangelicals have subordinaed he vicissiudes o hisory and wih ha heiranxieies abou he flux and subjeciviies o experience o he surey and
oundaionalism o he Word o God as revealed in he Scripures My pro-
posal however is ha work o God in Chris and by he Spiri redeems us
amid wih and hrough he specificiies o our hisorical and culural expe-
rience (raher han saving us rom ou o such alogeher) and hus ha he
Word o God speaks ino such realiies (raher han ha we have o deny hem
or rejec hem as par o who we are)In shor Asian American Evangelicals do no need o be apologeic abou
heir lives experiences and perspecives Raher by ollowing he pah o he
Son o God ino he ar counry by receiving he infilling o he Spiri o God
poured ou on all flesh and by aihully atemping o live ou such a Chris-
cenered and Spiri-empowered aih in he ooseps o heir evangelical ore-
bears and ancesors Asian Americans may hen be able o bring heir heo-
logical gifs o he conversaion able gifs ha will challenge he discussion while simulaneously enriching he are or all hose concerned abou he
euangelion in he presen ime I is ime o heologize as Asian Americans no
jus as Evangelicals in order ha Evangelicalism isel can be renewed and
invigoraed or he sake o he gospel and in anicipaion o he reign o God
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 1335
983089983088983090 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
albei one ha is no parochial since i addresses larger ecclesial (and perhaps
even social) concerns983089983091
Te ac o he mater is however ha here is litle else available on Asian American evangelical heology and ha Asian American Evangelicals are sill
a long way off rom hinking heologically as Asian Americans Par o he
reason is ha many Asian American Evangelicals even hose who are heo-
logically rained have basically replicaed he majoriy evangelical (whie)
approaches o Scripure Furher many second-generaion Asian Americans
have adoped he assimilaionis experience as heir model and have presumed
ha an ldquoAmerican universalismrdquo maps ono a biblical universalism9830891048628 Teresul is he subordinaion o heir racial and ehnic ideniies and modes o
hinking Among he many reasons or his is he dominan conservaism o
Asian American culure especially wihin ecclesial communiies o Eas Asian
descen (eg Chinese Korean Japanese and Vienamese churches) As such
Asian Americans are conen o persis wih he saus quo o evangelical he-
ology inheried rom heir (whie) evangelical eachers
Asian American evangelical conservatism Te phenomenon o Eas Asianor Conucian culural conservaism is o course a complicaed one o un-
angle On he one hand here is somehing o he sereoype o Eas Asian
Conucianism as essenially androcenric (in subordinaing women o men)
pariarchal (susained by he radiionrsquos emphasis on filial piey) and auhori-
arian (preserved in he king-subjec and older-younger broher aspecs o he
ldquofiveold relaionsrdquo) On he oher hand like mos exended culural radiions
Conucianism has been neiher saic nor ree rom dissening rends ha haveatemped o rerieve reappropriae and when necessary jetison hese radi-
13Mathew Soerens and Jenny Hwang Welcoming he Sranger Jusice Compassion and ruh in he
Immigraion Debae (Downers Grove IL IVP Books 1048626983088983088983097) is anoher example o Asian AmericanEvangelicals speaking ino wider conversaions precisely he hrus o his book and par o is goalin erms o moivaing Asian American evangelical heological inquiry I will reurn o discuss heproposals o his volume in more deph in chaper six
14Tis is my way o puting wha oher Asian American scholars have also observed see boh Anony W Alumkal ldquoTe Scandal o he lsquoModel Minoriyrsquo Mind Te Bible and Second-Generaion Asian American Evangelicalsrdquo and imohy seng ldquoSecond-Generaion Chinese Evangelical Use o heBible in Ideniy Discourse in Norh Americardquo boh in a-siong Benny Liew Te Bible in Asian
America Semeia 983097983088-9830971048625 (Alana Te Sociey o Biblical Lieraure 10486269830889830881048626) pp 10486261048627983095-983093983088 andpp 10486269830931048625-983094983095 respecively
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088983091
ional docrines or he lae modern world9830891048629 Cerainly in he Norh American
conex here are progressive orces a work especially among second and laer
generaions o Asian Americans bu equally cerainly he weigh o porableculural and philosophical radiions like Conucianism (see chaper wo)
means ha change occurs slowly
Wihin he Asian American evangelical communiy he gradual ransor-
maion o he inheried culural conservaism is cerainly being played ou
even i a a much slower pace han in nonevangelical conexs One he one
side he gospel is undersood as providing a criical perspecive on culure991252
on which I will say more momenarily on he oher side however here arecerain biblical hemes such as honoring o parens and he submission o
women (read off he surace o some Pauline exs) ha resonae wih he filial
piey o especially Conucian culures and hese have ineviably become
cenral issues or he orging o Asian American ideniies9830891048630 Hence Asian
American immigrans who are atraced o Chrisianiy are ofen drawn o
evangelical Proesanism because i provides a similarly conservaive
worldview one ha enables heir acculuraion ino American sociey Forhese reasons Conucian conservaism morphs among Asian American Pro-
esans ino a orm o evangelical conservaism
o be sure he exac role o Conucianism behind Asian American evan-
gelical conservaism migh be debaed among scholars paricularly since he
appropriaion o he Conucian radiion across he Asian American diaspora
is no all o one sripe A he same ime even i oher Asian radiions were o
be acored ino he marix o Asian American lie many are inormed by akind o pariarchal hierarchical and auhoriarian conservaism ha uncions
similarly in Eas Asian Conucian culure In shor perhaps he ldquomodel mi-
noriyrdquo sereoype as conesed as migh be such a designaion ha charac-
erizes much o he Asian American experience conribues o he conser-
vaism ha permeaes Asian American Evangelicalism
North American evangelical conservatism and its implications Bu high-
15See here Daniel A Bell Chinarsquos New Conucianism Poliics and Everyday Lie in a Changing Soci-
ey (Princeon NJ Princeon Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983096) chap 104862716Eg om Lin Losing Face and Finding Grace 983089983090 Bible Sudies or Asian Americans (Downers
Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 1048625983097983097983094) esp par 1048625
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 1535
983089983088983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
lighing Eas Asian conservaism ells only one side o he sory abou why
Asian Americans end o be conened wih and passive recipiens o he he-
ology o he dominan evangelical culure Te oher hal o his ale has o do wih Norh American conservaism as well O course hisorically Norh
American Evangelicalism was ormed ou o a long hisory o reacion o
mainline Proesan liberalism By definiion o be conservaive means o
resis he orces o change insoar as such changes are hough o compromise
he received values o a paricular radiion So while some changes have been
embraced evangelical conservaives have long resised wha are perceived as
adjusmens o hisoric Chrisian orhodoxy oised upon he Norh Americanchurch by heir liberal counerpars9830891048631 More recenly Evangelicals have also
enered ino he culure wars in deense o radiional amily values and oher
aspecs o he agenda o he Republican Pary
Over ime hen Evangelicals have been led o develop heological argu-
mens or heir conservaive sances Mos relevan or he Asian American
experience is how he dominan evangelical culure has acceped while
slighly redefining a leas more recenly he basic caegories o he classicalChris and Culure sudy o H Richard Niebuhr9830891048632 Ye hisorically Evangel-
icals have embraced he ldquoChris agains culurerdquo sance albei more recenly
shifing oward he ldquoChris ransorming culurerdquo posure Tis involves eiher
a wors he rejecion o culure which has radiionally characerized evan-
gelical secarianism (especially among undamenaliss he close cousins o
Evangelicals)9830891048633 or a bes an ambiguous relaionship wih culure one ea-
uring wha migh be called a culural hermeneuic o suspicion ha is alwaysconcerned abou syncreism wih he world Culure in popular evangelical
parlance is almos equivalen o he world and in ha sense is wha humans
need o be saved rom raher han parake o
17Tere are many versions o his sory my own elling is here ldquoTe Word and he Spiri or heSpiri and he Word Exploring he Boundaries o Evangelicalism in Relaionship o Modern Pen-ecosalismrdquo riniy Journal 10486261048627 no 1048626 (10486269830889830881048626) 10486261048627983093-9830931048626
18See H Richard Niebuhr Chris and Culure (10486259830979830931048625 repr San Francisco Harper orchligh1048625983097983093983094) c Glen H Sassen D M Yeager and John Howard Yoder Auhenic ransormaion A
New Vision o Chris and Culure (Nashville Abingdon 1048625983097983097983094)19Ie as manies in missionary and evangelisic sraegies ha called on convers o abandon heir
culural belies and pracices in ollowing Chris991252eg Birgi Meyer ranslaing he Devil Religion
and Moderniy Among he Ewe in Ghana (renon NJ Arica World Press 1048625983097983097983097)
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088983093
So how has his played ou in Asian American evangelical communiies
Mos poinedly Asian American Evangelicals have radiionally undersood
heir Chrisian conversion o involve eiher a urning away rom heir Asianculural roos or a minimizing o such aspecs o heir ideniy Ta Chrisian
conversion acually involves Americanizaion is quie prevalen across he
Asian American scene In my own case growing up as already indicaed in he
prologue we never alked abou he imporance o Chinese culure he em-
phasis a home (my parens were firs-generaion convers o Chrisianiy)
was always on embodying Chrisian culure Many Asian Americans hus end
o view heir Asian hisorical and culural legacies in binary erms ood dressand music migh be reained because hey concern he ouward aspecs o lie
which are incidenal anyway o rue human ideniy bu lierary philosophical
and religious ideas are o be cauiously approached (a bes) since hey are
probably represenaive o ldquohe worldrdquo and hus aniheical o he gospel
Tis confluence o Conucian and evangelical conservaism has been
srenghened hrough he process o heological educaion Asian American
Evangelicals end o atend solidly evangelical seminaries because o heirconservaive commimens So whereas mainline Proesan seminaries are
much more ocused on corporae ideniies evangelical seminaries and
heir curricula ocus more on personal ideniies paricularly he or-
maion o spiriual lives in relaionship o Chris9830901048624 Wha his means is ha
ehnic ideniies are minimized as having no more han biological signifi-
cance and hisorical and culural aspecs o Asian ideniy are acceped
only as accidenal o ideniy in Chris Asian American Evangelicals arefirs and oremos Chrisians and only secondarily i a all Asians (al-
hough ineresingly he prevalence o naionalism among Evangelicals
means ha American ideniy is much more imporan han evangelical
rheoric usually les on) Evangelical heological educaion hus provides
he philosophical and heological apparaus o make sense o such modes
o ideniy consrucion
20Russell Jeung ldquoEvangelical and Mainline eachings on Asian American Ideniyrdquo in Liew and Yee Bible in Asian America pp 104862610486251048625-1048627983094 reprined in Nakka-Cammau and seng Asian American
Chrisianiy pp 1048625983097983095-10486261048625983094
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 1735
983089983088983094 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
T983144983141 B983157983154983140983141983150 983151983142 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161 A M983145983150983151983154983145983156983161 R983141983152983151983154983156
In he ollowing I highligh he major episemological hermeneuical meh-
odological and docrinal aspecs o (whie) evangelical heology embraced bymany Asian American Evangelicals I argue no ha hese are he only ways in
which Asian American Evangelicals have accommodaed o he dominan
(whie) evangelical subculural worldview nor ha Asian American evan-
gelical heology can be reduced o hese eaures I sugges however ha hese
provide some explanaion or how many Asian American evangelical heolo-
gians view he Asian dimension o heir work in conexual erms bu do no
also undersand he dominan whie heological consrucs similarly Teresul is ha Asian American concerns are no only subordinaed bu also e-
ecively silenced in many cases In he ollowing I criically assess his dom-
inan view rom he marginal horizons o he Asian American experience
A (putatively) global epistemology I begin wih he Enlighenmen epis-
emology and is ques or or presumpion o have atained he universal per-
specive In heir batle agains liberalism Evangelicals have highlighed he
imporance o developing a biblical worldview983090983089 Worldview consrucion isineviably an inellecual exercise983090983090 Wha mos Evangelicals do no ofen
inerrogae is how rooed he worldview ques is in he Enlighenmen projec
As such evangelical worldview ormulaion operaes episemologically ac-
cording o modernis canons o raionaliy Tis is reinorced in evangelical
seminary educaion variously no leas in he embrace o some orm o oun-
daionalism characerisic o he Enlighenmen ques or cerainy hough
o secure evangelical claims o universal ruh983090983091
Foundaionalism classically undersood is he view ha all belies can be
jusified direcly (ounded upon) sense experience or reason available o all991252
hence universal991252raher han inerred rom oher (subjecively held) be-
lies9830901048628 While Evangelicals are philosophically jus as sophisicaed as anyone
21Tus InerVarsiy Press has jus published in 1048626983088983088983097 he fifh ediion o James Sirersquos Te Universe Nex
Door A Basic Worldview Caalog a esimony o is populariy a evangelical colleges and universiies22 Anoher popular ex among Evangelicals noes is concepual naure David K Naugle World-
view Te Hisory o a Concep (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048626)23 As refleced in anoher popular evangelical exbook J P Moreland and William Lane Craig
Philosophical Foundaions or a Chrisian Worldview (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 10486269830889830881048627)24Noe ha he dualism beween objeciviy and subjeciviy is isel a modernis consrucion I
discuss hese maters as well as evangelical orms o oundaionalism in my ldquoTe Demise o Foun-
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088 983095
else in heir deense o oundaionalism9830901048629 more ofen han no hey are epis-
emological oundaionaliss or wo reasons Negaively pu episemic oun-
daionalism is a deerren o wha hey see as he hreaening alernaive oepisemological skepicism philosophical i no moral relaivism and reli-
gious and heological pluralism Posiively pu he oundaions o Chrisian
knowing are given in he Bible I will reurn in a momen o address he her-
meneuical issues involved wih such an appeal For he momen however I
simply noe ha evangelical oundaionalism in whaever is guise butresses
is claims o have access o a universal sandpoin or (heological) knowledge
Such a universal vanage poin is o course relaed o he Enlighenmenques or cerain knowledge Hence he undermining o oundaionalism
opens up o perspecivism Evangelicals resis episemic perspecivism or he
same reasons ha hey deend oundaionalism because ha is el o be he
only way o secure raionally he sabiliy o ruh claims Opening he door
o perspecivism invies he mulipliciy o views ha characerizes he rela-
ivism o he posmodern siuaion Conservaive Evangelicals are hus very
concerned abou he ascendency o he posmodern agenda9830901048630
Wha does his have o do wih Asian American Evangelicalism My claim is
ha Asian Americans educaed a conservaive evangelical seminaries have un-
witingly embraced no only he oundaionalis episemology o heir eachers
bu also is atendan applicaions In order o ward off episemic skepicism
moral relaivism and heological pluralism Asian American Evangelicals have
also uncriically rejeced he perspecivism cenral o posoundaionalis epis-
emology9830901048631 More o he poin he deense o oundaionalism is also he de-ense o he saus quo he universal rame o reerence claimed by evangelical
daionalism and he Reenion o ruh Wha Evangelicals Can Learn rom C S Peircerdquo Chrisian
Scholarrsquos Review 1048626983097 no 1048627 (Spring 1048626983088983088983088) 9830939830941048627-98309698309625Eg J P Moreland and Garret DeWeese ldquoTe Premaure Repor o Foundaionalismrsquos Demiserdquo
in Millard J Erickson Paul Kjoss Helseh and Jusin aylor eds Reclaiming he Cener Confon-
ing Evangelical Accommodaion in Posmodern imes (Wheaon IL Crossway 1048626983088983088983092) pp 9830961048625-104862598308898309526Tus par 1048626 o Millard J Erickson Posmodernizing he Faih Evangelical Responses o he Chal-
lenge o Posmodernism (Grand Rapids Baker Books 1048625983097983097983096) is iled ldquoNegaive Responses o
Posmodernismrdquo and discusses a number o conemporary and recen deenders o classical evan-gelical aih David Wells Tomas Oden and Francis Schaeffer
27 As argued eg by Sanley J Grenz and John R Franke Beyond Foundaionalism Shaping Teology in
a Posmodern Conex (Louisville Wesminser John Knox 10486269830889830881048625) he criical and apologeic responsehas been he recogniion ha his akes us ldquobeyond Evangelicalismrdquo991252see Seven Knowles Beyond
Evangelicalism Te Teological Mehodology o Sanley J Grenz (Burlingon V Ashgae 1048626983088983088983097)
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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983089983088983096 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
heology Simulaneously so he argumen goes he abandonmen o ounda-
ionalism opens he door o perspecivism and pluralism And i he later are
problemaic so are heir ideological movemens especially and including muli-culuralism (wih some advocaes o such having reinerpreed Chrisian eaching
in ligh o a poliics o ideniy insead o vice versa)9830901048632 Asian American Evan-
gelicals are hus armed oundaionally o conron engage and resis he perils
o cynicism relaivism and pluralism Unbeknowns o hem however his no
only undercus he ideology o muliculuralism bu also assails he basis upon
which hey can reclaim heir own hisorical and culural ideniies O course
Evangelicals have more recenly recognized a leas in general he imporanceo embracing he diversiy o culures even o celebraing hem bu only so
long as doing so does no hreaen he oundaions o evangelical ceriude
An (allegedly) a-cultural hermeneutic Tis presumpion o having a uni-
versal perspecive while undergirded as biblical raher han recognized as
ounded on an Enlighenmen paradigm bleeds over ino evangelical herme-
neuics In he Asian American evangelical landscape such hermeneuical pre-
supposiions bracke Asian America wheher inenionally (more ofen) or noIn his way Asian American Evangelicals have imbibed no only he oundaion-
alism o heir classical seminary educaion bu also he biblical hermeneuic ha
works o secure such an episemic sance Unsurprisingly a he hear o he
evangelical inerpreaion o Scripure is anoher insrumen rom he modernis
oolki ha o hisorical criicism Tis ime however such a hermeneuical
approach is deployed o access he auhorial inen o he Scripures and i is
his ha is cenral (oundaional) o ideniying he biblical message which inurn enables he Bible o serve as he unshakable norm or Chrisian belie
Tere is much o unpack in he preceding brie descripion o evangelical
hermeneuics classically considered Bu I wan o ocus insead on he prin-
ciples o biblical exegesis as emphasized in evangelical seminary educaion9830901048633
Te goal o exegesis is o draw ou o or o cull rom he Bible wha he original
auhors mean o communicae Tis involves undersanding firs and
28Tus have some Evangelicals harangued agains muliculuralism as an ideology or example991252Dennis McCallum ed Te Deah o ruh Wharsquos Wrong wih Muliculuralism he Rejecion o
Reason and he New Posmodern Diversiy (Minneapolis Behany House 1048625983097983097983094)29Eg Waler C Kaiser oward an Exegeical Teology Biblical Exegesis or Preaching and eaching
(Grand Rapids Baker Books 1048625983097983097983096)
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088983097
oremos how he biblical auhors were undersood by heir iniial audiences
in he ancien conex Exegesis accesses hese primordially inended biblical
principles Wha he Bible means oday is hereby a secondary issue de-penden primarily on wha i originally mean o he firs hearers and readers
o he Scripures Conemporary applicaion hus involves idenificaion o
he original and or some single meaning o he biblical exs9830911048624
Te flip side o he emphasis on exegesis hen involves he rejecion o
eisegesis he inserion o conemporary perspecives ino he meaning o he
biblical ex I he burden o biblical hermeneuics is o ake away rom he
Scripures wha is auhors inended o communicae he bane o evangelicalinerpreaion is o read ino he Bible whaever our presen viewpoins may
dicae Tis o course is a violaion o he cardinal rule o evangelical herme-
neuics readers should leave heir prejudices and biases a he door and allow
he Bible o inorm hem insead Oherwise he concern is ha he reader
will find whaever he or she is looking or and his inecs conaminaes
skews and disors he prisine message o he Bible983091983089
Te problem here is no jus ha he lines beween exegesis and eisegesis aremuch more blurred han Evangelicals usually acknowledge983091983090 bu ha he per-
sisen applicaion o such an approach o he Bible dicaes ha evangelical
readers inenionally bracke or a leas atemp o hold in abeyance heir own
hisories experiences and perspecives as being o secondary impor i o any
relevance a all or heir reading o Scripure Now I am cerainly no suggesing
ha we all willy-nilly inser our biases in appropriaing he biblical ex Simul-
aneously I urge ha he cos o such hermeneuical brackeing is oo high or
30See Rober L Tomas Evangelical Hermeneuics Te New Versus he Old (Grand Rapids Kregel10486269830889830881048626) chap 983094 iled ldquoTe Principle o Single Meaningrdquo which argues ha he pluralism po-lyphony and plurivociy o meaning advocaed by recen progressive Evangelicals reflecs more heeffecs o humaniyrsquos all ino sin han i does he classical assumpions o evangelical biblical in-erpreaion For a counerargumen one ha I am largely sympaheic wih see James K ASmih Te Fall o Inerpreaion Philosophical Foundaions or a Creaional Hermeneuic (DownersGrove IL InerVarsiy Press 1048626983088983088983088)
31For evangelical concerns regarding reader-response hermeneuics see Norman R Gulley ldquoReader-
Response Teories in Posmodern Hermeneuics A Challenge o Evangelical Teologyrdquo in DavidS Dockery ed Te Challenge o Posmodernism An Evangelical Engagemen (Wheaon IL VicorBooks 1048625983097983097983093) pp 1048626983088983096-1048627983096
32In mainline Proesan circles o course here has long been recogniion ha he radiional line beween exegesis and eisegesis is much blurrier han previously hough see Jay G WilliamsldquoExegesis-Eisegesis Is Tere a Differencerdquo Teology oday 1048627983088 no 1048627 (10486259830979830951048627) 10486261048625983096-1048626983095
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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983089 983089983088 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
ehnic minoriies who are Evangelicals since his in effec rejecs heir quesions
and concerns as perinen o heir engagemen wih he Bible In addiion such
presumpive brackeing blinds whie Evangelicals o he ac ha heir own ho-rizons and perspecives are involved in any reading o ancien exs and his lack
o awareness makes i doubly difficul o recognize moderae or correc
I would urge insead ha we recognize and embrace he ension involved
in he usion o biblical and conemporary horizons bu do so in a way ha
boh allows conemporary readers o ener ino he world o he Bible on he
one hand (ldquohis is hardquo) and or he Bible o map ono our conemporary lives
on he oher hand (ldquoha is hisrdquo)983091983091 Tis no only allows or an Asian American reading o he Bible somehing ha is barred in he evangelical
environmen i also invies even encourages such an approach and his in
urn gives Asian Americans991252all people acually991252permission o read he
Bible as i i really matered o heir lives
A (presumably) biblical-theological method Enlighenmen assumpions
hus inorm no only Asian American evangelical episemology and herme-
neuics bu also heological mehod and hey do so in ways ha marginalize Asian America Tis is consisen wih he general evangelical ear o licensing
wha hey see as merely subjecive readings o he Bible or he same reasons
ha hey are wary abou enabling heological mehodologies ha consciously
acknowledge he role o experience In oher words he saus quo in evan-
gelical approaches o he Bible (wih is accenuaion o exegesis and rejecion
o eisegesis) has is counerpar in evangelical approaches o heological re-
flecion his ime wih he emphasis on he Bible as he primary i no solesource or heology over and agains hisory radiion culure and experience
A one level he sola scripura commimens o Reormaion radiions have
a very specific hisory and should be undersood according o he nuances
wih which his idea has developed in he pas five hundred years9830911048628 A anoher
33I explicae some aspecs o he ldquohis is hardquo hermeneuic rom a Penecosal perspecive in myldquoReading Scripure and Naure Penecosal Hermeneuics and Teir Implicaions or he Con-
emporary Evangelical Teology and Science Conversaionrdquo Perspecives on Science and ChrisianFaih 9830931048627 no 1048625 (104862698308810486251048625) 1048625-10486251048627
34Reflecing developmens rom he publicaion o Te Fundamenals o he ldquoChicago Saemen onBiblical Inerrancyrdquo (1048625983097983095983096) many conservaive Norh American Evangelicals991252eg rom NormanL Geisler Inerrancy (Grand Rapids Zondervan 1048625983097983096983088) o James R Whie Scripure Alone (Min-neapolis Behany House 1048626983088983088983092)991252have seen and coninue o see boh sola scripura and he doc-
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2235
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2335
983089 983089 983090 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
Te problem however is ha Asian Americans have rarely i ever ques-
ioned more rigid applicaions o his mehodological norm or evangelical
heology Raher hey have inernalized he evangelical bias agains hisoryradiion and experience hus silencing he role ha paricular perspecives
migh play in he heological ask I we appeal o our experience a all we
mus do so apologeically as i admiting ha such heological inerprea-
ions are a bes parochial concerns o a communiy no ye assimilaed o
he dominan culure or a wors signaling our heological immauriy and
need o grow up rom or ranscend he ldquobackwardnessrdquo represening our
hisory and experience beore our lie in Chris Ironically however suchinenional marginalizaion o he Asian American experience no o
menion Asian American philosophical ways o hinking and reasoning
does no call ino quesion how he predominanly Anglo- and Euro-
American experiences o moderniy have shaped evangelical heology As a
resul Asian American Evangelicals have adoped wha is claimed o be a
biblical worldview and heological ramework supposedly shorn o he sub-
jecive biases o hisorically siuaed human inerpreers Bu hese aresurely devoid o heir own experienial and conexual (Asian American)
locaions and ye uncriically naive in hinking ha Euro-American his-
orical accidens have been adequaely ldquoChrisianizedrdquo
So ar I have suggesed ha episemologically hermeneuically and meh-
odologically Asian Americans have rarely quesioned he modernis Enligh-
enmen and Anglo- and Euro-American presupposiions o he evangelical
heological endeavor And since his underaking has never acknowledged heculural conexs and perspecives o he predominanly whie ramers o he
evangelical heological radiion10486281048624 he assumpion is ha ehniciy plays litle
i any role in he work o heology No surprisingly hen Asian American
heologians have been reicen o sugges ha ehniciy culure and hisoriciy
coun in heological reflecion By exension he heological and docrinal
40My poin is no ha whie perspecives have disored he gospel his isel assumes a sor oa-culural gospel ha needs conexualizaion991252a poin ha needs o be addressed and nuanced which we will do momenarily My poin is ha such whie viewpoins are no only unrecognized bu ha hey are hen presumed o be normaive or nonwhies I is par o he goal o his chapero call Asian American heologians o atend o his assumpion and o find ways o inenionallyaddress and subver i
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983091
resuls have been ormulaed and ransmited as biblically unded and univer-
sally applicable regardless o conexual consideraions
A (supposedly) universal doctrinal famework One example o how Norh American evangelical heology has proceeded wih universalisic assumpions
and hereby overlooked i no inenionally ignored oher culural perspec-
ives has o do wih he docrine o he aonemen and wha i addresses Pu
crassly humankind suffers rom one overall problem ha o sin agains God
and ha one problem demands basically one soluion he subsiuionary
aonemen o he Sonrsquos deah on he cross1048628983089 Now I realize ha i is unair o
depic evangelical views regarding he aonemen in such homogeneous ermssince he mater isel is sill being conesed1048628983090 Bu he ac is ha in some
evangelical circles deparure rom he subsiuionary view o he aonemen
is considered deviaion rom evangelical orhodoxy1048628983091 From his posiion oher
biblical aspecs and alernaive inerpreaions are eiher subsumed under he
docrine o penal subsiuion or argued o be flawed in some respec
O course such a viewpoin minimizes he role o medieval eudalism and
he jurisprudenial background o some o he Reormers in he emergenceand esablishmen o his undersanding o he aonemen in he evangelical
radiion jus as i really does no quesion he basically Augusinian anhro-
pology presumed in his process Now I am no a hisorical deerminis who
believes ha conex leads inexorably o our heological ideas jus as I do no
hink ha allowance or hisorical conexual acors relaivizes he ruh o
heological claims or produces docrinal heerodoxy Raher wihou denying
41Te World Evangelical Alliancersquos Saemen o Faih affirms ldquoWe believe in Our Lord JesusChris God manies in he flesh His virgin birh His sinless human lie His divine miracles His vicarious and aoning deah His bodily resurrecion His ascension His mediaorial work and HisPersonal reurn in power and glory Te Salvaion o los and sinul man hrough he shed bloodo he Lord Jesus Chris by aih apar rom works and regeneraion by he Holy Spirirdquo (see worldevangelicalorgweasaemenhm emphases original)
42See James Beilby and Paul R Eddy eds Te Naure o he Aonemen Four Views (DownersGrove IL IVP Academic 1048626983088983088983094) and Derek idball David Hilborn and Jusin Tacker eds Te
Aonemen Debae Papers fom he London Symposium on he Teology o he Aonemen (Grand
Rapids Zondervan 1048626983088983088983093) c J Denny Weaver Te Nonviolen Aonemen (Grand Rapids Eerd-mans 10486269830889830881048625) and Hans Boersma Violence Hospialiy and he Cross Recovering he Aonemen
radiion (Grand Rapids Baker Academic 1048626983088983088983092)43See S Lewis Johnson Jr ldquoBehold he Lamb Te Gospel and Subsiuionary Aonemenrdquo in John
H Armsrong ed Te Coming Evangelical Crisis Curren Challenges o he Auhoriy o Scripure
and he Gospel (Chicago Moody Press 1048625983097983097983094) pp 10486251048625983097-1048627983096
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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983089 983089 983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
he imporance o he biblical and heological heme o subsiuion or he
docrine o he aonemen I am simply suggesing ha oher culural perspec-
ives and even assumpions migh highligh and emphasize oher biblicalmeaphors regarding Chrisrsquos salvific work
Bu o pursue he quesion ono Asian American errain wha difference
will i make i we recognize ha some Asians and Asian Americans live and
exis in a shame raher han guil culure How migh evangelical hinking
abou he aonemen be adjused revised and maybe even ransormed i
Chrisrsquos work no only assuaged he guil o sin rom human lives bu also re-
moved he shame in human hears10486281048628 My poin is ha evangelical heologicalendencies generally urge a universalisic sandpoin and in his paradigm
here is no need o atend o he pariculariies o or ariculae Asian Asian
American or oher culural perspecives since hese are all subsumed wihin he
biblical ramework read in an evangelical way In his case here isnrsquo even a
need o ask wheher radiional evangelical heologies and docrines like hose
regarding he aonemen may need o be revisied and reariculaed in ligh o
oher hisorical culural and experienial dynamics In ac Asian Americansare boh oo shameul and oo shy o even consider asking abou hese maters
I have argued so ar in his secion ha Asian American Evangelicals ormed
heologically according o he sensibiliies o he dominan evangelical culure
in Norh America have inernalized he whie evangelical worldview and in ha
sense mosly do no see he need o hink explicily rom an Asian American
vanage poin Asian American evangelical views are hereore a bes no more
han a minoriy heological perspecive wo relaed summary consequenceshave ollowed Asian American acquiescence o he majoriy culure Firs meh-
odologically and maerially evangelical heology has been undersood o be a-
hisorical a-culural and even a-conexual Te assumpion is ha he Bible
addresses all human beings so any plain reading o he Scripure will or should
be able o access he Word o God a any and all imes and places radiionally
ormulaed and ramed evangelical docrines derived rom an inducive sudy
44 Asian Americans are beginning o do jus his however991252eg Rachel Y Lei ldquoSaving Significanceo he Cross in he Asian American Conexrdquo SANACS Journal 1048625 (1048626983088983088983097) 983097983093-10486251048625983094 c Mark D Bakerand Joel B Green Recovering he Scandal o he Cross Te Aonemen in New esamen and Con-
emporary Conexs (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 1048626983088983088983088) chap 983094 ldquoRemoving AlienaingShame Te Saving Significance o he Cross in Japanrdquo
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983093
o Scripure hus orm he undispuable and unrevisable core o he gospel
Tere is litle recogniion o he hisorical culural and conexual perspecives
ha have conribued o he ariculaion o such evangelical belies Wha his means is ha here sill remains a core se o evangelical docrinal
achievemens and hese remain valid across space and ime alhough hey
may be supplemened by or ranslaed ino local conexual and siuaional
perspecives and idioms As we saw previously (chaper one) he recen Cam-
bridge Companion o Evangelical Teology reflecs precisely his mindse10486281048629 Te
Companion we know is divided ino wo pars Te firs is iled ldquoEvan-
gelicals and Chrisian Docrinerdquo and his includes eigh chapers on he oun-daional docrinal marix o evangelical belies he riniy Scripure chris-
ology heological anhropology jusificaionaonemen pneumaology
conversionsancificaion and ecclesiology Par wo ldquoTe Conexs o Evan-
gelical Teologyrdquo hen provides anoher nine chapers and hese cover issues
relaed o culure gender race and pluralism and include five chapers on
evangelical heology in Arican Asian European Lain American and Norh
American conexs Tis srucure o he Companion communicaes a wooldmessage ha evangelical docrine is a-conexually derived (par one) and
ha various hisorical conexs (par wo) can add a mos parochial ruhs
ha will no upse he docrinal supersrucure o he evangelical heological
landscape In shor basic heological and docrinal ruhs o he Chrisian
aih have already been ormulaed and can be ound in any oher evangelical
sysemaic heological ex quie apar rom Asian American or any oher
more specified perspecivesPu more poinedly i Asian Americans (or any oher ehnic or culural
group) were o wrie heir own heologies hese would be provincial under-
akings wih marginal relevance or he wider evangelical communiy Tese
would be o value only or ldquohoserdquo people (maybe immigrans reugees or
exiles) who have no ye been assimilaed ino he broader American evan-
gelical culure Litle wonder hen ha ew Asian Americans have venured
ino heological errioryhe second summary consequence o inernalizing he dominan
45imohy Larsen and Daniel J reier eds Te Cambridge Companion o Evangelical Teology (Cambridge Cambridge Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983095)
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2735
983089 983089983094 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
worldview991252ha evangelical heology a leas in is dogmaic and sysemaic
configuraions is by and large a finished projec wih minimal inpu needed
rom Asian American or oher perspecives991252is ha Asian Americans wihheological educaion have urned in general o work in he hisorical and
social scienific disciplines10486281048630 Tere cerainly remains imporan work o be
done by hose working across he disciplines so I am no decrying such effors
Ye he ac ha hisorical sociological or oher disciplinary explicaions o
Asian American lie are published by universiy presses communicaes o
Asian Americans ha heir role is o shed new ligh on he Asian American
experience A he same ime he prevalence o hese analyical approachesamid he lacuna o explicily heological works suggess ha he ormer is o
minimal value a leas or he ldquorealrdquo heological work o dogmaics and sys-
emaics Furher ha hese scholarly publishers do no eaure exs on Asian
American evangelical heology confirms his division o labor (whie Evan-
gelicals wrie real heology Asian American Evangelicals do hisory sociology
ec) A he end o he day evangelical heologyrsquos assumpion remains undis-
urbed ha here are core docrines ha only need o be conexualized991252ha is ranslaed and made relevan991252around he world In his ramework
Asian Americans can conribue no o he ormer heological ormulaion bu
only o he later ranslaion and disseminaion ask10486281048631
46Eg he work o imohy seng and David Yoo in hisory Fenggang Yang and Rebecca Kim insociology and Russell Jeung in Asian American sudies among ohers see also my ldquoAsian Amer-ican Religion A Review Essayrdquo Nova Religio Te Journal o Alernaive and Emergen Religions 983097
no 1048627 (1048626983088983088983094) 9830971048626-104862598308898309547One could argue ha a parallel ye disinc moivaion drives Lain American or Hispanic evan-
gelical heology in a similar direcion I Asian Americans are cauioned agains hinking heo-logically rom ou o ehnic hisorical and conexual lives because o heir uncriical embrace o whie evangelical assumpions Hispanic Evangelicals may have adoped similar commimensalbei or slighly differen reasons relaed o he Lain American conex Te dominance o heRoman Caholic Church along wih is heological and olk radiions in he later environmenmay be behind Hispanic evangelical suspicions abou he role o hisory and culure in he doingo heology Te ani-Caholic senimen in hisoric Evangelicalism no doub is atracive oLainoas on he migran rail (rom Lain America o he Unied Saes) alhough such accom-modaion has brough wih i he heological coss elaboraed in he preceding pages For urher
discussion and oher angles on hese issues see Oscar Garcia-Johnson Te Mesizoa Communiyo he Spiri A Posmodern Lainoa Ecclesiology (Eugene OR Wip amp Sock 1048626983088983088983097) Sammy Alaro Divino Compantildeero oward a Hispanic Penecosal Chrisology (Eugene OR Pickwick10486269830881048625983088) Juan Mariacutenez ldquolsquoOuside he Gaersquo Evangelicalism and Laino Proesan Teologyrdquo in JeffreyGreenman and Gene L Green eds Global Teology in Evangelical Perspecive Exploring he Conex-
ual Naure o Teology and Mission (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 104862698308810486251048626) pp 1048625983095983097-983097983092 and
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983095
T983144983141 M983137983150983140983137983156983141 983151983142 A983155983145983137983150 A983149983141983154983145983139983137983150 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161
Te preceding analysis raises sel-criical awareness or Asian American Evan-
gelicals and invies hem in dialogue wih oher Evangelicals o consider wheher heir minoriy saus is problemaic and wha i anyhing can and
ough o be done abou i Now I am aware ha here are developmens wihin
he evangelical heological radiion broadly consrued ha have moved
beyond some o he sricures idenified in he preceding secion Progressive
Evangelicals he evangelical lef and posconservaive Evangelicals denoe jus
a ew o he rends among ohers percolaing on he margins o evangelical
heology10486281048632 Bu ha is precisely par o he problem hese are movemens haexcep or a small minoriy remain ouside he evangelical mainsream and
have also by and large been ignored by Asian American evangelical scholars
and heologians I believe ha producive ways orward can be chared via
Asian American Evangelicals in dialogue wih some o hese ideas alhough
a he end o he day such conversaions will only be producive as Asian
American Evangelicals ormulae a plaorm on which hey can bring some-
hing subsanive o he discussion Tis later ask is par o he presen chal-lenge and burden o he presen book
Insoar hen as I am ineresed in he quesion o wha Asian Americans can
conribue o evangelical heology no jus hisorically or sociologically bu a
a heological level my claim is ha pursui o hese maters ironically also in-
volves aking seriously he hisoriciy and pariculariy o Asian American cul-
ures experiences and perspecives In his final par o his chaper I do no
more han sugges in broad srokes how o go abou such an underakingRealities o the Asian American diaspora Par o ldquohe problem o evan-
gelical heologyrdquo can be clarified i we siuae Asian American evangelical
heology amid he broader Asian American diasporic hisorical and social
realiies described in par a he beginning o chaper wo Doing so enables
he sark realizaion ha Asian American Evangelicals are composed by a
wide range o experiences on he one hand and pressure o assimilae o
Juan F Mariacutenez and Lindy Scot eds Los Evangeacutelicos Porrais o Laino Proesanism in he
Unied Saes (Eugene OR Wip amp Sock 1048626983088983088983097)48Many o hese are discussed in Roger E Olson Reormed and Always Reorming Te Posconser-
vaive Approach o Evangelical Teology (Grand Rapids Baker Academic 1048626983088983088983095)
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2935
983089 983089983096 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
American culure on he oher W hile Asians have lived in Norh America
since he ounding o he republic and had even conribued o he building
o he American empire during he nineeenh cenury he 983089983097983094983093 Immigraion Ac ha repealed he Orienal Exclusion Ac o 983089983097983090983092 reopened he door o a
new wave o Asian migraion During he las generaion Asian American lie
has been urher ransormed by he orces o globalizaion diasporas creaed
by modernizaion indusrializaion and urbanizaion reugee populaions
displaced by war amine and climae changes movemen enabled by he
emergence o a worldwide marke economy advances in echnology and mass
communicaion he cross-erilizaion o ideologies and shifs in inerna-ional relaions10486281048633 Te resul as saw in he previous chaper is he appearance
o a wide range o Asian American communiies across Norh America Lie
in such communiies is fluid affeced by migraion paterns socioeconomic
pressures and he srengh o relaions wih hose ldquoback homerdquo Te sronger
he ransnaional ies beween Asian immigrans in he Wes and heir amilies
organizaions and insiuions (religious and oherwise) in heir homeland
he more inense and longer-lasing he exchange o religious goods and ideas(in he orm o books periodicals and various orms o elecommunicaion)
Unsurprisingly hen firs-generaion immigrans ofen deepen he reli-
gious commimens ha hey held or praciced perhaps more nominally
beore moving Someimes immigrans conver o he more dominan religion
o heir new home In eiher case religious affiliaion ofen serves o secure
social neworks coner saus oherwise difficul o come by or immigrans
and srenghen ehnic culural and linguisic bonds and ideniies Bu or he983089983093 generaion (hose born in Asia bu who grew up a leas in par in he
Unied Saes like mysel) he process o assimilaion is well under way In
hese cases he ehnic enclave will develop English-speaking secions as well
as social organizaions school clubs and Chrisian congregaions
For young adul Asian American Evangelicals however here is ofen a
49For an overview o hese issues see Wanni W Anderson and Rober G Lee eds Displacemensand Diasporas Asians in he Americas (New Brunswick NJ Rugers Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983093) Idiscuss urher he implicaions o globalizaion or Chrisian heology in Amos Yong and PeerHelzel ldquoRober Cummings Neville and he Global Fuure o Teologyrdquo in Yong and Helzel edsTeology in Global Conex Essays in Honor o Rober Cummings Neville (New York amp Clark1048626983088983088983092) pp 1048626983097-9830921048626 esp pp 1048627983088-1048627983092
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983097
keen sense ha heir own ehnically organized congregaions or groups are
somehow less religiously and heologically legiimae because hey do no
have he more ldquouniversalrdquo appeal o whie or muliculural evangelicalchurches or parachurch organizaions10486291048624 Te resul is eiher he ransiion o
ehnic congregaions ino pan-ehnic congregaions or movemen rom heir
ldquohomerdquo congregaion o oher less ehnically defined church environmens1048629983089
By he ime he second generaion atains adulhood he remaining culural
or linguisic barriers o ull assimilaion ino American sociey are pracically
overcome ofen o he dismay o parens and grandparens1048629983090
Wha does such assimilaion consis o Cerainly speaking Englishparicipaing in he marke economy and adaping o he opions provided
by American seculariy and poliics are minimal adjusmens Bu perhaps
assimilaion also requires abandoning he norms o he immigran culure
in avor o American norms or amily and gender relaions and engaging
wih he public square on is erms I so would his no lead o an evan-
gelical sel-undersanding deeply ormed by American culure poliics
and economics Would his no resul in a subordinaion and even deor-maion o all ha is Asian excep or he biological phenoype I would
appear hen ha becoming American would more easily aciliae he
embrace o evangelical Chrisianiy991252i such is deined as a suburban
Midwesern whie middle-class religious phenomenon wih Wheaon
Illinois as is veriable ldquoMeccardquo991252bu his brings wih i he cos o losing
onersquos Asianness Does his mean ha ull accepance o Evangelicalism
50See eg Rebecca Y Kim ldquoNegoiaion o Ehnic and Religious Boundaries by Asian AmericanCampus Evangelicalsrdquo in ony Carnes and Fenggang Yang eds Asian American Religions Te
Making and Remaking o Borders and Boundaries (New York New York Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983092) pp10486259830921048625-983093983097 and Rudy V Buso ldquoTe Gospel According o he Model Minoriy Hazarding an Inerpre-aion o Asian American Evangelical College Sudensrdquo in David K Yoo ed New Spiriual Homes
Religion and Asian Americans (Honolulu Universiy o Hawaii Press 1048625983097983097983097) pp 1048625983094983097-98309698309551See Russell Jeung Faihul Generaions Race and New Asian American Churches (New Brunswick
NJ Rugers Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983092)52 As can be discerned by reading beween he lines o he Bible sudies in om Linrsquos Losing Face
and Finding Grace Tis appears o be he case wheher he second generaion inenionally a-emps o disinguish is ehnic congregaional lie rom ha o he firs immigran generaion or wheher he second generaion becomes absorbed ino nonehnic or even muliehnic congrega-ions on his poin see Elaine Howard Ecklund ldquoModels o Civic Responsibiliy Korean Amer-icans in Congregaions wih Differen Ehnic Composiionsrdquo Journal or he Scienific Sudy o
Religion 983092983092 no 1048625 (1048626983088983088983093) 1048625983093-1048626983096
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3135
983089 983090 983088 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
includes ldquorepenancerdquo rom Asia and ldquoconversionrdquo o Americanism1048629983091
Ta his is no he case seems o be borne ou by he sociological lieraure
which confirms ha ehniciy remains jus as imporan as religion in he or-maion o Asian American ideniy10486291048628 Bu i so evangelical heology has no
even begun o wresle wih he imporance o ehniciy and race no o
menion heir heological implicaions Second-generaion Korean Amer-
icans or insance seem o be inuiively drawn o churches and parachurch
minisries ha oreground heir Korean culural ideniy10486291048629 bu hey have
developed ew heological raionales or such orms o social organizaion
more o he poin heir own heological presupposiions miigae agains suchaciviy which may explain heir ideniy conflicedness
Unsurprisingly hen Asian American evangelical heology has ye o ge
off he ground even a he beginning o he weny-firs cenury Asian
American Evangelicals geting degrees rom insiuions o higher educaion
have had o wresle wihagains his assimilaive impulse o sruggle wih he
quesion o wheher hey are or should be doing (descripive) sociology raher
han heology (as normaive reflecion) and o ariculae an apologeic ordoing Asian American evangelical heology raher han jus evangelical he-
ology For oo many Asian American Evangelicals heir saus ldquobewix and
beweenrdquo991252on he one hand belonging o Asia and o he Unied Saes in
some respecs bu on he oher hand being a sranger o boh Asia and he
Unied Saes in oher respecs991252pus hem in a unique posiion o inerrogae
evangelical heology bu (o dae) leaves hem ouside he ormal organiza-
ional and insiuional srucures o criique effecively and ransorm heevangelical heological radiion
53One could also make he reverse argumen however ha Evangelicalism in he Unied Saes hasalready been molded by is social culural and hisorical conex o he exen ha he very eauresha mark he American way o lie991252ie individualism experienialism pragmaism even con-sumerism991252have also come o characerize evangelical Chrisianiy For an insighul analysis ohe ofenimes uncriical conflaion o Evangelicalism and Americanism and o he orces ha havealso resised such accommodaions see D G Har Ta Old-ime Religion in Modern America
Evangelical Proesanism in he wenieh Cenury (Chicago Ivan R Dee 10486269830889830881048626)54See Jerry Z Park ldquoTe Ehnic and Religious Ideniies o Young Asian Americansrdquo (PhD diss
Universiy o Nore Dame 1048626983088983088983092)55See Sharon Kim and Rebecca Y Kim ldquoSecond-Generaion Korean American Chrisiansrsquo Com-
muniies Congregaional Hybridiyrdquo in Carolyn Chen and Russell Jeung eds Susaining Faih
radiions Race Ehniciy and Religion Among he Laino and Asian American Second Generaion (New York New York Universiy Press 104862698308810486251048626) pp 1048625983095983094-9830971048627
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983090 983089
Moving trajectories o theological reflection O course i Asian Americans
hope o climb he ranks o he Norh American evangelical heological
academy hey can only do so on he erms esablished by heir hoss Andraher han responding o sociopoliical acors he evangelical heological
guild has always undersood isel primarily in heological erms and seen is
charge as deending hisorical orhodoxy wheher ha be agains liberalismrsquos
denial o biblical supernauralism agains neo-orhodoxyrsquos ambiguous sance
on Scripure agains mainsream sciencersquos heory o evoluion agains open
heismrsquos docrine o God and so on10486291048630 I evangelical heology has never
beore enerained ehnic perspecives in is discursive consrucion why nowundermine he (is presumed) universal ramework and applicabiliy by
adding he Asian or Asian American qualifiers
While in a sense his enire book provides a se o responses o his quesion
here I sugges hree reasons ha can moivae such a heological pah orward
Firs he Asian diaspora in he Unied Saes is now in a siuaion o reflec
subsanively on is experience o migraion While here are remendous
challenges o migraion10486291048631 some Asian Americans have achieved a level oupward social mobiliy so ha hey are now in he posiion o producing
scholarship inormed by such experienial perspecives Since he memory o
migraion among Asian Americans is more recen han hose o heir Cau-
casian colleagues such perspecives migh be helpul o ideniy how he mi-
graion rom he European coninen has shaped he evangelical heological
enerprise as a whole I Asian Americans can help heir evangelical colleagues
ideniy he hisorical impac o old o new world migraion on he belies andpracices o Norh American Evangelicalism ha in isel will open up pos-
sibiliies or considering aresh Asian American hisories and heir conribu-
ions o he wider conversaion
Second Asian Americans are orced o hink abou race and ehniciy in a
way unlike mos o heir whie brohers and sisers alhough heir reflecions
56Evangelical heologyrsquos many inernal and exernal batles are documened by Jon R Sone On heBoundaries o American Evangelicalism Te Poswar Evangelical Coaliion (New York S MarinrsquosPress 1048625983097983097983095)
57Some o hese are documened by Kenneh J Gues God in Chinaown Religion and Survival in
New Yorkrsquos Evolving Immigran Communiy (New York New York Universiy Press 10486269830889830881048627) whose work we will reurn o in chaper six
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3335
983089 983090 983090 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
can also mediae perspecive in an oherwise whie-and-black demarcaed
world Race and ehniciy are undeniable aspecs o Asian American hisory
and experience Te impor o his is a leas woold Firs Asian Americansare posiioned o engage he discussion opened up by black evangelical heo-
logians regarding conemporary heology991252even in is evangelical guises991252as
reflecing he ascen o whie perspecives in he early modern period a he
expense o Jewish and oher nonwhie culural realiies Asian American per-
specives on race and ehniciy will open up new visas on he racial and ehnic
dimensions o he biblical world10486291048632 In oher words he marginalized hisories
and perspecives o Asian American Evangelicals have much o conribue oconemporary biblical inerpreaion and heological explicaion Te dom-
inan orms o evangelical heology orged in par ou o he hegemony o
Chrisendom are in need o criical analysis and dialogical revision
Las bu no leas cenral and ongoing elemens o Asian American hisory
are par o he presen experiences o ransnaionalism and globalizaion Te
issues here are complex10486291048633 One mater ha needs o be addressed is he iner-
woven characer o he global economy and how i affecs people around he world differenly depending on various social poliical and culural circum-
sances In addiion wih regard o he Asian American side o his equaion
here remain difficul issues relaed o how he quesion o assimilaion or ac-
culuraion is being negoiaed and adjudicaed Firs- second- and hird-gener-
aion perspecives differ someimes momenously and his does no even acor
in he perspecives o he 983089983093 generaion I heology is o engage he hisorical
realiies o real flesh-and-blood human beings i mus engage such quesions inour conemporary world Asian American Evangelicals can lead he way in
hinking heologically abou such hings and his will benefi no only Asian
58 Asian Evangelicals hus need o build rom he insighul readings o mainline Proesan biblicalscholar a-Siong Benny Liew Wha Is Asian American Biblical Hermeneuics Reading he New
esamen (Honolulu Universiy o Hawaii Press 1048626983088983088983096) regarding he ehnic dynamics under-neah Jewish-Genile relaions in he New esamen o be sure Liewrsquos mainline Proesan as-sumpions may be raher disan rom evangelical ones so some criical dialogue and perhaps
correcion may also be in order Ye he srengh o Liewrsquos book is o sugges how Asian Americanexperiences o ehnic marginaliy can illuminae he dispues beween Jewish and Genile ollow-ers o he Messiah in he firs cenury Tis is an issue worh subsanial engagemen rom anevangelical perspecive
59Eg Neil J Ormerod and Shane Clifon Globalizaion and he Mission o he Church (New York amp Clark 104862698308810486251048625)
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983090983091
American communiies bu also hose o oher ehnic racial and culural groups
who are also wresling wih lie in he weny-firs-cenury global conex
Evangelical heology oday will need o heed more inenionally han i has beore acors o migraion ehniciy globalizaion and ransnaionalism
Asian American Evangelicals can assis wih hese maters i hey will arise o
he occasion Tis does no derac rom he universaliy o he gospel message
On he conrary i addresses quesions o universal significance ha are oher-
wise negleced or engaged rom or wihin only one (dominan cenris) se
o perspecives
Reconnecting to the broader evangelical theological tradition Beore con-cluding his chaper however an imporan cavea ough o be sounded None
o he preceding should be read as denying eiher Asian American indebedness
o he evangelical radiion or he inerrelaedness o Asian American and oher
evangelical effors in he conemporary heological ask Te preceding migh
sugges ha Asian Americans are only poining accusing fingers a heir whie
evangelical riends Wihou aking away anyhing rom he seriousness o he
oregoing discussion I also realize ha whie Evangelicals in paricular and Americans in general have been welcoming o Asians and ha we have made i
his ar on our diasporic journey only wih he help o such riends
Beyond such ecclesial collegialiy however I would gran ha Asian Amer-
icans are in various respecs beholden heologically o American Evangelicals
as well In paricular American evangelical commimens o Chris-
ceneredness biblical aihulness and missionary zealousness are imporan
elemens o Chrisian belie and pracice in he weny-firs cenury Asian American Evangelicals should embrace and live ou such commimens no
only or hemselves bu also or oher Evangelicals and even or he world
Ye my claim is precisely ha such a posure enables Asian American Evan-
gelicals o conribue heologically o he ormaion o an evangelical belie
and praxis relevan o he weny-firs cenury For his o happen however
Asian American Evangelicals mus embrace no only he evangel bu also he
hisoriciy o heir diasporic experiences Te incarnaion o he Son o Godconsised afer all o aking on he concreeness palpabiliy and emporaliy
o human Jewish and firs-cenury Palesinian flesh and he oupouring o he
Spiri o God on he Day o Penecos involved he redempion o he diversiy
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3535
983089 983090 983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
o human ongues languages and culures so ha hey migh bear winess o
he wondrous works o God (Acs 983090983089983089) Tis penecosal heme991252relaed o
Acs 983090 firs and oremos albei reraced unavoidably hrough he lens o mymodern penecosal ecclesial sensibiliies991252will inorm he deep srucure o
he argumen in he remainder o his volume ye achieved wihin a pen-
evangelical raher han merely charismaic rame o reerence My poin going
orward however is ha in ligh o hese heological and riniarian commi-
mens Evangelicals should be he firs o embrace he diversiy o heir his-
orical pariculariies raher han shy away rom hem radiionally o course
Evangelicals have subordinaed he vicissiudes o hisory and wih ha heiranxieies abou he flux and subjeciviies o experience o he surey and
oundaionalism o he Word o God as revealed in he Scripures My pro-
posal however is ha work o God in Chris and by he Spiri redeems us
amid wih and hrough he specificiies o our hisorical and culural expe-
rience (raher han saving us rom ou o such alogeher) and hus ha he
Word o God speaks ino such realiies (raher han ha we have o deny hem
or rejec hem as par o who we are)In shor Asian American Evangelicals do no need o be apologeic abou
heir lives experiences and perspecives Raher by ollowing he pah o he
Son o God ino he ar counry by receiving he infilling o he Spiri o God
poured ou on all flesh and by aihully atemping o live ou such a Chris-
cenered and Spiri-empowered aih in he ooseps o heir evangelical ore-
bears and ancesors Asian Americans may hen be able o bring heir heo-
logical gifs o he conversaion able gifs ha will challenge he discussion while simulaneously enriching he are or all hose concerned abou he
euangelion in he presen ime I is ime o heologize as Asian Americans no
jus as Evangelicals in order ha Evangelicalism isel can be renewed and
invigoraed or he sake o he gospel and in anicipaion o he reign o God
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 1435
he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088983091
ional docrines or he lae modern world9830891048629 Cerainly in he Norh American
conex here are progressive orces a work especially among second and laer
generaions o Asian Americans bu equally cerainly he weigh o porableculural and philosophical radiions like Conucianism (see chaper wo)
means ha change occurs slowly
Wihin he Asian American evangelical communiy he gradual ransor-
maion o he inheried culural conservaism is cerainly being played ou
even i a a much slower pace han in nonevangelical conexs One he one
side he gospel is undersood as providing a criical perspecive on culure991252
on which I will say more momenarily on he oher side however here arecerain biblical hemes such as honoring o parens and he submission o
women (read off he surace o some Pauline exs) ha resonae wih he filial
piey o especially Conucian culures and hese have ineviably become
cenral issues or he orging o Asian American ideniies9830891048630 Hence Asian
American immigrans who are atraced o Chrisianiy are ofen drawn o
evangelical Proesanism because i provides a similarly conservaive
worldview one ha enables heir acculuraion ino American sociey Forhese reasons Conucian conservaism morphs among Asian American Pro-
esans ino a orm o evangelical conservaism
o be sure he exac role o Conucianism behind Asian American evan-
gelical conservaism migh be debaed among scholars paricularly since he
appropriaion o he Conucian radiion across he Asian American diaspora
is no all o one sripe A he same ime even i oher Asian radiions were o
be acored ino he marix o Asian American lie many are inormed by akind o pariarchal hierarchical and auhoriarian conservaism ha uncions
similarly in Eas Asian Conucian culure In shor perhaps he ldquomodel mi-
noriyrdquo sereoype as conesed as migh be such a designaion ha charac-
erizes much o he Asian American experience conribues o he conser-
vaism ha permeaes Asian American Evangelicalism
North American evangelical conservatism and its implications Bu high-
15See here Daniel A Bell Chinarsquos New Conucianism Poliics and Everyday Lie in a Changing Soci-
ey (Princeon NJ Princeon Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983096) chap 104862716Eg om Lin Losing Face and Finding Grace 983089983090 Bible Sudies or Asian Americans (Downers
Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 1048625983097983097983094) esp par 1048625
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983089983088983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
lighing Eas Asian conservaism ells only one side o he sory abou why
Asian Americans end o be conened wih and passive recipiens o he he-
ology o he dominan evangelical culure Te oher hal o his ale has o do wih Norh American conservaism as well O course hisorically Norh
American Evangelicalism was ormed ou o a long hisory o reacion o
mainline Proesan liberalism By definiion o be conservaive means o
resis he orces o change insoar as such changes are hough o compromise
he received values o a paricular radiion So while some changes have been
embraced evangelical conservaives have long resised wha are perceived as
adjusmens o hisoric Chrisian orhodoxy oised upon he Norh Americanchurch by heir liberal counerpars9830891048631 More recenly Evangelicals have also
enered ino he culure wars in deense o radiional amily values and oher
aspecs o he agenda o he Republican Pary
Over ime hen Evangelicals have been led o develop heological argu-
mens or heir conservaive sances Mos relevan or he Asian American
experience is how he dominan evangelical culure has acceped while
slighly redefining a leas more recenly he basic caegories o he classicalChris and Culure sudy o H Richard Niebuhr9830891048632 Ye hisorically Evangel-
icals have embraced he ldquoChris agains culurerdquo sance albei more recenly
shifing oward he ldquoChris ransorming culurerdquo posure Tis involves eiher
a wors he rejecion o culure which has radiionally characerized evan-
gelical secarianism (especially among undamenaliss he close cousins o
Evangelicals)9830891048633 or a bes an ambiguous relaionship wih culure one ea-
uring wha migh be called a culural hermeneuic o suspicion ha is alwaysconcerned abou syncreism wih he world Culure in popular evangelical
parlance is almos equivalen o he world and in ha sense is wha humans
need o be saved rom raher han parake o
17Tere are many versions o his sory my own elling is here ldquoTe Word and he Spiri or heSpiri and he Word Exploring he Boundaries o Evangelicalism in Relaionship o Modern Pen-ecosalismrdquo riniy Journal 10486261048627 no 1048626 (10486269830889830881048626) 10486261048627983093-9830931048626
18See H Richard Niebuhr Chris and Culure (10486259830979830931048625 repr San Francisco Harper orchligh1048625983097983093983094) c Glen H Sassen D M Yeager and John Howard Yoder Auhenic ransormaion A
New Vision o Chris and Culure (Nashville Abingdon 1048625983097983097983094)19Ie as manies in missionary and evangelisic sraegies ha called on convers o abandon heir
culural belies and pracices in ollowing Chris991252eg Birgi Meyer ranslaing he Devil Religion
and Moderniy Among he Ewe in Ghana (renon NJ Arica World Press 1048625983097983097983097)
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088983093
So how has his played ou in Asian American evangelical communiies
Mos poinedly Asian American Evangelicals have radiionally undersood
heir Chrisian conversion o involve eiher a urning away rom heir Asianculural roos or a minimizing o such aspecs o heir ideniy Ta Chrisian
conversion acually involves Americanizaion is quie prevalen across he
Asian American scene In my own case growing up as already indicaed in he
prologue we never alked abou he imporance o Chinese culure he em-
phasis a home (my parens were firs-generaion convers o Chrisianiy)
was always on embodying Chrisian culure Many Asian Americans hus end
o view heir Asian hisorical and culural legacies in binary erms ood dressand music migh be reained because hey concern he ouward aspecs o lie
which are incidenal anyway o rue human ideniy bu lierary philosophical
and religious ideas are o be cauiously approached (a bes) since hey are
probably represenaive o ldquohe worldrdquo and hus aniheical o he gospel
Tis confluence o Conucian and evangelical conservaism has been
srenghened hrough he process o heological educaion Asian American
Evangelicals end o atend solidly evangelical seminaries because o heirconservaive commimens So whereas mainline Proesan seminaries are
much more ocused on corporae ideniies evangelical seminaries and
heir curricula ocus more on personal ideniies paricularly he or-
maion o spiriual lives in relaionship o Chris9830901048624 Wha his means is ha
ehnic ideniies are minimized as having no more han biological signifi-
cance and hisorical and culural aspecs o Asian ideniy are acceped
only as accidenal o ideniy in Chris Asian American Evangelicals arefirs and oremos Chrisians and only secondarily i a all Asians (al-
hough ineresingly he prevalence o naionalism among Evangelicals
means ha American ideniy is much more imporan han evangelical
rheoric usually les on) Evangelical heological educaion hus provides
he philosophical and heological apparaus o make sense o such modes
o ideniy consrucion
20Russell Jeung ldquoEvangelical and Mainline eachings on Asian American Ideniyrdquo in Liew and Yee Bible in Asian America pp 104862610486251048625-1048627983094 reprined in Nakka-Cammau and seng Asian American
Chrisianiy pp 1048625983097983095-10486261048625983094
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 1735
983089983088983094 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
T983144983141 B983157983154983140983141983150 983151983142 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161 A M983145983150983151983154983145983156983161 R983141983152983151983154983156
In he ollowing I highligh he major episemological hermeneuical meh-
odological and docrinal aspecs o (whie) evangelical heology embraced bymany Asian American Evangelicals I argue no ha hese are he only ways in
which Asian American Evangelicals have accommodaed o he dominan
(whie) evangelical subculural worldview nor ha Asian American evan-
gelical heology can be reduced o hese eaures I sugges however ha hese
provide some explanaion or how many Asian American evangelical heolo-
gians view he Asian dimension o heir work in conexual erms bu do no
also undersand he dominan whie heological consrucs similarly Teresul is ha Asian American concerns are no only subordinaed bu also e-
ecively silenced in many cases In he ollowing I criically assess his dom-
inan view rom he marginal horizons o he Asian American experience
A (putatively) global epistemology I begin wih he Enlighenmen epis-
emology and is ques or or presumpion o have atained he universal per-
specive In heir batle agains liberalism Evangelicals have highlighed he
imporance o developing a biblical worldview983090983089 Worldview consrucion isineviably an inellecual exercise983090983090 Wha mos Evangelicals do no ofen
inerrogae is how rooed he worldview ques is in he Enlighenmen projec
As such evangelical worldview ormulaion operaes episemologically ac-
cording o modernis canons o raionaliy Tis is reinorced in evangelical
seminary educaion variously no leas in he embrace o some orm o oun-
daionalism characerisic o he Enlighenmen ques or cerainy hough
o secure evangelical claims o universal ruh983090983091
Foundaionalism classically undersood is he view ha all belies can be
jusified direcly (ounded upon) sense experience or reason available o all991252
hence universal991252raher han inerred rom oher (subjecively held) be-
lies9830901048628 While Evangelicals are philosophically jus as sophisicaed as anyone
21Tus InerVarsiy Press has jus published in 1048626983088983088983097 he fifh ediion o James Sirersquos Te Universe Nex
Door A Basic Worldview Caalog a esimony o is populariy a evangelical colleges and universiies22 Anoher popular ex among Evangelicals noes is concepual naure David K Naugle World-
view Te Hisory o a Concep (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048626)23 As refleced in anoher popular evangelical exbook J P Moreland and William Lane Craig
Philosophical Foundaions or a Chrisian Worldview (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 10486269830889830881048627)24Noe ha he dualism beween objeciviy and subjeciviy is isel a modernis consrucion I
discuss hese maters as well as evangelical orms o oundaionalism in my ldquoTe Demise o Foun-
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088 983095
else in heir deense o oundaionalism9830901048629 more ofen han no hey are epis-
emological oundaionaliss or wo reasons Negaively pu episemic oun-
daionalism is a deerren o wha hey see as he hreaening alernaive oepisemological skepicism philosophical i no moral relaivism and reli-
gious and heological pluralism Posiively pu he oundaions o Chrisian
knowing are given in he Bible I will reurn in a momen o address he her-
meneuical issues involved wih such an appeal For he momen however I
simply noe ha evangelical oundaionalism in whaever is guise butresses
is claims o have access o a universal sandpoin or (heological) knowledge
Such a universal vanage poin is o course relaed o he Enlighenmenques or cerain knowledge Hence he undermining o oundaionalism
opens up o perspecivism Evangelicals resis episemic perspecivism or he
same reasons ha hey deend oundaionalism because ha is el o be he
only way o secure raionally he sabiliy o ruh claims Opening he door
o perspecivism invies he mulipliciy o views ha characerizes he rela-
ivism o he posmodern siuaion Conservaive Evangelicals are hus very
concerned abou he ascendency o he posmodern agenda9830901048630
Wha does his have o do wih Asian American Evangelicalism My claim is
ha Asian Americans educaed a conservaive evangelical seminaries have un-
witingly embraced no only he oundaionalis episemology o heir eachers
bu also is atendan applicaions In order o ward off episemic skepicism
moral relaivism and heological pluralism Asian American Evangelicals have
also uncriically rejeced he perspecivism cenral o posoundaionalis epis-
emology9830901048631 More o he poin he deense o oundaionalism is also he de-ense o he saus quo he universal rame o reerence claimed by evangelical
daionalism and he Reenion o ruh Wha Evangelicals Can Learn rom C S Peircerdquo Chrisian
Scholarrsquos Review 1048626983097 no 1048627 (Spring 1048626983088983088983088) 9830939830941048627-98309698309625Eg J P Moreland and Garret DeWeese ldquoTe Premaure Repor o Foundaionalismrsquos Demiserdquo
in Millard J Erickson Paul Kjoss Helseh and Jusin aylor eds Reclaiming he Cener Confon-
ing Evangelical Accommodaion in Posmodern imes (Wheaon IL Crossway 1048626983088983088983092) pp 9830961048625-104862598308898309526Tus par 1048626 o Millard J Erickson Posmodernizing he Faih Evangelical Responses o he Chal-
lenge o Posmodernism (Grand Rapids Baker Books 1048625983097983097983096) is iled ldquoNegaive Responses o
Posmodernismrdquo and discusses a number o conemporary and recen deenders o classical evan-gelical aih David Wells Tomas Oden and Francis Schaeffer
27 As argued eg by Sanley J Grenz and John R Franke Beyond Foundaionalism Shaping Teology in
a Posmodern Conex (Louisville Wesminser John Knox 10486269830889830881048625) he criical and apologeic responsehas been he recogniion ha his akes us ldquobeyond Evangelicalismrdquo991252see Seven Knowles Beyond
Evangelicalism Te Teological Mehodology o Sanley J Grenz (Burlingon V Ashgae 1048626983088983088983097)
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983089983088983096 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
heology Simulaneously so he argumen goes he abandonmen o ounda-
ionalism opens he door o perspecivism and pluralism And i he later are
problemaic so are heir ideological movemens especially and including muli-culuralism (wih some advocaes o such having reinerpreed Chrisian eaching
in ligh o a poliics o ideniy insead o vice versa)9830901048632 Asian American Evan-
gelicals are hus armed oundaionally o conron engage and resis he perils
o cynicism relaivism and pluralism Unbeknowns o hem however his no
only undercus he ideology o muliculuralism bu also assails he basis upon
which hey can reclaim heir own hisorical and culural ideniies O course
Evangelicals have more recenly recognized a leas in general he imporanceo embracing he diversiy o culures even o celebraing hem bu only so
long as doing so does no hreaen he oundaions o evangelical ceriude
An (allegedly) a-cultural hermeneutic Tis presumpion o having a uni-
versal perspecive while undergirded as biblical raher han recognized as
ounded on an Enlighenmen paradigm bleeds over ino evangelical herme-
neuics In he Asian American evangelical landscape such hermeneuical pre-
supposiions bracke Asian America wheher inenionally (more ofen) or noIn his way Asian American Evangelicals have imbibed no only he oundaion-
alism o heir classical seminary educaion bu also he biblical hermeneuic ha
works o secure such an episemic sance Unsurprisingly a he hear o he
evangelical inerpreaion o Scripure is anoher insrumen rom he modernis
oolki ha o hisorical criicism Tis ime however such a hermeneuical
approach is deployed o access he auhorial inen o he Scripures and i is
his ha is cenral (oundaional) o ideniying he biblical message which inurn enables he Bible o serve as he unshakable norm or Chrisian belie
Tere is much o unpack in he preceding brie descripion o evangelical
hermeneuics classically considered Bu I wan o ocus insead on he prin-
ciples o biblical exegesis as emphasized in evangelical seminary educaion9830901048633
Te goal o exegesis is o draw ou o or o cull rom he Bible wha he original
auhors mean o communicae Tis involves undersanding firs and
28Tus have some Evangelicals harangued agains muliculuralism as an ideology or example991252Dennis McCallum ed Te Deah o ruh Wharsquos Wrong wih Muliculuralism he Rejecion o
Reason and he New Posmodern Diversiy (Minneapolis Behany House 1048625983097983097983094)29Eg Waler C Kaiser oward an Exegeical Teology Biblical Exegesis or Preaching and eaching
(Grand Rapids Baker Books 1048625983097983097983096)
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088983097
oremos how he biblical auhors were undersood by heir iniial audiences
in he ancien conex Exegesis accesses hese primordially inended biblical
principles Wha he Bible means oday is hereby a secondary issue de-penden primarily on wha i originally mean o he firs hearers and readers
o he Scripures Conemporary applicaion hus involves idenificaion o
he original and or some single meaning o he biblical exs9830911048624
Te flip side o he emphasis on exegesis hen involves he rejecion o
eisegesis he inserion o conemporary perspecives ino he meaning o he
biblical ex I he burden o biblical hermeneuics is o ake away rom he
Scripures wha is auhors inended o communicae he bane o evangelicalinerpreaion is o read ino he Bible whaever our presen viewpoins may
dicae Tis o course is a violaion o he cardinal rule o evangelical herme-
neuics readers should leave heir prejudices and biases a he door and allow
he Bible o inorm hem insead Oherwise he concern is ha he reader
will find whaever he or she is looking or and his inecs conaminaes
skews and disors he prisine message o he Bible983091983089
Te problem here is no jus ha he lines beween exegesis and eisegesis aremuch more blurred han Evangelicals usually acknowledge983091983090 bu ha he per-
sisen applicaion o such an approach o he Bible dicaes ha evangelical
readers inenionally bracke or a leas atemp o hold in abeyance heir own
hisories experiences and perspecives as being o secondary impor i o any
relevance a all or heir reading o Scripure Now I am cerainly no suggesing
ha we all willy-nilly inser our biases in appropriaing he biblical ex Simul-
aneously I urge ha he cos o such hermeneuical brackeing is oo high or
30See Rober L Tomas Evangelical Hermeneuics Te New Versus he Old (Grand Rapids Kregel10486269830889830881048626) chap 983094 iled ldquoTe Principle o Single Meaningrdquo which argues ha he pluralism po-lyphony and plurivociy o meaning advocaed by recen progressive Evangelicals reflecs more heeffecs o humaniyrsquos all ino sin han i does he classical assumpions o evangelical biblical in-erpreaion For a counerargumen one ha I am largely sympaheic wih see James K ASmih Te Fall o Inerpreaion Philosophical Foundaions or a Creaional Hermeneuic (DownersGrove IL InerVarsiy Press 1048626983088983088983088)
31For evangelical concerns regarding reader-response hermeneuics see Norman R Gulley ldquoReader-
Response Teories in Posmodern Hermeneuics A Challenge o Evangelical Teologyrdquo in DavidS Dockery ed Te Challenge o Posmodernism An Evangelical Engagemen (Wheaon IL VicorBooks 1048625983097983097983093) pp 1048626983088983096-1048627983096
32In mainline Proesan circles o course here has long been recogniion ha he radiional line beween exegesis and eisegesis is much blurrier han previously hough see Jay G WilliamsldquoExegesis-Eisegesis Is Tere a Differencerdquo Teology oday 1048627983088 no 1048627 (10486259830979830951048627) 10486261048625983096-1048626983095
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983089 983089983088 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
ehnic minoriies who are Evangelicals since his in effec rejecs heir quesions
and concerns as perinen o heir engagemen wih he Bible In addiion such
presumpive brackeing blinds whie Evangelicals o he ac ha heir own ho-rizons and perspecives are involved in any reading o ancien exs and his lack
o awareness makes i doubly difficul o recognize moderae or correc
I would urge insead ha we recognize and embrace he ension involved
in he usion o biblical and conemporary horizons bu do so in a way ha
boh allows conemporary readers o ener ino he world o he Bible on he
one hand (ldquohis is hardquo) and or he Bible o map ono our conemporary lives
on he oher hand (ldquoha is hisrdquo)983091983091 Tis no only allows or an Asian American reading o he Bible somehing ha is barred in he evangelical
environmen i also invies even encourages such an approach and his in
urn gives Asian Americans991252all people acually991252permission o read he
Bible as i i really matered o heir lives
A (presumably) biblical-theological method Enlighenmen assumpions
hus inorm no only Asian American evangelical episemology and herme-
neuics bu also heological mehod and hey do so in ways ha marginalize Asian America Tis is consisen wih he general evangelical ear o licensing
wha hey see as merely subjecive readings o he Bible or he same reasons
ha hey are wary abou enabling heological mehodologies ha consciously
acknowledge he role o experience In oher words he saus quo in evan-
gelical approaches o he Bible (wih is accenuaion o exegesis and rejecion
o eisegesis) has is counerpar in evangelical approaches o heological re-
flecion his ime wih he emphasis on he Bible as he primary i no solesource or heology over and agains hisory radiion culure and experience
A one level he sola scripura commimens o Reormaion radiions have
a very specific hisory and should be undersood according o he nuances
wih which his idea has developed in he pas five hundred years9830911048628 A anoher
33I explicae some aspecs o he ldquohis is hardquo hermeneuic rom a Penecosal perspecive in myldquoReading Scripure and Naure Penecosal Hermeneuics and Teir Implicaions or he Con-
emporary Evangelical Teology and Science Conversaionrdquo Perspecives on Science and ChrisianFaih 9830931048627 no 1048625 (104862698308810486251048625) 1048625-10486251048627
34Reflecing developmens rom he publicaion o Te Fundamenals o he ldquoChicago Saemen onBiblical Inerrancyrdquo (1048625983097983095983096) many conservaive Norh American Evangelicals991252eg rom NormanL Geisler Inerrancy (Grand Rapids Zondervan 1048625983097983096983088) o James R Whie Scripure Alone (Min-neapolis Behany House 1048626983088983088983092)991252have seen and coninue o see boh sola scripura and he doc-
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2235
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2335
983089 983089 983090 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
Te problem however is ha Asian Americans have rarely i ever ques-
ioned more rigid applicaions o his mehodological norm or evangelical
heology Raher hey have inernalized he evangelical bias agains hisoryradiion and experience hus silencing he role ha paricular perspecives
migh play in he heological ask I we appeal o our experience a all we
mus do so apologeically as i admiting ha such heological inerprea-
ions are a bes parochial concerns o a communiy no ye assimilaed o
he dominan culure or a wors signaling our heological immauriy and
need o grow up rom or ranscend he ldquobackwardnessrdquo represening our
hisory and experience beore our lie in Chris Ironically however suchinenional marginalizaion o he Asian American experience no o
menion Asian American philosophical ways o hinking and reasoning
does no call ino quesion how he predominanly Anglo- and Euro-
American experiences o moderniy have shaped evangelical heology As a
resul Asian American Evangelicals have adoped wha is claimed o be a
biblical worldview and heological ramework supposedly shorn o he sub-
jecive biases o hisorically siuaed human inerpreers Bu hese aresurely devoid o heir own experienial and conexual (Asian American)
locaions and ye uncriically naive in hinking ha Euro-American his-
orical accidens have been adequaely ldquoChrisianizedrdquo
So ar I have suggesed ha episemologically hermeneuically and meh-
odologically Asian Americans have rarely quesioned he modernis Enligh-
enmen and Anglo- and Euro-American presupposiions o he evangelical
heological endeavor And since his underaking has never acknowledged heculural conexs and perspecives o he predominanly whie ramers o he
evangelical heological radiion10486281048624 he assumpion is ha ehniciy plays litle
i any role in he work o heology No surprisingly hen Asian American
heologians have been reicen o sugges ha ehniciy culure and hisoriciy
coun in heological reflecion By exension he heological and docrinal
40My poin is no ha whie perspecives have disored he gospel his isel assumes a sor oa-culural gospel ha needs conexualizaion991252a poin ha needs o be addressed and nuanced which we will do momenarily My poin is ha such whie viewpoins are no only unrecognized bu ha hey are hen presumed o be normaive or nonwhies I is par o he goal o his chapero call Asian American heologians o atend o his assumpion and o find ways o inenionallyaddress and subver i
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983091
resuls have been ormulaed and ransmited as biblically unded and univer-
sally applicable regardless o conexual consideraions
A (supposedly) universal doctrinal famework One example o how Norh American evangelical heology has proceeded wih universalisic assumpions
and hereby overlooked i no inenionally ignored oher culural perspec-
ives has o do wih he docrine o he aonemen and wha i addresses Pu
crassly humankind suffers rom one overall problem ha o sin agains God
and ha one problem demands basically one soluion he subsiuionary
aonemen o he Sonrsquos deah on he cross1048628983089 Now I realize ha i is unair o
depic evangelical views regarding he aonemen in such homogeneous ermssince he mater isel is sill being conesed1048628983090 Bu he ac is ha in some
evangelical circles deparure rom he subsiuionary view o he aonemen
is considered deviaion rom evangelical orhodoxy1048628983091 From his posiion oher
biblical aspecs and alernaive inerpreaions are eiher subsumed under he
docrine o penal subsiuion or argued o be flawed in some respec
O course such a viewpoin minimizes he role o medieval eudalism and
he jurisprudenial background o some o he Reormers in he emergenceand esablishmen o his undersanding o he aonemen in he evangelical
radiion jus as i really does no quesion he basically Augusinian anhro-
pology presumed in his process Now I am no a hisorical deerminis who
believes ha conex leads inexorably o our heological ideas jus as I do no
hink ha allowance or hisorical conexual acors relaivizes he ruh o
heological claims or produces docrinal heerodoxy Raher wihou denying
41Te World Evangelical Alliancersquos Saemen o Faih affirms ldquoWe believe in Our Lord JesusChris God manies in he flesh His virgin birh His sinless human lie His divine miracles His vicarious and aoning deah His bodily resurrecion His ascension His mediaorial work and HisPersonal reurn in power and glory Te Salvaion o los and sinul man hrough he shed bloodo he Lord Jesus Chris by aih apar rom works and regeneraion by he Holy Spirirdquo (see worldevangelicalorgweasaemenhm emphases original)
42See James Beilby and Paul R Eddy eds Te Naure o he Aonemen Four Views (DownersGrove IL IVP Academic 1048626983088983088983094) and Derek idball David Hilborn and Jusin Tacker eds Te
Aonemen Debae Papers fom he London Symposium on he Teology o he Aonemen (Grand
Rapids Zondervan 1048626983088983088983093) c J Denny Weaver Te Nonviolen Aonemen (Grand Rapids Eerd-mans 10486269830889830881048625) and Hans Boersma Violence Hospialiy and he Cross Recovering he Aonemen
radiion (Grand Rapids Baker Academic 1048626983088983088983092)43See S Lewis Johnson Jr ldquoBehold he Lamb Te Gospel and Subsiuionary Aonemenrdquo in John
H Armsrong ed Te Coming Evangelical Crisis Curren Challenges o he Auhoriy o Scripure
and he Gospel (Chicago Moody Press 1048625983097983097983094) pp 10486251048625983097-1048627983096
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983089 983089 983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
he imporance o he biblical and heological heme o subsiuion or he
docrine o he aonemen I am simply suggesing ha oher culural perspec-
ives and even assumpions migh highligh and emphasize oher biblicalmeaphors regarding Chrisrsquos salvific work
Bu o pursue he quesion ono Asian American errain wha difference
will i make i we recognize ha some Asians and Asian Americans live and
exis in a shame raher han guil culure How migh evangelical hinking
abou he aonemen be adjused revised and maybe even ransormed i
Chrisrsquos work no only assuaged he guil o sin rom human lives bu also re-
moved he shame in human hears10486281048628 My poin is ha evangelical heologicalendencies generally urge a universalisic sandpoin and in his paradigm
here is no need o atend o he pariculariies o or ariculae Asian Asian
American or oher culural perspecives since hese are all subsumed wihin he
biblical ramework read in an evangelical way In his case here isnrsquo even a
need o ask wheher radiional evangelical heologies and docrines like hose
regarding he aonemen may need o be revisied and reariculaed in ligh o
oher hisorical culural and experienial dynamics In ac Asian Americansare boh oo shameul and oo shy o even consider asking abou hese maters
I have argued so ar in his secion ha Asian American Evangelicals ormed
heologically according o he sensibiliies o he dominan evangelical culure
in Norh America have inernalized he whie evangelical worldview and in ha
sense mosly do no see he need o hink explicily rom an Asian American
vanage poin Asian American evangelical views are hereore a bes no more
han a minoriy heological perspecive wo relaed summary consequenceshave ollowed Asian American acquiescence o he majoriy culure Firs meh-
odologically and maerially evangelical heology has been undersood o be a-
hisorical a-culural and even a-conexual Te assumpion is ha he Bible
addresses all human beings so any plain reading o he Scripure will or should
be able o access he Word o God a any and all imes and places radiionally
ormulaed and ramed evangelical docrines derived rom an inducive sudy
44 Asian Americans are beginning o do jus his however991252eg Rachel Y Lei ldquoSaving Significanceo he Cross in he Asian American Conexrdquo SANACS Journal 1048625 (1048626983088983088983097) 983097983093-10486251048625983094 c Mark D Bakerand Joel B Green Recovering he Scandal o he Cross Te Aonemen in New esamen and Con-
emporary Conexs (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 1048626983088983088983088) chap 983094 ldquoRemoving AlienaingShame Te Saving Significance o he Cross in Japanrdquo
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983093
o Scripure hus orm he undispuable and unrevisable core o he gospel
Tere is litle recogniion o he hisorical culural and conexual perspecives
ha have conribued o he ariculaion o such evangelical belies Wha his means is ha here sill remains a core se o evangelical docrinal
achievemens and hese remain valid across space and ime alhough hey
may be supplemened by or ranslaed ino local conexual and siuaional
perspecives and idioms As we saw previously (chaper one) he recen Cam-
bridge Companion o Evangelical Teology reflecs precisely his mindse10486281048629 Te
Companion we know is divided ino wo pars Te firs is iled ldquoEvan-
gelicals and Chrisian Docrinerdquo and his includes eigh chapers on he oun-daional docrinal marix o evangelical belies he riniy Scripure chris-
ology heological anhropology jusificaionaonemen pneumaology
conversionsancificaion and ecclesiology Par wo ldquoTe Conexs o Evan-
gelical Teologyrdquo hen provides anoher nine chapers and hese cover issues
relaed o culure gender race and pluralism and include five chapers on
evangelical heology in Arican Asian European Lain American and Norh
American conexs Tis srucure o he Companion communicaes a wooldmessage ha evangelical docrine is a-conexually derived (par one) and
ha various hisorical conexs (par wo) can add a mos parochial ruhs
ha will no upse he docrinal supersrucure o he evangelical heological
landscape In shor basic heological and docrinal ruhs o he Chrisian
aih have already been ormulaed and can be ound in any oher evangelical
sysemaic heological ex quie apar rom Asian American or any oher
more specified perspecivesPu more poinedly i Asian Americans (or any oher ehnic or culural
group) were o wrie heir own heologies hese would be provincial under-
akings wih marginal relevance or he wider evangelical communiy Tese
would be o value only or ldquohoserdquo people (maybe immigrans reugees or
exiles) who have no ye been assimilaed ino he broader American evan-
gelical culure Litle wonder hen ha ew Asian Americans have venured
ino heological errioryhe second summary consequence o inernalizing he dominan
45imohy Larsen and Daniel J reier eds Te Cambridge Companion o Evangelical Teology (Cambridge Cambridge Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983095)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2735
983089 983089983094 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
worldview991252ha evangelical heology a leas in is dogmaic and sysemaic
configuraions is by and large a finished projec wih minimal inpu needed
rom Asian American or oher perspecives991252is ha Asian Americans wihheological educaion have urned in general o work in he hisorical and
social scienific disciplines10486281048630 Tere cerainly remains imporan work o be
done by hose working across he disciplines so I am no decrying such effors
Ye he ac ha hisorical sociological or oher disciplinary explicaions o
Asian American lie are published by universiy presses communicaes o
Asian Americans ha heir role is o shed new ligh on he Asian American
experience A he same ime he prevalence o hese analyical approachesamid he lacuna o explicily heological works suggess ha he ormer is o
minimal value a leas or he ldquorealrdquo heological work o dogmaics and sys-
emaics Furher ha hese scholarly publishers do no eaure exs on Asian
American evangelical heology confirms his division o labor (whie Evan-
gelicals wrie real heology Asian American Evangelicals do hisory sociology
ec) A he end o he day evangelical heologyrsquos assumpion remains undis-
urbed ha here are core docrines ha only need o be conexualized991252ha is ranslaed and made relevan991252around he world In his ramework
Asian Americans can conribue no o he ormer heological ormulaion bu
only o he later ranslaion and disseminaion ask10486281048631
46Eg he work o imohy seng and David Yoo in hisory Fenggang Yang and Rebecca Kim insociology and Russell Jeung in Asian American sudies among ohers see also my ldquoAsian Amer-ican Religion A Review Essayrdquo Nova Religio Te Journal o Alernaive and Emergen Religions 983097
no 1048627 (1048626983088983088983094) 9830971048626-104862598308898309547One could argue ha a parallel ye disinc moivaion drives Lain American or Hispanic evan-
gelical heology in a similar direcion I Asian Americans are cauioned agains hinking heo-logically rom ou o ehnic hisorical and conexual lives because o heir uncriical embrace o whie evangelical assumpions Hispanic Evangelicals may have adoped similar commimensalbei or slighly differen reasons relaed o he Lain American conex Te dominance o heRoman Caholic Church along wih is heological and olk radiions in he later environmenmay be behind Hispanic evangelical suspicions abou he role o hisory and culure in he doingo heology Te ani-Caholic senimen in hisoric Evangelicalism no doub is atracive oLainoas on he migran rail (rom Lain America o he Unied Saes) alhough such accom-modaion has brough wih i he heological coss elaboraed in he preceding pages For urher
discussion and oher angles on hese issues see Oscar Garcia-Johnson Te Mesizoa Communiyo he Spiri A Posmodern Lainoa Ecclesiology (Eugene OR Wip amp Sock 1048626983088983088983097) Sammy Alaro Divino Compantildeero oward a Hispanic Penecosal Chrisology (Eugene OR Pickwick10486269830881048625983088) Juan Mariacutenez ldquolsquoOuside he Gaersquo Evangelicalism and Laino Proesan Teologyrdquo in JeffreyGreenman and Gene L Green eds Global Teology in Evangelical Perspecive Exploring he Conex-
ual Naure o Teology and Mission (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 104862698308810486251048626) pp 1048625983095983097-983097983092 and
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983095
T983144983141 M983137983150983140983137983156983141 983151983142 A983155983145983137983150 A983149983141983154983145983139983137983150 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161
Te preceding analysis raises sel-criical awareness or Asian American Evan-
gelicals and invies hem in dialogue wih oher Evangelicals o consider wheher heir minoriy saus is problemaic and wha i anyhing can and
ough o be done abou i Now I am aware ha here are developmens wihin
he evangelical heological radiion broadly consrued ha have moved
beyond some o he sricures idenified in he preceding secion Progressive
Evangelicals he evangelical lef and posconservaive Evangelicals denoe jus
a ew o he rends among ohers percolaing on he margins o evangelical
heology10486281048632 Bu ha is precisely par o he problem hese are movemens haexcep or a small minoriy remain ouside he evangelical mainsream and
have also by and large been ignored by Asian American evangelical scholars
and heologians I believe ha producive ways orward can be chared via
Asian American Evangelicals in dialogue wih some o hese ideas alhough
a he end o he day such conversaions will only be producive as Asian
American Evangelicals ormulae a plaorm on which hey can bring some-
hing subsanive o he discussion Tis later ask is par o he presen chal-lenge and burden o he presen book
Insoar hen as I am ineresed in he quesion o wha Asian Americans can
conribue o evangelical heology no jus hisorically or sociologically bu a
a heological level my claim is ha pursui o hese maters ironically also in-
volves aking seriously he hisoriciy and pariculariy o Asian American cul-
ures experiences and perspecives In his final par o his chaper I do no
more han sugges in broad srokes how o go abou such an underakingRealities o the Asian American diaspora Par o ldquohe problem o evan-
gelical heologyrdquo can be clarified i we siuae Asian American evangelical
heology amid he broader Asian American diasporic hisorical and social
realiies described in par a he beginning o chaper wo Doing so enables
he sark realizaion ha Asian American Evangelicals are composed by a
wide range o experiences on he one hand and pressure o assimilae o
Juan F Mariacutenez and Lindy Scot eds Los Evangeacutelicos Porrais o Laino Proesanism in he
Unied Saes (Eugene OR Wip amp Sock 1048626983088983088983097)48Many o hese are discussed in Roger E Olson Reormed and Always Reorming Te Posconser-
vaive Approach o Evangelical Teology (Grand Rapids Baker Academic 1048626983088983088983095)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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983089 983089983096 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
American culure on he oher W hile Asians have lived in Norh America
since he ounding o he republic and had even conribued o he building
o he American empire during he nineeenh cenury he 983089983097983094983093 Immigraion Ac ha repealed he Orienal Exclusion Ac o 983089983097983090983092 reopened he door o a
new wave o Asian migraion During he las generaion Asian American lie
has been urher ransormed by he orces o globalizaion diasporas creaed
by modernizaion indusrializaion and urbanizaion reugee populaions
displaced by war amine and climae changes movemen enabled by he
emergence o a worldwide marke economy advances in echnology and mass
communicaion he cross-erilizaion o ideologies and shifs in inerna-ional relaions10486281048633 Te resul as saw in he previous chaper is he appearance
o a wide range o Asian American communiies across Norh America Lie
in such communiies is fluid affeced by migraion paterns socioeconomic
pressures and he srengh o relaions wih hose ldquoback homerdquo Te sronger
he ransnaional ies beween Asian immigrans in he Wes and heir amilies
organizaions and insiuions (religious and oherwise) in heir homeland
he more inense and longer-lasing he exchange o religious goods and ideas(in he orm o books periodicals and various orms o elecommunicaion)
Unsurprisingly hen firs-generaion immigrans ofen deepen he reli-
gious commimens ha hey held or praciced perhaps more nominally
beore moving Someimes immigrans conver o he more dominan religion
o heir new home In eiher case religious affiliaion ofen serves o secure
social neworks coner saus oherwise difficul o come by or immigrans
and srenghen ehnic culural and linguisic bonds and ideniies Bu or he983089983093 generaion (hose born in Asia bu who grew up a leas in par in he
Unied Saes like mysel) he process o assimilaion is well under way In
hese cases he ehnic enclave will develop English-speaking secions as well
as social organizaions school clubs and Chrisian congregaions
For young adul Asian American Evangelicals however here is ofen a
49For an overview o hese issues see Wanni W Anderson and Rober G Lee eds Displacemensand Diasporas Asians in he Americas (New Brunswick NJ Rugers Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983093) Idiscuss urher he implicaions o globalizaion or Chrisian heology in Amos Yong and PeerHelzel ldquoRober Cummings Neville and he Global Fuure o Teologyrdquo in Yong and Helzel edsTeology in Global Conex Essays in Honor o Rober Cummings Neville (New York amp Clark1048626983088983088983092) pp 1048626983097-9830921048626 esp pp 1048627983088-1048627983092
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983097
keen sense ha heir own ehnically organized congregaions or groups are
somehow less religiously and heologically legiimae because hey do no
have he more ldquouniversalrdquo appeal o whie or muliculural evangelicalchurches or parachurch organizaions10486291048624 Te resul is eiher he ransiion o
ehnic congregaions ino pan-ehnic congregaions or movemen rom heir
ldquohomerdquo congregaion o oher less ehnically defined church environmens1048629983089
By he ime he second generaion atains adulhood he remaining culural
or linguisic barriers o ull assimilaion ino American sociey are pracically
overcome ofen o he dismay o parens and grandparens1048629983090
Wha does such assimilaion consis o Cerainly speaking Englishparicipaing in he marke economy and adaping o he opions provided
by American seculariy and poliics are minimal adjusmens Bu perhaps
assimilaion also requires abandoning he norms o he immigran culure
in avor o American norms or amily and gender relaions and engaging
wih he public square on is erms I so would his no lead o an evan-
gelical sel-undersanding deeply ormed by American culure poliics
and economics Would his no resul in a subordinaion and even deor-maion o all ha is Asian excep or he biological phenoype I would
appear hen ha becoming American would more easily aciliae he
embrace o evangelical Chrisianiy991252i such is deined as a suburban
Midwesern whie middle-class religious phenomenon wih Wheaon
Illinois as is veriable ldquoMeccardquo991252bu his brings wih i he cos o losing
onersquos Asianness Does his mean ha ull accepance o Evangelicalism
50See eg Rebecca Y Kim ldquoNegoiaion o Ehnic and Religious Boundaries by Asian AmericanCampus Evangelicalsrdquo in ony Carnes and Fenggang Yang eds Asian American Religions Te
Making and Remaking o Borders and Boundaries (New York New York Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983092) pp10486259830921048625-983093983097 and Rudy V Buso ldquoTe Gospel According o he Model Minoriy Hazarding an Inerpre-aion o Asian American Evangelical College Sudensrdquo in David K Yoo ed New Spiriual Homes
Religion and Asian Americans (Honolulu Universiy o Hawaii Press 1048625983097983097983097) pp 1048625983094983097-98309698309551See Russell Jeung Faihul Generaions Race and New Asian American Churches (New Brunswick
NJ Rugers Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983092)52 As can be discerned by reading beween he lines o he Bible sudies in om Linrsquos Losing Face
and Finding Grace Tis appears o be he case wheher he second generaion inenionally a-emps o disinguish is ehnic congregaional lie rom ha o he firs immigran generaion or wheher he second generaion becomes absorbed ino nonehnic or even muliehnic congrega-ions on his poin see Elaine Howard Ecklund ldquoModels o Civic Responsibiliy Korean Amer-icans in Congregaions wih Differen Ehnic Composiionsrdquo Journal or he Scienific Sudy o
Religion 983092983092 no 1048625 (1048626983088983088983093) 1048625983093-1048626983096
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3135
983089 983090 983088 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
includes ldquorepenancerdquo rom Asia and ldquoconversionrdquo o Americanism1048629983091
Ta his is no he case seems o be borne ou by he sociological lieraure
which confirms ha ehniciy remains jus as imporan as religion in he or-maion o Asian American ideniy10486291048628 Bu i so evangelical heology has no
even begun o wresle wih he imporance o ehniciy and race no o
menion heir heological implicaions Second-generaion Korean Amer-
icans or insance seem o be inuiively drawn o churches and parachurch
minisries ha oreground heir Korean culural ideniy10486291048629 bu hey have
developed ew heological raionales or such orms o social organizaion
more o he poin heir own heological presupposiions miigae agains suchaciviy which may explain heir ideniy conflicedness
Unsurprisingly hen Asian American evangelical heology has ye o ge
off he ground even a he beginning o he weny-firs cenury Asian
American Evangelicals geting degrees rom insiuions o higher educaion
have had o wresle wihagains his assimilaive impulse o sruggle wih he
quesion o wheher hey are or should be doing (descripive) sociology raher
han heology (as normaive reflecion) and o ariculae an apologeic ordoing Asian American evangelical heology raher han jus evangelical he-
ology For oo many Asian American Evangelicals heir saus ldquobewix and
beweenrdquo991252on he one hand belonging o Asia and o he Unied Saes in
some respecs bu on he oher hand being a sranger o boh Asia and he
Unied Saes in oher respecs991252pus hem in a unique posiion o inerrogae
evangelical heology bu (o dae) leaves hem ouside he ormal organiza-
ional and insiuional srucures o criique effecively and ransorm heevangelical heological radiion
53One could also make he reverse argumen however ha Evangelicalism in he Unied Saes hasalready been molded by is social culural and hisorical conex o he exen ha he very eauresha mark he American way o lie991252ie individualism experienialism pragmaism even con-sumerism991252have also come o characerize evangelical Chrisianiy For an insighul analysis ohe ofenimes uncriical conflaion o Evangelicalism and Americanism and o he orces ha havealso resised such accommodaions see D G Har Ta Old-ime Religion in Modern America
Evangelical Proesanism in he wenieh Cenury (Chicago Ivan R Dee 10486269830889830881048626)54See Jerry Z Park ldquoTe Ehnic and Religious Ideniies o Young Asian Americansrdquo (PhD diss
Universiy o Nore Dame 1048626983088983088983092)55See Sharon Kim and Rebecca Y Kim ldquoSecond-Generaion Korean American Chrisiansrsquo Com-
muniies Congregaional Hybridiyrdquo in Carolyn Chen and Russell Jeung eds Susaining Faih
radiions Race Ehniciy and Religion Among he Laino and Asian American Second Generaion (New York New York Universiy Press 104862698308810486251048626) pp 1048625983095983094-9830971048627
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983090 983089
Moving trajectories o theological reflection O course i Asian Americans
hope o climb he ranks o he Norh American evangelical heological
academy hey can only do so on he erms esablished by heir hoss Andraher han responding o sociopoliical acors he evangelical heological
guild has always undersood isel primarily in heological erms and seen is
charge as deending hisorical orhodoxy wheher ha be agains liberalismrsquos
denial o biblical supernauralism agains neo-orhodoxyrsquos ambiguous sance
on Scripure agains mainsream sciencersquos heory o evoluion agains open
heismrsquos docrine o God and so on10486291048630 I evangelical heology has never
beore enerained ehnic perspecives in is discursive consrucion why nowundermine he (is presumed) universal ramework and applicabiliy by
adding he Asian or Asian American qualifiers
While in a sense his enire book provides a se o responses o his quesion
here I sugges hree reasons ha can moivae such a heological pah orward
Firs he Asian diaspora in he Unied Saes is now in a siuaion o reflec
subsanively on is experience o migraion While here are remendous
challenges o migraion10486291048631 some Asian Americans have achieved a level oupward social mobiliy so ha hey are now in he posiion o producing
scholarship inormed by such experienial perspecives Since he memory o
migraion among Asian Americans is more recen han hose o heir Cau-
casian colleagues such perspecives migh be helpul o ideniy how he mi-
graion rom he European coninen has shaped he evangelical heological
enerprise as a whole I Asian Americans can help heir evangelical colleagues
ideniy he hisorical impac o old o new world migraion on he belies andpracices o Norh American Evangelicalism ha in isel will open up pos-
sibiliies or considering aresh Asian American hisories and heir conribu-
ions o he wider conversaion
Second Asian Americans are orced o hink abou race and ehniciy in a
way unlike mos o heir whie brohers and sisers alhough heir reflecions
56Evangelical heologyrsquos many inernal and exernal batles are documened by Jon R Sone On heBoundaries o American Evangelicalism Te Poswar Evangelical Coaliion (New York S MarinrsquosPress 1048625983097983097983095)
57Some o hese are documened by Kenneh J Gues God in Chinaown Religion and Survival in
New Yorkrsquos Evolving Immigran Communiy (New York New York Universiy Press 10486269830889830881048627) whose work we will reurn o in chaper six
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983089 983090 983090 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
can also mediae perspecive in an oherwise whie-and-black demarcaed
world Race and ehniciy are undeniable aspecs o Asian American hisory
and experience Te impor o his is a leas woold Firs Asian Americansare posiioned o engage he discussion opened up by black evangelical heo-
logians regarding conemporary heology991252even in is evangelical guises991252as
reflecing he ascen o whie perspecives in he early modern period a he
expense o Jewish and oher nonwhie culural realiies Asian American per-
specives on race and ehniciy will open up new visas on he racial and ehnic
dimensions o he biblical world10486291048632 In oher words he marginalized hisories
and perspecives o Asian American Evangelicals have much o conribue oconemporary biblical inerpreaion and heological explicaion Te dom-
inan orms o evangelical heology orged in par ou o he hegemony o
Chrisendom are in need o criical analysis and dialogical revision
Las bu no leas cenral and ongoing elemens o Asian American hisory
are par o he presen experiences o ransnaionalism and globalizaion Te
issues here are complex10486291048633 One mater ha needs o be addressed is he iner-
woven characer o he global economy and how i affecs people around he world differenly depending on various social poliical and culural circum-
sances In addiion wih regard o he Asian American side o his equaion
here remain difficul issues relaed o how he quesion o assimilaion or ac-
culuraion is being negoiaed and adjudicaed Firs- second- and hird-gener-
aion perspecives differ someimes momenously and his does no even acor
in he perspecives o he 983089983093 generaion I heology is o engage he hisorical
realiies o real flesh-and-blood human beings i mus engage such quesions inour conemporary world Asian American Evangelicals can lead he way in
hinking heologically abou such hings and his will benefi no only Asian
58 Asian Evangelicals hus need o build rom he insighul readings o mainline Proesan biblicalscholar a-Siong Benny Liew Wha Is Asian American Biblical Hermeneuics Reading he New
esamen (Honolulu Universiy o Hawaii Press 1048626983088983088983096) regarding he ehnic dynamics under-neah Jewish-Genile relaions in he New esamen o be sure Liewrsquos mainline Proesan as-sumpions may be raher disan rom evangelical ones so some criical dialogue and perhaps
correcion may also be in order Ye he srengh o Liewrsquos book is o sugges how Asian Americanexperiences o ehnic marginaliy can illuminae he dispues beween Jewish and Genile ollow-ers o he Messiah in he firs cenury Tis is an issue worh subsanial engagemen rom anevangelical perspecive
59Eg Neil J Ormerod and Shane Clifon Globalizaion and he Mission o he Church (New York amp Clark 104862698308810486251048625)
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983090983091
American communiies bu also hose o oher ehnic racial and culural groups
who are also wresling wih lie in he weny-firs-cenury global conex
Evangelical heology oday will need o heed more inenionally han i has beore acors o migraion ehniciy globalizaion and ransnaionalism
Asian American Evangelicals can assis wih hese maters i hey will arise o
he occasion Tis does no derac rom he universaliy o he gospel message
On he conrary i addresses quesions o universal significance ha are oher-
wise negleced or engaged rom or wihin only one (dominan cenris) se
o perspecives
Reconnecting to the broader evangelical theological tradition Beore con-cluding his chaper however an imporan cavea ough o be sounded None
o he preceding should be read as denying eiher Asian American indebedness
o he evangelical radiion or he inerrelaedness o Asian American and oher
evangelical effors in he conemporary heological ask Te preceding migh
sugges ha Asian Americans are only poining accusing fingers a heir whie
evangelical riends Wihou aking away anyhing rom he seriousness o he
oregoing discussion I also realize ha whie Evangelicals in paricular and Americans in general have been welcoming o Asians and ha we have made i
his ar on our diasporic journey only wih he help o such riends
Beyond such ecclesial collegialiy however I would gran ha Asian Amer-
icans are in various respecs beholden heologically o American Evangelicals
as well In paricular American evangelical commimens o Chris-
ceneredness biblical aihulness and missionary zealousness are imporan
elemens o Chrisian belie and pracice in he weny-firs cenury Asian American Evangelicals should embrace and live ou such commimens no
only or hemselves bu also or oher Evangelicals and even or he world
Ye my claim is precisely ha such a posure enables Asian American Evan-
gelicals o conribue heologically o he ormaion o an evangelical belie
and praxis relevan o he weny-firs cenury For his o happen however
Asian American Evangelicals mus embrace no only he evangel bu also he
hisoriciy o heir diasporic experiences Te incarnaion o he Son o Godconsised afer all o aking on he concreeness palpabiliy and emporaliy
o human Jewish and firs-cenury Palesinian flesh and he oupouring o he
Spiri o God on he Day o Penecos involved he redempion o he diversiy
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3535
983089 983090 983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
o human ongues languages and culures so ha hey migh bear winess o
he wondrous works o God (Acs 983090983089983089) Tis penecosal heme991252relaed o
Acs 983090 firs and oremos albei reraced unavoidably hrough he lens o mymodern penecosal ecclesial sensibiliies991252will inorm he deep srucure o
he argumen in he remainder o his volume ye achieved wihin a pen-
evangelical raher han merely charismaic rame o reerence My poin going
orward however is ha in ligh o hese heological and riniarian commi-
mens Evangelicals should be he firs o embrace he diversiy o heir his-
orical pariculariies raher han shy away rom hem radiionally o course
Evangelicals have subordinaed he vicissiudes o hisory and wih ha heiranxieies abou he flux and subjeciviies o experience o he surey and
oundaionalism o he Word o God as revealed in he Scripures My pro-
posal however is ha work o God in Chris and by he Spiri redeems us
amid wih and hrough he specificiies o our hisorical and culural expe-
rience (raher han saving us rom ou o such alogeher) and hus ha he
Word o God speaks ino such realiies (raher han ha we have o deny hem
or rejec hem as par o who we are)In shor Asian American Evangelicals do no need o be apologeic abou
heir lives experiences and perspecives Raher by ollowing he pah o he
Son o God ino he ar counry by receiving he infilling o he Spiri o God
poured ou on all flesh and by aihully atemping o live ou such a Chris-
cenered and Spiri-empowered aih in he ooseps o heir evangelical ore-
bears and ancesors Asian Americans may hen be able o bring heir heo-
logical gifs o he conversaion able gifs ha will challenge he discussion while simulaneously enriching he are or all hose concerned abou he
euangelion in he presen ime I is ime o heologize as Asian Americans no
jus as Evangelicals in order ha Evangelicalism isel can be renewed and
invigoraed or he sake o he gospel and in anicipaion o he reign o God
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 1535
983089983088983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
lighing Eas Asian conservaism ells only one side o he sory abou why
Asian Americans end o be conened wih and passive recipiens o he he-
ology o he dominan evangelical culure Te oher hal o his ale has o do wih Norh American conservaism as well O course hisorically Norh
American Evangelicalism was ormed ou o a long hisory o reacion o
mainline Proesan liberalism By definiion o be conservaive means o
resis he orces o change insoar as such changes are hough o compromise
he received values o a paricular radiion So while some changes have been
embraced evangelical conservaives have long resised wha are perceived as
adjusmens o hisoric Chrisian orhodoxy oised upon he Norh Americanchurch by heir liberal counerpars9830891048631 More recenly Evangelicals have also
enered ino he culure wars in deense o radiional amily values and oher
aspecs o he agenda o he Republican Pary
Over ime hen Evangelicals have been led o develop heological argu-
mens or heir conservaive sances Mos relevan or he Asian American
experience is how he dominan evangelical culure has acceped while
slighly redefining a leas more recenly he basic caegories o he classicalChris and Culure sudy o H Richard Niebuhr9830891048632 Ye hisorically Evangel-
icals have embraced he ldquoChris agains culurerdquo sance albei more recenly
shifing oward he ldquoChris ransorming culurerdquo posure Tis involves eiher
a wors he rejecion o culure which has radiionally characerized evan-
gelical secarianism (especially among undamenaliss he close cousins o
Evangelicals)9830891048633 or a bes an ambiguous relaionship wih culure one ea-
uring wha migh be called a culural hermeneuic o suspicion ha is alwaysconcerned abou syncreism wih he world Culure in popular evangelical
parlance is almos equivalen o he world and in ha sense is wha humans
need o be saved rom raher han parake o
17Tere are many versions o his sory my own elling is here ldquoTe Word and he Spiri or heSpiri and he Word Exploring he Boundaries o Evangelicalism in Relaionship o Modern Pen-ecosalismrdquo riniy Journal 10486261048627 no 1048626 (10486269830889830881048626) 10486261048627983093-9830931048626
18See H Richard Niebuhr Chris and Culure (10486259830979830931048625 repr San Francisco Harper orchligh1048625983097983093983094) c Glen H Sassen D M Yeager and John Howard Yoder Auhenic ransormaion A
New Vision o Chris and Culure (Nashville Abingdon 1048625983097983097983094)19Ie as manies in missionary and evangelisic sraegies ha called on convers o abandon heir
culural belies and pracices in ollowing Chris991252eg Birgi Meyer ranslaing he Devil Religion
and Moderniy Among he Ewe in Ghana (renon NJ Arica World Press 1048625983097983097983097)
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088983093
So how has his played ou in Asian American evangelical communiies
Mos poinedly Asian American Evangelicals have radiionally undersood
heir Chrisian conversion o involve eiher a urning away rom heir Asianculural roos or a minimizing o such aspecs o heir ideniy Ta Chrisian
conversion acually involves Americanizaion is quie prevalen across he
Asian American scene In my own case growing up as already indicaed in he
prologue we never alked abou he imporance o Chinese culure he em-
phasis a home (my parens were firs-generaion convers o Chrisianiy)
was always on embodying Chrisian culure Many Asian Americans hus end
o view heir Asian hisorical and culural legacies in binary erms ood dressand music migh be reained because hey concern he ouward aspecs o lie
which are incidenal anyway o rue human ideniy bu lierary philosophical
and religious ideas are o be cauiously approached (a bes) since hey are
probably represenaive o ldquohe worldrdquo and hus aniheical o he gospel
Tis confluence o Conucian and evangelical conservaism has been
srenghened hrough he process o heological educaion Asian American
Evangelicals end o atend solidly evangelical seminaries because o heirconservaive commimens So whereas mainline Proesan seminaries are
much more ocused on corporae ideniies evangelical seminaries and
heir curricula ocus more on personal ideniies paricularly he or-
maion o spiriual lives in relaionship o Chris9830901048624 Wha his means is ha
ehnic ideniies are minimized as having no more han biological signifi-
cance and hisorical and culural aspecs o Asian ideniy are acceped
only as accidenal o ideniy in Chris Asian American Evangelicals arefirs and oremos Chrisians and only secondarily i a all Asians (al-
hough ineresingly he prevalence o naionalism among Evangelicals
means ha American ideniy is much more imporan han evangelical
rheoric usually les on) Evangelical heological educaion hus provides
he philosophical and heological apparaus o make sense o such modes
o ideniy consrucion
20Russell Jeung ldquoEvangelical and Mainline eachings on Asian American Ideniyrdquo in Liew and Yee Bible in Asian America pp 104862610486251048625-1048627983094 reprined in Nakka-Cammau and seng Asian American
Chrisianiy pp 1048625983097983095-10486261048625983094
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 1735
983089983088983094 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
T983144983141 B983157983154983140983141983150 983151983142 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161 A M983145983150983151983154983145983156983161 R983141983152983151983154983156
In he ollowing I highligh he major episemological hermeneuical meh-
odological and docrinal aspecs o (whie) evangelical heology embraced bymany Asian American Evangelicals I argue no ha hese are he only ways in
which Asian American Evangelicals have accommodaed o he dominan
(whie) evangelical subculural worldview nor ha Asian American evan-
gelical heology can be reduced o hese eaures I sugges however ha hese
provide some explanaion or how many Asian American evangelical heolo-
gians view he Asian dimension o heir work in conexual erms bu do no
also undersand he dominan whie heological consrucs similarly Teresul is ha Asian American concerns are no only subordinaed bu also e-
ecively silenced in many cases In he ollowing I criically assess his dom-
inan view rom he marginal horizons o he Asian American experience
A (putatively) global epistemology I begin wih he Enlighenmen epis-
emology and is ques or or presumpion o have atained he universal per-
specive In heir batle agains liberalism Evangelicals have highlighed he
imporance o developing a biblical worldview983090983089 Worldview consrucion isineviably an inellecual exercise983090983090 Wha mos Evangelicals do no ofen
inerrogae is how rooed he worldview ques is in he Enlighenmen projec
As such evangelical worldview ormulaion operaes episemologically ac-
cording o modernis canons o raionaliy Tis is reinorced in evangelical
seminary educaion variously no leas in he embrace o some orm o oun-
daionalism characerisic o he Enlighenmen ques or cerainy hough
o secure evangelical claims o universal ruh983090983091
Foundaionalism classically undersood is he view ha all belies can be
jusified direcly (ounded upon) sense experience or reason available o all991252
hence universal991252raher han inerred rom oher (subjecively held) be-
lies9830901048628 While Evangelicals are philosophically jus as sophisicaed as anyone
21Tus InerVarsiy Press has jus published in 1048626983088983088983097 he fifh ediion o James Sirersquos Te Universe Nex
Door A Basic Worldview Caalog a esimony o is populariy a evangelical colleges and universiies22 Anoher popular ex among Evangelicals noes is concepual naure David K Naugle World-
view Te Hisory o a Concep (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048626)23 As refleced in anoher popular evangelical exbook J P Moreland and William Lane Craig
Philosophical Foundaions or a Chrisian Worldview (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 10486269830889830881048627)24Noe ha he dualism beween objeciviy and subjeciviy is isel a modernis consrucion I
discuss hese maters as well as evangelical orms o oundaionalism in my ldquoTe Demise o Foun-
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088 983095
else in heir deense o oundaionalism9830901048629 more ofen han no hey are epis-
emological oundaionaliss or wo reasons Negaively pu episemic oun-
daionalism is a deerren o wha hey see as he hreaening alernaive oepisemological skepicism philosophical i no moral relaivism and reli-
gious and heological pluralism Posiively pu he oundaions o Chrisian
knowing are given in he Bible I will reurn in a momen o address he her-
meneuical issues involved wih such an appeal For he momen however I
simply noe ha evangelical oundaionalism in whaever is guise butresses
is claims o have access o a universal sandpoin or (heological) knowledge
Such a universal vanage poin is o course relaed o he Enlighenmenques or cerain knowledge Hence he undermining o oundaionalism
opens up o perspecivism Evangelicals resis episemic perspecivism or he
same reasons ha hey deend oundaionalism because ha is el o be he
only way o secure raionally he sabiliy o ruh claims Opening he door
o perspecivism invies he mulipliciy o views ha characerizes he rela-
ivism o he posmodern siuaion Conservaive Evangelicals are hus very
concerned abou he ascendency o he posmodern agenda9830901048630
Wha does his have o do wih Asian American Evangelicalism My claim is
ha Asian Americans educaed a conservaive evangelical seminaries have un-
witingly embraced no only he oundaionalis episemology o heir eachers
bu also is atendan applicaions In order o ward off episemic skepicism
moral relaivism and heological pluralism Asian American Evangelicals have
also uncriically rejeced he perspecivism cenral o posoundaionalis epis-
emology9830901048631 More o he poin he deense o oundaionalism is also he de-ense o he saus quo he universal rame o reerence claimed by evangelical
daionalism and he Reenion o ruh Wha Evangelicals Can Learn rom C S Peircerdquo Chrisian
Scholarrsquos Review 1048626983097 no 1048627 (Spring 1048626983088983088983088) 9830939830941048627-98309698309625Eg J P Moreland and Garret DeWeese ldquoTe Premaure Repor o Foundaionalismrsquos Demiserdquo
in Millard J Erickson Paul Kjoss Helseh and Jusin aylor eds Reclaiming he Cener Confon-
ing Evangelical Accommodaion in Posmodern imes (Wheaon IL Crossway 1048626983088983088983092) pp 9830961048625-104862598308898309526Tus par 1048626 o Millard J Erickson Posmodernizing he Faih Evangelical Responses o he Chal-
lenge o Posmodernism (Grand Rapids Baker Books 1048625983097983097983096) is iled ldquoNegaive Responses o
Posmodernismrdquo and discusses a number o conemporary and recen deenders o classical evan-gelical aih David Wells Tomas Oden and Francis Schaeffer
27 As argued eg by Sanley J Grenz and John R Franke Beyond Foundaionalism Shaping Teology in
a Posmodern Conex (Louisville Wesminser John Knox 10486269830889830881048625) he criical and apologeic responsehas been he recogniion ha his akes us ldquobeyond Evangelicalismrdquo991252see Seven Knowles Beyond
Evangelicalism Te Teological Mehodology o Sanley J Grenz (Burlingon V Ashgae 1048626983088983088983097)
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 1935
983089983088983096 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
heology Simulaneously so he argumen goes he abandonmen o ounda-
ionalism opens he door o perspecivism and pluralism And i he later are
problemaic so are heir ideological movemens especially and including muli-culuralism (wih some advocaes o such having reinerpreed Chrisian eaching
in ligh o a poliics o ideniy insead o vice versa)9830901048632 Asian American Evan-
gelicals are hus armed oundaionally o conron engage and resis he perils
o cynicism relaivism and pluralism Unbeknowns o hem however his no
only undercus he ideology o muliculuralism bu also assails he basis upon
which hey can reclaim heir own hisorical and culural ideniies O course
Evangelicals have more recenly recognized a leas in general he imporanceo embracing he diversiy o culures even o celebraing hem bu only so
long as doing so does no hreaen he oundaions o evangelical ceriude
An (allegedly) a-cultural hermeneutic Tis presumpion o having a uni-
versal perspecive while undergirded as biblical raher han recognized as
ounded on an Enlighenmen paradigm bleeds over ino evangelical herme-
neuics In he Asian American evangelical landscape such hermeneuical pre-
supposiions bracke Asian America wheher inenionally (more ofen) or noIn his way Asian American Evangelicals have imbibed no only he oundaion-
alism o heir classical seminary educaion bu also he biblical hermeneuic ha
works o secure such an episemic sance Unsurprisingly a he hear o he
evangelical inerpreaion o Scripure is anoher insrumen rom he modernis
oolki ha o hisorical criicism Tis ime however such a hermeneuical
approach is deployed o access he auhorial inen o he Scripures and i is
his ha is cenral (oundaional) o ideniying he biblical message which inurn enables he Bible o serve as he unshakable norm or Chrisian belie
Tere is much o unpack in he preceding brie descripion o evangelical
hermeneuics classically considered Bu I wan o ocus insead on he prin-
ciples o biblical exegesis as emphasized in evangelical seminary educaion9830901048633
Te goal o exegesis is o draw ou o or o cull rom he Bible wha he original
auhors mean o communicae Tis involves undersanding firs and
28Tus have some Evangelicals harangued agains muliculuralism as an ideology or example991252Dennis McCallum ed Te Deah o ruh Wharsquos Wrong wih Muliculuralism he Rejecion o
Reason and he New Posmodern Diversiy (Minneapolis Behany House 1048625983097983097983094)29Eg Waler C Kaiser oward an Exegeical Teology Biblical Exegesis or Preaching and eaching
(Grand Rapids Baker Books 1048625983097983097983096)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088983097
oremos how he biblical auhors were undersood by heir iniial audiences
in he ancien conex Exegesis accesses hese primordially inended biblical
principles Wha he Bible means oday is hereby a secondary issue de-penden primarily on wha i originally mean o he firs hearers and readers
o he Scripures Conemporary applicaion hus involves idenificaion o
he original and or some single meaning o he biblical exs9830911048624
Te flip side o he emphasis on exegesis hen involves he rejecion o
eisegesis he inserion o conemporary perspecives ino he meaning o he
biblical ex I he burden o biblical hermeneuics is o ake away rom he
Scripures wha is auhors inended o communicae he bane o evangelicalinerpreaion is o read ino he Bible whaever our presen viewpoins may
dicae Tis o course is a violaion o he cardinal rule o evangelical herme-
neuics readers should leave heir prejudices and biases a he door and allow
he Bible o inorm hem insead Oherwise he concern is ha he reader
will find whaever he or she is looking or and his inecs conaminaes
skews and disors he prisine message o he Bible983091983089
Te problem here is no jus ha he lines beween exegesis and eisegesis aremuch more blurred han Evangelicals usually acknowledge983091983090 bu ha he per-
sisen applicaion o such an approach o he Bible dicaes ha evangelical
readers inenionally bracke or a leas atemp o hold in abeyance heir own
hisories experiences and perspecives as being o secondary impor i o any
relevance a all or heir reading o Scripure Now I am cerainly no suggesing
ha we all willy-nilly inser our biases in appropriaing he biblical ex Simul-
aneously I urge ha he cos o such hermeneuical brackeing is oo high or
30See Rober L Tomas Evangelical Hermeneuics Te New Versus he Old (Grand Rapids Kregel10486269830889830881048626) chap 983094 iled ldquoTe Principle o Single Meaningrdquo which argues ha he pluralism po-lyphony and plurivociy o meaning advocaed by recen progressive Evangelicals reflecs more heeffecs o humaniyrsquos all ino sin han i does he classical assumpions o evangelical biblical in-erpreaion For a counerargumen one ha I am largely sympaheic wih see James K ASmih Te Fall o Inerpreaion Philosophical Foundaions or a Creaional Hermeneuic (DownersGrove IL InerVarsiy Press 1048626983088983088983088)
31For evangelical concerns regarding reader-response hermeneuics see Norman R Gulley ldquoReader-
Response Teories in Posmodern Hermeneuics A Challenge o Evangelical Teologyrdquo in DavidS Dockery ed Te Challenge o Posmodernism An Evangelical Engagemen (Wheaon IL VicorBooks 1048625983097983097983093) pp 1048626983088983096-1048627983096
32In mainline Proesan circles o course here has long been recogniion ha he radiional line beween exegesis and eisegesis is much blurrier han previously hough see Jay G WilliamsldquoExegesis-Eisegesis Is Tere a Differencerdquo Teology oday 1048627983088 no 1048627 (10486259830979830951048627) 10486261048625983096-1048626983095
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2135
983089 983089983088 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
ehnic minoriies who are Evangelicals since his in effec rejecs heir quesions
and concerns as perinen o heir engagemen wih he Bible In addiion such
presumpive brackeing blinds whie Evangelicals o he ac ha heir own ho-rizons and perspecives are involved in any reading o ancien exs and his lack
o awareness makes i doubly difficul o recognize moderae or correc
I would urge insead ha we recognize and embrace he ension involved
in he usion o biblical and conemporary horizons bu do so in a way ha
boh allows conemporary readers o ener ino he world o he Bible on he
one hand (ldquohis is hardquo) and or he Bible o map ono our conemporary lives
on he oher hand (ldquoha is hisrdquo)983091983091 Tis no only allows or an Asian American reading o he Bible somehing ha is barred in he evangelical
environmen i also invies even encourages such an approach and his in
urn gives Asian Americans991252all people acually991252permission o read he
Bible as i i really matered o heir lives
A (presumably) biblical-theological method Enlighenmen assumpions
hus inorm no only Asian American evangelical episemology and herme-
neuics bu also heological mehod and hey do so in ways ha marginalize Asian America Tis is consisen wih he general evangelical ear o licensing
wha hey see as merely subjecive readings o he Bible or he same reasons
ha hey are wary abou enabling heological mehodologies ha consciously
acknowledge he role o experience In oher words he saus quo in evan-
gelical approaches o he Bible (wih is accenuaion o exegesis and rejecion
o eisegesis) has is counerpar in evangelical approaches o heological re-
flecion his ime wih he emphasis on he Bible as he primary i no solesource or heology over and agains hisory radiion culure and experience
A one level he sola scripura commimens o Reormaion radiions have
a very specific hisory and should be undersood according o he nuances
wih which his idea has developed in he pas five hundred years9830911048628 A anoher
33I explicae some aspecs o he ldquohis is hardquo hermeneuic rom a Penecosal perspecive in myldquoReading Scripure and Naure Penecosal Hermeneuics and Teir Implicaions or he Con-
emporary Evangelical Teology and Science Conversaionrdquo Perspecives on Science and ChrisianFaih 9830931048627 no 1048625 (104862698308810486251048625) 1048625-10486251048627
34Reflecing developmens rom he publicaion o Te Fundamenals o he ldquoChicago Saemen onBiblical Inerrancyrdquo (1048625983097983095983096) many conservaive Norh American Evangelicals991252eg rom NormanL Geisler Inerrancy (Grand Rapids Zondervan 1048625983097983096983088) o James R Whie Scripure Alone (Min-neapolis Behany House 1048626983088983088983092)991252have seen and coninue o see boh sola scripura and he doc-
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2235
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2335
983089 983089 983090 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
Te problem however is ha Asian Americans have rarely i ever ques-
ioned more rigid applicaions o his mehodological norm or evangelical
heology Raher hey have inernalized he evangelical bias agains hisoryradiion and experience hus silencing he role ha paricular perspecives
migh play in he heological ask I we appeal o our experience a all we
mus do so apologeically as i admiting ha such heological inerprea-
ions are a bes parochial concerns o a communiy no ye assimilaed o
he dominan culure or a wors signaling our heological immauriy and
need o grow up rom or ranscend he ldquobackwardnessrdquo represening our
hisory and experience beore our lie in Chris Ironically however suchinenional marginalizaion o he Asian American experience no o
menion Asian American philosophical ways o hinking and reasoning
does no call ino quesion how he predominanly Anglo- and Euro-
American experiences o moderniy have shaped evangelical heology As a
resul Asian American Evangelicals have adoped wha is claimed o be a
biblical worldview and heological ramework supposedly shorn o he sub-
jecive biases o hisorically siuaed human inerpreers Bu hese aresurely devoid o heir own experienial and conexual (Asian American)
locaions and ye uncriically naive in hinking ha Euro-American his-
orical accidens have been adequaely ldquoChrisianizedrdquo
So ar I have suggesed ha episemologically hermeneuically and meh-
odologically Asian Americans have rarely quesioned he modernis Enligh-
enmen and Anglo- and Euro-American presupposiions o he evangelical
heological endeavor And since his underaking has never acknowledged heculural conexs and perspecives o he predominanly whie ramers o he
evangelical heological radiion10486281048624 he assumpion is ha ehniciy plays litle
i any role in he work o heology No surprisingly hen Asian American
heologians have been reicen o sugges ha ehniciy culure and hisoriciy
coun in heological reflecion By exension he heological and docrinal
40My poin is no ha whie perspecives have disored he gospel his isel assumes a sor oa-culural gospel ha needs conexualizaion991252a poin ha needs o be addressed and nuanced which we will do momenarily My poin is ha such whie viewpoins are no only unrecognized bu ha hey are hen presumed o be normaive or nonwhies I is par o he goal o his chapero call Asian American heologians o atend o his assumpion and o find ways o inenionallyaddress and subver i
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983091
resuls have been ormulaed and ransmited as biblically unded and univer-
sally applicable regardless o conexual consideraions
A (supposedly) universal doctrinal famework One example o how Norh American evangelical heology has proceeded wih universalisic assumpions
and hereby overlooked i no inenionally ignored oher culural perspec-
ives has o do wih he docrine o he aonemen and wha i addresses Pu
crassly humankind suffers rom one overall problem ha o sin agains God
and ha one problem demands basically one soluion he subsiuionary
aonemen o he Sonrsquos deah on he cross1048628983089 Now I realize ha i is unair o
depic evangelical views regarding he aonemen in such homogeneous ermssince he mater isel is sill being conesed1048628983090 Bu he ac is ha in some
evangelical circles deparure rom he subsiuionary view o he aonemen
is considered deviaion rom evangelical orhodoxy1048628983091 From his posiion oher
biblical aspecs and alernaive inerpreaions are eiher subsumed under he
docrine o penal subsiuion or argued o be flawed in some respec
O course such a viewpoin minimizes he role o medieval eudalism and
he jurisprudenial background o some o he Reormers in he emergenceand esablishmen o his undersanding o he aonemen in he evangelical
radiion jus as i really does no quesion he basically Augusinian anhro-
pology presumed in his process Now I am no a hisorical deerminis who
believes ha conex leads inexorably o our heological ideas jus as I do no
hink ha allowance or hisorical conexual acors relaivizes he ruh o
heological claims or produces docrinal heerodoxy Raher wihou denying
41Te World Evangelical Alliancersquos Saemen o Faih affirms ldquoWe believe in Our Lord JesusChris God manies in he flesh His virgin birh His sinless human lie His divine miracles His vicarious and aoning deah His bodily resurrecion His ascension His mediaorial work and HisPersonal reurn in power and glory Te Salvaion o los and sinul man hrough he shed bloodo he Lord Jesus Chris by aih apar rom works and regeneraion by he Holy Spirirdquo (see worldevangelicalorgweasaemenhm emphases original)
42See James Beilby and Paul R Eddy eds Te Naure o he Aonemen Four Views (DownersGrove IL IVP Academic 1048626983088983088983094) and Derek idball David Hilborn and Jusin Tacker eds Te
Aonemen Debae Papers fom he London Symposium on he Teology o he Aonemen (Grand
Rapids Zondervan 1048626983088983088983093) c J Denny Weaver Te Nonviolen Aonemen (Grand Rapids Eerd-mans 10486269830889830881048625) and Hans Boersma Violence Hospialiy and he Cross Recovering he Aonemen
radiion (Grand Rapids Baker Academic 1048626983088983088983092)43See S Lewis Johnson Jr ldquoBehold he Lamb Te Gospel and Subsiuionary Aonemenrdquo in John
H Armsrong ed Te Coming Evangelical Crisis Curren Challenges o he Auhoriy o Scripure
and he Gospel (Chicago Moody Press 1048625983097983097983094) pp 10486251048625983097-1048627983096
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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983089 983089 983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
he imporance o he biblical and heological heme o subsiuion or he
docrine o he aonemen I am simply suggesing ha oher culural perspec-
ives and even assumpions migh highligh and emphasize oher biblicalmeaphors regarding Chrisrsquos salvific work
Bu o pursue he quesion ono Asian American errain wha difference
will i make i we recognize ha some Asians and Asian Americans live and
exis in a shame raher han guil culure How migh evangelical hinking
abou he aonemen be adjused revised and maybe even ransormed i
Chrisrsquos work no only assuaged he guil o sin rom human lives bu also re-
moved he shame in human hears10486281048628 My poin is ha evangelical heologicalendencies generally urge a universalisic sandpoin and in his paradigm
here is no need o atend o he pariculariies o or ariculae Asian Asian
American or oher culural perspecives since hese are all subsumed wihin he
biblical ramework read in an evangelical way In his case here isnrsquo even a
need o ask wheher radiional evangelical heologies and docrines like hose
regarding he aonemen may need o be revisied and reariculaed in ligh o
oher hisorical culural and experienial dynamics In ac Asian Americansare boh oo shameul and oo shy o even consider asking abou hese maters
I have argued so ar in his secion ha Asian American Evangelicals ormed
heologically according o he sensibiliies o he dominan evangelical culure
in Norh America have inernalized he whie evangelical worldview and in ha
sense mosly do no see he need o hink explicily rom an Asian American
vanage poin Asian American evangelical views are hereore a bes no more
han a minoriy heological perspecive wo relaed summary consequenceshave ollowed Asian American acquiescence o he majoriy culure Firs meh-
odologically and maerially evangelical heology has been undersood o be a-
hisorical a-culural and even a-conexual Te assumpion is ha he Bible
addresses all human beings so any plain reading o he Scripure will or should
be able o access he Word o God a any and all imes and places radiionally
ormulaed and ramed evangelical docrines derived rom an inducive sudy
44 Asian Americans are beginning o do jus his however991252eg Rachel Y Lei ldquoSaving Significanceo he Cross in he Asian American Conexrdquo SANACS Journal 1048625 (1048626983088983088983097) 983097983093-10486251048625983094 c Mark D Bakerand Joel B Green Recovering he Scandal o he Cross Te Aonemen in New esamen and Con-
emporary Conexs (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 1048626983088983088983088) chap 983094 ldquoRemoving AlienaingShame Te Saving Significance o he Cross in Japanrdquo
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983093
o Scripure hus orm he undispuable and unrevisable core o he gospel
Tere is litle recogniion o he hisorical culural and conexual perspecives
ha have conribued o he ariculaion o such evangelical belies Wha his means is ha here sill remains a core se o evangelical docrinal
achievemens and hese remain valid across space and ime alhough hey
may be supplemened by or ranslaed ino local conexual and siuaional
perspecives and idioms As we saw previously (chaper one) he recen Cam-
bridge Companion o Evangelical Teology reflecs precisely his mindse10486281048629 Te
Companion we know is divided ino wo pars Te firs is iled ldquoEvan-
gelicals and Chrisian Docrinerdquo and his includes eigh chapers on he oun-daional docrinal marix o evangelical belies he riniy Scripure chris-
ology heological anhropology jusificaionaonemen pneumaology
conversionsancificaion and ecclesiology Par wo ldquoTe Conexs o Evan-
gelical Teologyrdquo hen provides anoher nine chapers and hese cover issues
relaed o culure gender race and pluralism and include five chapers on
evangelical heology in Arican Asian European Lain American and Norh
American conexs Tis srucure o he Companion communicaes a wooldmessage ha evangelical docrine is a-conexually derived (par one) and
ha various hisorical conexs (par wo) can add a mos parochial ruhs
ha will no upse he docrinal supersrucure o he evangelical heological
landscape In shor basic heological and docrinal ruhs o he Chrisian
aih have already been ormulaed and can be ound in any oher evangelical
sysemaic heological ex quie apar rom Asian American or any oher
more specified perspecivesPu more poinedly i Asian Americans (or any oher ehnic or culural
group) were o wrie heir own heologies hese would be provincial under-
akings wih marginal relevance or he wider evangelical communiy Tese
would be o value only or ldquohoserdquo people (maybe immigrans reugees or
exiles) who have no ye been assimilaed ino he broader American evan-
gelical culure Litle wonder hen ha ew Asian Americans have venured
ino heological errioryhe second summary consequence o inernalizing he dominan
45imohy Larsen and Daniel J reier eds Te Cambridge Companion o Evangelical Teology (Cambridge Cambridge Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983095)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2735
983089 983089983094 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
worldview991252ha evangelical heology a leas in is dogmaic and sysemaic
configuraions is by and large a finished projec wih minimal inpu needed
rom Asian American or oher perspecives991252is ha Asian Americans wihheological educaion have urned in general o work in he hisorical and
social scienific disciplines10486281048630 Tere cerainly remains imporan work o be
done by hose working across he disciplines so I am no decrying such effors
Ye he ac ha hisorical sociological or oher disciplinary explicaions o
Asian American lie are published by universiy presses communicaes o
Asian Americans ha heir role is o shed new ligh on he Asian American
experience A he same ime he prevalence o hese analyical approachesamid he lacuna o explicily heological works suggess ha he ormer is o
minimal value a leas or he ldquorealrdquo heological work o dogmaics and sys-
emaics Furher ha hese scholarly publishers do no eaure exs on Asian
American evangelical heology confirms his division o labor (whie Evan-
gelicals wrie real heology Asian American Evangelicals do hisory sociology
ec) A he end o he day evangelical heologyrsquos assumpion remains undis-
urbed ha here are core docrines ha only need o be conexualized991252ha is ranslaed and made relevan991252around he world In his ramework
Asian Americans can conribue no o he ormer heological ormulaion bu
only o he later ranslaion and disseminaion ask10486281048631
46Eg he work o imohy seng and David Yoo in hisory Fenggang Yang and Rebecca Kim insociology and Russell Jeung in Asian American sudies among ohers see also my ldquoAsian Amer-ican Religion A Review Essayrdquo Nova Religio Te Journal o Alernaive and Emergen Religions 983097
no 1048627 (1048626983088983088983094) 9830971048626-104862598308898309547One could argue ha a parallel ye disinc moivaion drives Lain American or Hispanic evan-
gelical heology in a similar direcion I Asian Americans are cauioned agains hinking heo-logically rom ou o ehnic hisorical and conexual lives because o heir uncriical embrace o whie evangelical assumpions Hispanic Evangelicals may have adoped similar commimensalbei or slighly differen reasons relaed o he Lain American conex Te dominance o heRoman Caholic Church along wih is heological and olk radiions in he later environmenmay be behind Hispanic evangelical suspicions abou he role o hisory and culure in he doingo heology Te ani-Caholic senimen in hisoric Evangelicalism no doub is atracive oLainoas on he migran rail (rom Lain America o he Unied Saes) alhough such accom-modaion has brough wih i he heological coss elaboraed in he preceding pages For urher
discussion and oher angles on hese issues see Oscar Garcia-Johnson Te Mesizoa Communiyo he Spiri A Posmodern Lainoa Ecclesiology (Eugene OR Wip amp Sock 1048626983088983088983097) Sammy Alaro Divino Compantildeero oward a Hispanic Penecosal Chrisology (Eugene OR Pickwick10486269830881048625983088) Juan Mariacutenez ldquolsquoOuside he Gaersquo Evangelicalism and Laino Proesan Teologyrdquo in JeffreyGreenman and Gene L Green eds Global Teology in Evangelical Perspecive Exploring he Conex-
ual Naure o Teology and Mission (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 104862698308810486251048626) pp 1048625983095983097-983097983092 and
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983095
T983144983141 M983137983150983140983137983156983141 983151983142 A983155983145983137983150 A983149983141983154983145983139983137983150 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161
Te preceding analysis raises sel-criical awareness or Asian American Evan-
gelicals and invies hem in dialogue wih oher Evangelicals o consider wheher heir minoriy saus is problemaic and wha i anyhing can and
ough o be done abou i Now I am aware ha here are developmens wihin
he evangelical heological radiion broadly consrued ha have moved
beyond some o he sricures idenified in he preceding secion Progressive
Evangelicals he evangelical lef and posconservaive Evangelicals denoe jus
a ew o he rends among ohers percolaing on he margins o evangelical
heology10486281048632 Bu ha is precisely par o he problem hese are movemens haexcep or a small minoriy remain ouside he evangelical mainsream and
have also by and large been ignored by Asian American evangelical scholars
and heologians I believe ha producive ways orward can be chared via
Asian American Evangelicals in dialogue wih some o hese ideas alhough
a he end o he day such conversaions will only be producive as Asian
American Evangelicals ormulae a plaorm on which hey can bring some-
hing subsanive o he discussion Tis later ask is par o he presen chal-lenge and burden o he presen book
Insoar hen as I am ineresed in he quesion o wha Asian Americans can
conribue o evangelical heology no jus hisorically or sociologically bu a
a heological level my claim is ha pursui o hese maters ironically also in-
volves aking seriously he hisoriciy and pariculariy o Asian American cul-
ures experiences and perspecives In his final par o his chaper I do no
more han sugges in broad srokes how o go abou such an underakingRealities o the Asian American diaspora Par o ldquohe problem o evan-
gelical heologyrdquo can be clarified i we siuae Asian American evangelical
heology amid he broader Asian American diasporic hisorical and social
realiies described in par a he beginning o chaper wo Doing so enables
he sark realizaion ha Asian American Evangelicals are composed by a
wide range o experiences on he one hand and pressure o assimilae o
Juan F Mariacutenez and Lindy Scot eds Los Evangeacutelicos Porrais o Laino Proesanism in he
Unied Saes (Eugene OR Wip amp Sock 1048626983088983088983097)48Many o hese are discussed in Roger E Olson Reormed and Always Reorming Te Posconser-
vaive Approach o Evangelical Teology (Grand Rapids Baker Academic 1048626983088983088983095)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2935
983089 983089983096 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
American culure on he oher W hile Asians have lived in Norh America
since he ounding o he republic and had even conribued o he building
o he American empire during he nineeenh cenury he 983089983097983094983093 Immigraion Ac ha repealed he Orienal Exclusion Ac o 983089983097983090983092 reopened he door o a
new wave o Asian migraion During he las generaion Asian American lie
has been urher ransormed by he orces o globalizaion diasporas creaed
by modernizaion indusrializaion and urbanizaion reugee populaions
displaced by war amine and climae changes movemen enabled by he
emergence o a worldwide marke economy advances in echnology and mass
communicaion he cross-erilizaion o ideologies and shifs in inerna-ional relaions10486281048633 Te resul as saw in he previous chaper is he appearance
o a wide range o Asian American communiies across Norh America Lie
in such communiies is fluid affeced by migraion paterns socioeconomic
pressures and he srengh o relaions wih hose ldquoback homerdquo Te sronger
he ransnaional ies beween Asian immigrans in he Wes and heir amilies
organizaions and insiuions (religious and oherwise) in heir homeland
he more inense and longer-lasing he exchange o religious goods and ideas(in he orm o books periodicals and various orms o elecommunicaion)
Unsurprisingly hen firs-generaion immigrans ofen deepen he reli-
gious commimens ha hey held or praciced perhaps more nominally
beore moving Someimes immigrans conver o he more dominan religion
o heir new home In eiher case religious affiliaion ofen serves o secure
social neworks coner saus oherwise difficul o come by or immigrans
and srenghen ehnic culural and linguisic bonds and ideniies Bu or he983089983093 generaion (hose born in Asia bu who grew up a leas in par in he
Unied Saes like mysel) he process o assimilaion is well under way In
hese cases he ehnic enclave will develop English-speaking secions as well
as social organizaions school clubs and Chrisian congregaions
For young adul Asian American Evangelicals however here is ofen a
49For an overview o hese issues see Wanni W Anderson and Rober G Lee eds Displacemensand Diasporas Asians in he Americas (New Brunswick NJ Rugers Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983093) Idiscuss urher he implicaions o globalizaion or Chrisian heology in Amos Yong and PeerHelzel ldquoRober Cummings Neville and he Global Fuure o Teologyrdquo in Yong and Helzel edsTeology in Global Conex Essays in Honor o Rober Cummings Neville (New York amp Clark1048626983088983088983092) pp 1048626983097-9830921048626 esp pp 1048627983088-1048627983092
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983097
keen sense ha heir own ehnically organized congregaions or groups are
somehow less religiously and heologically legiimae because hey do no
have he more ldquouniversalrdquo appeal o whie or muliculural evangelicalchurches or parachurch organizaions10486291048624 Te resul is eiher he ransiion o
ehnic congregaions ino pan-ehnic congregaions or movemen rom heir
ldquohomerdquo congregaion o oher less ehnically defined church environmens1048629983089
By he ime he second generaion atains adulhood he remaining culural
or linguisic barriers o ull assimilaion ino American sociey are pracically
overcome ofen o he dismay o parens and grandparens1048629983090
Wha does such assimilaion consis o Cerainly speaking Englishparicipaing in he marke economy and adaping o he opions provided
by American seculariy and poliics are minimal adjusmens Bu perhaps
assimilaion also requires abandoning he norms o he immigran culure
in avor o American norms or amily and gender relaions and engaging
wih he public square on is erms I so would his no lead o an evan-
gelical sel-undersanding deeply ormed by American culure poliics
and economics Would his no resul in a subordinaion and even deor-maion o all ha is Asian excep or he biological phenoype I would
appear hen ha becoming American would more easily aciliae he
embrace o evangelical Chrisianiy991252i such is deined as a suburban
Midwesern whie middle-class religious phenomenon wih Wheaon
Illinois as is veriable ldquoMeccardquo991252bu his brings wih i he cos o losing
onersquos Asianness Does his mean ha ull accepance o Evangelicalism
50See eg Rebecca Y Kim ldquoNegoiaion o Ehnic and Religious Boundaries by Asian AmericanCampus Evangelicalsrdquo in ony Carnes and Fenggang Yang eds Asian American Religions Te
Making and Remaking o Borders and Boundaries (New York New York Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983092) pp10486259830921048625-983093983097 and Rudy V Buso ldquoTe Gospel According o he Model Minoriy Hazarding an Inerpre-aion o Asian American Evangelical College Sudensrdquo in David K Yoo ed New Spiriual Homes
Religion and Asian Americans (Honolulu Universiy o Hawaii Press 1048625983097983097983097) pp 1048625983094983097-98309698309551See Russell Jeung Faihul Generaions Race and New Asian American Churches (New Brunswick
NJ Rugers Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983092)52 As can be discerned by reading beween he lines o he Bible sudies in om Linrsquos Losing Face
and Finding Grace Tis appears o be he case wheher he second generaion inenionally a-emps o disinguish is ehnic congregaional lie rom ha o he firs immigran generaion or wheher he second generaion becomes absorbed ino nonehnic or even muliehnic congrega-ions on his poin see Elaine Howard Ecklund ldquoModels o Civic Responsibiliy Korean Amer-icans in Congregaions wih Differen Ehnic Composiionsrdquo Journal or he Scienific Sudy o
Religion 983092983092 no 1048625 (1048626983088983088983093) 1048625983093-1048626983096
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983089 983090 983088 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
includes ldquorepenancerdquo rom Asia and ldquoconversionrdquo o Americanism1048629983091
Ta his is no he case seems o be borne ou by he sociological lieraure
which confirms ha ehniciy remains jus as imporan as religion in he or-maion o Asian American ideniy10486291048628 Bu i so evangelical heology has no
even begun o wresle wih he imporance o ehniciy and race no o
menion heir heological implicaions Second-generaion Korean Amer-
icans or insance seem o be inuiively drawn o churches and parachurch
minisries ha oreground heir Korean culural ideniy10486291048629 bu hey have
developed ew heological raionales or such orms o social organizaion
more o he poin heir own heological presupposiions miigae agains suchaciviy which may explain heir ideniy conflicedness
Unsurprisingly hen Asian American evangelical heology has ye o ge
off he ground even a he beginning o he weny-firs cenury Asian
American Evangelicals geting degrees rom insiuions o higher educaion
have had o wresle wihagains his assimilaive impulse o sruggle wih he
quesion o wheher hey are or should be doing (descripive) sociology raher
han heology (as normaive reflecion) and o ariculae an apologeic ordoing Asian American evangelical heology raher han jus evangelical he-
ology For oo many Asian American Evangelicals heir saus ldquobewix and
beweenrdquo991252on he one hand belonging o Asia and o he Unied Saes in
some respecs bu on he oher hand being a sranger o boh Asia and he
Unied Saes in oher respecs991252pus hem in a unique posiion o inerrogae
evangelical heology bu (o dae) leaves hem ouside he ormal organiza-
ional and insiuional srucures o criique effecively and ransorm heevangelical heological radiion
53One could also make he reverse argumen however ha Evangelicalism in he Unied Saes hasalready been molded by is social culural and hisorical conex o he exen ha he very eauresha mark he American way o lie991252ie individualism experienialism pragmaism even con-sumerism991252have also come o characerize evangelical Chrisianiy For an insighul analysis ohe ofenimes uncriical conflaion o Evangelicalism and Americanism and o he orces ha havealso resised such accommodaions see D G Har Ta Old-ime Religion in Modern America
Evangelical Proesanism in he wenieh Cenury (Chicago Ivan R Dee 10486269830889830881048626)54See Jerry Z Park ldquoTe Ehnic and Religious Ideniies o Young Asian Americansrdquo (PhD diss
Universiy o Nore Dame 1048626983088983088983092)55See Sharon Kim and Rebecca Y Kim ldquoSecond-Generaion Korean American Chrisiansrsquo Com-
muniies Congregaional Hybridiyrdquo in Carolyn Chen and Russell Jeung eds Susaining Faih
radiions Race Ehniciy and Religion Among he Laino and Asian American Second Generaion (New York New York Universiy Press 104862698308810486251048626) pp 1048625983095983094-9830971048627
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983090 983089
Moving trajectories o theological reflection O course i Asian Americans
hope o climb he ranks o he Norh American evangelical heological
academy hey can only do so on he erms esablished by heir hoss Andraher han responding o sociopoliical acors he evangelical heological
guild has always undersood isel primarily in heological erms and seen is
charge as deending hisorical orhodoxy wheher ha be agains liberalismrsquos
denial o biblical supernauralism agains neo-orhodoxyrsquos ambiguous sance
on Scripure agains mainsream sciencersquos heory o evoluion agains open
heismrsquos docrine o God and so on10486291048630 I evangelical heology has never
beore enerained ehnic perspecives in is discursive consrucion why nowundermine he (is presumed) universal ramework and applicabiliy by
adding he Asian or Asian American qualifiers
While in a sense his enire book provides a se o responses o his quesion
here I sugges hree reasons ha can moivae such a heological pah orward
Firs he Asian diaspora in he Unied Saes is now in a siuaion o reflec
subsanively on is experience o migraion While here are remendous
challenges o migraion10486291048631 some Asian Americans have achieved a level oupward social mobiliy so ha hey are now in he posiion o producing
scholarship inormed by such experienial perspecives Since he memory o
migraion among Asian Americans is more recen han hose o heir Cau-
casian colleagues such perspecives migh be helpul o ideniy how he mi-
graion rom he European coninen has shaped he evangelical heological
enerprise as a whole I Asian Americans can help heir evangelical colleagues
ideniy he hisorical impac o old o new world migraion on he belies andpracices o Norh American Evangelicalism ha in isel will open up pos-
sibiliies or considering aresh Asian American hisories and heir conribu-
ions o he wider conversaion
Second Asian Americans are orced o hink abou race and ehniciy in a
way unlike mos o heir whie brohers and sisers alhough heir reflecions
56Evangelical heologyrsquos many inernal and exernal batles are documened by Jon R Sone On heBoundaries o American Evangelicalism Te Poswar Evangelical Coaliion (New York S MarinrsquosPress 1048625983097983097983095)
57Some o hese are documened by Kenneh J Gues God in Chinaown Religion and Survival in
New Yorkrsquos Evolving Immigran Communiy (New York New York Universiy Press 10486269830889830881048627) whose work we will reurn o in chaper six
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3335
983089 983090 983090 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
can also mediae perspecive in an oherwise whie-and-black demarcaed
world Race and ehniciy are undeniable aspecs o Asian American hisory
and experience Te impor o his is a leas woold Firs Asian Americansare posiioned o engage he discussion opened up by black evangelical heo-
logians regarding conemporary heology991252even in is evangelical guises991252as
reflecing he ascen o whie perspecives in he early modern period a he
expense o Jewish and oher nonwhie culural realiies Asian American per-
specives on race and ehniciy will open up new visas on he racial and ehnic
dimensions o he biblical world10486291048632 In oher words he marginalized hisories
and perspecives o Asian American Evangelicals have much o conribue oconemporary biblical inerpreaion and heological explicaion Te dom-
inan orms o evangelical heology orged in par ou o he hegemony o
Chrisendom are in need o criical analysis and dialogical revision
Las bu no leas cenral and ongoing elemens o Asian American hisory
are par o he presen experiences o ransnaionalism and globalizaion Te
issues here are complex10486291048633 One mater ha needs o be addressed is he iner-
woven characer o he global economy and how i affecs people around he world differenly depending on various social poliical and culural circum-
sances In addiion wih regard o he Asian American side o his equaion
here remain difficul issues relaed o how he quesion o assimilaion or ac-
culuraion is being negoiaed and adjudicaed Firs- second- and hird-gener-
aion perspecives differ someimes momenously and his does no even acor
in he perspecives o he 983089983093 generaion I heology is o engage he hisorical
realiies o real flesh-and-blood human beings i mus engage such quesions inour conemporary world Asian American Evangelicals can lead he way in
hinking heologically abou such hings and his will benefi no only Asian
58 Asian Evangelicals hus need o build rom he insighul readings o mainline Proesan biblicalscholar a-Siong Benny Liew Wha Is Asian American Biblical Hermeneuics Reading he New
esamen (Honolulu Universiy o Hawaii Press 1048626983088983088983096) regarding he ehnic dynamics under-neah Jewish-Genile relaions in he New esamen o be sure Liewrsquos mainline Proesan as-sumpions may be raher disan rom evangelical ones so some criical dialogue and perhaps
correcion may also be in order Ye he srengh o Liewrsquos book is o sugges how Asian Americanexperiences o ehnic marginaliy can illuminae he dispues beween Jewish and Genile ollow-ers o he Messiah in he firs cenury Tis is an issue worh subsanial engagemen rom anevangelical perspecive
59Eg Neil J Ormerod and Shane Clifon Globalizaion and he Mission o he Church (New York amp Clark 104862698308810486251048625)
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983090983091
American communiies bu also hose o oher ehnic racial and culural groups
who are also wresling wih lie in he weny-firs-cenury global conex
Evangelical heology oday will need o heed more inenionally han i has beore acors o migraion ehniciy globalizaion and ransnaionalism
Asian American Evangelicals can assis wih hese maters i hey will arise o
he occasion Tis does no derac rom he universaliy o he gospel message
On he conrary i addresses quesions o universal significance ha are oher-
wise negleced or engaged rom or wihin only one (dominan cenris) se
o perspecives
Reconnecting to the broader evangelical theological tradition Beore con-cluding his chaper however an imporan cavea ough o be sounded None
o he preceding should be read as denying eiher Asian American indebedness
o he evangelical radiion or he inerrelaedness o Asian American and oher
evangelical effors in he conemporary heological ask Te preceding migh
sugges ha Asian Americans are only poining accusing fingers a heir whie
evangelical riends Wihou aking away anyhing rom he seriousness o he
oregoing discussion I also realize ha whie Evangelicals in paricular and Americans in general have been welcoming o Asians and ha we have made i
his ar on our diasporic journey only wih he help o such riends
Beyond such ecclesial collegialiy however I would gran ha Asian Amer-
icans are in various respecs beholden heologically o American Evangelicals
as well In paricular American evangelical commimens o Chris-
ceneredness biblical aihulness and missionary zealousness are imporan
elemens o Chrisian belie and pracice in he weny-firs cenury Asian American Evangelicals should embrace and live ou such commimens no
only or hemselves bu also or oher Evangelicals and even or he world
Ye my claim is precisely ha such a posure enables Asian American Evan-
gelicals o conribue heologically o he ormaion o an evangelical belie
and praxis relevan o he weny-firs cenury For his o happen however
Asian American Evangelicals mus embrace no only he evangel bu also he
hisoriciy o heir diasporic experiences Te incarnaion o he Son o Godconsised afer all o aking on he concreeness palpabiliy and emporaliy
o human Jewish and firs-cenury Palesinian flesh and he oupouring o he
Spiri o God on he Day o Penecos involved he redempion o he diversiy
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3535
983089 983090 983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
o human ongues languages and culures so ha hey migh bear winess o
he wondrous works o God (Acs 983090983089983089) Tis penecosal heme991252relaed o
Acs 983090 firs and oremos albei reraced unavoidably hrough he lens o mymodern penecosal ecclesial sensibiliies991252will inorm he deep srucure o
he argumen in he remainder o his volume ye achieved wihin a pen-
evangelical raher han merely charismaic rame o reerence My poin going
orward however is ha in ligh o hese heological and riniarian commi-
mens Evangelicals should be he firs o embrace he diversiy o heir his-
orical pariculariies raher han shy away rom hem radiionally o course
Evangelicals have subordinaed he vicissiudes o hisory and wih ha heiranxieies abou he flux and subjeciviies o experience o he surey and
oundaionalism o he Word o God as revealed in he Scripures My pro-
posal however is ha work o God in Chris and by he Spiri redeems us
amid wih and hrough he specificiies o our hisorical and culural expe-
rience (raher han saving us rom ou o such alogeher) and hus ha he
Word o God speaks ino such realiies (raher han ha we have o deny hem
or rejec hem as par o who we are)In shor Asian American Evangelicals do no need o be apologeic abou
heir lives experiences and perspecives Raher by ollowing he pah o he
Son o God ino he ar counry by receiving he infilling o he Spiri o God
poured ou on all flesh and by aihully atemping o live ou such a Chris-
cenered and Spiri-empowered aih in he ooseps o heir evangelical ore-
bears and ancesors Asian Americans may hen be able o bring heir heo-
logical gifs o he conversaion able gifs ha will challenge he discussion while simulaneously enriching he are or all hose concerned abou he
euangelion in he presen ime I is ime o heologize as Asian Americans no
jus as Evangelicals in order ha Evangelicalism isel can be renewed and
invigoraed or he sake o he gospel and in anicipaion o he reign o God
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088983093
So how has his played ou in Asian American evangelical communiies
Mos poinedly Asian American Evangelicals have radiionally undersood
heir Chrisian conversion o involve eiher a urning away rom heir Asianculural roos or a minimizing o such aspecs o heir ideniy Ta Chrisian
conversion acually involves Americanizaion is quie prevalen across he
Asian American scene In my own case growing up as already indicaed in he
prologue we never alked abou he imporance o Chinese culure he em-
phasis a home (my parens were firs-generaion convers o Chrisianiy)
was always on embodying Chrisian culure Many Asian Americans hus end
o view heir Asian hisorical and culural legacies in binary erms ood dressand music migh be reained because hey concern he ouward aspecs o lie
which are incidenal anyway o rue human ideniy bu lierary philosophical
and religious ideas are o be cauiously approached (a bes) since hey are
probably represenaive o ldquohe worldrdquo and hus aniheical o he gospel
Tis confluence o Conucian and evangelical conservaism has been
srenghened hrough he process o heological educaion Asian American
Evangelicals end o atend solidly evangelical seminaries because o heirconservaive commimens So whereas mainline Proesan seminaries are
much more ocused on corporae ideniies evangelical seminaries and
heir curricula ocus more on personal ideniies paricularly he or-
maion o spiriual lives in relaionship o Chris9830901048624 Wha his means is ha
ehnic ideniies are minimized as having no more han biological signifi-
cance and hisorical and culural aspecs o Asian ideniy are acceped
only as accidenal o ideniy in Chris Asian American Evangelicals arefirs and oremos Chrisians and only secondarily i a all Asians (al-
hough ineresingly he prevalence o naionalism among Evangelicals
means ha American ideniy is much more imporan han evangelical
rheoric usually les on) Evangelical heological educaion hus provides
he philosophical and heological apparaus o make sense o such modes
o ideniy consrucion
20Russell Jeung ldquoEvangelical and Mainline eachings on Asian American Ideniyrdquo in Liew and Yee Bible in Asian America pp 104862610486251048625-1048627983094 reprined in Nakka-Cammau and seng Asian American
Chrisianiy pp 1048625983097983095-10486261048625983094
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983089983088983094 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
T983144983141 B983157983154983140983141983150 983151983142 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161 A M983145983150983151983154983145983156983161 R983141983152983151983154983156
In he ollowing I highligh he major episemological hermeneuical meh-
odological and docrinal aspecs o (whie) evangelical heology embraced bymany Asian American Evangelicals I argue no ha hese are he only ways in
which Asian American Evangelicals have accommodaed o he dominan
(whie) evangelical subculural worldview nor ha Asian American evan-
gelical heology can be reduced o hese eaures I sugges however ha hese
provide some explanaion or how many Asian American evangelical heolo-
gians view he Asian dimension o heir work in conexual erms bu do no
also undersand he dominan whie heological consrucs similarly Teresul is ha Asian American concerns are no only subordinaed bu also e-
ecively silenced in many cases In he ollowing I criically assess his dom-
inan view rom he marginal horizons o he Asian American experience
A (putatively) global epistemology I begin wih he Enlighenmen epis-
emology and is ques or or presumpion o have atained he universal per-
specive In heir batle agains liberalism Evangelicals have highlighed he
imporance o developing a biblical worldview983090983089 Worldview consrucion isineviably an inellecual exercise983090983090 Wha mos Evangelicals do no ofen
inerrogae is how rooed he worldview ques is in he Enlighenmen projec
As such evangelical worldview ormulaion operaes episemologically ac-
cording o modernis canons o raionaliy Tis is reinorced in evangelical
seminary educaion variously no leas in he embrace o some orm o oun-
daionalism characerisic o he Enlighenmen ques or cerainy hough
o secure evangelical claims o universal ruh983090983091
Foundaionalism classically undersood is he view ha all belies can be
jusified direcly (ounded upon) sense experience or reason available o all991252
hence universal991252raher han inerred rom oher (subjecively held) be-
lies9830901048628 While Evangelicals are philosophically jus as sophisicaed as anyone
21Tus InerVarsiy Press has jus published in 1048626983088983088983097 he fifh ediion o James Sirersquos Te Universe Nex
Door A Basic Worldview Caalog a esimony o is populariy a evangelical colleges and universiies22 Anoher popular ex among Evangelicals noes is concepual naure David K Naugle World-
view Te Hisory o a Concep (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048626)23 As refleced in anoher popular evangelical exbook J P Moreland and William Lane Craig
Philosophical Foundaions or a Chrisian Worldview (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 10486269830889830881048627)24Noe ha he dualism beween objeciviy and subjeciviy is isel a modernis consrucion I
discuss hese maters as well as evangelical orms o oundaionalism in my ldquoTe Demise o Foun-
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088 983095
else in heir deense o oundaionalism9830901048629 more ofen han no hey are epis-
emological oundaionaliss or wo reasons Negaively pu episemic oun-
daionalism is a deerren o wha hey see as he hreaening alernaive oepisemological skepicism philosophical i no moral relaivism and reli-
gious and heological pluralism Posiively pu he oundaions o Chrisian
knowing are given in he Bible I will reurn in a momen o address he her-
meneuical issues involved wih such an appeal For he momen however I
simply noe ha evangelical oundaionalism in whaever is guise butresses
is claims o have access o a universal sandpoin or (heological) knowledge
Such a universal vanage poin is o course relaed o he Enlighenmenques or cerain knowledge Hence he undermining o oundaionalism
opens up o perspecivism Evangelicals resis episemic perspecivism or he
same reasons ha hey deend oundaionalism because ha is el o be he
only way o secure raionally he sabiliy o ruh claims Opening he door
o perspecivism invies he mulipliciy o views ha characerizes he rela-
ivism o he posmodern siuaion Conservaive Evangelicals are hus very
concerned abou he ascendency o he posmodern agenda9830901048630
Wha does his have o do wih Asian American Evangelicalism My claim is
ha Asian Americans educaed a conservaive evangelical seminaries have un-
witingly embraced no only he oundaionalis episemology o heir eachers
bu also is atendan applicaions In order o ward off episemic skepicism
moral relaivism and heological pluralism Asian American Evangelicals have
also uncriically rejeced he perspecivism cenral o posoundaionalis epis-
emology9830901048631 More o he poin he deense o oundaionalism is also he de-ense o he saus quo he universal rame o reerence claimed by evangelical
daionalism and he Reenion o ruh Wha Evangelicals Can Learn rom C S Peircerdquo Chrisian
Scholarrsquos Review 1048626983097 no 1048627 (Spring 1048626983088983088983088) 9830939830941048627-98309698309625Eg J P Moreland and Garret DeWeese ldquoTe Premaure Repor o Foundaionalismrsquos Demiserdquo
in Millard J Erickson Paul Kjoss Helseh and Jusin aylor eds Reclaiming he Cener Confon-
ing Evangelical Accommodaion in Posmodern imes (Wheaon IL Crossway 1048626983088983088983092) pp 9830961048625-104862598308898309526Tus par 1048626 o Millard J Erickson Posmodernizing he Faih Evangelical Responses o he Chal-
lenge o Posmodernism (Grand Rapids Baker Books 1048625983097983097983096) is iled ldquoNegaive Responses o
Posmodernismrdquo and discusses a number o conemporary and recen deenders o classical evan-gelical aih David Wells Tomas Oden and Francis Schaeffer
27 As argued eg by Sanley J Grenz and John R Franke Beyond Foundaionalism Shaping Teology in
a Posmodern Conex (Louisville Wesminser John Knox 10486269830889830881048625) he criical and apologeic responsehas been he recogniion ha his akes us ldquobeyond Evangelicalismrdquo991252see Seven Knowles Beyond
Evangelicalism Te Teological Mehodology o Sanley J Grenz (Burlingon V Ashgae 1048626983088983088983097)
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 1935
983089983088983096 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
heology Simulaneously so he argumen goes he abandonmen o ounda-
ionalism opens he door o perspecivism and pluralism And i he later are
problemaic so are heir ideological movemens especially and including muli-culuralism (wih some advocaes o such having reinerpreed Chrisian eaching
in ligh o a poliics o ideniy insead o vice versa)9830901048632 Asian American Evan-
gelicals are hus armed oundaionally o conron engage and resis he perils
o cynicism relaivism and pluralism Unbeknowns o hem however his no
only undercus he ideology o muliculuralism bu also assails he basis upon
which hey can reclaim heir own hisorical and culural ideniies O course
Evangelicals have more recenly recognized a leas in general he imporanceo embracing he diversiy o culures even o celebraing hem bu only so
long as doing so does no hreaen he oundaions o evangelical ceriude
An (allegedly) a-cultural hermeneutic Tis presumpion o having a uni-
versal perspecive while undergirded as biblical raher han recognized as
ounded on an Enlighenmen paradigm bleeds over ino evangelical herme-
neuics In he Asian American evangelical landscape such hermeneuical pre-
supposiions bracke Asian America wheher inenionally (more ofen) or noIn his way Asian American Evangelicals have imbibed no only he oundaion-
alism o heir classical seminary educaion bu also he biblical hermeneuic ha
works o secure such an episemic sance Unsurprisingly a he hear o he
evangelical inerpreaion o Scripure is anoher insrumen rom he modernis
oolki ha o hisorical criicism Tis ime however such a hermeneuical
approach is deployed o access he auhorial inen o he Scripures and i is
his ha is cenral (oundaional) o ideniying he biblical message which inurn enables he Bible o serve as he unshakable norm or Chrisian belie
Tere is much o unpack in he preceding brie descripion o evangelical
hermeneuics classically considered Bu I wan o ocus insead on he prin-
ciples o biblical exegesis as emphasized in evangelical seminary educaion9830901048633
Te goal o exegesis is o draw ou o or o cull rom he Bible wha he original
auhors mean o communicae Tis involves undersanding firs and
28Tus have some Evangelicals harangued agains muliculuralism as an ideology or example991252Dennis McCallum ed Te Deah o ruh Wharsquos Wrong wih Muliculuralism he Rejecion o
Reason and he New Posmodern Diversiy (Minneapolis Behany House 1048625983097983097983094)29Eg Waler C Kaiser oward an Exegeical Teology Biblical Exegesis or Preaching and eaching
(Grand Rapids Baker Books 1048625983097983097983096)
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088983097
oremos how he biblical auhors were undersood by heir iniial audiences
in he ancien conex Exegesis accesses hese primordially inended biblical
principles Wha he Bible means oday is hereby a secondary issue de-penden primarily on wha i originally mean o he firs hearers and readers
o he Scripures Conemporary applicaion hus involves idenificaion o
he original and or some single meaning o he biblical exs9830911048624
Te flip side o he emphasis on exegesis hen involves he rejecion o
eisegesis he inserion o conemporary perspecives ino he meaning o he
biblical ex I he burden o biblical hermeneuics is o ake away rom he
Scripures wha is auhors inended o communicae he bane o evangelicalinerpreaion is o read ino he Bible whaever our presen viewpoins may
dicae Tis o course is a violaion o he cardinal rule o evangelical herme-
neuics readers should leave heir prejudices and biases a he door and allow
he Bible o inorm hem insead Oherwise he concern is ha he reader
will find whaever he or she is looking or and his inecs conaminaes
skews and disors he prisine message o he Bible983091983089
Te problem here is no jus ha he lines beween exegesis and eisegesis aremuch more blurred han Evangelicals usually acknowledge983091983090 bu ha he per-
sisen applicaion o such an approach o he Bible dicaes ha evangelical
readers inenionally bracke or a leas atemp o hold in abeyance heir own
hisories experiences and perspecives as being o secondary impor i o any
relevance a all or heir reading o Scripure Now I am cerainly no suggesing
ha we all willy-nilly inser our biases in appropriaing he biblical ex Simul-
aneously I urge ha he cos o such hermeneuical brackeing is oo high or
30See Rober L Tomas Evangelical Hermeneuics Te New Versus he Old (Grand Rapids Kregel10486269830889830881048626) chap 983094 iled ldquoTe Principle o Single Meaningrdquo which argues ha he pluralism po-lyphony and plurivociy o meaning advocaed by recen progressive Evangelicals reflecs more heeffecs o humaniyrsquos all ino sin han i does he classical assumpions o evangelical biblical in-erpreaion For a counerargumen one ha I am largely sympaheic wih see James K ASmih Te Fall o Inerpreaion Philosophical Foundaions or a Creaional Hermeneuic (DownersGrove IL InerVarsiy Press 1048626983088983088983088)
31For evangelical concerns regarding reader-response hermeneuics see Norman R Gulley ldquoReader-
Response Teories in Posmodern Hermeneuics A Challenge o Evangelical Teologyrdquo in DavidS Dockery ed Te Challenge o Posmodernism An Evangelical Engagemen (Wheaon IL VicorBooks 1048625983097983097983093) pp 1048626983088983096-1048627983096
32In mainline Proesan circles o course here has long been recogniion ha he radiional line beween exegesis and eisegesis is much blurrier han previously hough see Jay G WilliamsldquoExegesis-Eisegesis Is Tere a Differencerdquo Teology oday 1048627983088 no 1048627 (10486259830979830951048627) 10486261048625983096-1048626983095
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2135
983089 983089983088 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
ehnic minoriies who are Evangelicals since his in effec rejecs heir quesions
and concerns as perinen o heir engagemen wih he Bible In addiion such
presumpive brackeing blinds whie Evangelicals o he ac ha heir own ho-rizons and perspecives are involved in any reading o ancien exs and his lack
o awareness makes i doubly difficul o recognize moderae or correc
I would urge insead ha we recognize and embrace he ension involved
in he usion o biblical and conemporary horizons bu do so in a way ha
boh allows conemporary readers o ener ino he world o he Bible on he
one hand (ldquohis is hardquo) and or he Bible o map ono our conemporary lives
on he oher hand (ldquoha is hisrdquo)983091983091 Tis no only allows or an Asian American reading o he Bible somehing ha is barred in he evangelical
environmen i also invies even encourages such an approach and his in
urn gives Asian Americans991252all people acually991252permission o read he
Bible as i i really matered o heir lives
A (presumably) biblical-theological method Enlighenmen assumpions
hus inorm no only Asian American evangelical episemology and herme-
neuics bu also heological mehod and hey do so in ways ha marginalize Asian America Tis is consisen wih he general evangelical ear o licensing
wha hey see as merely subjecive readings o he Bible or he same reasons
ha hey are wary abou enabling heological mehodologies ha consciously
acknowledge he role o experience In oher words he saus quo in evan-
gelical approaches o he Bible (wih is accenuaion o exegesis and rejecion
o eisegesis) has is counerpar in evangelical approaches o heological re-
flecion his ime wih he emphasis on he Bible as he primary i no solesource or heology over and agains hisory radiion culure and experience
A one level he sola scripura commimens o Reormaion radiions have
a very specific hisory and should be undersood according o he nuances
wih which his idea has developed in he pas five hundred years9830911048628 A anoher
33I explicae some aspecs o he ldquohis is hardquo hermeneuic rom a Penecosal perspecive in myldquoReading Scripure and Naure Penecosal Hermeneuics and Teir Implicaions or he Con-
emporary Evangelical Teology and Science Conversaionrdquo Perspecives on Science and ChrisianFaih 9830931048627 no 1048625 (104862698308810486251048625) 1048625-10486251048627
34Reflecing developmens rom he publicaion o Te Fundamenals o he ldquoChicago Saemen onBiblical Inerrancyrdquo (1048625983097983095983096) many conservaive Norh American Evangelicals991252eg rom NormanL Geisler Inerrancy (Grand Rapids Zondervan 1048625983097983096983088) o James R Whie Scripure Alone (Min-neapolis Behany House 1048626983088983088983092)991252have seen and coninue o see boh sola scripura and he doc-
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2335
983089 983089 983090 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
Te problem however is ha Asian Americans have rarely i ever ques-
ioned more rigid applicaions o his mehodological norm or evangelical
heology Raher hey have inernalized he evangelical bias agains hisoryradiion and experience hus silencing he role ha paricular perspecives
migh play in he heological ask I we appeal o our experience a all we
mus do so apologeically as i admiting ha such heological inerprea-
ions are a bes parochial concerns o a communiy no ye assimilaed o
he dominan culure or a wors signaling our heological immauriy and
need o grow up rom or ranscend he ldquobackwardnessrdquo represening our
hisory and experience beore our lie in Chris Ironically however suchinenional marginalizaion o he Asian American experience no o
menion Asian American philosophical ways o hinking and reasoning
does no call ino quesion how he predominanly Anglo- and Euro-
American experiences o moderniy have shaped evangelical heology As a
resul Asian American Evangelicals have adoped wha is claimed o be a
biblical worldview and heological ramework supposedly shorn o he sub-
jecive biases o hisorically siuaed human inerpreers Bu hese aresurely devoid o heir own experienial and conexual (Asian American)
locaions and ye uncriically naive in hinking ha Euro-American his-
orical accidens have been adequaely ldquoChrisianizedrdquo
So ar I have suggesed ha episemologically hermeneuically and meh-
odologically Asian Americans have rarely quesioned he modernis Enligh-
enmen and Anglo- and Euro-American presupposiions o he evangelical
heological endeavor And since his underaking has never acknowledged heculural conexs and perspecives o he predominanly whie ramers o he
evangelical heological radiion10486281048624 he assumpion is ha ehniciy plays litle
i any role in he work o heology No surprisingly hen Asian American
heologians have been reicen o sugges ha ehniciy culure and hisoriciy
coun in heological reflecion By exension he heological and docrinal
40My poin is no ha whie perspecives have disored he gospel his isel assumes a sor oa-culural gospel ha needs conexualizaion991252a poin ha needs o be addressed and nuanced which we will do momenarily My poin is ha such whie viewpoins are no only unrecognized bu ha hey are hen presumed o be normaive or nonwhies I is par o he goal o his chapero call Asian American heologians o atend o his assumpion and o find ways o inenionallyaddress and subver i
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983091
resuls have been ormulaed and ransmited as biblically unded and univer-
sally applicable regardless o conexual consideraions
A (supposedly) universal doctrinal famework One example o how Norh American evangelical heology has proceeded wih universalisic assumpions
and hereby overlooked i no inenionally ignored oher culural perspec-
ives has o do wih he docrine o he aonemen and wha i addresses Pu
crassly humankind suffers rom one overall problem ha o sin agains God
and ha one problem demands basically one soluion he subsiuionary
aonemen o he Sonrsquos deah on he cross1048628983089 Now I realize ha i is unair o
depic evangelical views regarding he aonemen in such homogeneous ermssince he mater isel is sill being conesed1048628983090 Bu he ac is ha in some
evangelical circles deparure rom he subsiuionary view o he aonemen
is considered deviaion rom evangelical orhodoxy1048628983091 From his posiion oher
biblical aspecs and alernaive inerpreaions are eiher subsumed under he
docrine o penal subsiuion or argued o be flawed in some respec
O course such a viewpoin minimizes he role o medieval eudalism and
he jurisprudenial background o some o he Reormers in he emergenceand esablishmen o his undersanding o he aonemen in he evangelical
radiion jus as i really does no quesion he basically Augusinian anhro-
pology presumed in his process Now I am no a hisorical deerminis who
believes ha conex leads inexorably o our heological ideas jus as I do no
hink ha allowance or hisorical conexual acors relaivizes he ruh o
heological claims or produces docrinal heerodoxy Raher wihou denying
41Te World Evangelical Alliancersquos Saemen o Faih affirms ldquoWe believe in Our Lord JesusChris God manies in he flesh His virgin birh His sinless human lie His divine miracles His vicarious and aoning deah His bodily resurrecion His ascension His mediaorial work and HisPersonal reurn in power and glory Te Salvaion o los and sinul man hrough he shed bloodo he Lord Jesus Chris by aih apar rom works and regeneraion by he Holy Spirirdquo (see worldevangelicalorgweasaemenhm emphases original)
42See James Beilby and Paul R Eddy eds Te Naure o he Aonemen Four Views (DownersGrove IL IVP Academic 1048626983088983088983094) and Derek idball David Hilborn and Jusin Tacker eds Te
Aonemen Debae Papers fom he London Symposium on he Teology o he Aonemen (Grand
Rapids Zondervan 1048626983088983088983093) c J Denny Weaver Te Nonviolen Aonemen (Grand Rapids Eerd-mans 10486269830889830881048625) and Hans Boersma Violence Hospialiy and he Cross Recovering he Aonemen
radiion (Grand Rapids Baker Academic 1048626983088983088983092)43See S Lewis Johnson Jr ldquoBehold he Lamb Te Gospel and Subsiuionary Aonemenrdquo in John
H Armsrong ed Te Coming Evangelical Crisis Curren Challenges o he Auhoriy o Scripure
and he Gospel (Chicago Moody Press 1048625983097983097983094) pp 10486251048625983097-1048627983096
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983089 983089 983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
he imporance o he biblical and heological heme o subsiuion or he
docrine o he aonemen I am simply suggesing ha oher culural perspec-
ives and even assumpions migh highligh and emphasize oher biblicalmeaphors regarding Chrisrsquos salvific work
Bu o pursue he quesion ono Asian American errain wha difference
will i make i we recognize ha some Asians and Asian Americans live and
exis in a shame raher han guil culure How migh evangelical hinking
abou he aonemen be adjused revised and maybe even ransormed i
Chrisrsquos work no only assuaged he guil o sin rom human lives bu also re-
moved he shame in human hears10486281048628 My poin is ha evangelical heologicalendencies generally urge a universalisic sandpoin and in his paradigm
here is no need o atend o he pariculariies o or ariculae Asian Asian
American or oher culural perspecives since hese are all subsumed wihin he
biblical ramework read in an evangelical way In his case here isnrsquo even a
need o ask wheher radiional evangelical heologies and docrines like hose
regarding he aonemen may need o be revisied and reariculaed in ligh o
oher hisorical culural and experienial dynamics In ac Asian Americansare boh oo shameul and oo shy o even consider asking abou hese maters
I have argued so ar in his secion ha Asian American Evangelicals ormed
heologically according o he sensibiliies o he dominan evangelical culure
in Norh America have inernalized he whie evangelical worldview and in ha
sense mosly do no see he need o hink explicily rom an Asian American
vanage poin Asian American evangelical views are hereore a bes no more
han a minoriy heological perspecive wo relaed summary consequenceshave ollowed Asian American acquiescence o he majoriy culure Firs meh-
odologically and maerially evangelical heology has been undersood o be a-
hisorical a-culural and even a-conexual Te assumpion is ha he Bible
addresses all human beings so any plain reading o he Scripure will or should
be able o access he Word o God a any and all imes and places radiionally
ormulaed and ramed evangelical docrines derived rom an inducive sudy
44 Asian Americans are beginning o do jus his however991252eg Rachel Y Lei ldquoSaving Significanceo he Cross in he Asian American Conexrdquo SANACS Journal 1048625 (1048626983088983088983097) 983097983093-10486251048625983094 c Mark D Bakerand Joel B Green Recovering he Scandal o he Cross Te Aonemen in New esamen and Con-
emporary Conexs (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 1048626983088983088983088) chap 983094 ldquoRemoving AlienaingShame Te Saving Significance o he Cross in Japanrdquo
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983093
o Scripure hus orm he undispuable and unrevisable core o he gospel
Tere is litle recogniion o he hisorical culural and conexual perspecives
ha have conribued o he ariculaion o such evangelical belies Wha his means is ha here sill remains a core se o evangelical docrinal
achievemens and hese remain valid across space and ime alhough hey
may be supplemened by or ranslaed ino local conexual and siuaional
perspecives and idioms As we saw previously (chaper one) he recen Cam-
bridge Companion o Evangelical Teology reflecs precisely his mindse10486281048629 Te
Companion we know is divided ino wo pars Te firs is iled ldquoEvan-
gelicals and Chrisian Docrinerdquo and his includes eigh chapers on he oun-daional docrinal marix o evangelical belies he riniy Scripure chris-
ology heological anhropology jusificaionaonemen pneumaology
conversionsancificaion and ecclesiology Par wo ldquoTe Conexs o Evan-
gelical Teologyrdquo hen provides anoher nine chapers and hese cover issues
relaed o culure gender race and pluralism and include five chapers on
evangelical heology in Arican Asian European Lain American and Norh
American conexs Tis srucure o he Companion communicaes a wooldmessage ha evangelical docrine is a-conexually derived (par one) and
ha various hisorical conexs (par wo) can add a mos parochial ruhs
ha will no upse he docrinal supersrucure o he evangelical heological
landscape In shor basic heological and docrinal ruhs o he Chrisian
aih have already been ormulaed and can be ound in any oher evangelical
sysemaic heological ex quie apar rom Asian American or any oher
more specified perspecivesPu more poinedly i Asian Americans (or any oher ehnic or culural
group) were o wrie heir own heologies hese would be provincial under-
akings wih marginal relevance or he wider evangelical communiy Tese
would be o value only or ldquohoserdquo people (maybe immigrans reugees or
exiles) who have no ye been assimilaed ino he broader American evan-
gelical culure Litle wonder hen ha ew Asian Americans have venured
ino heological errioryhe second summary consequence o inernalizing he dominan
45imohy Larsen and Daniel J reier eds Te Cambridge Companion o Evangelical Teology (Cambridge Cambridge Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983095)
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983089 983089983094 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
worldview991252ha evangelical heology a leas in is dogmaic and sysemaic
configuraions is by and large a finished projec wih minimal inpu needed
rom Asian American or oher perspecives991252is ha Asian Americans wihheological educaion have urned in general o work in he hisorical and
social scienific disciplines10486281048630 Tere cerainly remains imporan work o be
done by hose working across he disciplines so I am no decrying such effors
Ye he ac ha hisorical sociological or oher disciplinary explicaions o
Asian American lie are published by universiy presses communicaes o
Asian Americans ha heir role is o shed new ligh on he Asian American
experience A he same ime he prevalence o hese analyical approachesamid he lacuna o explicily heological works suggess ha he ormer is o
minimal value a leas or he ldquorealrdquo heological work o dogmaics and sys-
emaics Furher ha hese scholarly publishers do no eaure exs on Asian
American evangelical heology confirms his division o labor (whie Evan-
gelicals wrie real heology Asian American Evangelicals do hisory sociology
ec) A he end o he day evangelical heologyrsquos assumpion remains undis-
urbed ha here are core docrines ha only need o be conexualized991252ha is ranslaed and made relevan991252around he world In his ramework
Asian Americans can conribue no o he ormer heological ormulaion bu
only o he later ranslaion and disseminaion ask10486281048631
46Eg he work o imohy seng and David Yoo in hisory Fenggang Yang and Rebecca Kim insociology and Russell Jeung in Asian American sudies among ohers see also my ldquoAsian Amer-ican Religion A Review Essayrdquo Nova Religio Te Journal o Alernaive and Emergen Religions 983097
no 1048627 (1048626983088983088983094) 9830971048626-104862598308898309547One could argue ha a parallel ye disinc moivaion drives Lain American or Hispanic evan-
gelical heology in a similar direcion I Asian Americans are cauioned agains hinking heo-logically rom ou o ehnic hisorical and conexual lives because o heir uncriical embrace o whie evangelical assumpions Hispanic Evangelicals may have adoped similar commimensalbei or slighly differen reasons relaed o he Lain American conex Te dominance o heRoman Caholic Church along wih is heological and olk radiions in he later environmenmay be behind Hispanic evangelical suspicions abou he role o hisory and culure in he doingo heology Te ani-Caholic senimen in hisoric Evangelicalism no doub is atracive oLainoas on he migran rail (rom Lain America o he Unied Saes) alhough such accom-modaion has brough wih i he heological coss elaboraed in he preceding pages For urher
discussion and oher angles on hese issues see Oscar Garcia-Johnson Te Mesizoa Communiyo he Spiri A Posmodern Lainoa Ecclesiology (Eugene OR Wip amp Sock 1048626983088983088983097) Sammy Alaro Divino Compantildeero oward a Hispanic Penecosal Chrisology (Eugene OR Pickwick10486269830881048625983088) Juan Mariacutenez ldquolsquoOuside he Gaersquo Evangelicalism and Laino Proesan Teologyrdquo in JeffreyGreenman and Gene L Green eds Global Teology in Evangelical Perspecive Exploring he Conex-
ual Naure o Teology and Mission (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 104862698308810486251048626) pp 1048625983095983097-983097983092 and
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983095
T983144983141 M983137983150983140983137983156983141 983151983142 A983155983145983137983150 A983149983141983154983145983139983137983150 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161
Te preceding analysis raises sel-criical awareness or Asian American Evan-
gelicals and invies hem in dialogue wih oher Evangelicals o consider wheher heir minoriy saus is problemaic and wha i anyhing can and
ough o be done abou i Now I am aware ha here are developmens wihin
he evangelical heological radiion broadly consrued ha have moved
beyond some o he sricures idenified in he preceding secion Progressive
Evangelicals he evangelical lef and posconservaive Evangelicals denoe jus
a ew o he rends among ohers percolaing on he margins o evangelical
heology10486281048632 Bu ha is precisely par o he problem hese are movemens haexcep or a small minoriy remain ouside he evangelical mainsream and
have also by and large been ignored by Asian American evangelical scholars
and heologians I believe ha producive ways orward can be chared via
Asian American Evangelicals in dialogue wih some o hese ideas alhough
a he end o he day such conversaions will only be producive as Asian
American Evangelicals ormulae a plaorm on which hey can bring some-
hing subsanive o he discussion Tis later ask is par o he presen chal-lenge and burden o he presen book
Insoar hen as I am ineresed in he quesion o wha Asian Americans can
conribue o evangelical heology no jus hisorically or sociologically bu a
a heological level my claim is ha pursui o hese maters ironically also in-
volves aking seriously he hisoriciy and pariculariy o Asian American cul-
ures experiences and perspecives In his final par o his chaper I do no
more han sugges in broad srokes how o go abou such an underakingRealities o the Asian American diaspora Par o ldquohe problem o evan-
gelical heologyrdquo can be clarified i we siuae Asian American evangelical
heology amid he broader Asian American diasporic hisorical and social
realiies described in par a he beginning o chaper wo Doing so enables
he sark realizaion ha Asian American Evangelicals are composed by a
wide range o experiences on he one hand and pressure o assimilae o
Juan F Mariacutenez and Lindy Scot eds Los Evangeacutelicos Porrais o Laino Proesanism in he
Unied Saes (Eugene OR Wip amp Sock 1048626983088983088983097)48Many o hese are discussed in Roger E Olson Reormed and Always Reorming Te Posconser-
vaive Approach o Evangelical Teology (Grand Rapids Baker Academic 1048626983088983088983095)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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983089 983089983096 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
American culure on he oher W hile Asians have lived in Norh America
since he ounding o he republic and had even conribued o he building
o he American empire during he nineeenh cenury he 983089983097983094983093 Immigraion Ac ha repealed he Orienal Exclusion Ac o 983089983097983090983092 reopened he door o a
new wave o Asian migraion During he las generaion Asian American lie
has been urher ransormed by he orces o globalizaion diasporas creaed
by modernizaion indusrializaion and urbanizaion reugee populaions
displaced by war amine and climae changes movemen enabled by he
emergence o a worldwide marke economy advances in echnology and mass
communicaion he cross-erilizaion o ideologies and shifs in inerna-ional relaions10486281048633 Te resul as saw in he previous chaper is he appearance
o a wide range o Asian American communiies across Norh America Lie
in such communiies is fluid affeced by migraion paterns socioeconomic
pressures and he srengh o relaions wih hose ldquoback homerdquo Te sronger
he ransnaional ies beween Asian immigrans in he Wes and heir amilies
organizaions and insiuions (religious and oherwise) in heir homeland
he more inense and longer-lasing he exchange o religious goods and ideas(in he orm o books periodicals and various orms o elecommunicaion)
Unsurprisingly hen firs-generaion immigrans ofen deepen he reli-
gious commimens ha hey held or praciced perhaps more nominally
beore moving Someimes immigrans conver o he more dominan religion
o heir new home In eiher case religious affiliaion ofen serves o secure
social neworks coner saus oherwise difficul o come by or immigrans
and srenghen ehnic culural and linguisic bonds and ideniies Bu or he983089983093 generaion (hose born in Asia bu who grew up a leas in par in he
Unied Saes like mysel) he process o assimilaion is well under way In
hese cases he ehnic enclave will develop English-speaking secions as well
as social organizaions school clubs and Chrisian congregaions
For young adul Asian American Evangelicals however here is ofen a
49For an overview o hese issues see Wanni W Anderson and Rober G Lee eds Displacemensand Diasporas Asians in he Americas (New Brunswick NJ Rugers Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983093) Idiscuss urher he implicaions o globalizaion or Chrisian heology in Amos Yong and PeerHelzel ldquoRober Cummings Neville and he Global Fuure o Teologyrdquo in Yong and Helzel edsTeology in Global Conex Essays in Honor o Rober Cummings Neville (New York amp Clark1048626983088983088983092) pp 1048626983097-9830921048626 esp pp 1048627983088-1048627983092
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983097
keen sense ha heir own ehnically organized congregaions or groups are
somehow less religiously and heologically legiimae because hey do no
have he more ldquouniversalrdquo appeal o whie or muliculural evangelicalchurches or parachurch organizaions10486291048624 Te resul is eiher he ransiion o
ehnic congregaions ino pan-ehnic congregaions or movemen rom heir
ldquohomerdquo congregaion o oher less ehnically defined church environmens1048629983089
By he ime he second generaion atains adulhood he remaining culural
or linguisic barriers o ull assimilaion ino American sociey are pracically
overcome ofen o he dismay o parens and grandparens1048629983090
Wha does such assimilaion consis o Cerainly speaking Englishparicipaing in he marke economy and adaping o he opions provided
by American seculariy and poliics are minimal adjusmens Bu perhaps
assimilaion also requires abandoning he norms o he immigran culure
in avor o American norms or amily and gender relaions and engaging
wih he public square on is erms I so would his no lead o an evan-
gelical sel-undersanding deeply ormed by American culure poliics
and economics Would his no resul in a subordinaion and even deor-maion o all ha is Asian excep or he biological phenoype I would
appear hen ha becoming American would more easily aciliae he
embrace o evangelical Chrisianiy991252i such is deined as a suburban
Midwesern whie middle-class religious phenomenon wih Wheaon
Illinois as is veriable ldquoMeccardquo991252bu his brings wih i he cos o losing
onersquos Asianness Does his mean ha ull accepance o Evangelicalism
50See eg Rebecca Y Kim ldquoNegoiaion o Ehnic and Religious Boundaries by Asian AmericanCampus Evangelicalsrdquo in ony Carnes and Fenggang Yang eds Asian American Religions Te
Making and Remaking o Borders and Boundaries (New York New York Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983092) pp10486259830921048625-983093983097 and Rudy V Buso ldquoTe Gospel According o he Model Minoriy Hazarding an Inerpre-aion o Asian American Evangelical College Sudensrdquo in David K Yoo ed New Spiriual Homes
Religion and Asian Americans (Honolulu Universiy o Hawaii Press 1048625983097983097983097) pp 1048625983094983097-98309698309551See Russell Jeung Faihul Generaions Race and New Asian American Churches (New Brunswick
NJ Rugers Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983092)52 As can be discerned by reading beween he lines o he Bible sudies in om Linrsquos Losing Face
and Finding Grace Tis appears o be he case wheher he second generaion inenionally a-emps o disinguish is ehnic congregaional lie rom ha o he firs immigran generaion or wheher he second generaion becomes absorbed ino nonehnic or even muliehnic congrega-ions on his poin see Elaine Howard Ecklund ldquoModels o Civic Responsibiliy Korean Amer-icans in Congregaions wih Differen Ehnic Composiionsrdquo Journal or he Scienific Sudy o
Religion 983092983092 no 1048625 (1048626983088983088983093) 1048625983093-1048626983096
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983089 983090 983088 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
includes ldquorepenancerdquo rom Asia and ldquoconversionrdquo o Americanism1048629983091
Ta his is no he case seems o be borne ou by he sociological lieraure
which confirms ha ehniciy remains jus as imporan as religion in he or-maion o Asian American ideniy10486291048628 Bu i so evangelical heology has no
even begun o wresle wih he imporance o ehniciy and race no o
menion heir heological implicaions Second-generaion Korean Amer-
icans or insance seem o be inuiively drawn o churches and parachurch
minisries ha oreground heir Korean culural ideniy10486291048629 bu hey have
developed ew heological raionales or such orms o social organizaion
more o he poin heir own heological presupposiions miigae agains suchaciviy which may explain heir ideniy conflicedness
Unsurprisingly hen Asian American evangelical heology has ye o ge
off he ground even a he beginning o he weny-firs cenury Asian
American Evangelicals geting degrees rom insiuions o higher educaion
have had o wresle wihagains his assimilaive impulse o sruggle wih he
quesion o wheher hey are or should be doing (descripive) sociology raher
han heology (as normaive reflecion) and o ariculae an apologeic ordoing Asian American evangelical heology raher han jus evangelical he-
ology For oo many Asian American Evangelicals heir saus ldquobewix and
beweenrdquo991252on he one hand belonging o Asia and o he Unied Saes in
some respecs bu on he oher hand being a sranger o boh Asia and he
Unied Saes in oher respecs991252pus hem in a unique posiion o inerrogae
evangelical heology bu (o dae) leaves hem ouside he ormal organiza-
ional and insiuional srucures o criique effecively and ransorm heevangelical heological radiion
53One could also make he reverse argumen however ha Evangelicalism in he Unied Saes hasalready been molded by is social culural and hisorical conex o he exen ha he very eauresha mark he American way o lie991252ie individualism experienialism pragmaism even con-sumerism991252have also come o characerize evangelical Chrisianiy For an insighul analysis ohe ofenimes uncriical conflaion o Evangelicalism and Americanism and o he orces ha havealso resised such accommodaions see D G Har Ta Old-ime Religion in Modern America
Evangelical Proesanism in he wenieh Cenury (Chicago Ivan R Dee 10486269830889830881048626)54See Jerry Z Park ldquoTe Ehnic and Religious Ideniies o Young Asian Americansrdquo (PhD diss
Universiy o Nore Dame 1048626983088983088983092)55See Sharon Kim and Rebecca Y Kim ldquoSecond-Generaion Korean American Chrisiansrsquo Com-
muniies Congregaional Hybridiyrdquo in Carolyn Chen and Russell Jeung eds Susaining Faih
radiions Race Ehniciy and Religion Among he Laino and Asian American Second Generaion (New York New York Universiy Press 104862698308810486251048626) pp 1048625983095983094-9830971048627
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983090 983089
Moving trajectories o theological reflection O course i Asian Americans
hope o climb he ranks o he Norh American evangelical heological
academy hey can only do so on he erms esablished by heir hoss Andraher han responding o sociopoliical acors he evangelical heological
guild has always undersood isel primarily in heological erms and seen is
charge as deending hisorical orhodoxy wheher ha be agains liberalismrsquos
denial o biblical supernauralism agains neo-orhodoxyrsquos ambiguous sance
on Scripure agains mainsream sciencersquos heory o evoluion agains open
heismrsquos docrine o God and so on10486291048630 I evangelical heology has never
beore enerained ehnic perspecives in is discursive consrucion why nowundermine he (is presumed) universal ramework and applicabiliy by
adding he Asian or Asian American qualifiers
While in a sense his enire book provides a se o responses o his quesion
here I sugges hree reasons ha can moivae such a heological pah orward
Firs he Asian diaspora in he Unied Saes is now in a siuaion o reflec
subsanively on is experience o migraion While here are remendous
challenges o migraion10486291048631 some Asian Americans have achieved a level oupward social mobiliy so ha hey are now in he posiion o producing
scholarship inormed by such experienial perspecives Since he memory o
migraion among Asian Americans is more recen han hose o heir Cau-
casian colleagues such perspecives migh be helpul o ideniy how he mi-
graion rom he European coninen has shaped he evangelical heological
enerprise as a whole I Asian Americans can help heir evangelical colleagues
ideniy he hisorical impac o old o new world migraion on he belies andpracices o Norh American Evangelicalism ha in isel will open up pos-
sibiliies or considering aresh Asian American hisories and heir conribu-
ions o he wider conversaion
Second Asian Americans are orced o hink abou race and ehniciy in a
way unlike mos o heir whie brohers and sisers alhough heir reflecions
56Evangelical heologyrsquos many inernal and exernal batles are documened by Jon R Sone On heBoundaries o American Evangelicalism Te Poswar Evangelical Coaliion (New York S MarinrsquosPress 1048625983097983097983095)
57Some o hese are documened by Kenneh J Gues God in Chinaown Religion and Survival in
New Yorkrsquos Evolving Immigran Communiy (New York New York Universiy Press 10486269830889830881048627) whose work we will reurn o in chaper six
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3335
983089 983090 983090 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
can also mediae perspecive in an oherwise whie-and-black demarcaed
world Race and ehniciy are undeniable aspecs o Asian American hisory
and experience Te impor o his is a leas woold Firs Asian Americansare posiioned o engage he discussion opened up by black evangelical heo-
logians regarding conemporary heology991252even in is evangelical guises991252as
reflecing he ascen o whie perspecives in he early modern period a he
expense o Jewish and oher nonwhie culural realiies Asian American per-
specives on race and ehniciy will open up new visas on he racial and ehnic
dimensions o he biblical world10486291048632 In oher words he marginalized hisories
and perspecives o Asian American Evangelicals have much o conribue oconemporary biblical inerpreaion and heological explicaion Te dom-
inan orms o evangelical heology orged in par ou o he hegemony o
Chrisendom are in need o criical analysis and dialogical revision
Las bu no leas cenral and ongoing elemens o Asian American hisory
are par o he presen experiences o ransnaionalism and globalizaion Te
issues here are complex10486291048633 One mater ha needs o be addressed is he iner-
woven characer o he global economy and how i affecs people around he world differenly depending on various social poliical and culural circum-
sances In addiion wih regard o he Asian American side o his equaion
here remain difficul issues relaed o how he quesion o assimilaion or ac-
culuraion is being negoiaed and adjudicaed Firs- second- and hird-gener-
aion perspecives differ someimes momenously and his does no even acor
in he perspecives o he 983089983093 generaion I heology is o engage he hisorical
realiies o real flesh-and-blood human beings i mus engage such quesions inour conemporary world Asian American Evangelicals can lead he way in
hinking heologically abou such hings and his will benefi no only Asian
58 Asian Evangelicals hus need o build rom he insighul readings o mainline Proesan biblicalscholar a-Siong Benny Liew Wha Is Asian American Biblical Hermeneuics Reading he New
esamen (Honolulu Universiy o Hawaii Press 1048626983088983088983096) regarding he ehnic dynamics under-neah Jewish-Genile relaions in he New esamen o be sure Liewrsquos mainline Proesan as-sumpions may be raher disan rom evangelical ones so some criical dialogue and perhaps
correcion may also be in order Ye he srengh o Liewrsquos book is o sugges how Asian Americanexperiences o ehnic marginaliy can illuminae he dispues beween Jewish and Genile ollow-ers o he Messiah in he firs cenury Tis is an issue worh subsanial engagemen rom anevangelical perspecive
59Eg Neil J Ormerod and Shane Clifon Globalizaion and he Mission o he Church (New York amp Clark 104862698308810486251048625)
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983090983091
American communiies bu also hose o oher ehnic racial and culural groups
who are also wresling wih lie in he weny-firs-cenury global conex
Evangelical heology oday will need o heed more inenionally han i has beore acors o migraion ehniciy globalizaion and ransnaionalism
Asian American Evangelicals can assis wih hese maters i hey will arise o
he occasion Tis does no derac rom he universaliy o he gospel message
On he conrary i addresses quesions o universal significance ha are oher-
wise negleced or engaged rom or wihin only one (dominan cenris) se
o perspecives
Reconnecting to the broader evangelical theological tradition Beore con-cluding his chaper however an imporan cavea ough o be sounded None
o he preceding should be read as denying eiher Asian American indebedness
o he evangelical radiion or he inerrelaedness o Asian American and oher
evangelical effors in he conemporary heological ask Te preceding migh
sugges ha Asian Americans are only poining accusing fingers a heir whie
evangelical riends Wihou aking away anyhing rom he seriousness o he
oregoing discussion I also realize ha whie Evangelicals in paricular and Americans in general have been welcoming o Asians and ha we have made i
his ar on our diasporic journey only wih he help o such riends
Beyond such ecclesial collegialiy however I would gran ha Asian Amer-
icans are in various respecs beholden heologically o American Evangelicals
as well In paricular American evangelical commimens o Chris-
ceneredness biblical aihulness and missionary zealousness are imporan
elemens o Chrisian belie and pracice in he weny-firs cenury Asian American Evangelicals should embrace and live ou such commimens no
only or hemselves bu also or oher Evangelicals and even or he world
Ye my claim is precisely ha such a posure enables Asian American Evan-
gelicals o conribue heologically o he ormaion o an evangelical belie
and praxis relevan o he weny-firs cenury For his o happen however
Asian American Evangelicals mus embrace no only he evangel bu also he
hisoriciy o heir diasporic experiences Te incarnaion o he Son o Godconsised afer all o aking on he concreeness palpabiliy and emporaliy
o human Jewish and firs-cenury Palesinian flesh and he oupouring o he
Spiri o God on he Day o Penecos involved he redempion o he diversiy
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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983089 983090 983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
o human ongues languages and culures so ha hey migh bear winess o
he wondrous works o God (Acs 983090983089983089) Tis penecosal heme991252relaed o
Acs 983090 firs and oremos albei reraced unavoidably hrough he lens o mymodern penecosal ecclesial sensibiliies991252will inorm he deep srucure o
he argumen in he remainder o his volume ye achieved wihin a pen-
evangelical raher han merely charismaic rame o reerence My poin going
orward however is ha in ligh o hese heological and riniarian commi-
mens Evangelicals should be he firs o embrace he diversiy o heir his-
orical pariculariies raher han shy away rom hem radiionally o course
Evangelicals have subordinaed he vicissiudes o hisory and wih ha heiranxieies abou he flux and subjeciviies o experience o he surey and
oundaionalism o he Word o God as revealed in he Scripures My pro-
posal however is ha work o God in Chris and by he Spiri redeems us
amid wih and hrough he specificiies o our hisorical and culural expe-
rience (raher han saving us rom ou o such alogeher) and hus ha he
Word o God speaks ino such realiies (raher han ha we have o deny hem
or rejec hem as par o who we are)In shor Asian American Evangelicals do no need o be apologeic abou
heir lives experiences and perspecives Raher by ollowing he pah o he
Son o God ino he ar counry by receiving he infilling o he Spiri o God
poured ou on all flesh and by aihully atemping o live ou such a Chris-
cenered and Spiri-empowered aih in he ooseps o heir evangelical ore-
bears and ancesors Asian Americans may hen be able o bring heir heo-
logical gifs o he conversaion able gifs ha will challenge he discussion while simulaneously enriching he are or all hose concerned abou he
euangelion in he presen ime I is ime o heologize as Asian Americans no
jus as Evangelicals in order ha Evangelicalism isel can be renewed and
invigoraed or he sake o he gospel and in anicipaion o he reign o God
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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983089983088983094 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
T983144983141 B983157983154983140983141983150 983151983142 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161 A M983145983150983151983154983145983156983161 R983141983152983151983154983156
In he ollowing I highligh he major episemological hermeneuical meh-
odological and docrinal aspecs o (whie) evangelical heology embraced bymany Asian American Evangelicals I argue no ha hese are he only ways in
which Asian American Evangelicals have accommodaed o he dominan
(whie) evangelical subculural worldview nor ha Asian American evan-
gelical heology can be reduced o hese eaures I sugges however ha hese
provide some explanaion or how many Asian American evangelical heolo-
gians view he Asian dimension o heir work in conexual erms bu do no
also undersand he dominan whie heological consrucs similarly Teresul is ha Asian American concerns are no only subordinaed bu also e-
ecively silenced in many cases In he ollowing I criically assess his dom-
inan view rom he marginal horizons o he Asian American experience
A (putatively) global epistemology I begin wih he Enlighenmen epis-
emology and is ques or or presumpion o have atained he universal per-
specive In heir batle agains liberalism Evangelicals have highlighed he
imporance o developing a biblical worldview983090983089 Worldview consrucion isineviably an inellecual exercise983090983090 Wha mos Evangelicals do no ofen
inerrogae is how rooed he worldview ques is in he Enlighenmen projec
As such evangelical worldview ormulaion operaes episemologically ac-
cording o modernis canons o raionaliy Tis is reinorced in evangelical
seminary educaion variously no leas in he embrace o some orm o oun-
daionalism characerisic o he Enlighenmen ques or cerainy hough
o secure evangelical claims o universal ruh983090983091
Foundaionalism classically undersood is he view ha all belies can be
jusified direcly (ounded upon) sense experience or reason available o all991252
hence universal991252raher han inerred rom oher (subjecively held) be-
lies9830901048628 While Evangelicals are philosophically jus as sophisicaed as anyone
21Tus InerVarsiy Press has jus published in 1048626983088983088983097 he fifh ediion o James Sirersquos Te Universe Nex
Door A Basic Worldview Caalog a esimony o is populariy a evangelical colleges and universiies22 Anoher popular ex among Evangelicals noes is concepual naure David K Naugle World-
view Te Hisory o a Concep (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 10486269830889830881048626)23 As refleced in anoher popular evangelical exbook J P Moreland and William Lane Craig
Philosophical Foundaions or a Chrisian Worldview (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 10486269830889830881048627)24Noe ha he dualism beween objeciviy and subjeciviy is isel a modernis consrucion I
discuss hese maters as well as evangelical orms o oundaionalism in my ldquoTe Demise o Foun-
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088 983095
else in heir deense o oundaionalism9830901048629 more ofen han no hey are epis-
emological oundaionaliss or wo reasons Negaively pu episemic oun-
daionalism is a deerren o wha hey see as he hreaening alernaive oepisemological skepicism philosophical i no moral relaivism and reli-
gious and heological pluralism Posiively pu he oundaions o Chrisian
knowing are given in he Bible I will reurn in a momen o address he her-
meneuical issues involved wih such an appeal For he momen however I
simply noe ha evangelical oundaionalism in whaever is guise butresses
is claims o have access o a universal sandpoin or (heological) knowledge
Such a universal vanage poin is o course relaed o he Enlighenmenques or cerain knowledge Hence he undermining o oundaionalism
opens up o perspecivism Evangelicals resis episemic perspecivism or he
same reasons ha hey deend oundaionalism because ha is el o be he
only way o secure raionally he sabiliy o ruh claims Opening he door
o perspecivism invies he mulipliciy o views ha characerizes he rela-
ivism o he posmodern siuaion Conservaive Evangelicals are hus very
concerned abou he ascendency o he posmodern agenda9830901048630
Wha does his have o do wih Asian American Evangelicalism My claim is
ha Asian Americans educaed a conservaive evangelical seminaries have un-
witingly embraced no only he oundaionalis episemology o heir eachers
bu also is atendan applicaions In order o ward off episemic skepicism
moral relaivism and heological pluralism Asian American Evangelicals have
also uncriically rejeced he perspecivism cenral o posoundaionalis epis-
emology9830901048631 More o he poin he deense o oundaionalism is also he de-ense o he saus quo he universal rame o reerence claimed by evangelical
daionalism and he Reenion o ruh Wha Evangelicals Can Learn rom C S Peircerdquo Chrisian
Scholarrsquos Review 1048626983097 no 1048627 (Spring 1048626983088983088983088) 9830939830941048627-98309698309625Eg J P Moreland and Garret DeWeese ldquoTe Premaure Repor o Foundaionalismrsquos Demiserdquo
in Millard J Erickson Paul Kjoss Helseh and Jusin aylor eds Reclaiming he Cener Confon-
ing Evangelical Accommodaion in Posmodern imes (Wheaon IL Crossway 1048626983088983088983092) pp 9830961048625-104862598308898309526Tus par 1048626 o Millard J Erickson Posmodernizing he Faih Evangelical Responses o he Chal-
lenge o Posmodernism (Grand Rapids Baker Books 1048625983097983097983096) is iled ldquoNegaive Responses o
Posmodernismrdquo and discusses a number o conemporary and recen deenders o classical evan-gelical aih David Wells Tomas Oden and Francis Schaeffer
27 As argued eg by Sanley J Grenz and John R Franke Beyond Foundaionalism Shaping Teology in
a Posmodern Conex (Louisville Wesminser John Knox 10486269830889830881048625) he criical and apologeic responsehas been he recogniion ha his akes us ldquobeyond Evangelicalismrdquo991252see Seven Knowles Beyond
Evangelicalism Te Teological Mehodology o Sanley J Grenz (Burlingon V Ashgae 1048626983088983088983097)
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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983089983088983096 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
heology Simulaneously so he argumen goes he abandonmen o ounda-
ionalism opens he door o perspecivism and pluralism And i he later are
problemaic so are heir ideological movemens especially and including muli-culuralism (wih some advocaes o such having reinerpreed Chrisian eaching
in ligh o a poliics o ideniy insead o vice versa)9830901048632 Asian American Evan-
gelicals are hus armed oundaionally o conron engage and resis he perils
o cynicism relaivism and pluralism Unbeknowns o hem however his no
only undercus he ideology o muliculuralism bu also assails he basis upon
which hey can reclaim heir own hisorical and culural ideniies O course
Evangelicals have more recenly recognized a leas in general he imporanceo embracing he diversiy o culures even o celebraing hem bu only so
long as doing so does no hreaen he oundaions o evangelical ceriude
An (allegedly) a-cultural hermeneutic Tis presumpion o having a uni-
versal perspecive while undergirded as biblical raher han recognized as
ounded on an Enlighenmen paradigm bleeds over ino evangelical herme-
neuics In he Asian American evangelical landscape such hermeneuical pre-
supposiions bracke Asian America wheher inenionally (more ofen) or noIn his way Asian American Evangelicals have imbibed no only he oundaion-
alism o heir classical seminary educaion bu also he biblical hermeneuic ha
works o secure such an episemic sance Unsurprisingly a he hear o he
evangelical inerpreaion o Scripure is anoher insrumen rom he modernis
oolki ha o hisorical criicism Tis ime however such a hermeneuical
approach is deployed o access he auhorial inen o he Scripures and i is
his ha is cenral (oundaional) o ideniying he biblical message which inurn enables he Bible o serve as he unshakable norm or Chrisian belie
Tere is much o unpack in he preceding brie descripion o evangelical
hermeneuics classically considered Bu I wan o ocus insead on he prin-
ciples o biblical exegesis as emphasized in evangelical seminary educaion9830901048633
Te goal o exegesis is o draw ou o or o cull rom he Bible wha he original
auhors mean o communicae Tis involves undersanding firs and
28Tus have some Evangelicals harangued agains muliculuralism as an ideology or example991252Dennis McCallum ed Te Deah o ruh Wharsquos Wrong wih Muliculuralism he Rejecion o
Reason and he New Posmodern Diversiy (Minneapolis Behany House 1048625983097983097983094)29Eg Waler C Kaiser oward an Exegeical Teology Biblical Exegesis or Preaching and eaching
(Grand Rapids Baker Books 1048625983097983097983096)
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088983097
oremos how he biblical auhors were undersood by heir iniial audiences
in he ancien conex Exegesis accesses hese primordially inended biblical
principles Wha he Bible means oday is hereby a secondary issue de-penden primarily on wha i originally mean o he firs hearers and readers
o he Scripures Conemporary applicaion hus involves idenificaion o
he original and or some single meaning o he biblical exs9830911048624
Te flip side o he emphasis on exegesis hen involves he rejecion o
eisegesis he inserion o conemporary perspecives ino he meaning o he
biblical ex I he burden o biblical hermeneuics is o ake away rom he
Scripures wha is auhors inended o communicae he bane o evangelicalinerpreaion is o read ino he Bible whaever our presen viewpoins may
dicae Tis o course is a violaion o he cardinal rule o evangelical herme-
neuics readers should leave heir prejudices and biases a he door and allow
he Bible o inorm hem insead Oherwise he concern is ha he reader
will find whaever he or she is looking or and his inecs conaminaes
skews and disors he prisine message o he Bible983091983089
Te problem here is no jus ha he lines beween exegesis and eisegesis aremuch more blurred han Evangelicals usually acknowledge983091983090 bu ha he per-
sisen applicaion o such an approach o he Bible dicaes ha evangelical
readers inenionally bracke or a leas atemp o hold in abeyance heir own
hisories experiences and perspecives as being o secondary impor i o any
relevance a all or heir reading o Scripure Now I am cerainly no suggesing
ha we all willy-nilly inser our biases in appropriaing he biblical ex Simul-
aneously I urge ha he cos o such hermeneuical brackeing is oo high or
30See Rober L Tomas Evangelical Hermeneuics Te New Versus he Old (Grand Rapids Kregel10486269830889830881048626) chap 983094 iled ldquoTe Principle o Single Meaningrdquo which argues ha he pluralism po-lyphony and plurivociy o meaning advocaed by recen progressive Evangelicals reflecs more heeffecs o humaniyrsquos all ino sin han i does he classical assumpions o evangelical biblical in-erpreaion For a counerargumen one ha I am largely sympaheic wih see James K ASmih Te Fall o Inerpreaion Philosophical Foundaions or a Creaional Hermeneuic (DownersGrove IL InerVarsiy Press 1048626983088983088983088)
31For evangelical concerns regarding reader-response hermeneuics see Norman R Gulley ldquoReader-
Response Teories in Posmodern Hermeneuics A Challenge o Evangelical Teologyrdquo in DavidS Dockery ed Te Challenge o Posmodernism An Evangelical Engagemen (Wheaon IL VicorBooks 1048625983097983097983093) pp 1048626983088983096-1048627983096
32In mainline Proesan circles o course here has long been recogniion ha he radiional line beween exegesis and eisegesis is much blurrier han previously hough see Jay G WilliamsldquoExegesis-Eisegesis Is Tere a Differencerdquo Teology oday 1048627983088 no 1048627 (10486259830979830951048627) 10486261048625983096-1048626983095
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2135
983089 983089983088 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
ehnic minoriies who are Evangelicals since his in effec rejecs heir quesions
and concerns as perinen o heir engagemen wih he Bible In addiion such
presumpive brackeing blinds whie Evangelicals o he ac ha heir own ho-rizons and perspecives are involved in any reading o ancien exs and his lack
o awareness makes i doubly difficul o recognize moderae or correc
I would urge insead ha we recognize and embrace he ension involved
in he usion o biblical and conemporary horizons bu do so in a way ha
boh allows conemporary readers o ener ino he world o he Bible on he
one hand (ldquohis is hardquo) and or he Bible o map ono our conemporary lives
on he oher hand (ldquoha is hisrdquo)983091983091 Tis no only allows or an Asian American reading o he Bible somehing ha is barred in he evangelical
environmen i also invies even encourages such an approach and his in
urn gives Asian Americans991252all people acually991252permission o read he
Bible as i i really matered o heir lives
A (presumably) biblical-theological method Enlighenmen assumpions
hus inorm no only Asian American evangelical episemology and herme-
neuics bu also heological mehod and hey do so in ways ha marginalize Asian America Tis is consisen wih he general evangelical ear o licensing
wha hey see as merely subjecive readings o he Bible or he same reasons
ha hey are wary abou enabling heological mehodologies ha consciously
acknowledge he role o experience In oher words he saus quo in evan-
gelical approaches o he Bible (wih is accenuaion o exegesis and rejecion
o eisegesis) has is counerpar in evangelical approaches o heological re-
flecion his ime wih he emphasis on he Bible as he primary i no solesource or heology over and agains hisory radiion culure and experience
A one level he sola scripura commimens o Reormaion radiions have
a very specific hisory and should be undersood according o he nuances
wih which his idea has developed in he pas five hundred years9830911048628 A anoher
33I explicae some aspecs o he ldquohis is hardquo hermeneuic rom a Penecosal perspecive in myldquoReading Scripure and Naure Penecosal Hermeneuics and Teir Implicaions or he Con-
emporary Evangelical Teology and Science Conversaionrdquo Perspecives on Science and ChrisianFaih 9830931048627 no 1048625 (104862698308810486251048625) 1048625-10486251048627
34Reflecing developmens rom he publicaion o Te Fundamenals o he ldquoChicago Saemen onBiblical Inerrancyrdquo (1048625983097983095983096) many conservaive Norh American Evangelicals991252eg rom NormanL Geisler Inerrancy (Grand Rapids Zondervan 1048625983097983096983088) o James R Whie Scripure Alone (Min-neapolis Behany House 1048626983088983088983092)991252have seen and coninue o see boh sola scripura and he doc-
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2335
983089 983089 983090 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
Te problem however is ha Asian Americans have rarely i ever ques-
ioned more rigid applicaions o his mehodological norm or evangelical
heology Raher hey have inernalized he evangelical bias agains hisoryradiion and experience hus silencing he role ha paricular perspecives
migh play in he heological ask I we appeal o our experience a all we
mus do so apologeically as i admiting ha such heological inerprea-
ions are a bes parochial concerns o a communiy no ye assimilaed o
he dominan culure or a wors signaling our heological immauriy and
need o grow up rom or ranscend he ldquobackwardnessrdquo represening our
hisory and experience beore our lie in Chris Ironically however suchinenional marginalizaion o he Asian American experience no o
menion Asian American philosophical ways o hinking and reasoning
does no call ino quesion how he predominanly Anglo- and Euro-
American experiences o moderniy have shaped evangelical heology As a
resul Asian American Evangelicals have adoped wha is claimed o be a
biblical worldview and heological ramework supposedly shorn o he sub-
jecive biases o hisorically siuaed human inerpreers Bu hese aresurely devoid o heir own experienial and conexual (Asian American)
locaions and ye uncriically naive in hinking ha Euro-American his-
orical accidens have been adequaely ldquoChrisianizedrdquo
So ar I have suggesed ha episemologically hermeneuically and meh-
odologically Asian Americans have rarely quesioned he modernis Enligh-
enmen and Anglo- and Euro-American presupposiions o he evangelical
heological endeavor And since his underaking has never acknowledged heculural conexs and perspecives o he predominanly whie ramers o he
evangelical heological radiion10486281048624 he assumpion is ha ehniciy plays litle
i any role in he work o heology No surprisingly hen Asian American
heologians have been reicen o sugges ha ehniciy culure and hisoriciy
coun in heological reflecion By exension he heological and docrinal
40My poin is no ha whie perspecives have disored he gospel his isel assumes a sor oa-culural gospel ha needs conexualizaion991252a poin ha needs o be addressed and nuanced which we will do momenarily My poin is ha such whie viewpoins are no only unrecognized bu ha hey are hen presumed o be normaive or nonwhies I is par o he goal o his chapero call Asian American heologians o atend o his assumpion and o find ways o inenionallyaddress and subver i
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983091
resuls have been ormulaed and ransmited as biblically unded and univer-
sally applicable regardless o conexual consideraions
A (supposedly) universal doctrinal famework One example o how Norh American evangelical heology has proceeded wih universalisic assumpions
and hereby overlooked i no inenionally ignored oher culural perspec-
ives has o do wih he docrine o he aonemen and wha i addresses Pu
crassly humankind suffers rom one overall problem ha o sin agains God
and ha one problem demands basically one soluion he subsiuionary
aonemen o he Sonrsquos deah on he cross1048628983089 Now I realize ha i is unair o
depic evangelical views regarding he aonemen in such homogeneous ermssince he mater isel is sill being conesed1048628983090 Bu he ac is ha in some
evangelical circles deparure rom he subsiuionary view o he aonemen
is considered deviaion rom evangelical orhodoxy1048628983091 From his posiion oher
biblical aspecs and alernaive inerpreaions are eiher subsumed under he
docrine o penal subsiuion or argued o be flawed in some respec
O course such a viewpoin minimizes he role o medieval eudalism and
he jurisprudenial background o some o he Reormers in he emergenceand esablishmen o his undersanding o he aonemen in he evangelical
radiion jus as i really does no quesion he basically Augusinian anhro-
pology presumed in his process Now I am no a hisorical deerminis who
believes ha conex leads inexorably o our heological ideas jus as I do no
hink ha allowance or hisorical conexual acors relaivizes he ruh o
heological claims or produces docrinal heerodoxy Raher wihou denying
41Te World Evangelical Alliancersquos Saemen o Faih affirms ldquoWe believe in Our Lord JesusChris God manies in he flesh His virgin birh His sinless human lie His divine miracles His vicarious and aoning deah His bodily resurrecion His ascension His mediaorial work and HisPersonal reurn in power and glory Te Salvaion o los and sinul man hrough he shed bloodo he Lord Jesus Chris by aih apar rom works and regeneraion by he Holy Spirirdquo (see worldevangelicalorgweasaemenhm emphases original)
42See James Beilby and Paul R Eddy eds Te Naure o he Aonemen Four Views (DownersGrove IL IVP Academic 1048626983088983088983094) and Derek idball David Hilborn and Jusin Tacker eds Te
Aonemen Debae Papers fom he London Symposium on he Teology o he Aonemen (Grand
Rapids Zondervan 1048626983088983088983093) c J Denny Weaver Te Nonviolen Aonemen (Grand Rapids Eerd-mans 10486269830889830881048625) and Hans Boersma Violence Hospialiy and he Cross Recovering he Aonemen
radiion (Grand Rapids Baker Academic 1048626983088983088983092)43See S Lewis Johnson Jr ldquoBehold he Lamb Te Gospel and Subsiuionary Aonemenrdquo in John
H Armsrong ed Te Coming Evangelical Crisis Curren Challenges o he Auhoriy o Scripure
and he Gospel (Chicago Moody Press 1048625983097983097983094) pp 10486251048625983097-1048627983096
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983089 983089 983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
he imporance o he biblical and heological heme o subsiuion or he
docrine o he aonemen I am simply suggesing ha oher culural perspec-
ives and even assumpions migh highligh and emphasize oher biblicalmeaphors regarding Chrisrsquos salvific work
Bu o pursue he quesion ono Asian American errain wha difference
will i make i we recognize ha some Asians and Asian Americans live and
exis in a shame raher han guil culure How migh evangelical hinking
abou he aonemen be adjused revised and maybe even ransormed i
Chrisrsquos work no only assuaged he guil o sin rom human lives bu also re-
moved he shame in human hears10486281048628 My poin is ha evangelical heologicalendencies generally urge a universalisic sandpoin and in his paradigm
here is no need o atend o he pariculariies o or ariculae Asian Asian
American or oher culural perspecives since hese are all subsumed wihin he
biblical ramework read in an evangelical way In his case here isnrsquo even a
need o ask wheher radiional evangelical heologies and docrines like hose
regarding he aonemen may need o be revisied and reariculaed in ligh o
oher hisorical culural and experienial dynamics In ac Asian Americansare boh oo shameul and oo shy o even consider asking abou hese maters
I have argued so ar in his secion ha Asian American Evangelicals ormed
heologically according o he sensibiliies o he dominan evangelical culure
in Norh America have inernalized he whie evangelical worldview and in ha
sense mosly do no see he need o hink explicily rom an Asian American
vanage poin Asian American evangelical views are hereore a bes no more
han a minoriy heological perspecive wo relaed summary consequenceshave ollowed Asian American acquiescence o he majoriy culure Firs meh-
odologically and maerially evangelical heology has been undersood o be a-
hisorical a-culural and even a-conexual Te assumpion is ha he Bible
addresses all human beings so any plain reading o he Scripure will or should
be able o access he Word o God a any and all imes and places radiionally
ormulaed and ramed evangelical docrines derived rom an inducive sudy
44 Asian Americans are beginning o do jus his however991252eg Rachel Y Lei ldquoSaving Significanceo he Cross in he Asian American Conexrdquo SANACS Journal 1048625 (1048626983088983088983097) 983097983093-10486251048625983094 c Mark D Bakerand Joel B Green Recovering he Scandal o he Cross Te Aonemen in New esamen and Con-
emporary Conexs (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 1048626983088983088983088) chap 983094 ldquoRemoving AlienaingShame Te Saving Significance o he Cross in Japanrdquo
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983093
o Scripure hus orm he undispuable and unrevisable core o he gospel
Tere is litle recogniion o he hisorical culural and conexual perspecives
ha have conribued o he ariculaion o such evangelical belies Wha his means is ha here sill remains a core se o evangelical docrinal
achievemens and hese remain valid across space and ime alhough hey
may be supplemened by or ranslaed ino local conexual and siuaional
perspecives and idioms As we saw previously (chaper one) he recen Cam-
bridge Companion o Evangelical Teology reflecs precisely his mindse10486281048629 Te
Companion we know is divided ino wo pars Te firs is iled ldquoEvan-
gelicals and Chrisian Docrinerdquo and his includes eigh chapers on he oun-daional docrinal marix o evangelical belies he riniy Scripure chris-
ology heological anhropology jusificaionaonemen pneumaology
conversionsancificaion and ecclesiology Par wo ldquoTe Conexs o Evan-
gelical Teologyrdquo hen provides anoher nine chapers and hese cover issues
relaed o culure gender race and pluralism and include five chapers on
evangelical heology in Arican Asian European Lain American and Norh
American conexs Tis srucure o he Companion communicaes a wooldmessage ha evangelical docrine is a-conexually derived (par one) and
ha various hisorical conexs (par wo) can add a mos parochial ruhs
ha will no upse he docrinal supersrucure o he evangelical heological
landscape In shor basic heological and docrinal ruhs o he Chrisian
aih have already been ormulaed and can be ound in any oher evangelical
sysemaic heological ex quie apar rom Asian American or any oher
more specified perspecivesPu more poinedly i Asian Americans (or any oher ehnic or culural
group) were o wrie heir own heologies hese would be provincial under-
akings wih marginal relevance or he wider evangelical communiy Tese
would be o value only or ldquohoserdquo people (maybe immigrans reugees or
exiles) who have no ye been assimilaed ino he broader American evan-
gelical culure Litle wonder hen ha ew Asian Americans have venured
ino heological errioryhe second summary consequence o inernalizing he dominan
45imohy Larsen and Daniel J reier eds Te Cambridge Companion o Evangelical Teology (Cambridge Cambridge Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983095)
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983089 983089983094 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
worldview991252ha evangelical heology a leas in is dogmaic and sysemaic
configuraions is by and large a finished projec wih minimal inpu needed
rom Asian American or oher perspecives991252is ha Asian Americans wihheological educaion have urned in general o work in he hisorical and
social scienific disciplines10486281048630 Tere cerainly remains imporan work o be
done by hose working across he disciplines so I am no decrying such effors
Ye he ac ha hisorical sociological or oher disciplinary explicaions o
Asian American lie are published by universiy presses communicaes o
Asian Americans ha heir role is o shed new ligh on he Asian American
experience A he same ime he prevalence o hese analyical approachesamid he lacuna o explicily heological works suggess ha he ormer is o
minimal value a leas or he ldquorealrdquo heological work o dogmaics and sys-
emaics Furher ha hese scholarly publishers do no eaure exs on Asian
American evangelical heology confirms his division o labor (whie Evan-
gelicals wrie real heology Asian American Evangelicals do hisory sociology
ec) A he end o he day evangelical heologyrsquos assumpion remains undis-
urbed ha here are core docrines ha only need o be conexualized991252ha is ranslaed and made relevan991252around he world In his ramework
Asian Americans can conribue no o he ormer heological ormulaion bu
only o he later ranslaion and disseminaion ask10486281048631
46Eg he work o imohy seng and David Yoo in hisory Fenggang Yang and Rebecca Kim insociology and Russell Jeung in Asian American sudies among ohers see also my ldquoAsian Amer-ican Religion A Review Essayrdquo Nova Religio Te Journal o Alernaive and Emergen Religions 983097
no 1048627 (1048626983088983088983094) 9830971048626-104862598308898309547One could argue ha a parallel ye disinc moivaion drives Lain American or Hispanic evan-
gelical heology in a similar direcion I Asian Americans are cauioned agains hinking heo-logically rom ou o ehnic hisorical and conexual lives because o heir uncriical embrace o whie evangelical assumpions Hispanic Evangelicals may have adoped similar commimensalbei or slighly differen reasons relaed o he Lain American conex Te dominance o heRoman Caholic Church along wih is heological and olk radiions in he later environmenmay be behind Hispanic evangelical suspicions abou he role o hisory and culure in he doingo heology Te ani-Caholic senimen in hisoric Evangelicalism no doub is atracive oLainoas on he migran rail (rom Lain America o he Unied Saes) alhough such accom-modaion has brough wih i he heological coss elaboraed in he preceding pages For urher
discussion and oher angles on hese issues see Oscar Garcia-Johnson Te Mesizoa Communiyo he Spiri A Posmodern Lainoa Ecclesiology (Eugene OR Wip amp Sock 1048626983088983088983097) Sammy Alaro Divino Compantildeero oward a Hispanic Penecosal Chrisology (Eugene OR Pickwick10486269830881048625983088) Juan Mariacutenez ldquolsquoOuside he Gaersquo Evangelicalism and Laino Proesan Teologyrdquo in JeffreyGreenman and Gene L Green eds Global Teology in Evangelical Perspecive Exploring he Conex-
ual Naure o Teology and Mission (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 104862698308810486251048626) pp 1048625983095983097-983097983092 and
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983095
T983144983141 M983137983150983140983137983156983141 983151983142 A983155983145983137983150 A983149983141983154983145983139983137983150 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161
Te preceding analysis raises sel-criical awareness or Asian American Evan-
gelicals and invies hem in dialogue wih oher Evangelicals o consider wheher heir minoriy saus is problemaic and wha i anyhing can and
ough o be done abou i Now I am aware ha here are developmens wihin
he evangelical heological radiion broadly consrued ha have moved
beyond some o he sricures idenified in he preceding secion Progressive
Evangelicals he evangelical lef and posconservaive Evangelicals denoe jus
a ew o he rends among ohers percolaing on he margins o evangelical
heology10486281048632 Bu ha is precisely par o he problem hese are movemens haexcep or a small minoriy remain ouside he evangelical mainsream and
have also by and large been ignored by Asian American evangelical scholars
and heologians I believe ha producive ways orward can be chared via
Asian American Evangelicals in dialogue wih some o hese ideas alhough
a he end o he day such conversaions will only be producive as Asian
American Evangelicals ormulae a plaorm on which hey can bring some-
hing subsanive o he discussion Tis later ask is par o he presen chal-lenge and burden o he presen book
Insoar hen as I am ineresed in he quesion o wha Asian Americans can
conribue o evangelical heology no jus hisorically or sociologically bu a
a heological level my claim is ha pursui o hese maters ironically also in-
volves aking seriously he hisoriciy and pariculariy o Asian American cul-
ures experiences and perspecives In his final par o his chaper I do no
more han sugges in broad srokes how o go abou such an underakingRealities o the Asian American diaspora Par o ldquohe problem o evan-
gelical heologyrdquo can be clarified i we siuae Asian American evangelical
heology amid he broader Asian American diasporic hisorical and social
realiies described in par a he beginning o chaper wo Doing so enables
he sark realizaion ha Asian American Evangelicals are composed by a
wide range o experiences on he one hand and pressure o assimilae o
Juan F Mariacutenez and Lindy Scot eds Los Evangeacutelicos Porrais o Laino Proesanism in he
Unied Saes (Eugene OR Wip amp Sock 1048626983088983088983097)48Many o hese are discussed in Roger E Olson Reormed and Always Reorming Te Posconser-
vaive Approach o Evangelical Teology (Grand Rapids Baker Academic 1048626983088983088983095)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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983089 983089983096 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
American culure on he oher W hile Asians have lived in Norh America
since he ounding o he republic and had even conribued o he building
o he American empire during he nineeenh cenury he 983089983097983094983093 Immigraion Ac ha repealed he Orienal Exclusion Ac o 983089983097983090983092 reopened he door o a
new wave o Asian migraion During he las generaion Asian American lie
has been urher ransormed by he orces o globalizaion diasporas creaed
by modernizaion indusrializaion and urbanizaion reugee populaions
displaced by war amine and climae changes movemen enabled by he
emergence o a worldwide marke economy advances in echnology and mass
communicaion he cross-erilizaion o ideologies and shifs in inerna-ional relaions10486281048633 Te resul as saw in he previous chaper is he appearance
o a wide range o Asian American communiies across Norh America Lie
in such communiies is fluid affeced by migraion paterns socioeconomic
pressures and he srengh o relaions wih hose ldquoback homerdquo Te sronger
he ransnaional ies beween Asian immigrans in he Wes and heir amilies
organizaions and insiuions (religious and oherwise) in heir homeland
he more inense and longer-lasing he exchange o religious goods and ideas(in he orm o books periodicals and various orms o elecommunicaion)
Unsurprisingly hen firs-generaion immigrans ofen deepen he reli-
gious commimens ha hey held or praciced perhaps more nominally
beore moving Someimes immigrans conver o he more dominan religion
o heir new home In eiher case religious affiliaion ofen serves o secure
social neworks coner saus oherwise difficul o come by or immigrans
and srenghen ehnic culural and linguisic bonds and ideniies Bu or he983089983093 generaion (hose born in Asia bu who grew up a leas in par in he
Unied Saes like mysel) he process o assimilaion is well under way In
hese cases he ehnic enclave will develop English-speaking secions as well
as social organizaions school clubs and Chrisian congregaions
For young adul Asian American Evangelicals however here is ofen a
49For an overview o hese issues see Wanni W Anderson and Rober G Lee eds Displacemensand Diasporas Asians in he Americas (New Brunswick NJ Rugers Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983093) Idiscuss urher he implicaions o globalizaion or Chrisian heology in Amos Yong and PeerHelzel ldquoRober Cummings Neville and he Global Fuure o Teologyrdquo in Yong and Helzel edsTeology in Global Conex Essays in Honor o Rober Cummings Neville (New York amp Clark1048626983088983088983092) pp 1048626983097-9830921048626 esp pp 1048627983088-1048627983092
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983097
keen sense ha heir own ehnically organized congregaions or groups are
somehow less religiously and heologically legiimae because hey do no
have he more ldquouniversalrdquo appeal o whie or muliculural evangelicalchurches or parachurch organizaions10486291048624 Te resul is eiher he ransiion o
ehnic congregaions ino pan-ehnic congregaions or movemen rom heir
ldquohomerdquo congregaion o oher less ehnically defined church environmens1048629983089
By he ime he second generaion atains adulhood he remaining culural
or linguisic barriers o ull assimilaion ino American sociey are pracically
overcome ofen o he dismay o parens and grandparens1048629983090
Wha does such assimilaion consis o Cerainly speaking Englishparicipaing in he marke economy and adaping o he opions provided
by American seculariy and poliics are minimal adjusmens Bu perhaps
assimilaion also requires abandoning he norms o he immigran culure
in avor o American norms or amily and gender relaions and engaging
wih he public square on is erms I so would his no lead o an evan-
gelical sel-undersanding deeply ormed by American culure poliics
and economics Would his no resul in a subordinaion and even deor-maion o all ha is Asian excep or he biological phenoype I would
appear hen ha becoming American would more easily aciliae he
embrace o evangelical Chrisianiy991252i such is deined as a suburban
Midwesern whie middle-class religious phenomenon wih Wheaon
Illinois as is veriable ldquoMeccardquo991252bu his brings wih i he cos o losing
onersquos Asianness Does his mean ha ull accepance o Evangelicalism
50See eg Rebecca Y Kim ldquoNegoiaion o Ehnic and Religious Boundaries by Asian AmericanCampus Evangelicalsrdquo in ony Carnes and Fenggang Yang eds Asian American Religions Te
Making and Remaking o Borders and Boundaries (New York New York Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983092) pp10486259830921048625-983093983097 and Rudy V Buso ldquoTe Gospel According o he Model Minoriy Hazarding an Inerpre-aion o Asian American Evangelical College Sudensrdquo in David K Yoo ed New Spiriual Homes
Religion and Asian Americans (Honolulu Universiy o Hawaii Press 1048625983097983097983097) pp 1048625983094983097-98309698309551See Russell Jeung Faihul Generaions Race and New Asian American Churches (New Brunswick
NJ Rugers Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983092)52 As can be discerned by reading beween he lines o he Bible sudies in om Linrsquos Losing Face
and Finding Grace Tis appears o be he case wheher he second generaion inenionally a-emps o disinguish is ehnic congregaional lie rom ha o he firs immigran generaion or wheher he second generaion becomes absorbed ino nonehnic or even muliehnic congrega-ions on his poin see Elaine Howard Ecklund ldquoModels o Civic Responsibiliy Korean Amer-icans in Congregaions wih Differen Ehnic Composiionsrdquo Journal or he Scienific Sudy o
Religion 983092983092 no 1048625 (1048626983088983088983093) 1048625983093-1048626983096
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983089 983090 983088 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
includes ldquorepenancerdquo rom Asia and ldquoconversionrdquo o Americanism1048629983091
Ta his is no he case seems o be borne ou by he sociological lieraure
which confirms ha ehniciy remains jus as imporan as religion in he or-maion o Asian American ideniy10486291048628 Bu i so evangelical heology has no
even begun o wresle wih he imporance o ehniciy and race no o
menion heir heological implicaions Second-generaion Korean Amer-
icans or insance seem o be inuiively drawn o churches and parachurch
minisries ha oreground heir Korean culural ideniy10486291048629 bu hey have
developed ew heological raionales or such orms o social organizaion
more o he poin heir own heological presupposiions miigae agains suchaciviy which may explain heir ideniy conflicedness
Unsurprisingly hen Asian American evangelical heology has ye o ge
off he ground even a he beginning o he weny-firs cenury Asian
American Evangelicals geting degrees rom insiuions o higher educaion
have had o wresle wihagains his assimilaive impulse o sruggle wih he
quesion o wheher hey are or should be doing (descripive) sociology raher
han heology (as normaive reflecion) and o ariculae an apologeic ordoing Asian American evangelical heology raher han jus evangelical he-
ology For oo many Asian American Evangelicals heir saus ldquobewix and
beweenrdquo991252on he one hand belonging o Asia and o he Unied Saes in
some respecs bu on he oher hand being a sranger o boh Asia and he
Unied Saes in oher respecs991252pus hem in a unique posiion o inerrogae
evangelical heology bu (o dae) leaves hem ouside he ormal organiza-
ional and insiuional srucures o criique effecively and ransorm heevangelical heological radiion
53One could also make he reverse argumen however ha Evangelicalism in he Unied Saes hasalready been molded by is social culural and hisorical conex o he exen ha he very eauresha mark he American way o lie991252ie individualism experienialism pragmaism even con-sumerism991252have also come o characerize evangelical Chrisianiy For an insighul analysis ohe ofenimes uncriical conflaion o Evangelicalism and Americanism and o he orces ha havealso resised such accommodaions see D G Har Ta Old-ime Religion in Modern America
Evangelical Proesanism in he wenieh Cenury (Chicago Ivan R Dee 10486269830889830881048626)54See Jerry Z Park ldquoTe Ehnic and Religious Ideniies o Young Asian Americansrdquo (PhD diss
Universiy o Nore Dame 1048626983088983088983092)55See Sharon Kim and Rebecca Y Kim ldquoSecond-Generaion Korean American Chrisiansrsquo Com-
muniies Congregaional Hybridiyrdquo in Carolyn Chen and Russell Jeung eds Susaining Faih
radiions Race Ehniciy and Religion Among he Laino and Asian American Second Generaion (New York New York Universiy Press 104862698308810486251048626) pp 1048625983095983094-9830971048627
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983090 983089
Moving trajectories o theological reflection O course i Asian Americans
hope o climb he ranks o he Norh American evangelical heological
academy hey can only do so on he erms esablished by heir hoss Andraher han responding o sociopoliical acors he evangelical heological
guild has always undersood isel primarily in heological erms and seen is
charge as deending hisorical orhodoxy wheher ha be agains liberalismrsquos
denial o biblical supernauralism agains neo-orhodoxyrsquos ambiguous sance
on Scripure agains mainsream sciencersquos heory o evoluion agains open
heismrsquos docrine o God and so on10486291048630 I evangelical heology has never
beore enerained ehnic perspecives in is discursive consrucion why nowundermine he (is presumed) universal ramework and applicabiliy by
adding he Asian or Asian American qualifiers
While in a sense his enire book provides a se o responses o his quesion
here I sugges hree reasons ha can moivae such a heological pah orward
Firs he Asian diaspora in he Unied Saes is now in a siuaion o reflec
subsanively on is experience o migraion While here are remendous
challenges o migraion10486291048631 some Asian Americans have achieved a level oupward social mobiliy so ha hey are now in he posiion o producing
scholarship inormed by such experienial perspecives Since he memory o
migraion among Asian Americans is more recen han hose o heir Cau-
casian colleagues such perspecives migh be helpul o ideniy how he mi-
graion rom he European coninen has shaped he evangelical heological
enerprise as a whole I Asian Americans can help heir evangelical colleagues
ideniy he hisorical impac o old o new world migraion on he belies andpracices o Norh American Evangelicalism ha in isel will open up pos-
sibiliies or considering aresh Asian American hisories and heir conribu-
ions o he wider conversaion
Second Asian Americans are orced o hink abou race and ehniciy in a
way unlike mos o heir whie brohers and sisers alhough heir reflecions
56Evangelical heologyrsquos many inernal and exernal batles are documened by Jon R Sone On heBoundaries o American Evangelicalism Te Poswar Evangelical Coaliion (New York S MarinrsquosPress 1048625983097983097983095)
57Some o hese are documened by Kenneh J Gues God in Chinaown Religion and Survival in
New Yorkrsquos Evolving Immigran Communiy (New York New York Universiy Press 10486269830889830881048627) whose work we will reurn o in chaper six
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3335
983089 983090 983090 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
can also mediae perspecive in an oherwise whie-and-black demarcaed
world Race and ehniciy are undeniable aspecs o Asian American hisory
and experience Te impor o his is a leas woold Firs Asian Americansare posiioned o engage he discussion opened up by black evangelical heo-
logians regarding conemporary heology991252even in is evangelical guises991252as
reflecing he ascen o whie perspecives in he early modern period a he
expense o Jewish and oher nonwhie culural realiies Asian American per-
specives on race and ehniciy will open up new visas on he racial and ehnic
dimensions o he biblical world10486291048632 In oher words he marginalized hisories
and perspecives o Asian American Evangelicals have much o conribue oconemporary biblical inerpreaion and heological explicaion Te dom-
inan orms o evangelical heology orged in par ou o he hegemony o
Chrisendom are in need o criical analysis and dialogical revision
Las bu no leas cenral and ongoing elemens o Asian American hisory
are par o he presen experiences o ransnaionalism and globalizaion Te
issues here are complex10486291048633 One mater ha needs o be addressed is he iner-
woven characer o he global economy and how i affecs people around he world differenly depending on various social poliical and culural circum-
sances In addiion wih regard o he Asian American side o his equaion
here remain difficul issues relaed o how he quesion o assimilaion or ac-
culuraion is being negoiaed and adjudicaed Firs- second- and hird-gener-
aion perspecives differ someimes momenously and his does no even acor
in he perspecives o he 983089983093 generaion I heology is o engage he hisorical
realiies o real flesh-and-blood human beings i mus engage such quesions inour conemporary world Asian American Evangelicals can lead he way in
hinking heologically abou such hings and his will benefi no only Asian
58 Asian Evangelicals hus need o build rom he insighul readings o mainline Proesan biblicalscholar a-Siong Benny Liew Wha Is Asian American Biblical Hermeneuics Reading he New
esamen (Honolulu Universiy o Hawaii Press 1048626983088983088983096) regarding he ehnic dynamics under-neah Jewish-Genile relaions in he New esamen o be sure Liewrsquos mainline Proesan as-sumpions may be raher disan rom evangelical ones so some criical dialogue and perhaps
correcion may also be in order Ye he srengh o Liewrsquos book is o sugges how Asian Americanexperiences o ehnic marginaliy can illuminae he dispues beween Jewish and Genile ollow-ers o he Messiah in he firs cenury Tis is an issue worh subsanial engagemen rom anevangelical perspecive
59Eg Neil J Ormerod and Shane Clifon Globalizaion and he Mission o he Church (New York amp Clark 104862698308810486251048625)
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983090983091
American communiies bu also hose o oher ehnic racial and culural groups
who are also wresling wih lie in he weny-firs-cenury global conex
Evangelical heology oday will need o heed more inenionally han i has beore acors o migraion ehniciy globalizaion and ransnaionalism
Asian American Evangelicals can assis wih hese maters i hey will arise o
he occasion Tis does no derac rom he universaliy o he gospel message
On he conrary i addresses quesions o universal significance ha are oher-
wise negleced or engaged rom or wihin only one (dominan cenris) se
o perspecives
Reconnecting to the broader evangelical theological tradition Beore con-cluding his chaper however an imporan cavea ough o be sounded None
o he preceding should be read as denying eiher Asian American indebedness
o he evangelical radiion or he inerrelaedness o Asian American and oher
evangelical effors in he conemporary heological ask Te preceding migh
sugges ha Asian Americans are only poining accusing fingers a heir whie
evangelical riends Wihou aking away anyhing rom he seriousness o he
oregoing discussion I also realize ha whie Evangelicals in paricular and Americans in general have been welcoming o Asians and ha we have made i
his ar on our diasporic journey only wih he help o such riends
Beyond such ecclesial collegialiy however I would gran ha Asian Amer-
icans are in various respecs beholden heologically o American Evangelicals
as well In paricular American evangelical commimens o Chris-
ceneredness biblical aihulness and missionary zealousness are imporan
elemens o Chrisian belie and pracice in he weny-firs cenury Asian American Evangelicals should embrace and live ou such commimens no
only or hemselves bu also or oher Evangelicals and even or he world
Ye my claim is precisely ha such a posure enables Asian American Evan-
gelicals o conribue heologically o he ormaion o an evangelical belie
and praxis relevan o he weny-firs cenury For his o happen however
Asian American Evangelicals mus embrace no only he evangel bu also he
hisoriciy o heir diasporic experiences Te incarnaion o he Son o Godconsised afer all o aking on he concreeness palpabiliy and emporaliy
o human Jewish and firs-cenury Palesinian flesh and he oupouring o he
Spiri o God on he Day o Penecos involved he redempion o he diversiy
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3535
983089 983090 983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
o human ongues languages and culures so ha hey migh bear winess o
he wondrous works o God (Acs 983090983089983089) Tis penecosal heme991252relaed o
Acs 983090 firs and oremos albei reraced unavoidably hrough he lens o mymodern penecosal ecclesial sensibiliies991252will inorm he deep srucure o
he argumen in he remainder o his volume ye achieved wihin a pen-
evangelical raher han merely charismaic rame o reerence My poin going
orward however is ha in ligh o hese heological and riniarian commi-
mens Evangelicals should be he firs o embrace he diversiy o heir his-
orical pariculariies raher han shy away rom hem radiionally o course
Evangelicals have subordinaed he vicissiudes o hisory and wih ha heiranxieies abou he flux and subjeciviies o experience o he surey and
oundaionalism o he Word o God as revealed in he Scripures My pro-
posal however is ha work o God in Chris and by he Spiri redeems us
amid wih and hrough he specificiies o our hisorical and culural expe-
rience (raher han saving us rom ou o such alogeher) and hus ha he
Word o God speaks ino such realiies (raher han ha we have o deny hem
or rejec hem as par o who we are)In shor Asian American Evangelicals do no need o be apologeic abou
heir lives experiences and perspecives Raher by ollowing he pah o he
Son o God ino he ar counry by receiving he infilling o he Spiri o God
poured ou on all flesh and by aihully atemping o live ou such a Chris-
cenered and Spiri-empowered aih in he ooseps o heir evangelical ore-
bears and ancesors Asian Americans may hen be able o bring heir heo-
logical gifs o he conversaion able gifs ha will challenge he discussion while simulaneously enriching he are or all hose concerned abou he
euangelion in he presen ime I is ime o heologize as Asian Americans no
jus as Evangelicals in order ha Evangelicalism isel can be renewed and
invigoraed or he sake o he gospel and in anicipaion o he reign o God
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088 983095
else in heir deense o oundaionalism9830901048629 more ofen han no hey are epis-
emological oundaionaliss or wo reasons Negaively pu episemic oun-
daionalism is a deerren o wha hey see as he hreaening alernaive oepisemological skepicism philosophical i no moral relaivism and reli-
gious and heological pluralism Posiively pu he oundaions o Chrisian
knowing are given in he Bible I will reurn in a momen o address he her-
meneuical issues involved wih such an appeal For he momen however I
simply noe ha evangelical oundaionalism in whaever is guise butresses
is claims o have access o a universal sandpoin or (heological) knowledge
Such a universal vanage poin is o course relaed o he Enlighenmenques or cerain knowledge Hence he undermining o oundaionalism
opens up o perspecivism Evangelicals resis episemic perspecivism or he
same reasons ha hey deend oundaionalism because ha is el o be he
only way o secure raionally he sabiliy o ruh claims Opening he door
o perspecivism invies he mulipliciy o views ha characerizes he rela-
ivism o he posmodern siuaion Conservaive Evangelicals are hus very
concerned abou he ascendency o he posmodern agenda9830901048630
Wha does his have o do wih Asian American Evangelicalism My claim is
ha Asian Americans educaed a conservaive evangelical seminaries have un-
witingly embraced no only he oundaionalis episemology o heir eachers
bu also is atendan applicaions In order o ward off episemic skepicism
moral relaivism and heological pluralism Asian American Evangelicals have
also uncriically rejeced he perspecivism cenral o posoundaionalis epis-
emology9830901048631 More o he poin he deense o oundaionalism is also he de-ense o he saus quo he universal rame o reerence claimed by evangelical
daionalism and he Reenion o ruh Wha Evangelicals Can Learn rom C S Peircerdquo Chrisian
Scholarrsquos Review 1048626983097 no 1048627 (Spring 1048626983088983088983088) 9830939830941048627-98309698309625Eg J P Moreland and Garret DeWeese ldquoTe Premaure Repor o Foundaionalismrsquos Demiserdquo
in Millard J Erickson Paul Kjoss Helseh and Jusin aylor eds Reclaiming he Cener Confon-
ing Evangelical Accommodaion in Posmodern imes (Wheaon IL Crossway 1048626983088983088983092) pp 9830961048625-104862598308898309526Tus par 1048626 o Millard J Erickson Posmodernizing he Faih Evangelical Responses o he Chal-
lenge o Posmodernism (Grand Rapids Baker Books 1048625983097983097983096) is iled ldquoNegaive Responses o
Posmodernismrdquo and discusses a number o conemporary and recen deenders o classical evan-gelical aih David Wells Tomas Oden and Francis Schaeffer
27 As argued eg by Sanley J Grenz and John R Franke Beyond Foundaionalism Shaping Teology in
a Posmodern Conex (Louisville Wesminser John Knox 10486269830889830881048625) he criical and apologeic responsehas been he recogniion ha his akes us ldquobeyond Evangelicalismrdquo991252see Seven Knowles Beyond
Evangelicalism Te Teological Mehodology o Sanley J Grenz (Burlingon V Ashgae 1048626983088983088983097)
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 1935
983089983088983096 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
heology Simulaneously so he argumen goes he abandonmen o ounda-
ionalism opens he door o perspecivism and pluralism And i he later are
problemaic so are heir ideological movemens especially and including muli-culuralism (wih some advocaes o such having reinerpreed Chrisian eaching
in ligh o a poliics o ideniy insead o vice versa)9830901048632 Asian American Evan-
gelicals are hus armed oundaionally o conron engage and resis he perils
o cynicism relaivism and pluralism Unbeknowns o hem however his no
only undercus he ideology o muliculuralism bu also assails he basis upon
which hey can reclaim heir own hisorical and culural ideniies O course
Evangelicals have more recenly recognized a leas in general he imporanceo embracing he diversiy o culures even o celebraing hem bu only so
long as doing so does no hreaen he oundaions o evangelical ceriude
An (allegedly) a-cultural hermeneutic Tis presumpion o having a uni-
versal perspecive while undergirded as biblical raher han recognized as
ounded on an Enlighenmen paradigm bleeds over ino evangelical herme-
neuics In he Asian American evangelical landscape such hermeneuical pre-
supposiions bracke Asian America wheher inenionally (more ofen) or noIn his way Asian American Evangelicals have imbibed no only he oundaion-
alism o heir classical seminary educaion bu also he biblical hermeneuic ha
works o secure such an episemic sance Unsurprisingly a he hear o he
evangelical inerpreaion o Scripure is anoher insrumen rom he modernis
oolki ha o hisorical criicism Tis ime however such a hermeneuical
approach is deployed o access he auhorial inen o he Scripures and i is
his ha is cenral (oundaional) o ideniying he biblical message which inurn enables he Bible o serve as he unshakable norm or Chrisian belie
Tere is much o unpack in he preceding brie descripion o evangelical
hermeneuics classically considered Bu I wan o ocus insead on he prin-
ciples o biblical exegesis as emphasized in evangelical seminary educaion9830901048633
Te goal o exegesis is o draw ou o or o cull rom he Bible wha he original
auhors mean o communicae Tis involves undersanding firs and
28Tus have some Evangelicals harangued agains muliculuralism as an ideology or example991252Dennis McCallum ed Te Deah o ruh Wharsquos Wrong wih Muliculuralism he Rejecion o
Reason and he New Posmodern Diversiy (Minneapolis Behany House 1048625983097983097983094)29Eg Waler C Kaiser oward an Exegeical Teology Biblical Exegesis or Preaching and eaching
(Grand Rapids Baker Books 1048625983097983097983096)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2035
he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088983097
oremos how he biblical auhors were undersood by heir iniial audiences
in he ancien conex Exegesis accesses hese primordially inended biblical
principles Wha he Bible means oday is hereby a secondary issue de-penden primarily on wha i originally mean o he firs hearers and readers
o he Scripures Conemporary applicaion hus involves idenificaion o
he original and or some single meaning o he biblical exs9830911048624
Te flip side o he emphasis on exegesis hen involves he rejecion o
eisegesis he inserion o conemporary perspecives ino he meaning o he
biblical ex I he burden o biblical hermeneuics is o ake away rom he
Scripures wha is auhors inended o communicae he bane o evangelicalinerpreaion is o read ino he Bible whaever our presen viewpoins may
dicae Tis o course is a violaion o he cardinal rule o evangelical herme-
neuics readers should leave heir prejudices and biases a he door and allow
he Bible o inorm hem insead Oherwise he concern is ha he reader
will find whaever he or she is looking or and his inecs conaminaes
skews and disors he prisine message o he Bible983091983089
Te problem here is no jus ha he lines beween exegesis and eisegesis aremuch more blurred han Evangelicals usually acknowledge983091983090 bu ha he per-
sisen applicaion o such an approach o he Bible dicaes ha evangelical
readers inenionally bracke or a leas atemp o hold in abeyance heir own
hisories experiences and perspecives as being o secondary impor i o any
relevance a all or heir reading o Scripure Now I am cerainly no suggesing
ha we all willy-nilly inser our biases in appropriaing he biblical ex Simul-
aneously I urge ha he cos o such hermeneuical brackeing is oo high or
30See Rober L Tomas Evangelical Hermeneuics Te New Versus he Old (Grand Rapids Kregel10486269830889830881048626) chap 983094 iled ldquoTe Principle o Single Meaningrdquo which argues ha he pluralism po-lyphony and plurivociy o meaning advocaed by recen progressive Evangelicals reflecs more heeffecs o humaniyrsquos all ino sin han i does he classical assumpions o evangelical biblical in-erpreaion For a counerargumen one ha I am largely sympaheic wih see James K ASmih Te Fall o Inerpreaion Philosophical Foundaions or a Creaional Hermeneuic (DownersGrove IL InerVarsiy Press 1048626983088983088983088)
31For evangelical concerns regarding reader-response hermeneuics see Norman R Gulley ldquoReader-
Response Teories in Posmodern Hermeneuics A Challenge o Evangelical Teologyrdquo in DavidS Dockery ed Te Challenge o Posmodernism An Evangelical Engagemen (Wheaon IL VicorBooks 1048625983097983097983093) pp 1048626983088983096-1048627983096
32In mainline Proesan circles o course here has long been recogniion ha he radiional line beween exegesis and eisegesis is much blurrier han previously hough see Jay G WilliamsldquoExegesis-Eisegesis Is Tere a Differencerdquo Teology oday 1048627983088 no 1048627 (10486259830979830951048627) 10486261048625983096-1048626983095
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2135
983089 983089983088 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
ehnic minoriies who are Evangelicals since his in effec rejecs heir quesions
and concerns as perinen o heir engagemen wih he Bible In addiion such
presumpive brackeing blinds whie Evangelicals o he ac ha heir own ho-rizons and perspecives are involved in any reading o ancien exs and his lack
o awareness makes i doubly difficul o recognize moderae or correc
I would urge insead ha we recognize and embrace he ension involved
in he usion o biblical and conemporary horizons bu do so in a way ha
boh allows conemporary readers o ener ino he world o he Bible on he
one hand (ldquohis is hardquo) and or he Bible o map ono our conemporary lives
on he oher hand (ldquoha is hisrdquo)983091983091 Tis no only allows or an Asian American reading o he Bible somehing ha is barred in he evangelical
environmen i also invies even encourages such an approach and his in
urn gives Asian Americans991252all people acually991252permission o read he
Bible as i i really matered o heir lives
A (presumably) biblical-theological method Enlighenmen assumpions
hus inorm no only Asian American evangelical episemology and herme-
neuics bu also heological mehod and hey do so in ways ha marginalize Asian America Tis is consisen wih he general evangelical ear o licensing
wha hey see as merely subjecive readings o he Bible or he same reasons
ha hey are wary abou enabling heological mehodologies ha consciously
acknowledge he role o experience In oher words he saus quo in evan-
gelical approaches o he Bible (wih is accenuaion o exegesis and rejecion
o eisegesis) has is counerpar in evangelical approaches o heological re-
flecion his ime wih he emphasis on he Bible as he primary i no solesource or heology over and agains hisory radiion culure and experience
A one level he sola scripura commimens o Reormaion radiions have
a very specific hisory and should be undersood according o he nuances
wih which his idea has developed in he pas five hundred years9830911048628 A anoher
33I explicae some aspecs o he ldquohis is hardquo hermeneuic rom a Penecosal perspecive in myldquoReading Scripure and Naure Penecosal Hermeneuics and Teir Implicaions or he Con-
emporary Evangelical Teology and Science Conversaionrdquo Perspecives on Science and ChrisianFaih 9830931048627 no 1048625 (104862698308810486251048625) 1048625-10486251048627
34Reflecing developmens rom he publicaion o Te Fundamenals o he ldquoChicago Saemen onBiblical Inerrancyrdquo (1048625983097983095983096) many conservaive Norh American Evangelicals991252eg rom NormanL Geisler Inerrancy (Grand Rapids Zondervan 1048625983097983096983088) o James R Whie Scripure Alone (Min-neapolis Behany House 1048626983088983088983092)991252have seen and coninue o see boh sola scripura and he doc-
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2235
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2335
983089 983089 983090 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
Te problem however is ha Asian Americans have rarely i ever ques-
ioned more rigid applicaions o his mehodological norm or evangelical
heology Raher hey have inernalized he evangelical bias agains hisoryradiion and experience hus silencing he role ha paricular perspecives
migh play in he heological ask I we appeal o our experience a all we
mus do so apologeically as i admiting ha such heological inerprea-
ions are a bes parochial concerns o a communiy no ye assimilaed o
he dominan culure or a wors signaling our heological immauriy and
need o grow up rom or ranscend he ldquobackwardnessrdquo represening our
hisory and experience beore our lie in Chris Ironically however suchinenional marginalizaion o he Asian American experience no o
menion Asian American philosophical ways o hinking and reasoning
does no call ino quesion how he predominanly Anglo- and Euro-
American experiences o moderniy have shaped evangelical heology As a
resul Asian American Evangelicals have adoped wha is claimed o be a
biblical worldview and heological ramework supposedly shorn o he sub-
jecive biases o hisorically siuaed human inerpreers Bu hese aresurely devoid o heir own experienial and conexual (Asian American)
locaions and ye uncriically naive in hinking ha Euro-American his-
orical accidens have been adequaely ldquoChrisianizedrdquo
So ar I have suggesed ha episemologically hermeneuically and meh-
odologically Asian Americans have rarely quesioned he modernis Enligh-
enmen and Anglo- and Euro-American presupposiions o he evangelical
heological endeavor And since his underaking has never acknowledged heculural conexs and perspecives o he predominanly whie ramers o he
evangelical heological radiion10486281048624 he assumpion is ha ehniciy plays litle
i any role in he work o heology No surprisingly hen Asian American
heologians have been reicen o sugges ha ehniciy culure and hisoriciy
coun in heological reflecion By exension he heological and docrinal
40My poin is no ha whie perspecives have disored he gospel his isel assumes a sor oa-culural gospel ha needs conexualizaion991252a poin ha needs o be addressed and nuanced which we will do momenarily My poin is ha such whie viewpoins are no only unrecognized bu ha hey are hen presumed o be normaive or nonwhies I is par o he goal o his chapero call Asian American heologians o atend o his assumpion and o find ways o inenionallyaddress and subver i
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983091
resuls have been ormulaed and ransmited as biblically unded and univer-
sally applicable regardless o conexual consideraions
A (supposedly) universal doctrinal famework One example o how Norh American evangelical heology has proceeded wih universalisic assumpions
and hereby overlooked i no inenionally ignored oher culural perspec-
ives has o do wih he docrine o he aonemen and wha i addresses Pu
crassly humankind suffers rom one overall problem ha o sin agains God
and ha one problem demands basically one soluion he subsiuionary
aonemen o he Sonrsquos deah on he cross1048628983089 Now I realize ha i is unair o
depic evangelical views regarding he aonemen in such homogeneous ermssince he mater isel is sill being conesed1048628983090 Bu he ac is ha in some
evangelical circles deparure rom he subsiuionary view o he aonemen
is considered deviaion rom evangelical orhodoxy1048628983091 From his posiion oher
biblical aspecs and alernaive inerpreaions are eiher subsumed under he
docrine o penal subsiuion or argued o be flawed in some respec
O course such a viewpoin minimizes he role o medieval eudalism and
he jurisprudenial background o some o he Reormers in he emergenceand esablishmen o his undersanding o he aonemen in he evangelical
radiion jus as i really does no quesion he basically Augusinian anhro-
pology presumed in his process Now I am no a hisorical deerminis who
believes ha conex leads inexorably o our heological ideas jus as I do no
hink ha allowance or hisorical conexual acors relaivizes he ruh o
heological claims or produces docrinal heerodoxy Raher wihou denying
41Te World Evangelical Alliancersquos Saemen o Faih affirms ldquoWe believe in Our Lord JesusChris God manies in he flesh His virgin birh His sinless human lie His divine miracles His vicarious and aoning deah His bodily resurrecion His ascension His mediaorial work and HisPersonal reurn in power and glory Te Salvaion o los and sinul man hrough he shed bloodo he Lord Jesus Chris by aih apar rom works and regeneraion by he Holy Spirirdquo (see worldevangelicalorgweasaemenhm emphases original)
42See James Beilby and Paul R Eddy eds Te Naure o he Aonemen Four Views (DownersGrove IL IVP Academic 1048626983088983088983094) and Derek idball David Hilborn and Jusin Tacker eds Te
Aonemen Debae Papers fom he London Symposium on he Teology o he Aonemen (Grand
Rapids Zondervan 1048626983088983088983093) c J Denny Weaver Te Nonviolen Aonemen (Grand Rapids Eerd-mans 10486269830889830881048625) and Hans Boersma Violence Hospialiy and he Cross Recovering he Aonemen
radiion (Grand Rapids Baker Academic 1048626983088983088983092)43See S Lewis Johnson Jr ldquoBehold he Lamb Te Gospel and Subsiuionary Aonemenrdquo in John
H Armsrong ed Te Coming Evangelical Crisis Curren Challenges o he Auhoriy o Scripure
and he Gospel (Chicago Moody Press 1048625983097983097983094) pp 10486251048625983097-1048627983096
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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983089 983089 983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
he imporance o he biblical and heological heme o subsiuion or he
docrine o he aonemen I am simply suggesing ha oher culural perspec-
ives and even assumpions migh highligh and emphasize oher biblicalmeaphors regarding Chrisrsquos salvific work
Bu o pursue he quesion ono Asian American errain wha difference
will i make i we recognize ha some Asians and Asian Americans live and
exis in a shame raher han guil culure How migh evangelical hinking
abou he aonemen be adjused revised and maybe even ransormed i
Chrisrsquos work no only assuaged he guil o sin rom human lives bu also re-
moved he shame in human hears10486281048628 My poin is ha evangelical heologicalendencies generally urge a universalisic sandpoin and in his paradigm
here is no need o atend o he pariculariies o or ariculae Asian Asian
American or oher culural perspecives since hese are all subsumed wihin he
biblical ramework read in an evangelical way In his case here isnrsquo even a
need o ask wheher radiional evangelical heologies and docrines like hose
regarding he aonemen may need o be revisied and reariculaed in ligh o
oher hisorical culural and experienial dynamics In ac Asian Americansare boh oo shameul and oo shy o even consider asking abou hese maters
I have argued so ar in his secion ha Asian American Evangelicals ormed
heologically according o he sensibiliies o he dominan evangelical culure
in Norh America have inernalized he whie evangelical worldview and in ha
sense mosly do no see he need o hink explicily rom an Asian American
vanage poin Asian American evangelical views are hereore a bes no more
han a minoriy heological perspecive wo relaed summary consequenceshave ollowed Asian American acquiescence o he majoriy culure Firs meh-
odologically and maerially evangelical heology has been undersood o be a-
hisorical a-culural and even a-conexual Te assumpion is ha he Bible
addresses all human beings so any plain reading o he Scripure will or should
be able o access he Word o God a any and all imes and places radiionally
ormulaed and ramed evangelical docrines derived rom an inducive sudy
44 Asian Americans are beginning o do jus his however991252eg Rachel Y Lei ldquoSaving Significanceo he Cross in he Asian American Conexrdquo SANACS Journal 1048625 (1048626983088983088983097) 983097983093-10486251048625983094 c Mark D Bakerand Joel B Green Recovering he Scandal o he Cross Te Aonemen in New esamen and Con-
emporary Conexs (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 1048626983088983088983088) chap 983094 ldquoRemoving AlienaingShame Te Saving Significance o he Cross in Japanrdquo
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983093
o Scripure hus orm he undispuable and unrevisable core o he gospel
Tere is litle recogniion o he hisorical culural and conexual perspecives
ha have conribued o he ariculaion o such evangelical belies Wha his means is ha here sill remains a core se o evangelical docrinal
achievemens and hese remain valid across space and ime alhough hey
may be supplemened by or ranslaed ino local conexual and siuaional
perspecives and idioms As we saw previously (chaper one) he recen Cam-
bridge Companion o Evangelical Teology reflecs precisely his mindse10486281048629 Te
Companion we know is divided ino wo pars Te firs is iled ldquoEvan-
gelicals and Chrisian Docrinerdquo and his includes eigh chapers on he oun-daional docrinal marix o evangelical belies he riniy Scripure chris-
ology heological anhropology jusificaionaonemen pneumaology
conversionsancificaion and ecclesiology Par wo ldquoTe Conexs o Evan-
gelical Teologyrdquo hen provides anoher nine chapers and hese cover issues
relaed o culure gender race and pluralism and include five chapers on
evangelical heology in Arican Asian European Lain American and Norh
American conexs Tis srucure o he Companion communicaes a wooldmessage ha evangelical docrine is a-conexually derived (par one) and
ha various hisorical conexs (par wo) can add a mos parochial ruhs
ha will no upse he docrinal supersrucure o he evangelical heological
landscape In shor basic heological and docrinal ruhs o he Chrisian
aih have already been ormulaed and can be ound in any oher evangelical
sysemaic heological ex quie apar rom Asian American or any oher
more specified perspecivesPu more poinedly i Asian Americans (or any oher ehnic or culural
group) were o wrie heir own heologies hese would be provincial under-
akings wih marginal relevance or he wider evangelical communiy Tese
would be o value only or ldquohoserdquo people (maybe immigrans reugees or
exiles) who have no ye been assimilaed ino he broader American evan-
gelical culure Litle wonder hen ha ew Asian Americans have venured
ino heological errioryhe second summary consequence o inernalizing he dominan
45imohy Larsen and Daniel J reier eds Te Cambridge Companion o Evangelical Teology (Cambridge Cambridge Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983095)
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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983089 983089983094 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
worldview991252ha evangelical heology a leas in is dogmaic and sysemaic
configuraions is by and large a finished projec wih minimal inpu needed
rom Asian American or oher perspecives991252is ha Asian Americans wihheological educaion have urned in general o work in he hisorical and
social scienific disciplines10486281048630 Tere cerainly remains imporan work o be
done by hose working across he disciplines so I am no decrying such effors
Ye he ac ha hisorical sociological or oher disciplinary explicaions o
Asian American lie are published by universiy presses communicaes o
Asian Americans ha heir role is o shed new ligh on he Asian American
experience A he same ime he prevalence o hese analyical approachesamid he lacuna o explicily heological works suggess ha he ormer is o
minimal value a leas or he ldquorealrdquo heological work o dogmaics and sys-
emaics Furher ha hese scholarly publishers do no eaure exs on Asian
American evangelical heology confirms his division o labor (whie Evan-
gelicals wrie real heology Asian American Evangelicals do hisory sociology
ec) A he end o he day evangelical heologyrsquos assumpion remains undis-
urbed ha here are core docrines ha only need o be conexualized991252ha is ranslaed and made relevan991252around he world In his ramework
Asian Americans can conribue no o he ormer heological ormulaion bu
only o he later ranslaion and disseminaion ask10486281048631
46Eg he work o imohy seng and David Yoo in hisory Fenggang Yang and Rebecca Kim insociology and Russell Jeung in Asian American sudies among ohers see also my ldquoAsian Amer-ican Religion A Review Essayrdquo Nova Religio Te Journal o Alernaive and Emergen Religions 983097
no 1048627 (1048626983088983088983094) 9830971048626-104862598308898309547One could argue ha a parallel ye disinc moivaion drives Lain American or Hispanic evan-
gelical heology in a similar direcion I Asian Americans are cauioned agains hinking heo-logically rom ou o ehnic hisorical and conexual lives because o heir uncriical embrace o whie evangelical assumpions Hispanic Evangelicals may have adoped similar commimensalbei or slighly differen reasons relaed o he Lain American conex Te dominance o heRoman Caholic Church along wih is heological and olk radiions in he later environmenmay be behind Hispanic evangelical suspicions abou he role o hisory and culure in he doingo heology Te ani-Caholic senimen in hisoric Evangelicalism no doub is atracive oLainoas on he migran rail (rom Lain America o he Unied Saes) alhough such accom-modaion has brough wih i he heological coss elaboraed in he preceding pages For urher
discussion and oher angles on hese issues see Oscar Garcia-Johnson Te Mesizoa Communiyo he Spiri A Posmodern Lainoa Ecclesiology (Eugene OR Wip amp Sock 1048626983088983088983097) Sammy Alaro Divino Compantildeero oward a Hispanic Penecosal Chrisology (Eugene OR Pickwick10486269830881048625983088) Juan Mariacutenez ldquolsquoOuside he Gaersquo Evangelicalism and Laino Proesan Teologyrdquo in JeffreyGreenman and Gene L Green eds Global Teology in Evangelical Perspecive Exploring he Conex-
ual Naure o Teology and Mission (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 104862698308810486251048626) pp 1048625983095983097-983097983092 and
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983095
T983144983141 M983137983150983140983137983156983141 983151983142 A983155983145983137983150 A983149983141983154983145983139983137983150 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161
Te preceding analysis raises sel-criical awareness or Asian American Evan-
gelicals and invies hem in dialogue wih oher Evangelicals o consider wheher heir minoriy saus is problemaic and wha i anyhing can and
ough o be done abou i Now I am aware ha here are developmens wihin
he evangelical heological radiion broadly consrued ha have moved
beyond some o he sricures idenified in he preceding secion Progressive
Evangelicals he evangelical lef and posconservaive Evangelicals denoe jus
a ew o he rends among ohers percolaing on he margins o evangelical
heology10486281048632 Bu ha is precisely par o he problem hese are movemens haexcep or a small minoriy remain ouside he evangelical mainsream and
have also by and large been ignored by Asian American evangelical scholars
and heologians I believe ha producive ways orward can be chared via
Asian American Evangelicals in dialogue wih some o hese ideas alhough
a he end o he day such conversaions will only be producive as Asian
American Evangelicals ormulae a plaorm on which hey can bring some-
hing subsanive o he discussion Tis later ask is par o he presen chal-lenge and burden o he presen book
Insoar hen as I am ineresed in he quesion o wha Asian Americans can
conribue o evangelical heology no jus hisorically or sociologically bu a
a heological level my claim is ha pursui o hese maters ironically also in-
volves aking seriously he hisoriciy and pariculariy o Asian American cul-
ures experiences and perspecives In his final par o his chaper I do no
more han sugges in broad srokes how o go abou such an underakingRealities o the Asian American diaspora Par o ldquohe problem o evan-
gelical heologyrdquo can be clarified i we siuae Asian American evangelical
heology amid he broader Asian American diasporic hisorical and social
realiies described in par a he beginning o chaper wo Doing so enables
he sark realizaion ha Asian American Evangelicals are composed by a
wide range o experiences on he one hand and pressure o assimilae o
Juan F Mariacutenez and Lindy Scot eds Los Evangeacutelicos Porrais o Laino Proesanism in he
Unied Saes (Eugene OR Wip amp Sock 1048626983088983088983097)48Many o hese are discussed in Roger E Olson Reormed and Always Reorming Te Posconser-
vaive Approach o Evangelical Teology (Grand Rapids Baker Academic 1048626983088983088983095)
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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983089 983089983096 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
American culure on he oher W hile Asians have lived in Norh America
since he ounding o he republic and had even conribued o he building
o he American empire during he nineeenh cenury he 983089983097983094983093 Immigraion Ac ha repealed he Orienal Exclusion Ac o 983089983097983090983092 reopened he door o a
new wave o Asian migraion During he las generaion Asian American lie
has been urher ransormed by he orces o globalizaion diasporas creaed
by modernizaion indusrializaion and urbanizaion reugee populaions
displaced by war amine and climae changes movemen enabled by he
emergence o a worldwide marke economy advances in echnology and mass
communicaion he cross-erilizaion o ideologies and shifs in inerna-ional relaions10486281048633 Te resul as saw in he previous chaper is he appearance
o a wide range o Asian American communiies across Norh America Lie
in such communiies is fluid affeced by migraion paterns socioeconomic
pressures and he srengh o relaions wih hose ldquoback homerdquo Te sronger
he ransnaional ies beween Asian immigrans in he Wes and heir amilies
organizaions and insiuions (religious and oherwise) in heir homeland
he more inense and longer-lasing he exchange o religious goods and ideas(in he orm o books periodicals and various orms o elecommunicaion)
Unsurprisingly hen firs-generaion immigrans ofen deepen he reli-
gious commimens ha hey held or praciced perhaps more nominally
beore moving Someimes immigrans conver o he more dominan religion
o heir new home In eiher case religious affiliaion ofen serves o secure
social neworks coner saus oherwise difficul o come by or immigrans
and srenghen ehnic culural and linguisic bonds and ideniies Bu or he983089983093 generaion (hose born in Asia bu who grew up a leas in par in he
Unied Saes like mysel) he process o assimilaion is well under way In
hese cases he ehnic enclave will develop English-speaking secions as well
as social organizaions school clubs and Chrisian congregaions
For young adul Asian American Evangelicals however here is ofen a
49For an overview o hese issues see Wanni W Anderson and Rober G Lee eds Displacemensand Diasporas Asians in he Americas (New Brunswick NJ Rugers Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983093) Idiscuss urher he implicaions o globalizaion or Chrisian heology in Amos Yong and PeerHelzel ldquoRober Cummings Neville and he Global Fuure o Teologyrdquo in Yong and Helzel edsTeology in Global Conex Essays in Honor o Rober Cummings Neville (New York amp Clark1048626983088983088983092) pp 1048626983097-9830921048626 esp pp 1048627983088-1048627983092
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983097
keen sense ha heir own ehnically organized congregaions or groups are
somehow less religiously and heologically legiimae because hey do no
have he more ldquouniversalrdquo appeal o whie or muliculural evangelicalchurches or parachurch organizaions10486291048624 Te resul is eiher he ransiion o
ehnic congregaions ino pan-ehnic congregaions or movemen rom heir
ldquohomerdquo congregaion o oher less ehnically defined church environmens1048629983089
By he ime he second generaion atains adulhood he remaining culural
or linguisic barriers o ull assimilaion ino American sociey are pracically
overcome ofen o he dismay o parens and grandparens1048629983090
Wha does such assimilaion consis o Cerainly speaking Englishparicipaing in he marke economy and adaping o he opions provided
by American seculariy and poliics are minimal adjusmens Bu perhaps
assimilaion also requires abandoning he norms o he immigran culure
in avor o American norms or amily and gender relaions and engaging
wih he public square on is erms I so would his no lead o an evan-
gelical sel-undersanding deeply ormed by American culure poliics
and economics Would his no resul in a subordinaion and even deor-maion o all ha is Asian excep or he biological phenoype I would
appear hen ha becoming American would more easily aciliae he
embrace o evangelical Chrisianiy991252i such is deined as a suburban
Midwesern whie middle-class religious phenomenon wih Wheaon
Illinois as is veriable ldquoMeccardquo991252bu his brings wih i he cos o losing
onersquos Asianness Does his mean ha ull accepance o Evangelicalism
50See eg Rebecca Y Kim ldquoNegoiaion o Ehnic and Religious Boundaries by Asian AmericanCampus Evangelicalsrdquo in ony Carnes and Fenggang Yang eds Asian American Religions Te
Making and Remaking o Borders and Boundaries (New York New York Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983092) pp10486259830921048625-983093983097 and Rudy V Buso ldquoTe Gospel According o he Model Minoriy Hazarding an Inerpre-aion o Asian American Evangelical College Sudensrdquo in David K Yoo ed New Spiriual Homes
Religion and Asian Americans (Honolulu Universiy o Hawaii Press 1048625983097983097983097) pp 1048625983094983097-98309698309551See Russell Jeung Faihul Generaions Race and New Asian American Churches (New Brunswick
NJ Rugers Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983092)52 As can be discerned by reading beween he lines o he Bible sudies in om Linrsquos Losing Face
and Finding Grace Tis appears o be he case wheher he second generaion inenionally a-emps o disinguish is ehnic congregaional lie rom ha o he firs immigran generaion or wheher he second generaion becomes absorbed ino nonehnic or even muliehnic congrega-ions on his poin see Elaine Howard Ecklund ldquoModels o Civic Responsibiliy Korean Amer-icans in Congregaions wih Differen Ehnic Composiionsrdquo Journal or he Scienific Sudy o
Religion 983092983092 no 1048625 (1048626983088983088983093) 1048625983093-1048626983096
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983089 983090 983088 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
includes ldquorepenancerdquo rom Asia and ldquoconversionrdquo o Americanism1048629983091
Ta his is no he case seems o be borne ou by he sociological lieraure
which confirms ha ehniciy remains jus as imporan as religion in he or-maion o Asian American ideniy10486291048628 Bu i so evangelical heology has no
even begun o wresle wih he imporance o ehniciy and race no o
menion heir heological implicaions Second-generaion Korean Amer-
icans or insance seem o be inuiively drawn o churches and parachurch
minisries ha oreground heir Korean culural ideniy10486291048629 bu hey have
developed ew heological raionales or such orms o social organizaion
more o he poin heir own heological presupposiions miigae agains suchaciviy which may explain heir ideniy conflicedness
Unsurprisingly hen Asian American evangelical heology has ye o ge
off he ground even a he beginning o he weny-firs cenury Asian
American Evangelicals geting degrees rom insiuions o higher educaion
have had o wresle wihagains his assimilaive impulse o sruggle wih he
quesion o wheher hey are or should be doing (descripive) sociology raher
han heology (as normaive reflecion) and o ariculae an apologeic ordoing Asian American evangelical heology raher han jus evangelical he-
ology For oo many Asian American Evangelicals heir saus ldquobewix and
beweenrdquo991252on he one hand belonging o Asia and o he Unied Saes in
some respecs bu on he oher hand being a sranger o boh Asia and he
Unied Saes in oher respecs991252pus hem in a unique posiion o inerrogae
evangelical heology bu (o dae) leaves hem ouside he ormal organiza-
ional and insiuional srucures o criique effecively and ransorm heevangelical heological radiion
53One could also make he reverse argumen however ha Evangelicalism in he Unied Saes hasalready been molded by is social culural and hisorical conex o he exen ha he very eauresha mark he American way o lie991252ie individualism experienialism pragmaism even con-sumerism991252have also come o characerize evangelical Chrisianiy For an insighul analysis ohe ofenimes uncriical conflaion o Evangelicalism and Americanism and o he orces ha havealso resised such accommodaions see D G Har Ta Old-ime Religion in Modern America
Evangelical Proesanism in he wenieh Cenury (Chicago Ivan R Dee 10486269830889830881048626)54See Jerry Z Park ldquoTe Ehnic and Religious Ideniies o Young Asian Americansrdquo (PhD diss
Universiy o Nore Dame 1048626983088983088983092)55See Sharon Kim and Rebecca Y Kim ldquoSecond-Generaion Korean American Chrisiansrsquo Com-
muniies Congregaional Hybridiyrdquo in Carolyn Chen and Russell Jeung eds Susaining Faih
radiions Race Ehniciy and Religion Among he Laino and Asian American Second Generaion (New York New York Universiy Press 104862698308810486251048626) pp 1048625983095983094-9830971048627
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983090 983089
Moving trajectories o theological reflection O course i Asian Americans
hope o climb he ranks o he Norh American evangelical heological
academy hey can only do so on he erms esablished by heir hoss Andraher han responding o sociopoliical acors he evangelical heological
guild has always undersood isel primarily in heological erms and seen is
charge as deending hisorical orhodoxy wheher ha be agains liberalismrsquos
denial o biblical supernauralism agains neo-orhodoxyrsquos ambiguous sance
on Scripure agains mainsream sciencersquos heory o evoluion agains open
heismrsquos docrine o God and so on10486291048630 I evangelical heology has never
beore enerained ehnic perspecives in is discursive consrucion why nowundermine he (is presumed) universal ramework and applicabiliy by
adding he Asian or Asian American qualifiers
While in a sense his enire book provides a se o responses o his quesion
here I sugges hree reasons ha can moivae such a heological pah orward
Firs he Asian diaspora in he Unied Saes is now in a siuaion o reflec
subsanively on is experience o migraion While here are remendous
challenges o migraion10486291048631 some Asian Americans have achieved a level oupward social mobiliy so ha hey are now in he posiion o producing
scholarship inormed by such experienial perspecives Since he memory o
migraion among Asian Americans is more recen han hose o heir Cau-
casian colleagues such perspecives migh be helpul o ideniy how he mi-
graion rom he European coninen has shaped he evangelical heological
enerprise as a whole I Asian Americans can help heir evangelical colleagues
ideniy he hisorical impac o old o new world migraion on he belies andpracices o Norh American Evangelicalism ha in isel will open up pos-
sibiliies or considering aresh Asian American hisories and heir conribu-
ions o he wider conversaion
Second Asian Americans are orced o hink abou race and ehniciy in a
way unlike mos o heir whie brohers and sisers alhough heir reflecions
56Evangelical heologyrsquos many inernal and exernal batles are documened by Jon R Sone On heBoundaries o American Evangelicalism Te Poswar Evangelical Coaliion (New York S MarinrsquosPress 1048625983097983097983095)
57Some o hese are documened by Kenneh J Gues God in Chinaown Religion and Survival in
New Yorkrsquos Evolving Immigran Communiy (New York New York Universiy Press 10486269830889830881048627) whose work we will reurn o in chaper six
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3335
983089 983090 983090 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
can also mediae perspecive in an oherwise whie-and-black demarcaed
world Race and ehniciy are undeniable aspecs o Asian American hisory
and experience Te impor o his is a leas woold Firs Asian Americansare posiioned o engage he discussion opened up by black evangelical heo-
logians regarding conemporary heology991252even in is evangelical guises991252as
reflecing he ascen o whie perspecives in he early modern period a he
expense o Jewish and oher nonwhie culural realiies Asian American per-
specives on race and ehniciy will open up new visas on he racial and ehnic
dimensions o he biblical world10486291048632 In oher words he marginalized hisories
and perspecives o Asian American Evangelicals have much o conribue oconemporary biblical inerpreaion and heological explicaion Te dom-
inan orms o evangelical heology orged in par ou o he hegemony o
Chrisendom are in need o criical analysis and dialogical revision
Las bu no leas cenral and ongoing elemens o Asian American hisory
are par o he presen experiences o ransnaionalism and globalizaion Te
issues here are complex10486291048633 One mater ha needs o be addressed is he iner-
woven characer o he global economy and how i affecs people around he world differenly depending on various social poliical and culural circum-
sances In addiion wih regard o he Asian American side o his equaion
here remain difficul issues relaed o how he quesion o assimilaion or ac-
culuraion is being negoiaed and adjudicaed Firs- second- and hird-gener-
aion perspecives differ someimes momenously and his does no even acor
in he perspecives o he 983089983093 generaion I heology is o engage he hisorical
realiies o real flesh-and-blood human beings i mus engage such quesions inour conemporary world Asian American Evangelicals can lead he way in
hinking heologically abou such hings and his will benefi no only Asian
58 Asian Evangelicals hus need o build rom he insighul readings o mainline Proesan biblicalscholar a-Siong Benny Liew Wha Is Asian American Biblical Hermeneuics Reading he New
esamen (Honolulu Universiy o Hawaii Press 1048626983088983088983096) regarding he ehnic dynamics under-neah Jewish-Genile relaions in he New esamen o be sure Liewrsquos mainline Proesan as-sumpions may be raher disan rom evangelical ones so some criical dialogue and perhaps
correcion may also be in order Ye he srengh o Liewrsquos book is o sugges how Asian Americanexperiences o ehnic marginaliy can illuminae he dispues beween Jewish and Genile ollow-ers o he Messiah in he firs cenury Tis is an issue worh subsanial engagemen rom anevangelical perspecive
59Eg Neil J Ormerod and Shane Clifon Globalizaion and he Mission o he Church (New York amp Clark 104862698308810486251048625)
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983090983091
American communiies bu also hose o oher ehnic racial and culural groups
who are also wresling wih lie in he weny-firs-cenury global conex
Evangelical heology oday will need o heed more inenionally han i has beore acors o migraion ehniciy globalizaion and ransnaionalism
Asian American Evangelicals can assis wih hese maters i hey will arise o
he occasion Tis does no derac rom he universaliy o he gospel message
On he conrary i addresses quesions o universal significance ha are oher-
wise negleced or engaged rom or wihin only one (dominan cenris) se
o perspecives
Reconnecting to the broader evangelical theological tradition Beore con-cluding his chaper however an imporan cavea ough o be sounded None
o he preceding should be read as denying eiher Asian American indebedness
o he evangelical radiion or he inerrelaedness o Asian American and oher
evangelical effors in he conemporary heological ask Te preceding migh
sugges ha Asian Americans are only poining accusing fingers a heir whie
evangelical riends Wihou aking away anyhing rom he seriousness o he
oregoing discussion I also realize ha whie Evangelicals in paricular and Americans in general have been welcoming o Asians and ha we have made i
his ar on our diasporic journey only wih he help o such riends
Beyond such ecclesial collegialiy however I would gran ha Asian Amer-
icans are in various respecs beholden heologically o American Evangelicals
as well In paricular American evangelical commimens o Chris-
ceneredness biblical aihulness and missionary zealousness are imporan
elemens o Chrisian belie and pracice in he weny-firs cenury Asian American Evangelicals should embrace and live ou such commimens no
only or hemselves bu also or oher Evangelicals and even or he world
Ye my claim is precisely ha such a posure enables Asian American Evan-
gelicals o conribue heologically o he ormaion o an evangelical belie
and praxis relevan o he weny-firs cenury For his o happen however
Asian American Evangelicals mus embrace no only he evangel bu also he
hisoriciy o heir diasporic experiences Te incarnaion o he Son o Godconsised afer all o aking on he concreeness palpabiliy and emporaliy
o human Jewish and firs-cenury Palesinian flesh and he oupouring o he
Spiri o God on he Day o Penecos involved he redempion o he diversiy
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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983089 983090 983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
o human ongues languages and culures so ha hey migh bear winess o
he wondrous works o God (Acs 983090983089983089) Tis penecosal heme991252relaed o
Acs 983090 firs and oremos albei reraced unavoidably hrough he lens o mymodern penecosal ecclesial sensibiliies991252will inorm he deep srucure o
he argumen in he remainder o his volume ye achieved wihin a pen-
evangelical raher han merely charismaic rame o reerence My poin going
orward however is ha in ligh o hese heological and riniarian commi-
mens Evangelicals should be he firs o embrace he diversiy o heir his-
orical pariculariies raher han shy away rom hem radiionally o course
Evangelicals have subordinaed he vicissiudes o hisory and wih ha heiranxieies abou he flux and subjeciviies o experience o he surey and
oundaionalism o he Word o God as revealed in he Scripures My pro-
posal however is ha work o God in Chris and by he Spiri redeems us
amid wih and hrough he specificiies o our hisorical and culural expe-
rience (raher han saving us rom ou o such alogeher) and hus ha he
Word o God speaks ino such realiies (raher han ha we have o deny hem
or rejec hem as par o who we are)In shor Asian American Evangelicals do no need o be apologeic abou
heir lives experiences and perspecives Raher by ollowing he pah o he
Son o God ino he ar counry by receiving he infilling o he Spiri o God
poured ou on all flesh and by aihully atemping o live ou such a Chris-
cenered and Spiri-empowered aih in he ooseps o heir evangelical ore-
bears and ancesors Asian Americans may hen be able o bring heir heo-
logical gifs o he conversaion able gifs ha will challenge he discussion while simulaneously enriching he are or all hose concerned abou he
euangelion in he presen ime I is ime o heologize as Asian Americans no
jus as Evangelicals in order ha Evangelicalism isel can be renewed and
invigoraed or he sake o he gospel and in anicipaion o he reign o God
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 1935
983089983088983096 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
heology Simulaneously so he argumen goes he abandonmen o ounda-
ionalism opens he door o perspecivism and pluralism And i he later are
problemaic so are heir ideological movemens especially and including muli-culuralism (wih some advocaes o such having reinerpreed Chrisian eaching
in ligh o a poliics o ideniy insead o vice versa)9830901048632 Asian American Evan-
gelicals are hus armed oundaionally o conron engage and resis he perils
o cynicism relaivism and pluralism Unbeknowns o hem however his no
only undercus he ideology o muliculuralism bu also assails he basis upon
which hey can reclaim heir own hisorical and culural ideniies O course
Evangelicals have more recenly recognized a leas in general he imporanceo embracing he diversiy o culures even o celebraing hem bu only so
long as doing so does no hreaen he oundaions o evangelical ceriude
An (allegedly) a-cultural hermeneutic Tis presumpion o having a uni-
versal perspecive while undergirded as biblical raher han recognized as
ounded on an Enlighenmen paradigm bleeds over ino evangelical herme-
neuics In he Asian American evangelical landscape such hermeneuical pre-
supposiions bracke Asian America wheher inenionally (more ofen) or noIn his way Asian American Evangelicals have imbibed no only he oundaion-
alism o heir classical seminary educaion bu also he biblical hermeneuic ha
works o secure such an episemic sance Unsurprisingly a he hear o he
evangelical inerpreaion o Scripure is anoher insrumen rom he modernis
oolki ha o hisorical criicism Tis ime however such a hermeneuical
approach is deployed o access he auhorial inen o he Scripures and i is
his ha is cenral (oundaional) o ideniying he biblical message which inurn enables he Bible o serve as he unshakable norm or Chrisian belie
Tere is much o unpack in he preceding brie descripion o evangelical
hermeneuics classically considered Bu I wan o ocus insead on he prin-
ciples o biblical exegesis as emphasized in evangelical seminary educaion9830901048633
Te goal o exegesis is o draw ou o or o cull rom he Bible wha he original
auhors mean o communicae Tis involves undersanding firs and
28Tus have some Evangelicals harangued agains muliculuralism as an ideology or example991252Dennis McCallum ed Te Deah o ruh Wharsquos Wrong wih Muliculuralism he Rejecion o
Reason and he New Posmodern Diversiy (Minneapolis Behany House 1048625983097983097983094)29Eg Waler C Kaiser oward an Exegeical Teology Biblical Exegesis or Preaching and eaching
(Grand Rapids Baker Books 1048625983097983097983096)
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088983097
oremos how he biblical auhors were undersood by heir iniial audiences
in he ancien conex Exegesis accesses hese primordially inended biblical
principles Wha he Bible means oday is hereby a secondary issue de-penden primarily on wha i originally mean o he firs hearers and readers
o he Scripures Conemporary applicaion hus involves idenificaion o
he original and or some single meaning o he biblical exs9830911048624
Te flip side o he emphasis on exegesis hen involves he rejecion o
eisegesis he inserion o conemporary perspecives ino he meaning o he
biblical ex I he burden o biblical hermeneuics is o ake away rom he
Scripures wha is auhors inended o communicae he bane o evangelicalinerpreaion is o read ino he Bible whaever our presen viewpoins may
dicae Tis o course is a violaion o he cardinal rule o evangelical herme-
neuics readers should leave heir prejudices and biases a he door and allow
he Bible o inorm hem insead Oherwise he concern is ha he reader
will find whaever he or she is looking or and his inecs conaminaes
skews and disors he prisine message o he Bible983091983089
Te problem here is no jus ha he lines beween exegesis and eisegesis aremuch more blurred han Evangelicals usually acknowledge983091983090 bu ha he per-
sisen applicaion o such an approach o he Bible dicaes ha evangelical
readers inenionally bracke or a leas atemp o hold in abeyance heir own
hisories experiences and perspecives as being o secondary impor i o any
relevance a all or heir reading o Scripure Now I am cerainly no suggesing
ha we all willy-nilly inser our biases in appropriaing he biblical ex Simul-
aneously I urge ha he cos o such hermeneuical brackeing is oo high or
30See Rober L Tomas Evangelical Hermeneuics Te New Versus he Old (Grand Rapids Kregel10486269830889830881048626) chap 983094 iled ldquoTe Principle o Single Meaningrdquo which argues ha he pluralism po-lyphony and plurivociy o meaning advocaed by recen progressive Evangelicals reflecs more heeffecs o humaniyrsquos all ino sin han i does he classical assumpions o evangelical biblical in-erpreaion For a counerargumen one ha I am largely sympaheic wih see James K ASmih Te Fall o Inerpreaion Philosophical Foundaions or a Creaional Hermeneuic (DownersGrove IL InerVarsiy Press 1048626983088983088983088)
31For evangelical concerns regarding reader-response hermeneuics see Norman R Gulley ldquoReader-
Response Teories in Posmodern Hermeneuics A Challenge o Evangelical Teologyrdquo in DavidS Dockery ed Te Challenge o Posmodernism An Evangelical Engagemen (Wheaon IL VicorBooks 1048625983097983097983093) pp 1048626983088983096-1048627983096
32In mainline Proesan circles o course here has long been recogniion ha he radiional line beween exegesis and eisegesis is much blurrier han previously hough see Jay G WilliamsldquoExegesis-Eisegesis Is Tere a Differencerdquo Teology oday 1048627983088 no 1048627 (10486259830979830951048627) 10486261048625983096-1048626983095
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983089 983089983088 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
ehnic minoriies who are Evangelicals since his in effec rejecs heir quesions
and concerns as perinen o heir engagemen wih he Bible In addiion such
presumpive brackeing blinds whie Evangelicals o he ac ha heir own ho-rizons and perspecives are involved in any reading o ancien exs and his lack
o awareness makes i doubly difficul o recognize moderae or correc
I would urge insead ha we recognize and embrace he ension involved
in he usion o biblical and conemporary horizons bu do so in a way ha
boh allows conemporary readers o ener ino he world o he Bible on he
one hand (ldquohis is hardquo) and or he Bible o map ono our conemporary lives
on he oher hand (ldquoha is hisrdquo)983091983091 Tis no only allows or an Asian American reading o he Bible somehing ha is barred in he evangelical
environmen i also invies even encourages such an approach and his in
urn gives Asian Americans991252all people acually991252permission o read he
Bible as i i really matered o heir lives
A (presumably) biblical-theological method Enlighenmen assumpions
hus inorm no only Asian American evangelical episemology and herme-
neuics bu also heological mehod and hey do so in ways ha marginalize Asian America Tis is consisen wih he general evangelical ear o licensing
wha hey see as merely subjecive readings o he Bible or he same reasons
ha hey are wary abou enabling heological mehodologies ha consciously
acknowledge he role o experience In oher words he saus quo in evan-
gelical approaches o he Bible (wih is accenuaion o exegesis and rejecion
o eisegesis) has is counerpar in evangelical approaches o heological re-
flecion his ime wih he emphasis on he Bible as he primary i no solesource or heology over and agains hisory radiion culure and experience
A one level he sola scripura commimens o Reormaion radiions have
a very specific hisory and should be undersood according o he nuances
wih which his idea has developed in he pas five hundred years9830911048628 A anoher
33I explicae some aspecs o he ldquohis is hardquo hermeneuic rom a Penecosal perspecive in myldquoReading Scripure and Naure Penecosal Hermeneuics and Teir Implicaions or he Con-
emporary Evangelical Teology and Science Conversaionrdquo Perspecives on Science and ChrisianFaih 9830931048627 no 1048625 (104862698308810486251048625) 1048625-10486251048627
34Reflecing developmens rom he publicaion o Te Fundamenals o he ldquoChicago Saemen onBiblical Inerrancyrdquo (1048625983097983095983096) many conservaive Norh American Evangelicals991252eg rom NormanL Geisler Inerrancy (Grand Rapids Zondervan 1048625983097983096983088) o James R Whie Scripure Alone (Min-neapolis Behany House 1048626983088983088983092)991252have seen and coninue o see boh sola scripura and he doc-
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2335
983089 983089 983090 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
Te problem however is ha Asian Americans have rarely i ever ques-
ioned more rigid applicaions o his mehodological norm or evangelical
heology Raher hey have inernalized he evangelical bias agains hisoryradiion and experience hus silencing he role ha paricular perspecives
migh play in he heological ask I we appeal o our experience a all we
mus do so apologeically as i admiting ha such heological inerprea-
ions are a bes parochial concerns o a communiy no ye assimilaed o
he dominan culure or a wors signaling our heological immauriy and
need o grow up rom or ranscend he ldquobackwardnessrdquo represening our
hisory and experience beore our lie in Chris Ironically however suchinenional marginalizaion o he Asian American experience no o
menion Asian American philosophical ways o hinking and reasoning
does no call ino quesion how he predominanly Anglo- and Euro-
American experiences o moderniy have shaped evangelical heology As a
resul Asian American Evangelicals have adoped wha is claimed o be a
biblical worldview and heological ramework supposedly shorn o he sub-
jecive biases o hisorically siuaed human inerpreers Bu hese aresurely devoid o heir own experienial and conexual (Asian American)
locaions and ye uncriically naive in hinking ha Euro-American his-
orical accidens have been adequaely ldquoChrisianizedrdquo
So ar I have suggesed ha episemologically hermeneuically and meh-
odologically Asian Americans have rarely quesioned he modernis Enligh-
enmen and Anglo- and Euro-American presupposiions o he evangelical
heological endeavor And since his underaking has never acknowledged heculural conexs and perspecives o he predominanly whie ramers o he
evangelical heological radiion10486281048624 he assumpion is ha ehniciy plays litle
i any role in he work o heology No surprisingly hen Asian American
heologians have been reicen o sugges ha ehniciy culure and hisoriciy
coun in heological reflecion By exension he heological and docrinal
40My poin is no ha whie perspecives have disored he gospel his isel assumes a sor oa-culural gospel ha needs conexualizaion991252a poin ha needs o be addressed and nuanced which we will do momenarily My poin is ha such whie viewpoins are no only unrecognized bu ha hey are hen presumed o be normaive or nonwhies I is par o he goal o his chapero call Asian American heologians o atend o his assumpion and o find ways o inenionallyaddress and subver i
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983091
resuls have been ormulaed and ransmited as biblically unded and univer-
sally applicable regardless o conexual consideraions
A (supposedly) universal doctrinal famework One example o how Norh American evangelical heology has proceeded wih universalisic assumpions
and hereby overlooked i no inenionally ignored oher culural perspec-
ives has o do wih he docrine o he aonemen and wha i addresses Pu
crassly humankind suffers rom one overall problem ha o sin agains God
and ha one problem demands basically one soluion he subsiuionary
aonemen o he Sonrsquos deah on he cross1048628983089 Now I realize ha i is unair o
depic evangelical views regarding he aonemen in such homogeneous ermssince he mater isel is sill being conesed1048628983090 Bu he ac is ha in some
evangelical circles deparure rom he subsiuionary view o he aonemen
is considered deviaion rom evangelical orhodoxy1048628983091 From his posiion oher
biblical aspecs and alernaive inerpreaions are eiher subsumed under he
docrine o penal subsiuion or argued o be flawed in some respec
O course such a viewpoin minimizes he role o medieval eudalism and
he jurisprudenial background o some o he Reormers in he emergenceand esablishmen o his undersanding o he aonemen in he evangelical
radiion jus as i really does no quesion he basically Augusinian anhro-
pology presumed in his process Now I am no a hisorical deerminis who
believes ha conex leads inexorably o our heological ideas jus as I do no
hink ha allowance or hisorical conexual acors relaivizes he ruh o
heological claims or produces docrinal heerodoxy Raher wihou denying
41Te World Evangelical Alliancersquos Saemen o Faih affirms ldquoWe believe in Our Lord JesusChris God manies in he flesh His virgin birh His sinless human lie His divine miracles His vicarious and aoning deah His bodily resurrecion His ascension His mediaorial work and HisPersonal reurn in power and glory Te Salvaion o los and sinul man hrough he shed bloodo he Lord Jesus Chris by aih apar rom works and regeneraion by he Holy Spirirdquo (see worldevangelicalorgweasaemenhm emphases original)
42See James Beilby and Paul R Eddy eds Te Naure o he Aonemen Four Views (DownersGrove IL IVP Academic 1048626983088983088983094) and Derek idball David Hilborn and Jusin Tacker eds Te
Aonemen Debae Papers fom he London Symposium on he Teology o he Aonemen (Grand
Rapids Zondervan 1048626983088983088983093) c J Denny Weaver Te Nonviolen Aonemen (Grand Rapids Eerd-mans 10486269830889830881048625) and Hans Boersma Violence Hospialiy and he Cross Recovering he Aonemen
radiion (Grand Rapids Baker Academic 1048626983088983088983092)43See S Lewis Johnson Jr ldquoBehold he Lamb Te Gospel and Subsiuionary Aonemenrdquo in John
H Armsrong ed Te Coming Evangelical Crisis Curren Challenges o he Auhoriy o Scripure
and he Gospel (Chicago Moody Press 1048625983097983097983094) pp 10486251048625983097-1048627983096
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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983089 983089 983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
he imporance o he biblical and heological heme o subsiuion or he
docrine o he aonemen I am simply suggesing ha oher culural perspec-
ives and even assumpions migh highligh and emphasize oher biblicalmeaphors regarding Chrisrsquos salvific work
Bu o pursue he quesion ono Asian American errain wha difference
will i make i we recognize ha some Asians and Asian Americans live and
exis in a shame raher han guil culure How migh evangelical hinking
abou he aonemen be adjused revised and maybe even ransormed i
Chrisrsquos work no only assuaged he guil o sin rom human lives bu also re-
moved he shame in human hears10486281048628 My poin is ha evangelical heologicalendencies generally urge a universalisic sandpoin and in his paradigm
here is no need o atend o he pariculariies o or ariculae Asian Asian
American or oher culural perspecives since hese are all subsumed wihin he
biblical ramework read in an evangelical way In his case here isnrsquo even a
need o ask wheher radiional evangelical heologies and docrines like hose
regarding he aonemen may need o be revisied and reariculaed in ligh o
oher hisorical culural and experienial dynamics In ac Asian Americansare boh oo shameul and oo shy o even consider asking abou hese maters
I have argued so ar in his secion ha Asian American Evangelicals ormed
heologically according o he sensibiliies o he dominan evangelical culure
in Norh America have inernalized he whie evangelical worldview and in ha
sense mosly do no see he need o hink explicily rom an Asian American
vanage poin Asian American evangelical views are hereore a bes no more
han a minoriy heological perspecive wo relaed summary consequenceshave ollowed Asian American acquiescence o he majoriy culure Firs meh-
odologically and maerially evangelical heology has been undersood o be a-
hisorical a-culural and even a-conexual Te assumpion is ha he Bible
addresses all human beings so any plain reading o he Scripure will or should
be able o access he Word o God a any and all imes and places radiionally
ormulaed and ramed evangelical docrines derived rom an inducive sudy
44 Asian Americans are beginning o do jus his however991252eg Rachel Y Lei ldquoSaving Significanceo he Cross in he Asian American Conexrdquo SANACS Journal 1048625 (1048626983088983088983097) 983097983093-10486251048625983094 c Mark D Bakerand Joel B Green Recovering he Scandal o he Cross Te Aonemen in New esamen and Con-
emporary Conexs (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 1048626983088983088983088) chap 983094 ldquoRemoving AlienaingShame Te Saving Significance o he Cross in Japanrdquo
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983093
o Scripure hus orm he undispuable and unrevisable core o he gospel
Tere is litle recogniion o he hisorical culural and conexual perspecives
ha have conribued o he ariculaion o such evangelical belies Wha his means is ha here sill remains a core se o evangelical docrinal
achievemens and hese remain valid across space and ime alhough hey
may be supplemened by or ranslaed ino local conexual and siuaional
perspecives and idioms As we saw previously (chaper one) he recen Cam-
bridge Companion o Evangelical Teology reflecs precisely his mindse10486281048629 Te
Companion we know is divided ino wo pars Te firs is iled ldquoEvan-
gelicals and Chrisian Docrinerdquo and his includes eigh chapers on he oun-daional docrinal marix o evangelical belies he riniy Scripure chris-
ology heological anhropology jusificaionaonemen pneumaology
conversionsancificaion and ecclesiology Par wo ldquoTe Conexs o Evan-
gelical Teologyrdquo hen provides anoher nine chapers and hese cover issues
relaed o culure gender race and pluralism and include five chapers on
evangelical heology in Arican Asian European Lain American and Norh
American conexs Tis srucure o he Companion communicaes a wooldmessage ha evangelical docrine is a-conexually derived (par one) and
ha various hisorical conexs (par wo) can add a mos parochial ruhs
ha will no upse he docrinal supersrucure o he evangelical heological
landscape In shor basic heological and docrinal ruhs o he Chrisian
aih have already been ormulaed and can be ound in any oher evangelical
sysemaic heological ex quie apar rom Asian American or any oher
more specified perspecivesPu more poinedly i Asian Americans (or any oher ehnic or culural
group) were o wrie heir own heologies hese would be provincial under-
akings wih marginal relevance or he wider evangelical communiy Tese
would be o value only or ldquohoserdquo people (maybe immigrans reugees or
exiles) who have no ye been assimilaed ino he broader American evan-
gelical culure Litle wonder hen ha ew Asian Americans have venured
ino heological errioryhe second summary consequence o inernalizing he dominan
45imohy Larsen and Daniel J reier eds Te Cambridge Companion o Evangelical Teology (Cambridge Cambridge Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983095)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2735
983089 983089983094 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
worldview991252ha evangelical heology a leas in is dogmaic and sysemaic
configuraions is by and large a finished projec wih minimal inpu needed
rom Asian American or oher perspecives991252is ha Asian Americans wihheological educaion have urned in general o work in he hisorical and
social scienific disciplines10486281048630 Tere cerainly remains imporan work o be
done by hose working across he disciplines so I am no decrying such effors
Ye he ac ha hisorical sociological or oher disciplinary explicaions o
Asian American lie are published by universiy presses communicaes o
Asian Americans ha heir role is o shed new ligh on he Asian American
experience A he same ime he prevalence o hese analyical approachesamid he lacuna o explicily heological works suggess ha he ormer is o
minimal value a leas or he ldquorealrdquo heological work o dogmaics and sys-
emaics Furher ha hese scholarly publishers do no eaure exs on Asian
American evangelical heology confirms his division o labor (whie Evan-
gelicals wrie real heology Asian American Evangelicals do hisory sociology
ec) A he end o he day evangelical heologyrsquos assumpion remains undis-
urbed ha here are core docrines ha only need o be conexualized991252ha is ranslaed and made relevan991252around he world In his ramework
Asian Americans can conribue no o he ormer heological ormulaion bu
only o he later ranslaion and disseminaion ask10486281048631
46Eg he work o imohy seng and David Yoo in hisory Fenggang Yang and Rebecca Kim insociology and Russell Jeung in Asian American sudies among ohers see also my ldquoAsian Amer-ican Religion A Review Essayrdquo Nova Religio Te Journal o Alernaive and Emergen Religions 983097
no 1048627 (1048626983088983088983094) 9830971048626-104862598308898309547One could argue ha a parallel ye disinc moivaion drives Lain American or Hispanic evan-
gelical heology in a similar direcion I Asian Americans are cauioned agains hinking heo-logically rom ou o ehnic hisorical and conexual lives because o heir uncriical embrace o whie evangelical assumpions Hispanic Evangelicals may have adoped similar commimensalbei or slighly differen reasons relaed o he Lain American conex Te dominance o heRoman Caholic Church along wih is heological and olk radiions in he later environmenmay be behind Hispanic evangelical suspicions abou he role o hisory and culure in he doingo heology Te ani-Caholic senimen in hisoric Evangelicalism no doub is atracive oLainoas on he migran rail (rom Lain America o he Unied Saes) alhough such accom-modaion has brough wih i he heological coss elaboraed in he preceding pages For urher
discussion and oher angles on hese issues see Oscar Garcia-Johnson Te Mesizoa Communiyo he Spiri A Posmodern Lainoa Ecclesiology (Eugene OR Wip amp Sock 1048626983088983088983097) Sammy Alaro Divino Compantildeero oward a Hispanic Penecosal Chrisology (Eugene OR Pickwick10486269830881048625983088) Juan Mariacutenez ldquolsquoOuside he Gaersquo Evangelicalism and Laino Proesan Teologyrdquo in JeffreyGreenman and Gene L Green eds Global Teology in Evangelical Perspecive Exploring he Conex-
ual Naure o Teology and Mission (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 104862698308810486251048626) pp 1048625983095983097-983097983092 and
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983095
T983144983141 M983137983150983140983137983156983141 983151983142 A983155983145983137983150 A983149983141983154983145983139983137983150 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161
Te preceding analysis raises sel-criical awareness or Asian American Evan-
gelicals and invies hem in dialogue wih oher Evangelicals o consider wheher heir minoriy saus is problemaic and wha i anyhing can and
ough o be done abou i Now I am aware ha here are developmens wihin
he evangelical heological radiion broadly consrued ha have moved
beyond some o he sricures idenified in he preceding secion Progressive
Evangelicals he evangelical lef and posconservaive Evangelicals denoe jus
a ew o he rends among ohers percolaing on he margins o evangelical
heology10486281048632 Bu ha is precisely par o he problem hese are movemens haexcep or a small minoriy remain ouside he evangelical mainsream and
have also by and large been ignored by Asian American evangelical scholars
and heologians I believe ha producive ways orward can be chared via
Asian American Evangelicals in dialogue wih some o hese ideas alhough
a he end o he day such conversaions will only be producive as Asian
American Evangelicals ormulae a plaorm on which hey can bring some-
hing subsanive o he discussion Tis later ask is par o he presen chal-lenge and burden o he presen book
Insoar hen as I am ineresed in he quesion o wha Asian Americans can
conribue o evangelical heology no jus hisorically or sociologically bu a
a heological level my claim is ha pursui o hese maters ironically also in-
volves aking seriously he hisoriciy and pariculariy o Asian American cul-
ures experiences and perspecives In his final par o his chaper I do no
more han sugges in broad srokes how o go abou such an underakingRealities o the Asian American diaspora Par o ldquohe problem o evan-
gelical heologyrdquo can be clarified i we siuae Asian American evangelical
heology amid he broader Asian American diasporic hisorical and social
realiies described in par a he beginning o chaper wo Doing so enables
he sark realizaion ha Asian American Evangelicals are composed by a
wide range o experiences on he one hand and pressure o assimilae o
Juan F Mariacutenez and Lindy Scot eds Los Evangeacutelicos Porrais o Laino Proesanism in he
Unied Saes (Eugene OR Wip amp Sock 1048626983088983088983097)48Many o hese are discussed in Roger E Olson Reormed and Always Reorming Te Posconser-
vaive Approach o Evangelical Teology (Grand Rapids Baker Academic 1048626983088983088983095)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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983089 983089983096 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
American culure on he oher W hile Asians have lived in Norh America
since he ounding o he republic and had even conribued o he building
o he American empire during he nineeenh cenury he 983089983097983094983093 Immigraion Ac ha repealed he Orienal Exclusion Ac o 983089983097983090983092 reopened he door o a
new wave o Asian migraion During he las generaion Asian American lie
has been urher ransormed by he orces o globalizaion diasporas creaed
by modernizaion indusrializaion and urbanizaion reugee populaions
displaced by war amine and climae changes movemen enabled by he
emergence o a worldwide marke economy advances in echnology and mass
communicaion he cross-erilizaion o ideologies and shifs in inerna-ional relaions10486281048633 Te resul as saw in he previous chaper is he appearance
o a wide range o Asian American communiies across Norh America Lie
in such communiies is fluid affeced by migraion paterns socioeconomic
pressures and he srengh o relaions wih hose ldquoback homerdquo Te sronger
he ransnaional ies beween Asian immigrans in he Wes and heir amilies
organizaions and insiuions (religious and oherwise) in heir homeland
he more inense and longer-lasing he exchange o religious goods and ideas(in he orm o books periodicals and various orms o elecommunicaion)
Unsurprisingly hen firs-generaion immigrans ofen deepen he reli-
gious commimens ha hey held or praciced perhaps more nominally
beore moving Someimes immigrans conver o he more dominan religion
o heir new home In eiher case religious affiliaion ofen serves o secure
social neworks coner saus oherwise difficul o come by or immigrans
and srenghen ehnic culural and linguisic bonds and ideniies Bu or he983089983093 generaion (hose born in Asia bu who grew up a leas in par in he
Unied Saes like mysel) he process o assimilaion is well under way In
hese cases he ehnic enclave will develop English-speaking secions as well
as social organizaions school clubs and Chrisian congregaions
For young adul Asian American Evangelicals however here is ofen a
49For an overview o hese issues see Wanni W Anderson and Rober G Lee eds Displacemensand Diasporas Asians in he Americas (New Brunswick NJ Rugers Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983093) Idiscuss urher he implicaions o globalizaion or Chrisian heology in Amos Yong and PeerHelzel ldquoRober Cummings Neville and he Global Fuure o Teologyrdquo in Yong and Helzel edsTeology in Global Conex Essays in Honor o Rober Cummings Neville (New York amp Clark1048626983088983088983092) pp 1048626983097-9830921048626 esp pp 1048627983088-1048627983092
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983097
keen sense ha heir own ehnically organized congregaions or groups are
somehow less religiously and heologically legiimae because hey do no
have he more ldquouniversalrdquo appeal o whie or muliculural evangelicalchurches or parachurch organizaions10486291048624 Te resul is eiher he ransiion o
ehnic congregaions ino pan-ehnic congregaions or movemen rom heir
ldquohomerdquo congregaion o oher less ehnically defined church environmens1048629983089
By he ime he second generaion atains adulhood he remaining culural
or linguisic barriers o ull assimilaion ino American sociey are pracically
overcome ofen o he dismay o parens and grandparens1048629983090
Wha does such assimilaion consis o Cerainly speaking Englishparicipaing in he marke economy and adaping o he opions provided
by American seculariy and poliics are minimal adjusmens Bu perhaps
assimilaion also requires abandoning he norms o he immigran culure
in avor o American norms or amily and gender relaions and engaging
wih he public square on is erms I so would his no lead o an evan-
gelical sel-undersanding deeply ormed by American culure poliics
and economics Would his no resul in a subordinaion and even deor-maion o all ha is Asian excep or he biological phenoype I would
appear hen ha becoming American would more easily aciliae he
embrace o evangelical Chrisianiy991252i such is deined as a suburban
Midwesern whie middle-class religious phenomenon wih Wheaon
Illinois as is veriable ldquoMeccardquo991252bu his brings wih i he cos o losing
onersquos Asianness Does his mean ha ull accepance o Evangelicalism
50See eg Rebecca Y Kim ldquoNegoiaion o Ehnic and Religious Boundaries by Asian AmericanCampus Evangelicalsrdquo in ony Carnes and Fenggang Yang eds Asian American Religions Te
Making and Remaking o Borders and Boundaries (New York New York Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983092) pp10486259830921048625-983093983097 and Rudy V Buso ldquoTe Gospel According o he Model Minoriy Hazarding an Inerpre-aion o Asian American Evangelical College Sudensrdquo in David K Yoo ed New Spiriual Homes
Religion and Asian Americans (Honolulu Universiy o Hawaii Press 1048625983097983097983097) pp 1048625983094983097-98309698309551See Russell Jeung Faihul Generaions Race and New Asian American Churches (New Brunswick
NJ Rugers Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983092)52 As can be discerned by reading beween he lines o he Bible sudies in om Linrsquos Losing Face
and Finding Grace Tis appears o be he case wheher he second generaion inenionally a-emps o disinguish is ehnic congregaional lie rom ha o he firs immigran generaion or wheher he second generaion becomes absorbed ino nonehnic or even muliehnic congrega-ions on his poin see Elaine Howard Ecklund ldquoModels o Civic Responsibiliy Korean Amer-icans in Congregaions wih Differen Ehnic Composiionsrdquo Journal or he Scienific Sudy o
Religion 983092983092 no 1048625 (1048626983088983088983093) 1048625983093-1048626983096
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3135
983089 983090 983088 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
includes ldquorepenancerdquo rom Asia and ldquoconversionrdquo o Americanism1048629983091
Ta his is no he case seems o be borne ou by he sociological lieraure
which confirms ha ehniciy remains jus as imporan as religion in he or-maion o Asian American ideniy10486291048628 Bu i so evangelical heology has no
even begun o wresle wih he imporance o ehniciy and race no o
menion heir heological implicaions Second-generaion Korean Amer-
icans or insance seem o be inuiively drawn o churches and parachurch
minisries ha oreground heir Korean culural ideniy10486291048629 bu hey have
developed ew heological raionales or such orms o social organizaion
more o he poin heir own heological presupposiions miigae agains suchaciviy which may explain heir ideniy conflicedness
Unsurprisingly hen Asian American evangelical heology has ye o ge
off he ground even a he beginning o he weny-firs cenury Asian
American Evangelicals geting degrees rom insiuions o higher educaion
have had o wresle wihagains his assimilaive impulse o sruggle wih he
quesion o wheher hey are or should be doing (descripive) sociology raher
han heology (as normaive reflecion) and o ariculae an apologeic ordoing Asian American evangelical heology raher han jus evangelical he-
ology For oo many Asian American Evangelicals heir saus ldquobewix and
beweenrdquo991252on he one hand belonging o Asia and o he Unied Saes in
some respecs bu on he oher hand being a sranger o boh Asia and he
Unied Saes in oher respecs991252pus hem in a unique posiion o inerrogae
evangelical heology bu (o dae) leaves hem ouside he ormal organiza-
ional and insiuional srucures o criique effecively and ransorm heevangelical heological radiion
53One could also make he reverse argumen however ha Evangelicalism in he Unied Saes hasalready been molded by is social culural and hisorical conex o he exen ha he very eauresha mark he American way o lie991252ie individualism experienialism pragmaism even con-sumerism991252have also come o characerize evangelical Chrisianiy For an insighul analysis ohe ofenimes uncriical conflaion o Evangelicalism and Americanism and o he orces ha havealso resised such accommodaions see D G Har Ta Old-ime Religion in Modern America
Evangelical Proesanism in he wenieh Cenury (Chicago Ivan R Dee 10486269830889830881048626)54See Jerry Z Park ldquoTe Ehnic and Religious Ideniies o Young Asian Americansrdquo (PhD diss
Universiy o Nore Dame 1048626983088983088983092)55See Sharon Kim and Rebecca Y Kim ldquoSecond-Generaion Korean American Chrisiansrsquo Com-
muniies Congregaional Hybridiyrdquo in Carolyn Chen and Russell Jeung eds Susaining Faih
radiions Race Ehniciy and Religion Among he Laino and Asian American Second Generaion (New York New York Universiy Press 104862698308810486251048626) pp 1048625983095983094-9830971048627
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983090 983089
Moving trajectories o theological reflection O course i Asian Americans
hope o climb he ranks o he Norh American evangelical heological
academy hey can only do so on he erms esablished by heir hoss Andraher han responding o sociopoliical acors he evangelical heological
guild has always undersood isel primarily in heological erms and seen is
charge as deending hisorical orhodoxy wheher ha be agains liberalismrsquos
denial o biblical supernauralism agains neo-orhodoxyrsquos ambiguous sance
on Scripure agains mainsream sciencersquos heory o evoluion agains open
heismrsquos docrine o God and so on10486291048630 I evangelical heology has never
beore enerained ehnic perspecives in is discursive consrucion why nowundermine he (is presumed) universal ramework and applicabiliy by
adding he Asian or Asian American qualifiers
While in a sense his enire book provides a se o responses o his quesion
here I sugges hree reasons ha can moivae such a heological pah orward
Firs he Asian diaspora in he Unied Saes is now in a siuaion o reflec
subsanively on is experience o migraion While here are remendous
challenges o migraion10486291048631 some Asian Americans have achieved a level oupward social mobiliy so ha hey are now in he posiion o producing
scholarship inormed by such experienial perspecives Since he memory o
migraion among Asian Americans is more recen han hose o heir Cau-
casian colleagues such perspecives migh be helpul o ideniy how he mi-
graion rom he European coninen has shaped he evangelical heological
enerprise as a whole I Asian Americans can help heir evangelical colleagues
ideniy he hisorical impac o old o new world migraion on he belies andpracices o Norh American Evangelicalism ha in isel will open up pos-
sibiliies or considering aresh Asian American hisories and heir conribu-
ions o he wider conversaion
Second Asian Americans are orced o hink abou race and ehniciy in a
way unlike mos o heir whie brohers and sisers alhough heir reflecions
56Evangelical heologyrsquos many inernal and exernal batles are documened by Jon R Sone On heBoundaries o American Evangelicalism Te Poswar Evangelical Coaliion (New York S MarinrsquosPress 1048625983097983097983095)
57Some o hese are documened by Kenneh J Gues God in Chinaown Religion and Survival in
New Yorkrsquos Evolving Immigran Communiy (New York New York Universiy Press 10486269830889830881048627) whose work we will reurn o in chaper six
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983089 983090 983090 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
can also mediae perspecive in an oherwise whie-and-black demarcaed
world Race and ehniciy are undeniable aspecs o Asian American hisory
and experience Te impor o his is a leas woold Firs Asian Americansare posiioned o engage he discussion opened up by black evangelical heo-
logians regarding conemporary heology991252even in is evangelical guises991252as
reflecing he ascen o whie perspecives in he early modern period a he
expense o Jewish and oher nonwhie culural realiies Asian American per-
specives on race and ehniciy will open up new visas on he racial and ehnic
dimensions o he biblical world10486291048632 In oher words he marginalized hisories
and perspecives o Asian American Evangelicals have much o conribue oconemporary biblical inerpreaion and heological explicaion Te dom-
inan orms o evangelical heology orged in par ou o he hegemony o
Chrisendom are in need o criical analysis and dialogical revision
Las bu no leas cenral and ongoing elemens o Asian American hisory
are par o he presen experiences o ransnaionalism and globalizaion Te
issues here are complex10486291048633 One mater ha needs o be addressed is he iner-
woven characer o he global economy and how i affecs people around he world differenly depending on various social poliical and culural circum-
sances In addiion wih regard o he Asian American side o his equaion
here remain difficul issues relaed o how he quesion o assimilaion or ac-
culuraion is being negoiaed and adjudicaed Firs- second- and hird-gener-
aion perspecives differ someimes momenously and his does no even acor
in he perspecives o he 983089983093 generaion I heology is o engage he hisorical
realiies o real flesh-and-blood human beings i mus engage such quesions inour conemporary world Asian American Evangelicals can lead he way in
hinking heologically abou such hings and his will benefi no only Asian
58 Asian Evangelicals hus need o build rom he insighul readings o mainline Proesan biblicalscholar a-Siong Benny Liew Wha Is Asian American Biblical Hermeneuics Reading he New
esamen (Honolulu Universiy o Hawaii Press 1048626983088983088983096) regarding he ehnic dynamics under-neah Jewish-Genile relaions in he New esamen o be sure Liewrsquos mainline Proesan as-sumpions may be raher disan rom evangelical ones so some criical dialogue and perhaps
correcion may also be in order Ye he srengh o Liewrsquos book is o sugges how Asian Americanexperiences o ehnic marginaliy can illuminae he dispues beween Jewish and Genile ollow-ers o he Messiah in he firs cenury Tis is an issue worh subsanial engagemen rom anevangelical perspecive
59Eg Neil J Ormerod and Shane Clifon Globalizaion and he Mission o he Church (New York amp Clark 104862698308810486251048625)
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983090983091
American communiies bu also hose o oher ehnic racial and culural groups
who are also wresling wih lie in he weny-firs-cenury global conex
Evangelical heology oday will need o heed more inenionally han i has beore acors o migraion ehniciy globalizaion and ransnaionalism
Asian American Evangelicals can assis wih hese maters i hey will arise o
he occasion Tis does no derac rom he universaliy o he gospel message
On he conrary i addresses quesions o universal significance ha are oher-
wise negleced or engaged rom or wihin only one (dominan cenris) se
o perspecives
Reconnecting to the broader evangelical theological tradition Beore con-cluding his chaper however an imporan cavea ough o be sounded None
o he preceding should be read as denying eiher Asian American indebedness
o he evangelical radiion or he inerrelaedness o Asian American and oher
evangelical effors in he conemporary heological ask Te preceding migh
sugges ha Asian Americans are only poining accusing fingers a heir whie
evangelical riends Wihou aking away anyhing rom he seriousness o he
oregoing discussion I also realize ha whie Evangelicals in paricular and Americans in general have been welcoming o Asians and ha we have made i
his ar on our diasporic journey only wih he help o such riends
Beyond such ecclesial collegialiy however I would gran ha Asian Amer-
icans are in various respecs beholden heologically o American Evangelicals
as well In paricular American evangelical commimens o Chris-
ceneredness biblical aihulness and missionary zealousness are imporan
elemens o Chrisian belie and pracice in he weny-firs cenury Asian American Evangelicals should embrace and live ou such commimens no
only or hemselves bu also or oher Evangelicals and even or he world
Ye my claim is precisely ha such a posure enables Asian American Evan-
gelicals o conribue heologically o he ormaion o an evangelical belie
and praxis relevan o he weny-firs cenury For his o happen however
Asian American Evangelicals mus embrace no only he evangel bu also he
hisoriciy o heir diasporic experiences Te incarnaion o he Son o Godconsised afer all o aking on he concreeness palpabiliy and emporaliy
o human Jewish and firs-cenury Palesinian flesh and he oupouring o he
Spiri o God on he Day o Penecos involved he redempion o he diversiy
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983089 983090 983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
o human ongues languages and culures so ha hey migh bear winess o
he wondrous works o God (Acs 983090983089983089) Tis penecosal heme991252relaed o
Acs 983090 firs and oremos albei reraced unavoidably hrough he lens o mymodern penecosal ecclesial sensibiliies991252will inorm he deep srucure o
he argumen in he remainder o his volume ye achieved wihin a pen-
evangelical raher han merely charismaic rame o reerence My poin going
orward however is ha in ligh o hese heological and riniarian commi-
mens Evangelicals should be he firs o embrace he diversiy o heir his-
orical pariculariies raher han shy away rom hem radiionally o course
Evangelicals have subordinaed he vicissiudes o hisory and wih ha heiranxieies abou he flux and subjeciviies o experience o he surey and
oundaionalism o he Word o God as revealed in he Scripures My pro-
posal however is ha work o God in Chris and by he Spiri redeems us
amid wih and hrough he specificiies o our hisorical and culural expe-
rience (raher han saving us rom ou o such alogeher) and hus ha he
Word o God speaks ino such realiies (raher han ha we have o deny hem
or rejec hem as par o who we are)In shor Asian American Evangelicals do no need o be apologeic abou
heir lives experiences and perspecives Raher by ollowing he pah o he
Son o God ino he ar counry by receiving he infilling o he Spiri o God
poured ou on all flesh and by aihully atemping o live ou such a Chris-
cenered and Spiri-empowered aih in he ooseps o heir evangelical ore-
bears and ancesors Asian Americans may hen be able o bring heir heo-
logical gifs o he conversaion able gifs ha will challenge he discussion while simulaneously enriching he are or all hose concerned abou he
euangelion in he presen ime I is ime o heologize as Asian Americans no
jus as Evangelicals in order ha Evangelicalism isel can be renewed and
invigoraed or he sake o he gospel and in anicipaion o he reign o God
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089983088983097
oremos how he biblical auhors were undersood by heir iniial audiences
in he ancien conex Exegesis accesses hese primordially inended biblical
principles Wha he Bible means oday is hereby a secondary issue de-penden primarily on wha i originally mean o he firs hearers and readers
o he Scripures Conemporary applicaion hus involves idenificaion o
he original and or some single meaning o he biblical exs9830911048624
Te flip side o he emphasis on exegesis hen involves he rejecion o
eisegesis he inserion o conemporary perspecives ino he meaning o he
biblical ex I he burden o biblical hermeneuics is o ake away rom he
Scripures wha is auhors inended o communicae he bane o evangelicalinerpreaion is o read ino he Bible whaever our presen viewpoins may
dicae Tis o course is a violaion o he cardinal rule o evangelical herme-
neuics readers should leave heir prejudices and biases a he door and allow
he Bible o inorm hem insead Oherwise he concern is ha he reader
will find whaever he or she is looking or and his inecs conaminaes
skews and disors he prisine message o he Bible983091983089
Te problem here is no jus ha he lines beween exegesis and eisegesis aremuch more blurred han Evangelicals usually acknowledge983091983090 bu ha he per-
sisen applicaion o such an approach o he Bible dicaes ha evangelical
readers inenionally bracke or a leas atemp o hold in abeyance heir own
hisories experiences and perspecives as being o secondary impor i o any
relevance a all or heir reading o Scripure Now I am cerainly no suggesing
ha we all willy-nilly inser our biases in appropriaing he biblical ex Simul-
aneously I urge ha he cos o such hermeneuical brackeing is oo high or
30See Rober L Tomas Evangelical Hermeneuics Te New Versus he Old (Grand Rapids Kregel10486269830889830881048626) chap 983094 iled ldquoTe Principle o Single Meaningrdquo which argues ha he pluralism po-lyphony and plurivociy o meaning advocaed by recen progressive Evangelicals reflecs more heeffecs o humaniyrsquos all ino sin han i does he classical assumpions o evangelical biblical in-erpreaion For a counerargumen one ha I am largely sympaheic wih see James K ASmih Te Fall o Inerpreaion Philosophical Foundaions or a Creaional Hermeneuic (DownersGrove IL InerVarsiy Press 1048626983088983088983088)
31For evangelical concerns regarding reader-response hermeneuics see Norman R Gulley ldquoReader-
Response Teories in Posmodern Hermeneuics A Challenge o Evangelical Teologyrdquo in DavidS Dockery ed Te Challenge o Posmodernism An Evangelical Engagemen (Wheaon IL VicorBooks 1048625983097983097983093) pp 1048626983088983096-1048627983096
32In mainline Proesan circles o course here has long been recogniion ha he radiional line beween exegesis and eisegesis is much blurrier han previously hough see Jay G WilliamsldquoExegesis-Eisegesis Is Tere a Differencerdquo Teology oday 1048627983088 no 1048627 (10486259830979830951048627) 10486261048625983096-1048626983095
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983089 983089983088 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
ehnic minoriies who are Evangelicals since his in effec rejecs heir quesions
and concerns as perinen o heir engagemen wih he Bible In addiion such
presumpive brackeing blinds whie Evangelicals o he ac ha heir own ho-rizons and perspecives are involved in any reading o ancien exs and his lack
o awareness makes i doubly difficul o recognize moderae or correc
I would urge insead ha we recognize and embrace he ension involved
in he usion o biblical and conemporary horizons bu do so in a way ha
boh allows conemporary readers o ener ino he world o he Bible on he
one hand (ldquohis is hardquo) and or he Bible o map ono our conemporary lives
on he oher hand (ldquoha is hisrdquo)983091983091 Tis no only allows or an Asian American reading o he Bible somehing ha is barred in he evangelical
environmen i also invies even encourages such an approach and his in
urn gives Asian Americans991252all people acually991252permission o read he
Bible as i i really matered o heir lives
A (presumably) biblical-theological method Enlighenmen assumpions
hus inorm no only Asian American evangelical episemology and herme-
neuics bu also heological mehod and hey do so in ways ha marginalize Asian America Tis is consisen wih he general evangelical ear o licensing
wha hey see as merely subjecive readings o he Bible or he same reasons
ha hey are wary abou enabling heological mehodologies ha consciously
acknowledge he role o experience In oher words he saus quo in evan-
gelical approaches o he Bible (wih is accenuaion o exegesis and rejecion
o eisegesis) has is counerpar in evangelical approaches o heological re-
flecion his ime wih he emphasis on he Bible as he primary i no solesource or heology over and agains hisory radiion culure and experience
A one level he sola scripura commimens o Reormaion radiions have
a very specific hisory and should be undersood according o he nuances
wih which his idea has developed in he pas five hundred years9830911048628 A anoher
33I explicae some aspecs o he ldquohis is hardquo hermeneuic rom a Penecosal perspecive in myldquoReading Scripure and Naure Penecosal Hermeneuics and Teir Implicaions or he Con-
emporary Evangelical Teology and Science Conversaionrdquo Perspecives on Science and ChrisianFaih 9830931048627 no 1048625 (104862698308810486251048625) 1048625-10486251048627
34Reflecing developmens rom he publicaion o Te Fundamenals o he ldquoChicago Saemen onBiblical Inerrancyrdquo (1048625983097983095983096) many conservaive Norh American Evangelicals991252eg rom NormanL Geisler Inerrancy (Grand Rapids Zondervan 1048625983097983096983088) o James R Whie Scripure Alone (Min-neapolis Behany House 1048626983088983088983092)991252have seen and coninue o see boh sola scripura and he doc-
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2335
983089 983089 983090 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
Te problem however is ha Asian Americans have rarely i ever ques-
ioned more rigid applicaions o his mehodological norm or evangelical
heology Raher hey have inernalized he evangelical bias agains hisoryradiion and experience hus silencing he role ha paricular perspecives
migh play in he heological ask I we appeal o our experience a all we
mus do so apologeically as i admiting ha such heological inerprea-
ions are a bes parochial concerns o a communiy no ye assimilaed o
he dominan culure or a wors signaling our heological immauriy and
need o grow up rom or ranscend he ldquobackwardnessrdquo represening our
hisory and experience beore our lie in Chris Ironically however suchinenional marginalizaion o he Asian American experience no o
menion Asian American philosophical ways o hinking and reasoning
does no call ino quesion how he predominanly Anglo- and Euro-
American experiences o moderniy have shaped evangelical heology As a
resul Asian American Evangelicals have adoped wha is claimed o be a
biblical worldview and heological ramework supposedly shorn o he sub-
jecive biases o hisorically siuaed human inerpreers Bu hese aresurely devoid o heir own experienial and conexual (Asian American)
locaions and ye uncriically naive in hinking ha Euro-American his-
orical accidens have been adequaely ldquoChrisianizedrdquo
So ar I have suggesed ha episemologically hermeneuically and meh-
odologically Asian Americans have rarely quesioned he modernis Enligh-
enmen and Anglo- and Euro-American presupposiions o he evangelical
heological endeavor And since his underaking has never acknowledged heculural conexs and perspecives o he predominanly whie ramers o he
evangelical heological radiion10486281048624 he assumpion is ha ehniciy plays litle
i any role in he work o heology No surprisingly hen Asian American
heologians have been reicen o sugges ha ehniciy culure and hisoriciy
coun in heological reflecion By exension he heological and docrinal
40My poin is no ha whie perspecives have disored he gospel his isel assumes a sor oa-culural gospel ha needs conexualizaion991252a poin ha needs o be addressed and nuanced which we will do momenarily My poin is ha such whie viewpoins are no only unrecognized bu ha hey are hen presumed o be normaive or nonwhies I is par o he goal o his chapero call Asian American heologians o atend o his assumpion and o find ways o inenionallyaddress and subver i
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983091
resuls have been ormulaed and ransmited as biblically unded and univer-
sally applicable regardless o conexual consideraions
A (supposedly) universal doctrinal famework One example o how Norh American evangelical heology has proceeded wih universalisic assumpions
and hereby overlooked i no inenionally ignored oher culural perspec-
ives has o do wih he docrine o he aonemen and wha i addresses Pu
crassly humankind suffers rom one overall problem ha o sin agains God
and ha one problem demands basically one soluion he subsiuionary
aonemen o he Sonrsquos deah on he cross1048628983089 Now I realize ha i is unair o
depic evangelical views regarding he aonemen in such homogeneous ermssince he mater isel is sill being conesed1048628983090 Bu he ac is ha in some
evangelical circles deparure rom he subsiuionary view o he aonemen
is considered deviaion rom evangelical orhodoxy1048628983091 From his posiion oher
biblical aspecs and alernaive inerpreaions are eiher subsumed under he
docrine o penal subsiuion or argued o be flawed in some respec
O course such a viewpoin minimizes he role o medieval eudalism and
he jurisprudenial background o some o he Reormers in he emergenceand esablishmen o his undersanding o he aonemen in he evangelical
radiion jus as i really does no quesion he basically Augusinian anhro-
pology presumed in his process Now I am no a hisorical deerminis who
believes ha conex leads inexorably o our heological ideas jus as I do no
hink ha allowance or hisorical conexual acors relaivizes he ruh o
heological claims or produces docrinal heerodoxy Raher wihou denying
41Te World Evangelical Alliancersquos Saemen o Faih affirms ldquoWe believe in Our Lord JesusChris God manies in he flesh His virgin birh His sinless human lie His divine miracles His vicarious and aoning deah His bodily resurrecion His ascension His mediaorial work and HisPersonal reurn in power and glory Te Salvaion o los and sinul man hrough he shed bloodo he Lord Jesus Chris by aih apar rom works and regeneraion by he Holy Spirirdquo (see worldevangelicalorgweasaemenhm emphases original)
42See James Beilby and Paul R Eddy eds Te Naure o he Aonemen Four Views (DownersGrove IL IVP Academic 1048626983088983088983094) and Derek idball David Hilborn and Jusin Tacker eds Te
Aonemen Debae Papers fom he London Symposium on he Teology o he Aonemen (Grand
Rapids Zondervan 1048626983088983088983093) c J Denny Weaver Te Nonviolen Aonemen (Grand Rapids Eerd-mans 10486269830889830881048625) and Hans Boersma Violence Hospialiy and he Cross Recovering he Aonemen
radiion (Grand Rapids Baker Academic 1048626983088983088983092)43See S Lewis Johnson Jr ldquoBehold he Lamb Te Gospel and Subsiuionary Aonemenrdquo in John
H Armsrong ed Te Coming Evangelical Crisis Curren Challenges o he Auhoriy o Scripure
and he Gospel (Chicago Moody Press 1048625983097983097983094) pp 10486251048625983097-1048627983096
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983089 983089 983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
he imporance o he biblical and heological heme o subsiuion or he
docrine o he aonemen I am simply suggesing ha oher culural perspec-
ives and even assumpions migh highligh and emphasize oher biblicalmeaphors regarding Chrisrsquos salvific work
Bu o pursue he quesion ono Asian American errain wha difference
will i make i we recognize ha some Asians and Asian Americans live and
exis in a shame raher han guil culure How migh evangelical hinking
abou he aonemen be adjused revised and maybe even ransormed i
Chrisrsquos work no only assuaged he guil o sin rom human lives bu also re-
moved he shame in human hears10486281048628 My poin is ha evangelical heologicalendencies generally urge a universalisic sandpoin and in his paradigm
here is no need o atend o he pariculariies o or ariculae Asian Asian
American or oher culural perspecives since hese are all subsumed wihin he
biblical ramework read in an evangelical way In his case here isnrsquo even a
need o ask wheher radiional evangelical heologies and docrines like hose
regarding he aonemen may need o be revisied and reariculaed in ligh o
oher hisorical culural and experienial dynamics In ac Asian Americansare boh oo shameul and oo shy o even consider asking abou hese maters
I have argued so ar in his secion ha Asian American Evangelicals ormed
heologically according o he sensibiliies o he dominan evangelical culure
in Norh America have inernalized he whie evangelical worldview and in ha
sense mosly do no see he need o hink explicily rom an Asian American
vanage poin Asian American evangelical views are hereore a bes no more
han a minoriy heological perspecive wo relaed summary consequenceshave ollowed Asian American acquiescence o he majoriy culure Firs meh-
odologically and maerially evangelical heology has been undersood o be a-
hisorical a-culural and even a-conexual Te assumpion is ha he Bible
addresses all human beings so any plain reading o he Scripure will or should
be able o access he Word o God a any and all imes and places radiionally
ormulaed and ramed evangelical docrines derived rom an inducive sudy
44 Asian Americans are beginning o do jus his however991252eg Rachel Y Lei ldquoSaving Significanceo he Cross in he Asian American Conexrdquo SANACS Journal 1048625 (1048626983088983088983097) 983097983093-10486251048625983094 c Mark D Bakerand Joel B Green Recovering he Scandal o he Cross Te Aonemen in New esamen and Con-
emporary Conexs (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 1048626983088983088983088) chap 983094 ldquoRemoving AlienaingShame Te Saving Significance o he Cross in Japanrdquo
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983093
o Scripure hus orm he undispuable and unrevisable core o he gospel
Tere is litle recogniion o he hisorical culural and conexual perspecives
ha have conribued o he ariculaion o such evangelical belies Wha his means is ha here sill remains a core se o evangelical docrinal
achievemens and hese remain valid across space and ime alhough hey
may be supplemened by or ranslaed ino local conexual and siuaional
perspecives and idioms As we saw previously (chaper one) he recen Cam-
bridge Companion o Evangelical Teology reflecs precisely his mindse10486281048629 Te
Companion we know is divided ino wo pars Te firs is iled ldquoEvan-
gelicals and Chrisian Docrinerdquo and his includes eigh chapers on he oun-daional docrinal marix o evangelical belies he riniy Scripure chris-
ology heological anhropology jusificaionaonemen pneumaology
conversionsancificaion and ecclesiology Par wo ldquoTe Conexs o Evan-
gelical Teologyrdquo hen provides anoher nine chapers and hese cover issues
relaed o culure gender race and pluralism and include five chapers on
evangelical heology in Arican Asian European Lain American and Norh
American conexs Tis srucure o he Companion communicaes a wooldmessage ha evangelical docrine is a-conexually derived (par one) and
ha various hisorical conexs (par wo) can add a mos parochial ruhs
ha will no upse he docrinal supersrucure o he evangelical heological
landscape In shor basic heological and docrinal ruhs o he Chrisian
aih have already been ormulaed and can be ound in any oher evangelical
sysemaic heological ex quie apar rom Asian American or any oher
more specified perspecivesPu more poinedly i Asian Americans (or any oher ehnic or culural
group) were o wrie heir own heologies hese would be provincial under-
akings wih marginal relevance or he wider evangelical communiy Tese
would be o value only or ldquohoserdquo people (maybe immigrans reugees or
exiles) who have no ye been assimilaed ino he broader American evan-
gelical culure Litle wonder hen ha ew Asian Americans have venured
ino heological errioryhe second summary consequence o inernalizing he dominan
45imohy Larsen and Daniel J reier eds Te Cambridge Companion o Evangelical Teology (Cambridge Cambridge Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983095)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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983089 983089983094 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
worldview991252ha evangelical heology a leas in is dogmaic and sysemaic
configuraions is by and large a finished projec wih minimal inpu needed
rom Asian American or oher perspecives991252is ha Asian Americans wihheological educaion have urned in general o work in he hisorical and
social scienific disciplines10486281048630 Tere cerainly remains imporan work o be
done by hose working across he disciplines so I am no decrying such effors
Ye he ac ha hisorical sociological or oher disciplinary explicaions o
Asian American lie are published by universiy presses communicaes o
Asian Americans ha heir role is o shed new ligh on he Asian American
experience A he same ime he prevalence o hese analyical approachesamid he lacuna o explicily heological works suggess ha he ormer is o
minimal value a leas or he ldquorealrdquo heological work o dogmaics and sys-
emaics Furher ha hese scholarly publishers do no eaure exs on Asian
American evangelical heology confirms his division o labor (whie Evan-
gelicals wrie real heology Asian American Evangelicals do hisory sociology
ec) A he end o he day evangelical heologyrsquos assumpion remains undis-
urbed ha here are core docrines ha only need o be conexualized991252ha is ranslaed and made relevan991252around he world In his ramework
Asian Americans can conribue no o he ormer heological ormulaion bu
only o he later ranslaion and disseminaion ask10486281048631
46Eg he work o imohy seng and David Yoo in hisory Fenggang Yang and Rebecca Kim insociology and Russell Jeung in Asian American sudies among ohers see also my ldquoAsian Amer-ican Religion A Review Essayrdquo Nova Religio Te Journal o Alernaive and Emergen Religions 983097
no 1048627 (1048626983088983088983094) 9830971048626-104862598308898309547One could argue ha a parallel ye disinc moivaion drives Lain American or Hispanic evan-
gelical heology in a similar direcion I Asian Americans are cauioned agains hinking heo-logically rom ou o ehnic hisorical and conexual lives because o heir uncriical embrace o whie evangelical assumpions Hispanic Evangelicals may have adoped similar commimensalbei or slighly differen reasons relaed o he Lain American conex Te dominance o heRoman Caholic Church along wih is heological and olk radiions in he later environmenmay be behind Hispanic evangelical suspicions abou he role o hisory and culure in he doingo heology Te ani-Caholic senimen in hisoric Evangelicalism no doub is atracive oLainoas on he migran rail (rom Lain America o he Unied Saes) alhough such accom-modaion has brough wih i he heological coss elaboraed in he preceding pages For urher
discussion and oher angles on hese issues see Oscar Garcia-Johnson Te Mesizoa Communiyo he Spiri A Posmodern Lainoa Ecclesiology (Eugene OR Wip amp Sock 1048626983088983088983097) Sammy Alaro Divino Compantildeero oward a Hispanic Penecosal Chrisology (Eugene OR Pickwick10486269830881048625983088) Juan Mariacutenez ldquolsquoOuside he Gaersquo Evangelicalism and Laino Proesan Teologyrdquo in JeffreyGreenman and Gene L Green eds Global Teology in Evangelical Perspecive Exploring he Conex-
ual Naure o Teology and Mission (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 104862698308810486251048626) pp 1048625983095983097-983097983092 and
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983095
T983144983141 M983137983150983140983137983156983141 983151983142 A983155983145983137983150 A983149983141983154983145983139983137983150 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161
Te preceding analysis raises sel-criical awareness or Asian American Evan-
gelicals and invies hem in dialogue wih oher Evangelicals o consider wheher heir minoriy saus is problemaic and wha i anyhing can and
ough o be done abou i Now I am aware ha here are developmens wihin
he evangelical heological radiion broadly consrued ha have moved
beyond some o he sricures idenified in he preceding secion Progressive
Evangelicals he evangelical lef and posconservaive Evangelicals denoe jus
a ew o he rends among ohers percolaing on he margins o evangelical
heology10486281048632 Bu ha is precisely par o he problem hese are movemens haexcep or a small minoriy remain ouside he evangelical mainsream and
have also by and large been ignored by Asian American evangelical scholars
and heologians I believe ha producive ways orward can be chared via
Asian American Evangelicals in dialogue wih some o hese ideas alhough
a he end o he day such conversaions will only be producive as Asian
American Evangelicals ormulae a plaorm on which hey can bring some-
hing subsanive o he discussion Tis later ask is par o he presen chal-lenge and burden o he presen book
Insoar hen as I am ineresed in he quesion o wha Asian Americans can
conribue o evangelical heology no jus hisorically or sociologically bu a
a heological level my claim is ha pursui o hese maters ironically also in-
volves aking seriously he hisoriciy and pariculariy o Asian American cul-
ures experiences and perspecives In his final par o his chaper I do no
more han sugges in broad srokes how o go abou such an underakingRealities o the Asian American diaspora Par o ldquohe problem o evan-
gelical heologyrdquo can be clarified i we siuae Asian American evangelical
heology amid he broader Asian American diasporic hisorical and social
realiies described in par a he beginning o chaper wo Doing so enables
he sark realizaion ha Asian American Evangelicals are composed by a
wide range o experiences on he one hand and pressure o assimilae o
Juan F Mariacutenez and Lindy Scot eds Los Evangeacutelicos Porrais o Laino Proesanism in he
Unied Saes (Eugene OR Wip amp Sock 1048626983088983088983097)48Many o hese are discussed in Roger E Olson Reormed and Always Reorming Te Posconser-
vaive Approach o Evangelical Teology (Grand Rapids Baker Academic 1048626983088983088983095)
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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983089 983089983096 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
American culure on he oher W hile Asians have lived in Norh America
since he ounding o he republic and had even conribued o he building
o he American empire during he nineeenh cenury he 983089983097983094983093 Immigraion Ac ha repealed he Orienal Exclusion Ac o 983089983097983090983092 reopened he door o a
new wave o Asian migraion During he las generaion Asian American lie
has been urher ransormed by he orces o globalizaion diasporas creaed
by modernizaion indusrializaion and urbanizaion reugee populaions
displaced by war amine and climae changes movemen enabled by he
emergence o a worldwide marke economy advances in echnology and mass
communicaion he cross-erilizaion o ideologies and shifs in inerna-ional relaions10486281048633 Te resul as saw in he previous chaper is he appearance
o a wide range o Asian American communiies across Norh America Lie
in such communiies is fluid affeced by migraion paterns socioeconomic
pressures and he srengh o relaions wih hose ldquoback homerdquo Te sronger
he ransnaional ies beween Asian immigrans in he Wes and heir amilies
organizaions and insiuions (religious and oherwise) in heir homeland
he more inense and longer-lasing he exchange o religious goods and ideas(in he orm o books periodicals and various orms o elecommunicaion)
Unsurprisingly hen firs-generaion immigrans ofen deepen he reli-
gious commimens ha hey held or praciced perhaps more nominally
beore moving Someimes immigrans conver o he more dominan religion
o heir new home In eiher case religious affiliaion ofen serves o secure
social neworks coner saus oherwise difficul o come by or immigrans
and srenghen ehnic culural and linguisic bonds and ideniies Bu or he983089983093 generaion (hose born in Asia bu who grew up a leas in par in he
Unied Saes like mysel) he process o assimilaion is well under way In
hese cases he ehnic enclave will develop English-speaking secions as well
as social organizaions school clubs and Chrisian congregaions
For young adul Asian American Evangelicals however here is ofen a
49For an overview o hese issues see Wanni W Anderson and Rober G Lee eds Displacemensand Diasporas Asians in he Americas (New Brunswick NJ Rugers Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983093) Idiscuss urher he implicaions o globalizaion or Chrisian heology in Amos Yong and PeerHelzel ldquoRober Cummings Neville and he Global Fuure o Teologyrdquo in Yong and Helzel edsTeology in Global Conex Essays in Honor o Rober Cummings Neville (New York amp Clark1048626983088983088983092) pp 1048626983097-9830921048626 esp pp 1048627983088-1048627983092
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983097
keen sense ha heir own ehnically organized congregaions or groups are
somehow less religiously and heologically legiimae because hey do no
have he more ldquouniversalrdquo appeal o whie or muliculural evangelicalchurches or parachurch organizaions10486291048624 Te resul is eiher he ransiion o
ehnic congregaions ino pan-ehnic congregaions or movemen rom heir
ldquohomerdquo congregaion o oher less ehnically defined church environmens1048629983089
By he ime he second generaion atains adulhood he remaining culural
or linguisic barriers o ull assimilaion ino American sociey are pracically
overcome ofen o he dismay o parens and grandparens1048629983090
Wha does such assimilaion consis o Cerainly speaking Englishparicipaing in he marke economy and adaping o he opions provided
by American seculariy and poliics are minimal adjusmens Bu perhaps
assimilaion also requires abandoning he norms o he immigran culure
in avor o American norms or amily and gender relaions and engaging
wih he public square on is erms I so would his no lead o an evan-
gelical sel-undersanding deeply ormed by American culure poliics
and economics Would his no resul in a subordinaion and even deor-maion o all ha is Asian excep or he biological phenoype I would
appear hen ha becoming American would more easily aciliae he
embrace o evangelical Chrisianiy991252i such is deined as a suburban
Midwesern whie middle-class religious phenomenon wih Wheaon
Illinois as is veriable ldquoMeccardquo991252bu his brings wih i he cos o losing
onersquos Asianness Does his mean ha ull accepance o Evangelicalism
50See eg Rebecca Y Kim ldquoNegoiaion o Ehnic and Religious Boundaries by Asian AmericanCampus Evangelicalsrdquo in ony Carnes and Fenggang Yang eds Asian American Religions Te
Making and Remaking o Borders and Boundaries (New York New York Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983092) pp10486259830921048625-983093983097 and Rudy V Buso ldquoTe Gospel According o he Model Minoriy Hazarding an Inerpre-aion o Asian American Evangelical College Sudensrdquo in David K Yoo ed New Spiriual Homes
Religion and Asian Americans (Honolulu Universiy o Hawaii Press 1048625983097983097983097) pp 1048625983094983097-98309698309551See Russell Jeung Faihul Generaions Race and New Asian American Churches (New Brunswick
NJ Rugers Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983092)52 As can be discerned by reading beween he lines o he Bible sudies in om Linrsquos Losing Face
and Finding Grace Tis appears o be he case wheher he second generaion inenionally a-emps o disinguish is ehnic congregaional lie rom ha o he firs immigran generaion or wheher he second generaion becomes absorbed ino nonehnic or even muliehnic congrega-ions on his poin see Elaine Howard Ecklund ldquoModels o Civic Responsibiliy Korean Amer-icans in Congregaions wih Differen Ehnic Composiionsrdquo Journal or he Scienific Sudy o
Religion 983092983092 no 1048625 (1048626983088983088983093) 1048625983093-1048626983096
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983089 983090 983088 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
includes ldquorepenancerdquo rom Asia and ldquoconversionrdquo o Americanism1048629983091
Ta his is no he case seems o be borne ou by he sociological lieraure
which confirms ha ehniciy remains jus as imporan as religion in he or-maion o Asian American ideniy10486291048628 Bu i so evangelical heology has no
even begun o wresle wih he imporance o ehniciy and race no o
menion heir heological implicaions Second-generaion Korean Amer-
icans or insance seem o be inuiively drawn o churches and parachurch
minisries ha oreground heir Korean culural ideniy10486291048629 bu hey have
developed ew heological raionales or such orms o social organizaion
more o he poin heir own heological presupposiions miigae agains suchaciviy which may explain heir ideniy conflicedness
Unsurprisingly hen Asian American evangelical heology has ye o ge
off he ground even a he beginning o he weny-firs cenury Asian
American Evangelicals geting degrees rom insiuions o higher educaion
have had o wresle wihagains his assimilaive impulse o sruggle wih he
quesion o wheher hey are or should be doing (descripive) sociology raher
han heology (as normaive reflecion) and o ariculae an apologeic ordoing Asian American evangelical heology raher han jus evangelical he-
ology For oo many Asian American Evangelicals heir saus ldquobewix and
beweenrdquo991252on he one hand belonging o Asia and o he Unied Saes in
some respecs bu on he oher hand being a sranger o boh Asia and he
Unied Saes in oher respecs991252pus hem in a unique posiion o inerrogae
evangelical heology bu (o dae) leaves hem ouside he ormal organiza-
ional and insiuional srucures o criique effecively and ransorm heevangelical heological radiion
53One could also make he reverse argumen however ha Evangelicalism in he Unied Saes hasalready been molded by is social culural and hisorical conex o he exen ha he very eauresha mark he American way o lie991252ie individualism experienialism pragmaism even con-sumerism991252have also come o characerize evangelical Chrisianiy For an insighul analysis ohe ofenimes uncriical conflaion o Evangelicalism and Americanism and o he orces ha havealso resised such accommodaions see D G Har Ta Old-ime Religion in Modern America
Evangelical Proesanism in he wenieh Cenury (Chicago Ivan R Dee 10486269830889830881048626)54See Jerry Z Park ldquoTe Ehnic and Religious Ideniies o Young Asian Americansrdquo (PhD diss
Universiy o Nore Dame 1048626983088983088983092)55See Sharon Kim and Rebecca Y Kim ldquoSecond-Generaion Korean American Chrisiansrsquo Com-
muniies Congregaional Hybridiyrdquo in Carolyn Chen and Russell Jeung eds Susaining Faih
radiions Race Ehniciy and Religion Among he Laino and Asian American Second Generaion (New York New York Universiy Press 104862698308810486251048626) pp 1048625983095983094-9830971048627
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983090 983089
Moving trajectories o theological reflection O course i Asian Americans
hope o climb he ranks o he Norh American evangelical heological
academy hey can only do so on he erms esablished by heir hoss Andraher han responding o sociopoliical acors he evangelical heological
guild has always undersood isel primarily in heological erms and seen is
charge as deending hisorical orhodoxy wheher ha be agains liberalismrsquos
denial o biblical supernauralism agains neo-orhodoxyrsquos ambiguous sance
on Scripure agains mainsream sciencersquos heory o evoluion agains open
heismrsquos docrine o God and so on10486291048630 I evangelical heology has never
beore enerained ehnic perspecives in is discursive consrucion why nowundermine he (is presumed) universal ramework and applicabiliy by
adding he Asian or Asian American qualifiers
While in a sense his enire book provides a se o responses o his quesion
here I sugges hree reasons ha can moivae such a heological pah orward
Firs he Asian diaspora in he Unied Saes is now in a siuaion o reflec
subsanively on is experience o migraion While here are remendous
challenges o migraion10486291048631 some Asian Americans have achieved a level oupward social mobiliy so ha hey are now in he posiion o producing
scholarship inormed by such experienial perspecives Since he memory o
migraion among Asian Americans is more recen han hose o heir Cau-
casian colleagues such perspecives migh be helpul o ideniy how he mi-
graion rom he European coninen has shaped he evangelical heological
enerprise as a whole I Asian Americans can help heir evangelical colleagues
ideniy he hisorical impac o old o new world migraion on he belies andpracices o Norh American Evangelicalism ha in isel will open up pos-
sibiliies or considering aresh Asian American hisories and heir conribu-
ions o he wider conversaion
Second Asian Americans are orced o hink abou race and ehniciy in a
way unlike mos o heir whie brohers and sisers alhough heir reflecions
56Evangelical heologyrsquos many inernal and exernal batles are documened by Jon R Sone On heBoundaries o American Evangelicalism Te Poswar Evangelical Coaliion (New York S MarinrsquosPress 1048625983097983097983095)
57Some o hese are documened by Kenneh J Gues God in Chinaown Religion and Survival in
New Yorkrsquos Evolving Immigran Communiy (New York New York Universiy Press 10486269830889830881048627) whose work we will reurn o in chaper six
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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983089 983090 983090 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
can also mediae perspecive in an oherwise whie-and-black demarcaed
world Race and ehniciy are undeniable aspecs o Asian American hisory
and experience Te impor o his is a leas woold Firs Asian Americansare posiioned o engage he discussion opened up by black evangelical heo-
logians regarding conemporary heology991252even in is evangelical guises991252as
reflecing he ascen o whie perspecives in he early modern period a he
expense o Jewish and oher nonwhie culural realiies Asian American per-
specives on race and ehniciy will open up new visas on he racial and ehnic
dimensions o he biblical world10486291048632 In oher words he marginalized hisories
and perspecives o Asian American Evangelicals have much o conribue oconemporary biblical inerpreaion and heological explicaion Te dom-
inan orms o evangelical heology orged in par ou o he hegemony o
Chrisendom are in need o criical analysis and dialogical revision
Las bu no leas cenral and ongoing elemens o Asian American hisory
are par o he presen experiences o ransnaionalism and globalizaion Te
issues here are complex10486291048633 One mater ha needs o be addressed is he iner-
woven characer o he global economy and how i affecs people around he world differenly depending on various social poliical and culural circum-
sances In addiion wih regard o he Asian American side o his equaion
here remain difficul issues relaed o how he quesion o assimilaion or ac-
culuraion is being negoiaed and adjudicaed Firs- second- and hird-gener-
aion perspecives differ someimes momenously and his does no even acor
in he perspecives o he 983089983093 generaion I heology is o engage he hisorical
realiies o real flesh-and-blood human beings i mus engage such quesions inour conemporary world Asian American Evangelicals can lead he way in
hinking heologically abou such hings and his will benefi no only Asian
58 Asian Evangelicals hus need o build rom he insighul readings o mainline Proesan biblicalscholar a-Siong Benny Liew Wha Is Asian American Biblical Hermeneuics Reading he New
esamen (Honolulu Universiy o Hawaii Press 1048626983088983088983096) regarding he ehnic dynamics under-neah Jewish-Genile relaions in he New esamen o be sure Liewrsquos mainline Proesan as-sumpions may be raher disan rom evangelical ones so some criical dialogue and perhaps
correcion may also be in order Ye he srengh o Liewrsquos book is o sugges how Asian Americanexperiences o ehnic marginaliy can illuminae he dispues beween Jewish and Genile ollow-ers o he Messiah in he firs cenury Tis is an issue worh subsanial engagemen rom anevangelical perspecive
59Eg Neil J Ormerod and Shane Clifon Globalizaion and he Mission o he Church (New York amp Clark 104862698308810486251048625)
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983090983091
American communiies bu also hose o oher ehnic racial and culural groups
who are also wresling wih lie in he weny-firs-cenury global conex
Evangelical heology oday will need o heed more inenionally han i has beore acors o migraion ehniciy globalizaion and ransnaionalism
Asian American Evangelicals can assis wih hese maters i hey will arise o
he occasion Tis does no derac rom he universaliy o he gospel message
On he conrary i addresses quesions o universal significance ha are oher-
wise negleced or engaged rom or wihin only one (dominan cenris) se
o perspecives
Reconnecting to the broader evangelical theological tradition Beore con-cluding his chaper however an imporan cavea ough o be sounded None
o he preceding should be read as denying eiher Asian American indebedness
o he evangelical radiion or he inerrelaedness o Asian American and oher
evangelical effors in he conemporary heological ask Te preceding migh
sugges ha Asian Americans are only poining accusing fingers a heir whie
evangelical riends Wihou aking away anyhing rom he seriousness o he
oregoing discussion I also realize ha whie Evangelicals in paricular and Americans in general have been welcoming o Asians and ha we have made i
his ar on our diasporic journey only wih he help o such riends
Beyond such ecclesial collegialiy however I would gran ha Asian Amer-
icans are in various respecs beholden heologically o American Evangelicals
as well In paricular American evangelical commimens o Chris-
ceneredness biblical aihulness and missionary zealousness are imporan
elemens o Chrisian belie and pracice in he weny-firs cenury Asian American Evangelicals should embrace and live ou such commimens no
only or hemselves bu also or oher Evangelicals and even or he world
Ye my claim is precisely ha such a posure enables Asian American Evan-
gelicals o conribue heologically o he ormaion o an evangelical belie
and praxis relevan o he weny-firs cenury For his o happen however
Asian American Evangelicals mus embrace no only he evangel bu also he
hisoriciy o heir diasporic experiences Te incarnaion o he Son o Godconsised afer all o aking on he concreeness palpabiliy and emporaliy
o human Jewish and firs-cenury Palesinian flesh and he oupouring o he
Spiri o God on he Day o Penecos involved he redempion o he diversiy
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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983089 983090 983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
o human ongues languages and culures so ha hey migh bear winess o
he wondrous works o God (Acs 983090983089983089) Tis penecosal heme991252relaed o
Acs 983090 firs and oremos albei reraced unavoidably hrough he lens o mymodern penecosal ecclesial sensibiliies991252will inorm he deep srucure o
he argumen in he remainder o his volume ye achieved wihin a pen-
evangelical raher han merely charismaic rame o reerence My poin going
orward however is ha in ligh o hese heological and riniarian commi-
mens Evangelicals should be he firs o embrace he diversiy o heir his-
orical pariculariies raher han shy away rom hem radiionally o course
Evangelicals have subordinaed he vicissiudes o hisory and wih ha heiranxieies abou he flux and subjeciviies o experience o he surey and
oundaionalism o he Word o God as revealed in he Scripures My pro-
posal however is ha work o God in Chris and by he Spiri redeems us
amid wih and hrough he specificiies o our hisorical and culural expe-
rience (raher han saving us rom ou o such alogeher) and hus ha he
Word o God speaks ino such realiies (raher han ha we have o deny hem
or rejec hem as par o who we are)In shor Asian American Evangelicals do no need o be apologeic abou
heir lives experiences and perspecives Raher by ollowing he pah o he
Son o God ino he ar counry by receiving he infilling o he Spiri o God
poured ou on all flesh and by aihully atemping o live ou such a Chris-
cenered and Spiri-empowered aih in he ooseps o heir evangelical ore-
bears and ancesors Asian Americans may hen be able o bring heir heo-
logical gifs o he conversaion able gifs ha will challenge he discussion while simulaneously enriching he are or all hose concerned abou he
euangelion in he presen ime I is ime o heologize as Asian Americans no
jus as Evangelicals in order ha Evangelicalism isel can be renewed and
invigoraed or he sake o he gospel and in anicipaion o he reign o God
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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983089 983089983088 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
ehnic minoriies who are Evangelicals since his in effec rejecs heir quesions
and concerns as perinen o heir engagemen wih he Bible In addiion such
presumpive brackeing blinds whie Evangelicals o he ac ha heir own ho-rizons and perspecives are involved in any reading o ancien exs and his lack
o awareness makes i doubly difficul o recognize moderae or correc
I would urge insead ha we recognize and embrace he ension involved
in he usion o biblical and conemporary horizons bu do so in a way ha
boh allows conemporary readers o ener ino he world o he Bible on he
one hand (ldquohis is hardquo) and or he Bible o map ono our conemporary lives
on he oher hand (ldquoha is hisrdquo)983091983091 Tis no only allows or an Asian American reading o he Bible somehing ha is barred in he evangelical
environmen i also invies even encourages such an approach and his in
urn gives Asian Americans991252all people acually991252permission o read he
Bible as i i really matered o heir lives
A (presumably) biblical-theological method Enlighenmen assumpions
hus inorm no only Asian American evangelical episemology and herme-
neuics bu also heological mehod and hey do so in ways ha marginalize Asian America Tis is consisen wih he general evangelical ear o licensing
wha hey see as merely subjecive readings o he Bible or he same reasons
ha hey are wary abou enabling heological mehodologies ha consciously
acknowledge he role o experience In oher words he saus quo in evan-
gelical approaches o he Bible (wih is accenuaion o exegesis and rejecion
o eisegesis) has is counerpar in evangelical approaches o heological re-
flecion his ime wih he emphasis on he Bible as he primary i no solesource or heology over and agains hisory radiion culure and experience
A one level he sola scripura commimens o Reormaion radiions have
a very specific hisory and should be undersood according o he nuances
wih which his idea has developed in he pas five hundred years9830911048628 A anoher
33I explicae some aspecs o he ldquohis is hardquo hermeneuic rom a Penecosal perspecive in myldquoReading Scripure and Naure Penecosal Hermeneuics and Teir Implicaions or he Con-
emporary Evangelical Teology and Science Conversaionrdquo Perspecives on Science and ChrisianFaih 9830931048627 no 1048625 (104862698308810486251048625) 1048625-10486251048627
34Reflecing developmens rom he publicaion o Te Fundamenals o he ldquoChicago Saemen onBiblical Inerrancyrdquo (1048625983097983095983096) many conservaive Norh American Evangelicals991252eg rom NormanL Geisler Inerrancy (Grand Rapids Zondervan 1048625983097983096983088) o James R Whie Scripure Alone (Min-neapolis Behany House 1048626983088983088983092)991252have seen and coninue o see boh sola scripura and he doc-
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2235
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2335
983089 983089 983090 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
Te problem however is ha Asian Americans have rarely i ever ques-
ioned more rigid applicaions o his mehodological norm or evangelical
heology Raher hey have inernalized he evangelical bias agains hisoryradiion and experience hus silencing he role ha paricular perspecives
migh play in he heological ask I we appeal o our experience a all we
mus do so apologeically as i admiting ha such heological inerprea-
ions are a bes parochial concerns o a communiy no ye assimilaed o
he dominan culure or a wors signaling our heological immauriy and
need o grow up rom or ranscend he ldquobackwardnessrdquo represening our
hisory and experience beore our lie in Chris Ironically however suchinenional marginalizaion o he Asian American experience no o
menion Asian American philosophical ways o hinking and reasoning
does no call ino quesion how he predominanly Anglo- and Euro-
American experiences o moderniy have shaped evangelical heology As a
resul Asian American Evangelicals have adoped wha is claimed o be a
biblical worldview and heological ramework supposedly shorn o he sub-
jecive biases o hisorically siuaed human inerpreers Bu hese aresurely devoid o heir own experienial and conexual (Asian American)
locaions and ye uncriically naive in hinking ha Euro-American his-
orical accidens have been adequaely ldquoChrisianizedrdquo
So ar I have suggesed ha episemologically hermeneuically and meh-
odologically Asian Americans have rarely quesioned he modernis Enligh-
enmen and Anglo- and Euro-American presupposiions o he evangelical
heological endeavor And since his underaking has never acknowledged heculural conexs and perspecives o he predominanly whie ramers o he
evangelical heological radiion10486281048624 he assumpion is ha ehniciy plays litle
i any role in he work o heology No surprisingly hen Asian American
heologians have been reicen o sugges ha ehniciy culure and hisoriciy
coun in heological reflecion By exension he heological and docrinal
40My poin is no ha whie perspecives have disored he gospel his isel assumes a sor oa-culural gospel ha needs conexualizaion991252a poin ha needs o be addressed and nuanced which we will do momenarily My poin is ha such whie viewpoins are no only unrecognized bu ha hey are hen presumed o be normaive or nonwhies I is par o he goal o his chapero call Asian American heologians o atend o his assumpion and o find ways o inenionallyaddress and subver i
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983091
resuls have been ormulaed and ransmited as biblically unded and univer-
sally applicable regardless o conexual consideraions
A (supposedly) universal doctrinal famework One example o how Norh American evangelical heology has proceeded wih universalisic assumpions
and hereby overlooked i no inenionally ignored oher culural perspec-
ives has o do wih he docrine o he aonemen and wha i addresses Pu
crassly humankind suffers rom one overall problem ha o sin agains God
and ha one problem demands basically one soluion he subsiuionary
aonemen o he Sonrsquos deah on he cross1048628983089 Now I realize ha i is unair o
depic evangelical views regarding he aonemen in such homogeneous ermssince he mater isel is sill being conesed1048628983090 Bu he ac is ha in some
evangelical circles deparure rom he subsiuionary view o he aonemen
is considered deviaion rom evangelical orhodoxy1048628983091 From his posiion oher
biblical aspecs and alernaive inerpreaions are eiher subsumed under he
docrine o penal subsiuion or argued o be flawed in some respec
O course such a viewpoin minimizes he role o medieval eudalism and
he jurisprudenial background o some o he Reormers in he emergenceand esablishmen o his undersanding o he aonemen in he evangelical
radiion jus as i really does no quesion he basically Augusinian anhro-
pology presumed in his process Now I am no a hisorical deerminis who
believes ha conex leads inexorably o our heological ideas jus as I do no
hink ha allowance or hisorical conexual acors relaivizes he ruh o
heological claims or produces docrinal heerodoxy Raher wihou denying
41Te World Evangelical Alliancersquos Saemen o Faih affirms ldquoWe believe in Our Lord JesusChris God manies in he flesh His virgin birh His sinless human lie His divine miracles His vicarious and aoning deah His bodily resurrecion His ascension His mediaorial work and HisPersonal reurn in power and glory Te Salvaion o los and sinul man hrough he shed bloodo he Lord Jesus Chris by aih apar rom works and regeneraion by he Holy Spirirdquo (see worldevangelicalorgweasaemenhm emphases original)
42See James Beilby and Paul R Eddy eds Te Naure o he Aonemen Four Views (DownersGrove IL IVP Academic 1048626983088983088983094) and Derek idball David Hilborn and Jusin Tacker eds Te
Aonemen Debae Papers fom he London Symposium on he Teology o he Aonemen (Grand
Rapids Zondervan 1048626983088983088983093) c J Denny Weaver Te Nonviolen Aonemen (Grand Rapids Eerd-mans 10486269830889830881048625) and Hans Boersma Violence Hospialiy and he Cross Recovering he Aonemen
radiion (Grand Rapids Baker Academic 1048626983088983088983092)43See S Lewis Johnson Jr ldquoBehold he Lamb Te Gospel and Subsiuionary Aonemenrdquo in John
H Armsrong ed Te Coming Evangelical Crisis Curren Challenges o he Auhoriy o Scripure
and he Gospel (Chicago Moody Press 1048625983097983097983094) pp 10486251048625983097-1048627983096
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983089 983089 983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
he imporance o he biblical and heological heme o subsiuion or he
docrine o he aonemen I am simply suggesing ha oher culural perspec-
ives and even assumpions migh highligh and emphasize oher biblicalmeaphors regarding Chrisrsquos salvific work
Bu o pursue he quesion ono Asian American errain wha difference
will i make i we recognize ha some Asians and Asian Americans live and
exis in a shame raher han guil culure How migh evangelical hinking
abou he aonemen be adjused revised and maybe even ransormed i
Chrisrsquos work no only assuaged he guil o sin rom human lives bu also re-
moved he shame in human hears10486281048628 My poin is ha evangelical heologicalendencies generally urge a universalisic sandpoin and in his paradigm
here is no need o atend o he pariculariies o or ariculae Asian Asian
American or oher culural perspecives since hese are all subsumed wihin he
biblical ramework read in an evangelical way In his case here isnrsquo even a
need o ask wheher radiional evangelical heologies and docrines like hose
regarding he aonemen may need o be revisied and reariculaed in ligh o
oher hisorical culural and experienial dynamics In ac Asian Americansare boh oo shameul and oo shy o even consider asking abou hese maters
I have argued so ar in his secion ha Asian American Evangelicals ormed
heologically according o he sensibiliies o he dominan evangelical culure
in Norh America have inernalized he whie evangelical worldview and in ha
sense mosly do no see he need o hink explicily rom an Asian American
vanage poin Asian American evangelical views are hereore a bes no more
han a minoriy heological perspecive wo relaed summary consequenceshave ollowed Asian American acquiescence o he majoriy culure Firs meh-
odologically and maerially evangelical heology has been undersood o be a-
hisorical a-culural and even a-conexual Te assumpion is ha he Bible
addresses all human beings so any plain reading o he Scripure will or should
be able o access he Word o God a any and all imes and places radiionally
ormulaed and ramed evangelical docrines derived rom an inducive sudy
44 Asian Americans are beginning o do jus his however991252eg Rachel Y Lei ldquoSaving Significanceo he Cross in he Asian American Conexrdquo SANACS Journal 1048625 (1048626983088983088983097) 983097983093-10486251048625983094 c Mark D Bakerand Joel B Green Recovering he Scandal o he Cross Te Aonemen in New esamen and Con-
emporary Conexs (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 1048626983088983088983088) chap 983094 ldquoRemoving AlienaingShame Te Saving Significance o he Cross in Japanrdquo
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983093
o Scripure hus orm he undispuable and unrevisable core o he gospel
Tere is litle recogniion o he hisorical culural and conexual perspecives
ha have conribued o he ariculaion o such evangelical belies Wha his means is ha here sill remains a core se o evangelical docrinal
achievemens and hese remain valid across space and ime alhough hey
may be supplemened by or ranslaed ino local conexual and siuaional
perspecives and idioms As we saw previously (chaper one) he recen Cam-
bridge Companion o Evangelical Teology reflecs precisely his mindse10486281048629 Te
Companion we know is divided ino wo pars Te firs is iled ldquoEvan-
gelicals and Chrisian Docrinerdquo and his includes eigh chapers on he oun-daional docrinal marix o evangelical belies he riniy Scripure chris-
ology heological anhropology jusificaionaonemen pneumaology
conversionsancificaion and ecclesiology Par wo ldquoTe Conexs o Evan-
gelical Teologyrdquo hen provides anoher nine chapers and hese cover issues
relaed o culure gender race and pluralism and include five chapers on
evangelical heology in Arican Asian European Lain American and Norh
American conexs Tis srucure o he Companion communicaes a wooldmessage ha evangelical docrine is a-conexually derived (par one) and
ha various hisorical conexs (par wo) can add a mos parochial ruhs
ha will no upse he docrinal supersrucure o he evangelical heological
landscape In shor basic heological and docrinal ruhs o he Chrisian
aih have already been ormulaed and can be ound in any oher evangelical
sysemaic heological ex quie apar rom Asian American or any oher
more specified perspecivesPu more poinedly i Asian Americans (or any oher ehnic or culural
group) were o wrie heir own heologies hese would be provincial under-
akings wih marginal relevance or he wider evangelical communiy Tese
would be o value only or ldquohoserdquo people (maybe immigrans reugees or
exiles) who have no ye been assimilaed ino he broader American evan-
gelical culure Litle wonder hen ha ew Asian Americans have venured
ino heological errioryhe second summary consequence o inernalizing he dominan
45imohy Larsen and Daniel J reier eds Te Cambridge Companion o Evangelical Teology (Cambridge Cambridge Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983095)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2735
983089 983089983094 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
worldview991252ha evangelical heology a leas in is dogmaic and sysemaic
configuraions is by and large a finished projec wih minimal inpu needed
rom Asian American or oher perspecives991252is ha Asian Americans wihheological educaion have urned in general o work in he hisorical and
social scienific disciplines10486281048630 Tere cerainly remains imporan work o be
done by hose working across he disciplines so I am no decrying such effors
Ye he ac ha hisorical sociological or oher disciplinary explicaions o
Asian American lie are published by universiy presses communicaes o
Asian Americans ha heir role is o shed new ligh on he Asian American
experience A he same ime he prevalence o hese analyical approachesamid he lacuna o explicily heological works suggess ha he ormer is o
minimal value a leas or he ldquorealrdquo heological work o dogmaics and sys-
emaics Furher ha hese scholarly publishers do no eaure exs on Asian
American evangelical heology confirms his division o labor (whie Evan-
gelicals wrie real heology Asian American Evangelicals do hisory sociology
ec) A he end o he day evangelical heologyrsquos assumpion remains undis-
urbed ha here are core docrines ha only need o be conexualized991252ha is ranslaed and made relevan991252around he world In his ramework
Asian Americans can conribue no o he ormer heological ormulaion bu
only o he later ranslaion and disseminaion ask10486281048631
46Eg he work o imohy seng and David Yoo in hisory Fenggang Yang and Rebecca Kim insociology and Russell Jeung in Asian American sudies among ohers see also my ldquoAsian Amer-ican Religion A Review Essayrdquo Nova Religio Te Journal o Alernaive and Emergen Religions 983097
no 1048627 (1048626983088983088983094) 9830971048626-104862598308898309547One could argue ha a parallel ye disinc moivaion drives Lain American or Hispanic evan-
gelical heology in a similar direcion I Asian Americans are cauioned agains hinking heo-logically rom ou o ehnic hisorical and conexual lives because o heir uncriical embrace o whie evangelical assumpions Hispanic Evangelicals may have adoped similar commimensalbei or slighly differen reasons relaed o he Lain American conex Te dominance o heRoman Caholic Church along wih is heological and olk radiions in he later environmenmay be behind Hispanic evangelical suspicions abou he role o hisory and culure in he doingo heology Te ani-Caholic senimen in hisoric Evangelicalism no doub is atracive oLainoas on he migran rail (rom Lain America o he Unied Saes) alhough such accom-modaion has brough wih i he heological coss elaboraed in he preceding pages For urher
discussion and oher angles on hese issues see Oscar Garcia-Johnson Te Mesizoa Communiyo he Spiri A Posmodern Lainoa Ecclesiology (Eugene OR Wip amp Sock 1048626983088983088983097) Sammy Alaro Divino Compantildeero oward a Hispanic Penecosal Chrisology (Eugene OR Pickwick10486269830881048625983088) Juan Mariacutenez ldquolsquoOuside he Gaersquo Evangelicalism and Laino Proesan Teologyrdquo in JeffreyGreenman and Gene L Green eds Global Teology in Evangelical Perspecive Exploring he Conex-
ual Naure o Teology and Mission (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 104862698308810486251048626) pp 1048625983095983097-983097983092 and
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983095
T983144983141 M983137983150983140983137983156983141 983151983142 A983155983145983137983150 A983149983141983154983145983139983137983150 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161
Te preceding analysis raises sel-criical awareness or Asian American Evan-
gelicals and invies hem in dialogue wih oher Evangelicals o consider wheher heir minoriy saus is problemaic and wha i anyhing can and
ough o be done abou i Now I am aware ha here are developmens wihin
he evangelical heological radiion broadly consrued ha have moved
beyond some o he sricures idenified in he preceding secion Progressive
Evangelicals he evangelical lef and posconservaive Evangelicals denoe jus
a ew o he rends among ohers percolaing on he margins o evangelical
heology10486281048632 Bu ha is precisely par o he problem hese are movemens haexcep or a small minoriy remain ouside he evangelical mainsream and
have also by and large been ignored by Asian American evangelical scholars
and heologians I believe ha producive ways orward can be chared via
Asian American Evangelicals in dialogue wih some o hese ideas alhough
a he end o he day such conversaions will only be producive as Asian
American Evangelicals ormulae a plaorm on which hey can bring some-
hing subsanive o he discussion Tis later ask is par o he presen chal-lenge and burden o he presen book
Insoar hen as I am ineresed in he quesion o wha Asian Americans can
conribue o evangelical heology no jus hisorically or sociologically bu a
a heological level my claim is ha pursui o hese maters ironically also in-
volves aking seriously he hisoriciy and pariculariy o Asian American cul-
ures experiences and perspecives In his final par o his chaper I do no
more han sugges in broad srokes how o go abou such an underakingRealities o the Asian American diaspora Par o ldquohe problem o evan-
gelical heologyrdquo can be clarified i we siuae Asian American evangelical
heology amid he broader Asian American diasporic hisorical and social
realiies described in par a he beginning o chaper wo Doing so enables
he sark realizaion ha Asian American Evangelicals are composed by a
wide range o experiences on he one hand and pressure o assimilae o
Juan F Mariacutenez and Lindy Scot eds Los Evangeacutelicos Porrais o Laino Proesanism in he
Unied Saes (Eugene OR Wip amp Sock 1048626983088983088983097)48Many o hese are discussed in Roger E Olson Reormed and Always Reorming Te Posconser-
vaive Approach o Evangelical Teology (Grand Rapids Baker Academic 1048626983088983088983095)
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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983089 983089983096 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
American culure on he oher W hile Asians have lived in Norh America
since he ounding o he republic and had even conribued o he building
o he American empire during he nineeenh cenury he 983089983097983094983093 Immigraion Ac ha repealed he Orienal Exclusion Ac o 983089983097983090983092 reopened he door o a
new wave o Asian migraion During he las generaion Asian American lie
has been urher ransormed by he orces o globalizaion diasporas creaed
by modernizaion indusrializaion and urbanizaion reugee populaions
displaced by war amine and climae changes movemen enabled by he
emergence o a worldwide marke economy advances in echnology and mass
communicaion he cross-erilizaion o ideologies and shifs in inerna-ional relaions10486281048633 Te resul as saw in he previous chaper is he appearance
o a wide range o Asian American communiies across Norh America Lie
in such communiies is fluid affeced by migraion paterns socioeconomic
pressures and he srengh o relaions wih hose ldquoback homerdquo Te sronger
he ransnaional ies beween Asian immigrans in he Wes and heir amilies
organizaions and insiuions (religious and oherwise) in heir homeland
he more inense and longer-lasing he exchange o religious goods and ideas(in he orm o books periodicals and various orms o elecommunicaion)
Unsurprisingly hen firs-generaion immigrans ofen deepen he reli-
gious commimens ha hey held or praciced perhaps more nominally
beore moving Someimes immigrans conver o he more dominan religion
o heir new home In eiher case religious affiliaion ofen serves o secure
social neworks coner saus oherwise difficul o come by or immigrans
and srenghen ehnic culural and linguisic bonds and ideniies Bu or he983089983093 generaion (hose born in Asia bu who grew up a leas in par in he
Unied Saes like mysel) he process o assimilaion is well under way In
hese cases he ehnic enclave will develop English-speaking secions as well
as social organizaions school clubs and Chrisian congregaions
For young adul Asian American Evangelicals however here is ofen a
49For an overview o hese issues see Wanni W Anderson and Rober G Lee eds Displacemensand Diasporas Asians in he Americas (New Brunswick NJ Rugers Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983093) Idiscuss urher he implicaions o globalizaion or Chrisian heology in Amos Yong and PeerHelzel ldquoRober Cummings Neville and he Global Fuure o Teologyrdquo in Yong and Helzel edsTeology in Global Conex Essays in Honor o Rober Cummings Neville (New York amp Clark1048626983088983088983092) pp 1048626983097-9830921048626 esp pp 1048627983088-1048627983092
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983097
keen sense ha heir own ehnically organized congregaions or groups are
somehow less religiously and heologically legiimae because hey do no
have he more ldquouniversalrdquo appeal o whie or muliculural evangelicalchurches or parachurch organizaions10486291048624 Te resul is eiher he ransiion o
ehnic congregaions ino pan-ehnic congregaions or movemen rom heir
ldquohomerdquo congregaion o oher less ehnically defined church environmens1048629983089
By he ime he second generaion atains adulhood he remaining culural
or linguisic barriers o ull assimilaion ino American sociey are pracically
overcome ofen o he dismay o parens and grandparens1048629983090
Wha does such assimilaion consis o Cerainly speaking Englishparicipaing in he marke economy and adaping o he opions provided
by American seculariy and poliics are minimal adjusmens Bu perhaps
assimilaion also requires abandoning he norms o he immigran culure
in avor o American norms or amily and gender relaions and engaging
wih he public square on is erms I so would his no lead o an evan-
gelical sel-undersanding deeply ormed by American culure poliics
and economics Would his no resul in a subordinaion and even deor-maion o all ha is Asian excep or he biological phenoype I would
appear hen ha becoming American would more easily aciliae he
embrace o evangelical Chrisianiy991252i such is deined as a suburban
Midwesern whie middle-class religious phenomenon wih Wheaon
Illinois as is veriable ldquoMeccardquo991252bu his brings wih i he cos o losing
onersquos Asianness Does his mean ha ull accepance o Evangelicalism
50See eg Rebecca Y Kim ldquoNegoiaion o Ehnic and Religious Boundaries by Asian AmericanCampus Evangelicalsrdquo in ony Carnes and Fenggang Yang eds Asian American Religions Te
Making and Remaking o Borders and Boundaries (New York New York Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983092) pp10486259830921048625-983093983097 and Rudy V Buso ldquoTe Gospel According o he Model Minoriy Hazarding an Inerpre-aion o Asian American Evangelical College Sudensrdquo in David K Yoo ed New Spiriual Homes
Religion and Asian Americans (Honolulu Universiy o Hawaii Press 1048625983097983097983097) pp 1048625983094983097-98309698309551See Russell Jeung Faihul Generaions Race and New Asian American Churches (New Brunswick
NJ Rugers Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983092)52 As can be discerned by reading beween he lines o he Bible sudies in om Linrsquos Losing Face
and Finding Grace Tis appears o be he case wheher he second generaion inenionally a-emps o disinguish is ehnic congregaional lie rom ha o he firs immigran generaion or wheher he second generaion becomes absorbed ino nonehnic or even muliehnic congrega-ions on his poin see Elaine Howard Ecklund ldquoModels o Civic Responsibiliy Korean Amer-icans in Congregaions wih Differen Ehnic Composiionsrdquo Journal or he Scienific Sudy o
Religion 983092983092 no 1048625 (1048626983088983088983093) 1048625983093-1048626983096
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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983089 983090 983088 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
includes ldquorepenancerdquo rom Asia and ldquoconversionrdquo o Americanism1048629983091
Ta his is no he case seems o be borne ou by he sociological lieraure
which confirms ha ehniciy remains jus as imporan as religion in he or-maion o Asian American ideniy10486291048628 Bu i so evangelical heology has no
even begun o wresle wih he imporance o ehniciy and race no o
menion heir heological implicaions Second-generaion Korean Amer-
icans or insance seem o be inuiively drawn o churches and parachurch
minisries ha oreground heir Korean culural ideniy10486291048629 bu hey have
developed ew heological raionales or such orms o social organizaion
more o he poin heir own heological presupposiions miigae agains suchaciviy which may explain heir ideniy conflicedness
Unsurprisingly hen Asian American evangelical heology has ye o ge
off he ground even a he beginning o he weny-firs cenury Asian
American Evangelicals geting degrees rom insiuions o higher educaion
have had o wresle wihagains his assimilaive impulse o sruggle wih he
quesion o wheher hey are or should be doing (descripive) sociology raher
han heology (as normaive reflecion) and o ariculae an apologeic ordoing Asian American evangelical heology raher han jus evangelical he-
ology For oo many Asian American Evangelicals heir saus ldquobewix and
beweenrdquo991252on he one hand belonging o Asia and o he Unied Saes in
some respecs bu on he oher hand being a sranger o boh Asia and he
Unied Saes in oher respecs991252pus hem in a unique posiion o inerrogae
evangelical heology bu (o dae) leaves hem ouside he ormal organiza-
ional and insiuional srucures o criique effecively and ransorm heevangelical heological radiion
53One could also make he reverse argumen however ha Evangelicalism in he Unied Saes hasalready been molded by is social culural and hisorical conex o he exen ha he very eauresha mark he American way o lie991252ie individualism experienialism pragmaism even con-sumerism991252have also come o characerize evangelical Chrisianiy For an insighul analysis ohe ofenimes uncriical conflaion o Evangelicalism and Americanism and o he orces ha havealso resised such accommodaions see D G Har Ta Old-ime Religion in Modern America
Evangelical Proesanism in he wenieh Cenury (Chicago Ivan R Dee 10486269830889830881048626)54See Jerry Z Park ldquoTe Ehnic and Religious Ideniies o Young Asian Americansrdquo (PhD diss
Universiy o Nore Dame 1048626983088983088983092)55See Sharon Kim and Rebecca Y Kim ldquoSecond-Generaion Korean American Chrisiansrsquo Com-
muniies Congregaional Hybridiyrdquo in Carolyn Chen and Russell Jeung eds Susaining Faih
radiions Race Ehniciy and Religion Among he Laino and Asian American Second Generaion (New York New York Universiy Press 104862698308810486251048626) pp 1048625983095983094-9830971048627
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983090 983089
Moving trajectories o theological reflection O course i Asian Americans
hope o climb he ranks o he Norh American evangelical heological
academy hey can only do so on he erms esablished by heir hoss Andraher han responding o sociopoliical acors he evangelical heological
guild has always undersood isel primarily in heological erms and seen is
charge as deending hisorical orhodoxy wheher ha be agains liberalismrsquos
denial o biblical supernauralism agains neo-orhodoxyrsquos ambiguous sance
on Scripure agains mainsream sciencersquos heory o evoluion agains open
heismrsquos docrine o God and so on10486291048630 I evangelical heology has never
beore enerained ehnic perspecives in is discursive consrucion why nowundermine he (is presumed) universal ramework and applicabiliy by
adding he Asian or Asian American qualifiers
While in a sense his enire book provides a se o responses o his quesion
here I sugges hree reasons ha can moivae such a heological pah orward
Firs he Asian diaspora in he Unied Saes is now in a siuaion o reflec
subsanively on is experience o migraion While here are remendous
challenges o migraion10486291048631 some Asian Americans have achieved a level oupward social mobiliy so ha hey are now in he posiion o producing
scholarship inormed by such experienial perspecives Since he memory o
migraion among Asian Americans is more recen han hose o heir Cau-
casian colleagues such perspecives migh be helpul o ideniy how he mi-
graion rom he European coninen has shaped he evangelical heological
enerprise as a whole I Asian Americans can help heir evangelical colleagues
ideniy he hisorical impac o old o new world migraion on he belies andpracices o Norh American Evangelicalism ha in isel will open up pos-
sibiliies or considering aresh Asian American hisories and heir conribu-
ions o he wider conversaion
Second Asian Americans are orced o hink abou race and ehniciy in a
way unlike mos o heir whie brohers and sisers alhough heir reflecions
56Evangelical heologyrsquos many inernal and exernal batles are documened by Jon R Sone On heBoundaries o American Evangelicalism Te Poswar Evangelical Coaliion (New York S MarinrsquosPress 1048625983097983097983095)
57Some o hese are documened by Kenneh J Gues God in Chinaown Religion and Survival in
New Yorkrsquos Evolving Immigran Communiy (New York New York Universiy Press 10486269830889830881048627) whose work we will reurn o in chaper six
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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983089 983090 983090 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
can also mediae perspecive in an oherwise whie-and-black demarcaed
world Race and ehniciy are undeniable aspecs o Asian American hisory
and experience Te impor o his is a leas woold Firs Asian Americansare posiioned o engage he discussion opened up by black evangelical heo-
logians regarding conemporary heology991252even in is evangelical guises991252as
reflecing he ascen o whie perspecives in he early modern period a he
expense o Jewish and oher nonwhie culural realiies Asian American per-
specives on race and ehniciy will open up new visas on he racial and ehnic
dimensions o he biblical world10486291048632 In oher words he marginalized hisories
and perspecives o Asian American Evangelicals have much o conribue oconemporary biblical inerpreaion and heological explicaion Te dom-
inan orms o evangelical heology orged in par ou o he hegemony o
Chrisendom are in need o criical analysis and dialogical revision
Las bu no leas cenral and ongoing elemens o Asian American hisory
are par o he presen experiences o ransnaionalism and globalizaion Te
issues here are complex10486291048633 One mater ha needs o be addressed is he iner-
woven characer o he global economy and how i affecs people around he world differenly depending on various social poliical and culural circum-
sances In addiion wih regard o he Asian American side o his equaion
here remain difficul issues relaed o how he quesion o assimilaion or ac-
culuraion is being negoiaed and adjudicaed Firs- second- and hird-gener-
aion perspecives differ someimes momenously and his does no even acor
in he perspecives o he 983089983093 generaion I heology is o engage he hisorical
realiies o real flesh-and-blood human beings i mus engage such quesions inour conemporary world Asian American Evangelicals can lead he way in
hinking heologically abou such hings and his will benefi no only Asian
58 Asian Evangelicals hus need o build rom he insighul readings o mainline Proesan biblicalscholar a-Siong Benny Liew Wha Is Asian American Biblical Hermeneuics Reading he New
esamen (Honolulu Universiy o Hawaii Press 1048626983088983088983096) regarding he ehnic dynamics under-neah Jewish-Genile relaions in he New esamen o be sure Liewrsquos mainline Proesan as-sumpions may be raher disan rom evangelical ones so some criical dialogue and perhaps
correcion may also be in order Ye he srengh o Liewrsquos book is o sugges how Asian Americanexperiences o ehnic marginaliy can illuminae he dispues beween Jewish and Genile ollow-ers o he Messiah in he firs cenury Tis is an issue worh subsanial engagemen rom anevangelical perspecive
59Eg Neil J Ormerod and Shane Clifon Globalizaion and he Mission o he Church (New York amp Clark 104862698308810486251048625)
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983090983091
American communiies bu also hose o oher ehnic racial and culural groups
who are also wresling wih lie in he weny-firs-cenury global conex
Evangelical heology oday will need o heed more inenionally han i has beore acors o migraion ehniciy globalizaion and ransnaionalism
Asian American Evangelicals can assis wih hese maters i hey will arise o
he occasion Tis does no derac rom he universaliy o he gospel message
On he conrary i addresses quesions o universal significance ha are oher-
wise negleced or engaged rom or wihin only one (dominan cenris) se
o perspecives
Reconnecting to the broader evangelical theological tradition Beore con-cluding his chaper however an imporan cavea ough o be sounded None
o he preceding should be read as denying eiher Asian American indebedness
o he evangelical radiion or he inerrelaedness o Asian American and oher
evangelical effors in he conemporary heological ask Te preceding migh
sugges ha Asian Americans are only poining accusing fingers a heir whie
evangelical riends Wihou aking away anyhing rom he seriousness o he
oregoing discussion I also realize ha whie Evangelicals in paricular and Americans in general have been welcoming o Asians and ha we have made i
his ar on our diasporic journey only wih he help o such riends
Beyond such ecclesial collegialiy however I would gran ha Asian Amer-
icans are in various respecs beholden heologically o American Evangelicals
as well In paricular American evangelical commimens o Chris-
ceneredness biblical aihulness and missionary zealousness are imporan
elemens o Chrisian belie and pracice in he weny-firs cenury Asian American Evangelicals should embrace and live ou such commimens no
only or hemselves bu also or oher Evangelicals and even or he world
Ye my claim is precisely ha such a posure enables Asian American Evan-
gelicals o conribue heologically o he ormaion o an evangelical belie
and praxis relevan o he weny-firs cenury For his o happen however
Asian American Evangelicals mus embrace no only he evangel bu also he
hisoriciy o heir diasporic experiences Te incarnaion o he Son o Godconsised afer all o aking on he concreeness palpabiliy and emporaliy
o human Jewish and firs-cenury Palesinian flesh and he oupouring o he
Spiri o God on he Day o Penecos involved he redempion o he diversiy
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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983089 983090 983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
o human ongues languages and culures so ha hey migh bear winess o
he wondrous works o God (Acs 983090983089983089) Tis penecosal heme991252relaed o
Acs 983090 firs and oremos albei reraced unavoidably hrough he lens o mymodern penecosal ecclesial sensibiliies991252will inorm he deep srucure o
he argumen in he remainder o his volume ye achieved wihin a pen-
evangelical raher han merely charismaic rame o reerence My poin going
orward however is ha in ligh o hese heological and riniarian commi-
mens Evangelicals should be he firs o embrace he diversiy o heir his-
orical pariculariies raher han shy away rom hem radiionally o course
Evangelicals have subordinaed he vicissiudes o hisory and wih ha heiranxieies abou he flux and subjeciviies o experience o he surey and
oundaionalism o he Word o God as revealed in he Scripures My pro-
posal however is ha work o God in Chris and by he Spiri redeems us
amid wih and hrough he specificiies o our hisorical and culural expe-
rience (raher han saving us rom ou o such alogeher) and hus ha he
Word o God speaks ino such realiies (raher han ha we have o deny hem
or rejec hem as par o who we are)In shor Asian American Evangelicals do no need o be apologeic abou
heir lives experiences and perspecives Raher by ollowing he pah o he
Son o God ino he ar counry by receiving he infilling o he Spiri o God
poured ou on all flesh and by aihully atemping o live ou such a Chris-
cenered and Spiri-empowered aih in he ooseps o heir evangelical ore-
bears and ancesors Asian Americans may hen be able o bring heir heo-
logical gifs o he conversaion able gifs ha will challenge he discussion while simulaneously enriching he are or all hose concerned abou he
euangelion in he presen ime I is ime o heologize as Asian Americans no
jus as Evangelicals in order ha Evangelicalism isel can be renewed and
invigoraed or he sake o he gospel and in anicipaion o he reign o God
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2335
983089 983089 983090 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
Te problem however is ha Asian Americans have rarely i ever ques-
ioned more rigid applicaions o his mehodological norm or evangelical
heology Raher hey have inernalized he evangelical bias agains hisoryradiion and experience hus silencing he role ha paricular perspecives
migh play in he heological ask I we appeal o our experience a all we
mus do so apologeically as i admiting ha such heological inerprea-
ions are a bes parochial concerns o a communiy no ye assimilaed o
he dominan culure or a wors signaling our heological immauriy and
need o grow up rom or ranscend he ldquobackwardnessrdquo represening our
hisory and experience beore our lie in Chris Ironically however suchinenional marginalizaion o he Asian American experience no o
menion Asian American philosophical ways o hinking and reasoning
does no call ino quesion how he predominanly Anglo- and Euro-
American experiences o moderniy have shaped evangelical heology As a
resul Asian American Evangelicals have adoped wha is claimed o be a
biblical worldview and heological ramework supposedly shorn o he sub-
jecive biases o hisorically siuaed human inerpreers Bu hese aresurely devoid o heir own experienial and conexual (Asian American)
locaions and ye uncriically naive in hinking ha Euro-American his-
orical accidens have been adequaely ldquoChrisianizedrdquo
So ar I have suggesed ha episemologically hermeneuically and meh-
odologically Asian Americans have rarely quesioned he modernis Enligh-
enmen and Anglo- and Euro-American presupposiions o he evangelical
heological endeavor And since his underaking has never acknowledged heculural conexs and perspecives o he predominanly whie ramers o he
evangelical heological radiion10486281048624 he assumpion is ha ehniciy plays litle
i any role in he work o heology No surprisingly hen Asian American
heologians have been reicen o sugges ha ehniciy culure and hisoriciy
coun in heological reflecion By exension he heological and docrinal
40My poin is no ha whie perspecives have disored he gospel his isel assumes a sor oa-culural gospel ha needs conexualizaion991252a poin ha needs o be addressed and nuanced which we will do momenarily My poin is ha such whie viewpoins are no only unrecognized bu ha hey are hen presumed o be normaive or nonwhies I is par o he goal o his chapero call Asian American heologians o atend o his assumpion and o find ways o inenionallyaddress and subver i
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983091
resuls have been ormulaed and ransmited as biblically unded and univer-
sally applicable regardless o conexual consideraions
A (supposedly) universal doctrinal famework One example o how Norh American evangelical heology has proceeded wih universalisic assumpions
and hereby overlooked i no inenionally ignored oher culural perspec-
ives has o do wih he docrine o he aonemen and wha i addresses Pu
crassly humankind suffers rom one overall problem ha o sin agains God
and ha one problem demands basically one soluion he subsiuionary
aonemen o he Sonrsquos deah on he cross1048628983089 Now I realize ha i is unair o
depic evangelical views regarding he aonemen in such homogeneous ermssince he mater isel is sill being conesed1048628983090 Bu he ac is ha in some
evangelical circles deparure rom he subsiuionary view o he aonemen
is considered deviaion rom evangelical orhodoxy1048628983091 From his posiion oher
biblical aspecs and alernaive inerpreaions are eiher subsumed under he
docrine o penal subsiuion or argued o be flawed in some respec
O course such a viewpoin minimizes he role o medieval eudalism and
he jurisprudenial background o some o he Reormers in he emergenceand esablishmen o his undersanding o he aonemen in he evangelical
radiion jus as i really does no quesion he basically Augusinian anhro-
pology presumed in his process Now I am no a hisorical deerminis who
believes ha conex leads inexorably o our heological ideas jus as I do no
hink ha allowance or hisorical conexual acors relaivizes he ruh o
heological claims or produces docrinal heerodoxy Raher wihou denying
41Te World Evangelical Alliancersquos Saemen o Faih affirms ldquoWe believe in Our Lord JesusChris God manies in he flesh His virgin birh His sinless human lie His divine miracles His vicarious and aoning deah His bodily resurrecion His ascension His mediaorial work and HisPersonal reurn in power and glory Te Salvaion o los and sinul man hrough he shed bloodo he Lord Jesus Chris by aih apar rom works and regeneraion by he Holy Spirirdquo (see worldevangelicalorgweasaemenhm emphases original)
42See James Beilby and Paul R Eddy eds Te Naure o he Aonemen Four Views (DownersGrove IL IVP Academic 1048626983088983088983094) and Derek idball David Hilborn and Jusin Tacker eds Te
Aonemen Debae Papers fom he London Symposium on he Teology o he Aonemen (Grand
Rapids Zondervan 1048626983088983088983093) c J Denny Weaver Te Nonviolen Aonemen (Grand Rapids Eerd-mans 10486269830889830881048625) and Hans Boersma Violence Hospialiy and he Cross Recovering he Aonemen
radiion (Grand Rapids Baker Academic 1048626983088983088983092)43See S Lewis Johnson Jr ldquoBehold he Lamb Te Gospel and Subsiuionary Aonemenrdquo in John
H Armsrong ed Te Coming Evangelical Crisis Curren Challenges o he Auhoriy o Scripure
and he Gospel (Chicago Moody Press 1048625983097983097983094) pp 10486251048625983097-1048627983096
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983089 983089 983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
he imporance o he biblical and heological heme o subsiuion or he
docrine o he aonemen I am simply suggesing ha oher culural perspec-
ives and even assumpions migh highligh and emphasize oher biblicalmeaphors regarding Chrisrsquos salvific work
Bu o pursue he quesion ono Asian American errain wha difference
will i make i we recognize ha some Asians and Asian Americans live and
exis in a shame raher han guil culure How migh evangelical hinking
abou he aonemen be adjused revised and maybe even ransormed i
Chrisrsquos work no only assuaged he guil o sin rom human lives bu also re-
moved he shame in human hears10486281048628 My poin is ha evangelical heologicalendencies generally urge a universalisic sandpoin and in his paradigm
here is no need o atend o he pariculariies o or ariculae Asian Asian
American or oher culural perspecives since hese are all subsumed wihin he
biblical ramework read in an evangelical way In his case here isnrsquo even a
need o ask wheher radiional evangelical heologies and docrines like hose
regarding he aonemen may need o be revisied and reariculaed in ligh o
oher hisorical culural and experienial dynamics In ac Asian Americansare boh oo shameul and oo shy o even consider asking abou hese maters
I have argued so ar in his secion ha Asian American Evangelicals ormed
heologically according o he sensibiliies o he dominan evangelical culure
in Norh America have inernalized he whie evangelical worldview and in ha
sense mosly do no see he need o hink explicily rom an Asian American
vanage poin Asian American evangelical views are hereore a bes no more
han a minoriy heological perspecive wo relaed summary consequenceshave ollowed Asian American acquiescence o he majoriy culure Firs meh-
odologically and maerially evangelical heology has been undersood o be a-
hisorical a-culural and even a-conexual Te assumpion is ha he Bible
addresses all human beings so any plain reading o he Scripure will or should
be able o access he Word o God a any and all imes and places radiionally
ormulaed and ramed evangelical docrines derived rom an inducive sudy
44 Asian Americans are beginning o do jus his however991252eg Rachel Y Lei ldquoSaving Significanceo he Cross in he Asian American Conexrdquo SANACS Journal 1048625 (1048626983088983088983097) 983097983093-10486251048625983094 c Mark D Bakerand Joel B Green Recovering he Scandal o he Cross Te Aonemen in New esamen and Con-
emporary Conexs (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 1048626983088983088983088) chap 983094 ldquoRemoving AlienaingShame Te Saving Significance o he Cross in Japanrdquo
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983093
o Scripure hus orm he undispuable and unrevisable core o he gospel
Tere is litle recogniion o he hisorical culural and conexual perspecives
ha have conribued o he ariculaion o such evangelical belies Wha his means is ha here sill remains a core se o evangelical docrinal
achievemens and hese remain valid across space and ime alhough hey
may be supplemened by or ranslaed ino local conexual and siuaional
perspecives and idioms As we saw previously (chaper one) he recen Cam-
bridge Companion o Evangelical Teology reflecs precisely his mindse10486281048629 Te
Companion we know is divided ino wo pars Te firs is iled ldquoEvan-
gelicals and Chrisian Docrinerdquo and his includes eigh chapers on he oun-daional docrinal marix o evangelical belies he riniy Scripure chris-
ology heological anhropology jusificaionaonemen pneumaology
conversionsancificaion and ecclesiology Par wo ldquoTe Conexs o Evan-
gelical Teologyrdquo hen provides anoher nine chapers and hese cover issues
relaed o culure gender race and pluralism and include five chapers on
evangelical heology in Arican Asian European Lain American and Norh
American conexs Tis srucure o he Companion communicaes a wooldmessage ha evangelical docrine is a-conexually derived (par one) and
ha various hisorical conexs (par wo) can add a mos parochial ruhs
ha will no upse he docrinal supersrucure o he evangelical heological
landscape In shor basic heological and docrinal ruhs o he Chrisian
aih have already been ormulaed and can be ound in any oher evangelical
sysemaic heological ex quie apar rom Asian American or any oher
more specified perspecivesPu more poinedly i Asian Americans (or any oher ehnic or culural
group) were o wrie heir own heologies hese would be provincial under-
akings wih marginal relevance or he wider evangelical communiy Tese
would be o value only or ldquohoserdquo people (maybe immigrans reugees or
exiles) who have no ye been assimilaed ino he broader American evan-
gelical culure Litle wonder hen ha ew Asian Americans have venured
ino heological errioryhe second summary consequence o inernalizing he dominan
45imohy Larsen and Daniel J reier eds Te Cambridge Companion o Evangelical Teology (Cambridge Cambridge Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983095)
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983089 983089983094 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
worldview991252ha evangelical heology a leas in is dogmaic and sysemaic
configuraions is by and large a finished projec wih minimal inpu needed
rom Asian American or oher perspecives991252is ha Asian Americans wihheological educaion have urned in general o work in he hisorical and
social scienific disciplines10486281048630 Tere cerainly remains imporan work o be
done by hose working across he disciplines so I am no decrying such effors
Ye he ac ha hisorical sociological or oher disciplinary explicaions o
Asian American lie are published by universiy presses communicaes o
Asian Americans ha heir role is o shed new ligh on he Asian American
experience A he same ime he prevalence o hese analyical approachesamid he lacuna o explicily heological works suggess ha he ormer is o
minimal value a leas or he ldquorealrdquo heological work o dogmaics and sys-
emaics Furher ha hese scholarly publishers do no eaure exs on Asian
American evangelical heology confirms his division o labor (whie Evan-
gelicals wrie real heology Asian American Evangelicals do hisory sociology
ec) A he end o he day evangelical heologyrsquos assumpion remains undis-
urbed ha here are core docrines ha only need o be conexualized991252ha is ranslaed and made relevan991252around he world In his ramework
Asian Americans can conribue no o he ormer heological ormulaion bu
only o he later ranslaion and disseminaion ask10486281048631
46Eg he work o imohy seng and David Yoo in hisory Fenggang Yang and Rebecca Kim insociology and Russell Jeung in Asian American sudies among ohers see also my ldquoAsian Amer-ican Religion A Review Essayrdquo Nova Religio Te Journal o Alernaive and Emergen Religions 983097
no 1048627 (1048626983088983088983094) 9830971048626-104862598308898309547One could argue ha a parallel ye disinc moivaion drives Lain American or Hispanic evan-
gelical heology in a similar direcion I Asian Americans are cauioned agains hinking heo-logically rom ou o ehnic hisorical and conexual lives because o heir uncriical embrace o whie evangelical assumpions Hispanic Evangelicals may have adoped similar commimensalbei or slighly differen reasons relaed o he Lain American conex Te dominance o heRoman Caholic Church along wih is heological and olk radiions in he later environmenmay be behind Hispanic evangelical suspicions abou he role o hisory and culure in he doingo heology Te ani-Caholic senimen in hisoric Evangelicalism no doub is atracive oLainoas on he migran rail (rom Lain America o he Unied Saes) alhough such accom-modaion has brough wih i he heological coss elaboraed in he preceding pages For urher
discussion and oher angles on hese issues see Oscar Garcia-Johnson Te Mesizoa Communiyo he Spiri A Posmodern Lainoa Ecclesiology (Eugene OR Wip amp Sock 1048626983088983088983097) Sammy Alaro Divino Compantildeero oward a Hispanic Penecosal Chrisology (Eugene OR Pickwick10486269830881048625983088) Juan Mariacutenez ldquolsquoOuside he Gaersquo Evangelicalism and Laino Proesan Teologyrdquo in JeffreyGreenman and Gene L Green eds Global Teology in Evangelical Perspecive Exploring he Conex-
ual Naure o Teology and Mission (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 104862698308810486251048626) pp 1048625983095983097-983097983092 and
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983095
T983144983141 M983137983150983140983137983156983141 983151983142 A983155983145983137983150 A983149983141983154983145983139983137983150 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161
Te preceding analysis raises sel-criical awareness or Asian American Evan-
gelicals and invies hem in dialogue wih oher Evangelicals o consider wheher heir minoriy saus is problemaic and wha i anyhing can and
ough o be done abou i Now I am aware ha here are developmens wihin
he evangelical heological radiion broadly consrued ha have moved
beyond some o he sricures idenified in he preceding secion Progressive
Evangelicals he evangelical lef and posconservaive Evangelicals denoe jus
a ew o he rends among ohers percolaing on he margins o evangelical
heology10486281048632 Bu ha is precisely par o he problem hese are movemens haexcep or a small minoriy remain ouside he evangelical mainsream and
have also by and large been ignored by Asian American evangelical scholars
and heologians I believe ha producive ways orward can be chared via
Asian American Evangelicals in dialogue wih some o hese ideas alhough
a he end o he day such conversaions will only be producive as Asian
American Evangelicals ormulae a plaorm on which hey can bring some-
hing subsanive o he discussion Tis later ask is par o he presen chal-lenge and burden o he presen book
Insoar hen as I am ineresed in he quesion o wha Asian Americans can
conribue o evangelical heology no jus hisorically or sociologically bu a
a heological level my claim is ha pursui o hese maters ironically also in-
volves aking seriously he hisoriciy and pariculariy o Asian American cul-
ures experiences and perspecives In his final par o his chaper I do no
more han sugges in broad srokes how o go abou such an underakingRealities o the Asian American diaspora Par o ldquohe problem o evan-
gelical heologyrdquo can be clarified i we siuae Asian American evangelical
heology amid he broader Asian American diasporic hisorical and social
realiies described in par a he beginning o chaper wo Doing so enables
he sark realizaion ha Asian American Evangelicals are composed by a
wide range o experiences on he one hand and pressure o assimilae o
Juan F Mariacutenez and Lindy Scot eds Los Evangeacutelicos Porrais o Laino Proesanism in he
Unied Saes (Eugene OR Wip amp Sock 1048626983088983088983097)48Many o hese are discussed in Roger E Olson Reormed and Always Reorming Te Posconser-
vaive Approach o Evangelical Teology (Grand Rapids Baker Academic 1048626983088983088983095)
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2935
983089 983089983096 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
American culure on he oher W hile Asians have lived in Norh America
since he ounding o he republic and had even conribued o he building
o he American empire during he nineeenh cenury he 983089983097983094983093 Immigraion Ac ha repealed he Orienal Exclusion Ac o 983089983097983090983092 reopened he door o a
new wave o Asian migraion During he las generaion Asian American lie
has been urher ransormed by he orces o globalizaion diasporas creaed
by modernizaion indusrializaion and urbanizaion reugee populaions
displaced by war amine and climae changes movemen enabled by he
emergence o a worldwide marke economy advances in echnology and mass
communicaion he cross-erilizaion o ideologies and shifs in inerna-ional relaions10486281048633 Te resul as saw in he previous chaper is he appearance
o a wide range o Asian American communiies across Norh America Lie
in such communiies is fluid affeced by migraion paterns socioeconomic
pressures and he srengh o relaions wih hose ldquoback homerdquo Te sronger
he ransnaional ies beween Asian immigrans in he Wes and heir amilies
organizaions and insiuions (religious and oherwise) in heir homeland
he more inense and longer-lasing he exchange o religious goods and ideas(in he orm o books periodicals and various orms o elecommunicaion)
Unsurprisingly hen firs-generaion immigrans ofen deepen he reli-
gious commimens ha hey held or praciced perhaps more nominally
beore moving Someimes immigrans conver o he more dominan religion
o heir new home In eiher case religious affiliaion ofen serves o secure
social neworks coner saus oherwise difficul o come by or immigrans
and srenghen ehnic culural and linguisic bonds and ideniies Bu or he983089983093 generaion (hose born in Asia bu who grew up a leas in par in he
Unied Saes like mysel) he process o assimilaion is well under way In
hese cases he ehnic enclave will develop English-speaking secions as well
as social organizaions school clubs and Chrisian congregaions
For young adul Asian American Evangelicals however here is ofen a
49For an overview o hese issues see Wanni W Anderson and Rober G Lee eds Displacemensand Diasporas Asians in he Americas (New Brunswick NJ Rugers Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983093) Idiscuss urher he implicaions o globalizaion or Chrisian heology in Amos Yong and PeerHelzel ldquoRober Cummings Neville and he Global Fuure o Teologyrdquo in Yong and Helzel edsTeology in Global Conex Essays in Honor o Rober Cummings Neville (New York amp Clark1048626983088983088983092) pp 1048626983097-9830921048626 esp pp 1048627983088-1048627983092
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983097
keen sense ha heir own ehnically organized congregaions or groups are
somehow less religiously and heologically legiimae because hey do no
have he more ldquouniversalrdquo appeal o whie or muliculural evangelicalchurches or parachurch organizaions10486291048624 Te resul is eiher he ransiion o
ehnic congregaions ino pan-ehnic congregaions or movemen rom heir
ldquohomerdquo congregaion o oher less ehnically defined church environmens1048629983089
By he ime he second generaion atains adulhood he remaining culural
or linguisic barriers o ull assimilaion ino American sociey are pracically
overcome ofen o he dismay o parens and grandparens1048629983090
Wha does such assimilaion consis o Cerainly speaking Englishparicipaing in he marke economy and adaping o he opions provided
by American seculariy and poliics are minimal adjusmens Bu perhaps
assimilaion also requires abandoning he norms o he immigran culure
in avor o American norms or amily and gender relaions and engaging
wih he public square on is erms I so would his no lead o an evan-
gelical sel-undersanding deeply ormed by American culure poliics
and economics Would his no resul in a subordinaion and even deor-maion o all ha is Asian excep or he biological phenoype I would
appear hen ha becoming American would more easily aciliae he
embrace o evangelical Chrisianiy991252i such is deined as a suburban
Midwesern whie middle-class religious phenomenon wih Wheaon
Illinois as is veriable ldquoMeccardquo991252bu his brings wih i he cos o losing
onersquos Asianness Does his mean ha ull accepance o Evangelicalism
50See eg Rebecca Y Kim ldquoNegoiaion o Ehnic and Religious Boundaries by Asian AmericanCampus Evangelicalsrdquo in ony Carnes and Fenggang Yang eds Asian American Religions Te
Making and Remaking o Borders and Boundaries (New York New York Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983092) pp10486259830921048625-983093983097 and Rudy V Buso ldquoTe Gospel According o he Model Minoriy Hazarding an Inerpre-aion o Asian American Evangelical College Sudensrdquo in David K Yoo ed New Spiriual Homes
Religion and Asian Americans (Honolulu Universiy o Hawaii Press 1048625983097983097983097) pp 1048625983094983097-98309698309551See Russell Jeung Faihul Generaions Race and New Asian American Churches (New Brunswick
NJ Rugers Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983092)52 As can be discerned by reading beween he lines o he Bible sudies in om Linrsquos Losing Face
and Finding Grace Tis appears o be he case wheher he second generaion inenionally a-emps o disinguish is ehnic congregaional lie rom ha o he firs immigran generaion or wheher he second generaion becomes absorbed ino nonehnic or even muliehnic congrega-ions on his poin see Elaine Howard Ecklund ldquoModels o Civic Responsibiliy Korean Amer-icans in Congregaions wih Differen Ehnic Composiionsrdquo Journal or he Scienific Sudy o
Religion 983092983092 no 1048625 (1048626983088983088983093) 1048625983093-1048626983096
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3135
983089 983090 983088 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
includes ldquorepenancerdquo rom Asia and ldquoconversionrdquo o Americanism1048629983091
Ta his is no he case seems o be borne ou by he sociological lieraure
which confirms ha ehniciy remains jus as imporan as religion in he or-maion o Asian American ideniy10486291048628 Bu i so evangelical heology has no
even begun o wresle wih he imporance o ehniciy and race no o
menion heir heological implicaions Second-generaion Korean Amer-
icans or insance seem o be inuiively drawn o churches and parachurch
minisries ha oreground heir Korean culural ideniy10486291048629 bu hey have
developed ew heological raionales or such orms o social organizaion
more o he poin heir own heological presupposiions miigae agains suchaciviy which may explain heir ideniy conflicedness
Unsurprisingly hen Asian American evangelical heology has ye o ge
off he ground even a he beginning o he weny-firs cenury Asian
American Evangelicals geting degrees rom insiuions o higher educaion
have had o wresle wihagains his assimilaive impulse o sruggle wih he
quesion o wheher hey are or should be doing (descripive) sociology raher
han heology (as normaive reflecion) and o ariculae an apologeic ordoing Asian American evangelical heology raher han jus evangelical he-
ology For oo many Asian American Evangelicals heir saus ldquobewix and
beweenrdquo991252on he one hand belonging o Asia and o he Unied Saes in
some respecs bu on he oher hand being a sranger o boh Asia and he
Unied Saes in oher respecs991252pus hem in a unique posiion o inerrogae
evangelical heology bu (o dae) leaves hem ouside he ormal organiza-
ional and insiuional srucures o criique effecively and ransorm heevangelical heological radiion
53One could also make he reverse argumen however ha Evangelicalism in he Unied Saes hasalready been molded by is social culural and hisorical conex o he exen ha he very eauresha mark he American way o lie991252ie individualism experienialism pragmaism even con-sumerism991252have also come o characerize evangelical Chrisianiy For an insighul analysis ohe ofenimes uncriical conflaion o Evangelicalism and Americanism and o he orces ha havealso resised such accommodaions see D G Har Ta Old-ime Religion in Modern America
Evangelical Proesanism in he wenieh Cenury (Chicago Ivan R Dee 10486269830889830881048626)54See Jerry Z Park ldquoTe Ehnic and Religious Ideniies o Young Asian Americansrdquo (PhD diss
Universiy o Nore Dame 1048626983088983088983092)55See Sharon Kim and Rebecca Y Kim ldquoSecond-Generaion Korean American Chrisiansrsquo Com-
muniies Congregaional Hybridiyrdquo in Carolyn Chen and Russell Jeung eds Susaining Faih
radiions Race Ehniciy and Religion Among he Laino and Asian American Second Generaion (New York New York Universiy Press 104862698308810486251048626) pp 1048625983095983094-9830971048627
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983090 983089
Moving trajectories o theological reflection O course i Asian Americans
hope o climb he ranks o he Norh American evangelical heological
academy hey can only do so on he erms esablished by heir hoss Andraher han responding o sociopoliical acors he evangelical heological
guild has always undersood isel primarily in heological erms and seen is
charge as deending hisorical orhodoxy wheher ha be agains liberalismrsquos
denial o biblical supernauralism agains neo-orhodoxyrsquos ambiguous sance
on Scripure agains mainsream sciencersquos heory o evoluion agains open
heismrsquos docrine o God and so on10486291048630 I evangelical heology has never
beore enerained ehnic perspecives in is discursive consrucion why nowundermine he (is presumed) universal ramework and applicabiliy by
adding he Asian or Asian American qualifiers
While in a sense his enire book provides a se o responses o his quesion
here I sugges hree reasons ha can moivae such a heological pah orward
Firs he Asian diaspora in he Unied Saes is now in a siuaion o reflec
subsanively on is experience o migraion While here are remendous
challenges o migraion10486291048631 some Asian Americans have achieved a level oupward social mobiliy so ha hey are now in he posiion o producing
scholarship inormed by such experienial perspecives Since he memory o
migraion among Asian Americans is more recen han hose o heir Cau-
casian colleagues such perspecives migh be helpul o ideniy how he mi-
graion rom he European coninen has shaped he evangelical heological
enerprise as a whole I Asian Americans can help heir evangelical colleagues
ideniy he hisorical impac o old o new world migraion on he belies andpracices o Norh American Evangelicalism ha in isel will open up pos-
sibiliies or considering aresh Asian American hisories and heir conribu-
ions o he wider conversaion
Second Asian Americans are orced o hink abou race and ehniciy in a
way unlike mos o heir whie brohers and sisers alhough heir reflecions
56Evangelical heologyrsquos many inernal and exernal batles are documened by Jon R Sone On heBoundaries o American Evangelicalism Te Poswar Evangelical Coaliion (New York S MarinrsquosPress 1048625983097983097983095)
57Some o hese are documened by Kenneh J Gues God in Chinaown Religion and Survival in
New Yorkrsquos Evolving Immigran Communiy (New York New York Universiy Press 10486269830889830881048627) whose work we will reurn o in chaper six
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3335
983089 983090 983090 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
can also mediae perspecive in an oherwise whie-and-black demarcaed
world Race and ehniciy are undeniable aspecs o Asian American hisory
and experience Te impor o his is a leas woold Firs Asian Americansare posiioned o engage he discussion opened up by black evangelical heo-
logians regarding conemporary heology991252even in is evangelical guises991252as
reflecing he ascen o whie perspecives in he early modern period a he
expense o Jewish and oher nonwhie culural realiies Asian American per-
specives on race and ehniciy will open up new visas on he racial and ehnic
dimensions o he biblical world10486291048632 In oher words he marginalized hisories
and perspecives o Asian American Evangelicals have much o conribue oconemporary biblical inerpreaion and heological explicaion Te dom-
inan orms o evangelical heology orged in par ou o he hegemony o
Chrisendom are in need o criical analysis and dialogical revision
Las bu no leas cenral and ongoing elemens o Asian American hisory
are par o he presen experiences o ransnaionalism and globalizaion Te
issues here are complex10486291048633 One mater ha needs o be addressed is he iner-
woven characer o he global economy and how i affecs people around he world differenly depending on various social poliical and culural circum-
sances In addiion wih regard o he Asian American side o his equaion
here remain difficul issues relaed o how he quesion o assimilaion or ac-
culuraion is being negoiaed and adjudicaed Firs- second- and hird-gener-
aion perspecives differ someimes momenously and his does no even acor
in he perspecives o he 983089983093 generaion I heology is o engage he hisorical
realiies o real flesh-and-blood human beings i mus engage such quesions inour conemporary world Asian American Evangelicals can lead he way in
hinking heologically abou such hings and his will benefi no only Asian
58 Asian Evangelicals hus need o build rom he insighul readings o mainline Proesan biblicalscholar a-Siong Benny Liew Wha Is Asian American Biblical Hermeneuics Reading he New
esamen (Honolulu Universiy o Hawaii Press 1048626983088983088983096) regarding he ehnic dynamics under-neah Jewish-Genile relaions in he New esamen o be sure Liewrsquos mainline Proesan as-sumpions may be raher disan rom evangelical ones so some criical dialogue and perhaps
correcion may also be in order Ye he srengh o Liewrsquos book is o sugges how Asian Americanexperiences o ehnic marginaliy can illuminae he dispues beween Jewish and Genile ollow-ers o he Messiah in he firs cenury Tis is an issue worh subsanial engagemen rom anevangelical perspecive
59Eg Neil J Ormerod and Shane Clifon Globalizaion and he Mission o he Church (New York amp Clark 104862698308810486251048625)
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983090983091
American communiies bu also hose o oher ehnic racial and culural groups
who are also wresling wih lie in he weny-firs-cenury global conex
Evangelical heology oday will need o heed more inenionally han i has beore acors o migraion ehniciy globalizaion and ransnaionalism
Asian American Evangelicals can assis wih hese maters i hey will arise o
he occasion Tis does no derac rom he universaliy o he gospel message
On he conrary i addresses quesions o universal significance ha are oher-
wise negleced or engaged rom or wihin only one (dominan cenris) se
o perspecives
Reconnecting to the broader evangelical theological tradition Beore con-cluding his chaper however an imporan cavea ough o be sounded None
o he preceding should be read as denying eiher Asian American indebedness
o he evangelical radiion or he inerrelaedness o Asian American and oher
evangelical effors in he conemporary heological ask Te preceding migh
sugges ha Asian Americans are only poining accusing fingers a heir whie
evangelical riends Wihou aking away anyhing rom he seriousness o he
oregoing discussion I also realize ha whie Evangelicals in paricular and Americans in general have been welcoming o Asians and ha we have made i
his ar on our diasporic journey only wih he help o such riends
Beyond such ecclesial collegialiy however I would gran ha Asian Amer-
icans are in various respecs beholden heologically o American Evangelicals
as well In paricular American evangelical commimens o Chris-
ceneredness biblical aihulness and missionary zealousness are imporan
elemens o Chrisian belie and pracice in he weny-firs cenury Asian American Evangelicals should embrace and live ou such commimens no
only or hemselves bu also or oher Evangelicals and even or he world
Ye my claim is precisely ha such a posure enables Asian American Evan-
gelicals o conribue heologically o he ormaion o an evangelical belie
and praxis relevan o he weny-firs cenury For his o happen however
Asian American Evangelicals mus embrace no only he evangel bu also he
hisoriciy o heir diasporic experiences Te incarnaion o he Son o Godconsised afer all o aking on he concreeness palpabiliy and emporaliy
o human Jewish and firs-cenury Palesinian flesh and he oupouring o he
Spiri o God on he Day o Penecos involved he redempion o he diversiy
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3535
983089 983090 983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
o human ongues languages and culures so ha hey migh bear winess o
he wondrous works o God (Acs 983090983089983089) Tis penecosal heme991252relaed o
Acs 983090 firs and oremos albei reraced unavoidably hrough he lens o mymodern penecosal ecclesial sensibiliies991252will inorm he deep srucure o
he argumen in he remainder o his volume ye achieved wihin a pen-
evangelical raher han merely charismaic rame o reerence My poin going
orward however is ha in ligh o hese heological and riniarian commi-
mens Evangelicals should be he firs o embrace he diversiy o heir his-
orical pariculariies raher han shy away rom hem radiionally o course
Evangelicals have subordinaed he vicissiudes o hisory and wih ha heiranxieies abou he flux and subjeciviies o experience o he surey and
oundaionalism o he Word o God as revealed in he Scripures My pro-
posal however is ha work o God in Chris and by he Spiri redeems us
amid wih and hrough he specificiies o our hisorical and culural expe-
rience (raher han saving us rom ou o such alogeher) and hus ha he
Word o God speaks ino such realiies (raher han ha we have o deny hem
or rejec hem as par o who we are)In shor Asian American Evangelicals do no need o be apologeic abou
heir lives experiences and perspecives Raher by ollowing he pah o he
Son o God ino he ar counry by receiving he infilling o he Spiri o God
poured ou on all flesh and by aihully atemping o live ou such a Chris-
cenered and Spiri-empowered aih in he ooseps o heir evangelical ore-
bears and ancesors Asian Americans may hen be able o bring heir heo-
logical gifs o he conversaion able gifs ha will challenge he discussion while simulaneously enriching he are or all hose concerned abou he
euangelion in he presen ime I is ime o heologize as Asian Americans no
jus as Evangelicals in order ha Evangelicalism isel can be renewed and
invigoraed or he sake o he gospel and in anicipaion o he reign o God
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2335
983089 983089 983090 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
Te problem however is ha Asian Americans have rarely i ever ques-
ioned more rigid applicaions o his mehodological norm or evangelical
heology Raher hey have inernalized he evangelical bias agains hisoryradiion and experience hus silencing he role ha paricular perspecives
migh play in he heological ask I we appeal o our experience a all we
mus do so apologeically as i admiting ha such heological inerprea-
ions are a bes parochial concerns o a communiy no ye assimilaed o
he dominan culure or a wors signaling our heological immauriy and
need o grow up rom or ranscend he ldquobackwardnessrdquo represening our
hisory and experience beore our lie in Chris Ironically however suchinenional marginalizaion o he Asian American experience no o
menion Asian American philosophical ways o hinking and reasoning
does no call ino quesion how he predominanly Anglo- and Euro-
American experiences o moderniy have shaped evangelical heology As a
resul Asian American Evangelicals have adoped wha is claimed o be a
biblical worldview and heological ramework supposedly shorn o he sub-
jecive biases o hisorically siuaed human inerpreers Bu hese aresurely devoid o heir own experienial and conexual (Asian American)
locaions and ye uncriically naive in hinking ha Euro-American his-
orical accidens have been adequaely ldquoChrisianizedrdquo
So ar I have suggesed ha episemologically hermeneuically and meh-
odologically Asian Americans have rarely quesioned he modernis Enligh-
enmen and Anglo- and Euro-American presupposiions o he evangelical
heological endeavor And since his underaking has never acknowledged heculural conexs and perspecives o he predominanly whie ramers o he
evangelical heological radiion10486281048624 he assumpion is ha ehniciy plays litle
i any role in he work o heology No surprisingly hen Asian American
heologians have been reicen o sugges ha ehniciy culure and hisoriciy
coun in heological reflecion By exension he heological and docrinal
40My poin is no ha whie perspecives have disored he gospel his isel assumes a sor oa-culural gospel ha needs conexualizaion991252a poin ha needs o be addressed and nuanced which we will do momenarily My poin is ha such whie viewpoins are no only unrecognized bu ha hey are hen presumed o be normaive or nonwhies I is par o he goal o his chapero call Asian American heologians o atend o his assumpion and o find ways o inenionallyaddress and subver i
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983091
resuls have been ormulaed and ransmited as biblically unded and univer-
sally applicable regardless o conexual consideraions
A (supposedly) universal doctrinal famework One example o how Norh American evangelical heology has proceeded wih universalisic assumpions
and hereby overlooked i no inenionally ignored oher culural perspec-
ives has o do wih he docrine o he aonemen and wha i addresses Pu
crassly humankind suffers rom one overall problem ha o sin agains God
and ha one problem demands basically one soluion he subsiuionary
aonemen o he Sonrsquos deah on he cross1048628983089 Now I realize ha i is unair o
depic evangelical views regarding he aonemen in such homogeneous ermssince he mater isel is sill being conesed1048628983090 Bu he ac is ha in some
evangelical circles deparure rom he subsiuionary view o he aonemen
is considered deviaion rom evangelical orhodoxy1048628983091 From his posiion oher
biblical aspecs and alernaive inerpreaions are eiher subsumed under he
docrine o penal subsiuion or argued o be flawed in some respec
O course such a viewpoin minimizes he role o medieval eudalism and
he jurisprudenial background o some o he Reormers in he emergenceand esablishmen o his undersanding o he aonemen in he evangelical
radiion jus as i really does no quesion he basically Augusinian anhro-
pology presumed in his process Now I am no a hisorical deerminis who
believes ha conex leads inexorably o our heological ideas jus as I do no
hink ha allowance or hisorical conexual acors relaivizes he ruh o
heological claims or produces docrinal heerodoxy Raher wihou denying
41Te World Evangelical Alliancersquos Saemen o Faih affirms ldquoWe believe in Our Lord JesusChris God manies in he flesh His virgin birh His sinless human lie His divine miracles His vicarious and aoning deah His bodily resurrecion His ascension His mediaorial work and HisPersonal reurn in power and glory Te Salvaion o los and sinul man hrough he shed bloodo he Lord Jesus Chris by aih apar rom works and regeneraion by he Holy Spirirdquo (see worldevangelicalorgweasaemenhm emphases original)
42See James Beilby and Paul R Eddy eds Te Naure o he Aonemen Four Views (DownersGrove IL IVP Academic 1048626983088983088983094) and Derek idball David Hilborn and Jusin Tacker eds Te
Aonemen Debae Papers fom he London Symposium on he Teology o he Aonemen (Grand
Rapids Zondervan 1048626983088983088983093) c J Denny Weaver Te Nonviolen Aonemen (Grand Rapids Eerd-mans 10486269830889830881048625) and Hans Boersma Violence Hospialiy and he Cross Recovering he Aonemen
radiion (Grand Rapids Baker Academic 1048626983088983088983092)43See S Lewis Johnson Jr ldquoBehold he Lamb Te Gospel and Subsiuionary Aonemenrdquo in John
H Armsrong ed Te Coming Evangelical Crisis Curren Challenges o he Auhoriy o Scripure
and he Gospel (Chicago Moody Press 1048625983097983097983094) pp 10486251048625983097-1048627983096
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983089 983089 983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
he imporance o he biblical and heological heme o subsiuion or he
docrine o he aonemen I am simply suggesing ha oher culural perspec-
ives and even assumpions migh highligh and emphasize oher biblicalmeaphors regarding Chrisrsquos salvific work
Bu o pursue he quesion ono Asian American errain wha difference
will i make i we recognize ha some Asians and Asian Americans live and
exis in a shame raher han guil culure How migh evangelical hinking
abou he aonemen be adjused revised and maybe even ransormed i
Chrisrsquos work no only assuaged he guil o sin rom human lives bu also re-
moved he shame in human hears10486281048628 My poin is ha evangelical heologicalendencies generally urge a universalisic sandpoin and in his paradigm
here is no need o atend o he pariculariies o or ariculae Asian Asian
American or oher culural perspecives since hese are all subsumed wihin he
biblical ramework read in an evangelical way In his case here isnrsquo even a
need o ask wheher radiional evangelical heologies and docrines like hose
regarding he aonemen may need o be revisied and reariculaed in ligh o
oher hisorical culural and experienial dynamics In ac Asian Americansare boh oo shameul and oo shy o even consider asking abou hese maters
I have argued so ar in his secion ha Asian American Evangelicals ormed
heologically according o he sensibiliies o he dominan evangelical culure
in Norh America have inernalized he whie evangelical worldview and in ha
sense mosly do no see he need o hink explicily rom an Asian American
vanage poin Asian American evangelical views are hereore a bes no more
han a minoriy heological perspecive wo relaed summary consequenceshave ollowed Asian American acquiescence o he majoriy culure Firs meh-
odologically and maerially evangelical heology has been undersood o be a-
hisorical a-culural and even a-conexual Te assumpion is ha he Bible
addresses all human beings so any plain reading o he Scripure will or should
be able o access he Word o God a any and all imes and places radiionally
ormulaed and ramed evangelical docrines derived rom an inducive sudy
44 Asian Americans are beginning o do jus his however991252eg Rachel Y Lei ldquoSaving Significanceo he Cross in he Asian American Conexrdquo SANACS Journal 1048625 (1048626983088983088983097) 983097983093-10486251048625983094 c Mark D Bakerand Joel B Green Recovering he Scandal o he Cross Te Aonemen in New esamen and Con-
emporary Conexs (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 1048626983088983088983088) chap 983094 ldquoRemoving AlienaingShame Te Saving Significance o he Cross in Japanrdquo
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983093
o Scripure hus orm he undispuable and unrevisable core o he gospel
Tere is litle recogniion o he hisorical culural and conexual perspecives
ha have conribued o he ariculaion o such evangelical belies Wha his means is ha here sill remains a core se o evangelical docrinal
achievemens and hese remain valid across space and ime alhough hey
may be supplemened by or ranslaed ino local conexual and siuaional
perspecives and idioms As we saw previously (chaper one) he recen Cam-
bridge Companion o Evangelical Teology reflecs precisely his mindse10486281048629 Te
Companion we know is divided ino wo pars Te firs is iled ldquoEvan-
gelicals and Chrisian Docrinerdquo and his includes eigh chapers on he oun-daional docrinal marix o evangelical belies he riniy Scripure chris-
ology heological anhropology jusificaionaonemen pneumaology
conversionsancificaion and ecclesiology Par wo ldquoTe Conexs o Evan-
gelical Teologyrdquo hen provides anoher nine chapers and hese cover issues
relaed o culure gender race and pluralism and include five chapers on
evangelical heology in Arican Asian European Lain American and Norh
American conexs Tis srucure o he Companion communicaes a wooldmessage ha evangelical docrine is a-conexually derived (par one) and
ha various hisorical conexs (par wo) can add a mos parochial ruhs
ha will no upse he docrinal supersrucure o he evangelical heological
landscape In shor basic heological and docrinal ruhs o he Chrisian
aih have already been ormulaed and can be ound in any oher evangelical
sysemaic heological ex quie apar rom Asian American or any oher
more specified perspecivesPu more poinedly i Asian Americans (or any oher ehnic or culural
group) were o wrie heir own heologies hese would be provincial under-
akings wih marginal relevance or he wider evangelical communiy Tese
would be o value only or ldquohoserdquo people (maybe immigrans reugees or
exiles) who have no ye been assimilaed ino he broader American evan-
gelical culure Litle wonder hen ha ew Asian Americans have venured
ino heological errioryhe second summary consequence o inernalizing he dominan
45imohy Larsen and Daniel J reier eds Te Cambridge Companion o Evangelical Teology (Cambridge Cambridge Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983095)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2735
983089 983089983094 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
worldview991252ha evangelical heology a leas in is dogmaic and sysemaic
configuraions is by and large a finished projec wih minimal inpu needed
rom Asian American or oher perspecives991252is ha Asian Americans wihheological educaion have urned in general o work in he hisorical and
social scienific disciplines10486281048630 Tere cerainly remains imporan work o be
done by hose working across he disciplines so I am no decrying such effors
Ye he ac ha hisorical sociological or oher disciplinary explicaions o
Asian American lie are published by universiy presses communicaes o
Asian Americans ha heir role is o shed new ligh on he Asian American
experience A he same ime he prevalence o hese analyical approachesamid he lacuna o explicily heological works suggess ha he ormer is o
minimal value a leas or he ldquorealrdquo heological work o dogmaics and sys-
emaics Furher ha hese scholarly publishers do no eaure exs on Asian
American evangelical heology confirms his division o labor (whie Evan-
gelicals wrie real heology Asian American Evangelicals do hisory sociology
ec) A he end o he day evangelical heologyrsquos assumpion remains undis-
urbed ha here are core docrines ha only need o be conexualized991252ha is ranslaed and made relevan991252around he world In his ramework
Asian Americans can conribue no o he ormer heological ormulaion bu
only o he later ranslaion and disseminaion ask10486281048631
46Eg he work o imohy seng and David Yoo in hisory Fenggang Yang and Rebecca Kim insociology and Russell Jeung in Asian American sudies among ohers see also my ldquoAsian Amer-ican Religion A Review Essayrdquo Nova Religio Te Journal o Alernaive and Emergen Religions 983097
no 1048627 (1048626983088983088983094) 9830971048626-104862598308898309547One could argue ha a parallel ye disinc moivaion drives Lain American or Hispanic evan-
gelical heology in a similar direcion I Asian Americans are cauioned agains hinking heo-logically rom ou o ehnic hisorical and conexual lives because o heir uncriical embrace o whie evangelical assumpions Hispanic Evangelicals may have adoped similar commimensalbei or slighly differen reasons relaed o he Lain American conex Te dominance o heRoman Caholic Church along wih is heological and olk radiions in he later environmenmay be behind Hispanic evangelical suspicions abou he role o hisory and culure in he doingo heology Te ani-Caholic senimen in hisoric Evangelicalism no doub is atracive oLainoas on he migran rail (rom Lain America o he Unied Saes) alhough such accom-modaion has brough wih i he heological coss elaboraed in he preceding pages For urher
discussion and oher angles on hese issues see Oscar Garcia-Johnson Te Mesizoa Communiyo he Spiri A Posmodern Lainoa Ecclesiology (Eugene OR Wip amp Sock 1048626983088983088983097) Sammy Alaro Divino Compantildeero oward a Hispanic Penecosal Chrisology (Eugene OR Pickwick10486269830881048625983088) Juan Mariacutenez ldquolsquoOuside he Gaersquo Evangelicalism and Laino Proesan Teologyrdquo in JeffreyGreenman and Gene L Green eds Global Teology in Evangelical Perspecive Exploring he Conex-
ual Naure o Teology and Mission (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 104862698308810486251048626) pp 1048625983095983097-983097983092 and
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983095
T983144983141 M983137983150983140983137983156983141 983151983142 A983155983145983137983150 A983149983141983154983145983139983137983150 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161
Te preceding analysis raises sel-criical awareness or Asian American Evan-
gelicals and invies hem in dialogue wih oher Evangelicals o consider wheher heir minoriy saus is problemaic and wha i anyhing can and
ough o be done abou i Now I am aware ha here are developmens wihin
he evangelical heological radiion broadly consrued ha have moved
beyond some o he sricures idenified in he preceding secion Progressive
Evangelicals he evangelical lef and posconservaive Evangelicals denoe jus
a ew o he rends among ohers percolaing on he margins o evangelical
heology10486281048632 Bu ha is precisely par o he problem hese are movemens haexcep or a small minoriy remain ouside he evangelical mainsream and
have also by and large been ignored by Asian American evangelical scholars
and heologians I believe ha producive ways orward can be chared via
Asian American Evangelicals in dialogue wih some o hese ideas alhough
a he end o he day such conversaions will only be producive as Asian
American Evangelicals ormulae a plaorm on which hey can bring some-
hing subsanive o he discussion Tis later ask is par o he presen chal-lenge and burden o he presen book
Insoar hen as I am ineresed in he quesion o wha Asian Americans can
conribue o evangelical heology no jus hisorically or sociologically bu a
a heological level my claim is ha pursui o hese maters ironically also in-
volves aking seriously he hisoriciy and pariculariy o Asian American cul-
ures experiences and perspecives In his final par o his chaper I do no
more han sugges in broad srokes how o go abou such an underakingRealities o the Asian American diaspora Par o ldquohe problem o evan-
gelical heologyrdquo can be clarified i we siuae Asian American evangelical
heology amid he broader Asian American diasporic hisorical and social
realiies described in par a he beginning o chaper wo Doing so enables
he sark realizaion ha Asian American Evangelicals are composed by a
wide range o experiences on he one hand and pressure o assimilae o
Juan F Mariacutenez and Lindy Scot eds Los Evangeacutelicos Porrais o Laino Proesanism in he
Unied Saes (Eugene OR Wip amp Sock 1048626983088983088983097)48Many o hese are discussed in Roger E Olson Reormed and Always Reorming Te Posconser-
vaive Approach o Evangelical Teology (Grand Rapids Baker Academic 1048626983088983088983095)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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983089 983089983096 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
American culure on he oher W hile Asians have lived in Norh America
since he ounding o he republic and had even conribued o he building
o he American empire during he nineeenh cenury he 983089983097983094983093 Immigraion Ac ha repealed he Orienal Exclusion Ac o 983089983097983090983092 reopened he door o a
new wave o Asian migraion During he las generaion Asian American lie
has been urher ransormed by he orces o globalizaion diasporas creaed
by modernizaion indusrializaion and urbanizaion reugee populaions
displaced by war amine and climae changes movemen enabled by he
emergence o a worldwide marke economy advances in echnology and mass
communicaion he cross-erilizaion o ideologies and shifs in inerna-ional relaions10486281048633 Te resul as saw in he previous chaper is he appearance
o a wide range o Asian American communiies across Norh America Lie
in such communiies is fluid affeced by migraion paterns socioeconomic
pressures and he srengh o relaions wih hose ldquoback homerdquo Te sronger
he ransnaional ies beween Asian immigrans in he Wes and heir amilies
organizaions and insiuions (religious and oherwise) in heir homeland
he more inense and longer-lasing he exchange o religious goods and ideas(in he orm o books periodicals and various orms o elecommunicaion)
Unsurprisingly hen firs-generaion immigrans ofen deepen he reli-
gious commimens ha hey held or praciced perhaps more nominally
beore moving Someimes immigrans conver o he more dominan religion
o heir new home In eiher case religious affiliaion ofen serves o secure
social neworks coner saus oherwise difficul o come by or immigrans
and srenghen ehnic culural and linguisic bonds and ideniies Bu or he983089983093 generaion (hose born in Asia bu who grew up a leas in par in he
Unied Saes like mysel) he process o assimilaion is well under way In
hese cases he ehnic enclave will develop English-speaking secions as well
as social organizaions school clubs and Chrisian congregaions
For young adul Asian American Evangelicals however here is ofen a
49For an overview o hese issues see Wanni W Anderson and Rober G Lee eds Displacemensand Diasporas Asians in he Americas (New Brunswick NJ Rugers Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983093) Idiscuss urher he implicaions o globalizaion or Chrisian heology in Amos Yong and PeerHelzel ldquoRober Cummings Neville and he Global Fuure o Teologyrdquo in Yong and Helzel edsTeology in Global Conex Essays in Honor o Rober Cummings Neville (New York amp Clark1048626983088983088983092) pp 1048626983097-9830921048626 esp pp 1048627983088-1048627983092
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983097
keen sense ha heir own ehnically organized congregaions or groups are
somehow less religiously and heologically legiimae because hey do no
have he more ldquouniversalrdquo appeal o whie or muliculural evangelicalchurches or parachurch organizaions10486291048624 Te resul is eiher he ransiion o
ehnic congregaions ino pan-ehnic congregaions or movemen rom heir
ldquohomerdquo congregaion o oher less ehnically defined church environmens1048629983089
By he ime he second generaion atains adulhood he remaining culural
or linguisic barriers o ull assimilaion ino American sociey are pracically
overcome ofen o he dismay o parens and grandparens1048629983090
Wha does such assimilaion consis o Cerainly speaking Englishparicipaing in he marke economy and adaping o he opions provided
by American seculariy and poliics are minimal adjusmens Bu perhaps
assimilaion also requires abandoning he norms o he immigran culure
in avor o American norms or amily and gender relaions and engaging
wih he public square on is erms I so would his no lead o an evan-
gelical sel-undersanding deeply ormed by American culure poliics
and economics Would his no resul in a subordinaion and even deor-maion o all ha is Asian excep or he biological phenoype I would
appear hen ha becoming American would more easily aciliae he
embrace o evangelical Chrisianiy991252i such is deined as a suburban
Midwesern whie middle-class religious phenomenon wih Wheaon
Illinois as is veriable ldquoMeccardquo991252bu his brings wih i he cos o losing
onersquos Asianness Does his mean ha ull accepance o Evangelicalism
50See eg Rebecca Y Kim ldquoNegoiaion o Ehnic and Religious Boundaries by Asian AmericanCampus Evangelicalsrdquo in ony Carnes and Fenggang Yang eds Asian American Religions Te
Making and Remaking o Borders and Boundaries (New York New York Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983092) pp10486259830921048625-983093983097 and Rudy V Buso ldquoTe Gospel According o he Model Minoriy Hazarding an Inerpre-aion o Asian American Evangelical College Sudensrdquo in David K Yoo ed New Spiriual Homes
Religion and Asian Americans (Honolulu Universiy o Hawaii Press 1048625983097983097983097) pp 1048625983094983097-98309698309551See Russell Jeung Faihul Generaions Race and New Asian American Churches (New Brunswick
NJ Rugers Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983092)52 As can be discerned by reading beween he lines o he Bible sudies in om Linrsquos Losing Face
and Finding Grace Tis appears o be he case wheher he second generaion inenionally a-emps o disinguish is ehnic congregaional lie rom ha o he firs immigran generaion or wheher he second generaion becomes absorbed ino nonehnic or even muliehnic congrega-ions on his poin see Elaine Howard Ecklund ldquoModels o Civic Responsibiliy Korean Amer-icans in Congregaions wih Differen Ehnic Composiionsrdquo Journal or he Scienific Sudy o
Religion 983092983092 no 1048625 (1048626983088983088983093) 1048625983093-1048626983096
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3135
983089 983090 983088 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
includes ldquorepenancerdquo rom Asia and ldquoconversionrdquo o Americanism1048629983091
Ta his is no he case seems o be borne ou by he sociological lieraure
which confirms ha ehniciy remains jus as imporan as religion in he or-maion o Asian American ideniy10486291048628 Bu i so evangelical heology has no
even begun o wresle wih he imporance o ehniciy and race no o
menion heir heological implicaions Second-generaion Korean Amer-
icans or insance seem o be inuiively drawn o churches and parachurch
minisries ha oreground heir Korean culural ideniy10486291048629 bu hey have
developed ew heological raionales or such orms o social organizaion
more o he poin heir own heological presupposiions miigae agains suchaciviy which may explain heir ideniy conflicedness
Unsurprisingly hen Asian American evangelical heology has ye o ge
off he ground even a he beginning o he weny-firs cenury Asian
American Evangelicals geting degrees rom insiuions o higher educaion
have had o wresle wihagains his assimilaive impulse o sruggle wih he
quesion o wheher hey are or should be doing (descripive) sociology raher
han heology (as normaive reflecion) and o ariculae an apologeic ordoing Asian American evangelical heology raher han jus evangelical he-
ology For oo many Asian American Evangelicals heir saus ldquobewix and
beweenrdquo991252on he one hand belonging o Asia and o he Unied Saes in
some respecs bu on he oher hand being a sranger o boh Asia and he
Unied Saes in oher respecs991252pus hem in a unique posiion o inerrogae
evangelical heology bu (o dae) leaves hem ouside he ormal organiza-
ional and insiuional srucures o criique effecively and ransorm heevangelical heological radiion
53One could also make he reverse argumen however ha Evangelicalism in he Unied Saes hasalready been molded by is social culural and hisorical conex o he exen ha he very eauresha mark he American way o lie991252ie individualism experienialism pragmaism even con-sumerism991252have also come o characerize evangelical Chrisianiy For an insighul analysis ohe ofenimes uncriical conflaion o Evangelicalism and Americanism and o he orces ha havealso resised such accommodaions see D G Har Ta Old-ime Religion in Modern America
Evangelical Proesanism in he wenieh Cenury (Chicago Ivan R Dee 10486269830889830881048626)54See Jerry Z Park ldquoTe Ehnic and Religious Ideniies o Young Asian Americansrdquo (PhD diss
Universiy o Nore Dame 1048626983088983088983092)55See Sharon Kim and Rebecca Y Kim ldquoSecond-Generaion Korean American Chrisiansrsquo Com-
muniies Congregaional Hybridiyrdquo in Carolyn Chen and Russell Jeung eds Susaining Faih
radiions Race Ehniciy and Religion Among he Laino and Asian American Second Generaion (New York New York Universiy Press 104862698308810486251048626) pp 1048625983095983094-9830971048627
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983090 983089
Moving trajectories o theological reflection O course i Asian Americans
hope o climb he ranks o he Norh American evangelical heological
academy hey can only do so on he erms esablished by heir hoss Andraher han responding o sociopoliical acors he evangelical heological
guild has always undersood isel primarily in heological erms and seen is
charge as deending hisorical orhodoxy wheher ha be agains liberalismrsquos
denial o biblical supernauralism agains neo-orhodoxyrsquos ambiguous sance
on Scripure agains mainsream sciencersquos heory o evoluion agains open
heismrsquos docrine o God and so on10486291048630 I evangelical heology has never
beore enerained ehnic perspecives in is discursive consrucion why nowundermine he (is presumed) universal ramework and applicabiliy by
adding he Asian or Asian American qualifiers
While in a sense his enire book provides a se o responses o his quesion
here I sugges hree reasons ha can moivae such a heological pah orward
Firs he Asian diaspora in he Unied Saes is now in a siuaion o reflec
subsanively on is experience o migraion While here are remendous
challenges o migraion10486291048631 some Asian Americans have achieved a level oupward social mobiliy so ha hey are now in he posiion o producing
scholarship inormed by such experienial perspecives Since he memory o
migraion among Asian Americans is more recen han hose o heir Cau-
casian colleagues such perspecives migh be helpul o ideniy how he mi-
graion rom he European coninen has shaped he evangelical heological
enerprise as a whole I Asian Americans can help heir evangelical colleagues
ideniy he hisorical impac o old o new world migraion on he belies andpracices o Norh American Evangelicalism ha in isel will open up pos-
sibiliies or considering aresh Asian American hisories and heir conribu-
ions o he wider conversaion
Second Asian Americans are orced o hink abou race and ehniciy in a
way unlike mos o heir whie brohers and sisers alhough heir reflecions
56Evangelical heologyrsquos many inernal and exernal batles are documened by Jon R Sone On heBoundaries o American Evangelicalism Te Poswar Evangelical Coaliion (New York S MarinrsquosPress 1048625983097983097983095)
57Some o hese are documened by Kenneh J Gues God in Chinaown Religion and Survival in
New Yorkrsquos Evolving Immigran Communiy (New York New York Universiy Press 10486269830889830881048627) whose work we will reurn o in chaper six
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983089 983090 983090 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
can also mediae perspecive in an oherwise whie-and-black demarcaed
world Race and ehniciy are undeniable aspecs o Asian American hisory
and experience Te impor o his is a leas woold Firs Asian Americansare posiioned o engage he discussion opened up by black evangelical heo-
logians regarding conemporary heology991252even in is evangelical guises991252as
reflecing he ascen o whie perspecives in he early modern period a he
expense o Jewish and oher nonwhie culural realiies Asian American per-
specives on race and ehniciy will open up new visas on he racial and ehnic
dimensions o he biblical world10486291048632 In oher words he marginalized hisories
and perspecives o Asian American Evangelicals have much o conribue oconemporary biblical inerpreaion and heological explicaion Te dom-
inan orms o evangelical heology orged in par ou o he hegemony o
Chrisendom are in need o criical analysis and dialogical revision
Las bu no leas cenral and ongoing elemens o Asian American hisory
are par o he presen experiences o ransnaionalism and globalizaion Te
issues here are complex10486291048633 One mater ha needs o be addressed is he iner-
woven characer o he global economy and how i affecs people around he world differenly depending on various social poliical and culural circum-
sances In addiion wih regard o he Asian American side o his equaion
here remain difficul issues relaed o how he quesion o assimilaion or ac-
culuraion is being negoiaed and adjudicaed Firs- second- and hird-gener-
aion perspecives differ someimes momenously and his does no even acor
in he perspecives o he 983089983093 generaion I heology is o engage he hisorical
realiies o real flesh-and-blood human beings i mus engage such quesions inour conemporary world Asian American Evangelicals can lead he way in
hinking heologically abou such hings and his will benefi no only Asian
58 Asian Evangelicals hus need o build rom he insighul readings o mainline Proesan biblicalscholar a-Siong Benny Liew Wha Is Asian American Biblical Hermeneuics Reading he New
esamen (Honolulu Universiy o Hawaii Press 1048626983088983088983096) regarding he ehnic dynamics under-neah Jewish-Genile relaions in he New esamen o be sure Liewrsquos mainline Proesan as-sumpions may be raher disan rom evangelical ones so some criical dialogue and perhaps
correcion may also be in order Ye he srengh o Liewrsquos book is o sugges how Asian Americanexperiences o ehnic marginaliy can illuminae he dispues beween Jewish and Genile ollow-ers o he Messiah in he firs cenury Tis is an issue worh subsanial engagemen rom anevangelical perspecive
59Eg Neil J Ormerod and Shane Clifon Globalizaion and he Mission o he Church (New York amp Clark 104862698308810486251048625)
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983090983091
American communiies bu also hose o oher ehnic racial and culural groups
who are also wresling wih lie in he weny-firs-cenury global conex
Evangelical heology oday will need o heed more inenionally han i has beore acors o migraion ehniciy globalizaion and ransnaionalism
Asian American Evangelicals can assis wih hese maters i hey will arise o
he occasion Tis does no derac rom he universaliy o he gospel message
On he conrary i addresses quesions o universal significance ha are oher-
wise negleced or engaged rom or wihin only one (dominan cenris) se
o perspecives
Reconnecting to the broader evangelical theological tradition Beore con-cluding his chaper however an imporan cavea ough o be sounded None
o he preceding should be read as denying eiher Asian American indebedness
o he evangelical radiion or he inerrelaedness o Asian American and oher
evangelical effors in he conemporary heological ask Te preceding migh
sugges ha Asian Americans are only poining accusing fingers a heir whie
evangelical riends Wihou aking away anyhing rom he seriousness o he
oregoing discussion I also realize ha whie Evangelicals in paricular and Americans in general have been welcoming o Asians and ha we have made i
his ar on our diasporic journey only wih he help o such riends
Beyond such ecclesial collegialiy however I would gran ha Asian Amer-
icans are in various respecs beholden heologically o American Evangelicals
as well In paricular American evangelical commimens o Chris-
ceneredness biblical aihulness and missionary zealousness are imporan
elemens o Chrisian belie and pracice in he weny-firs cenury Asian American Evangelicals should embrace and live ou such commimens no
only or hemselves bu also or oher Evangelicals and even or he world
Ye my claim is precisely ha such a posure enables Asian American Evan-
gelicals o conribue heologically o he ormaion o an evangelical belie
and praxis relevan o he weny-firs cenury For his o happen however
Asian American Evangelicals mus embrace no only he evangel bu also he
hisoriciy o heir diasporic experiences Te incarnaion o he Son o Godconsised afer all o aking on he concreeness palpabiliy and emporaliy
o human Jewish and firs-cenury Palesinian flesh and he oupouring o he
Spiri o God on he Day o Penecos involved he redempion o he diversiy
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983089 983090 983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
o human ongues languages and culures so ha hey migh bear winess o
he wondrous works o God (Acs 983090983089983089) Tis penecosal heme991252relaed o
Acs 983090 firs and oremos albei reraced unavoidably hrough he lens o mymodern penecosal ecclesial sensibiliies991252will inorm he deep srucure o
he argumen in he remainder o his volume ye achieved wihin a pen-
evangelical raher han merely charismaic rame o reerence My poin going
orward however is ha in ligh o hese heological and riniarian commi-
mens Evangelicals should be he firs o embrace he diversiy o heir his-
orical pariculariies raher han shy away rom hem radiionally o course
Evangelicals have subordinaed he vicissiudes o hisory and wih ha heiranxieies abou he flux and subjeciviies o experience o he surey and
oundaionalism o he Word o God as revealed in he Scripures My pro-
posal however is ha work o God in Chris and by he Spiri redeems us
amid wih and hrough he specificiies o our hisorical and culural expe-
rience (raher han saving us rom ou o such alogeher) and hus ha he
Word o God speaks ino such realiies (raher han ha we have o deny hem
or rejec hem as par o who we are)In shor Asian American Evangelicals do no need o be apologeic abou
heir lives experiences and perspecives Raher by ollowing he pah o he
Son o God ino he ar counry by receiving he infilling o he Spiri o God
poured ou on all flesh and by aihully atemping o live ou such a Chris-
cenered and Spiri-empowered aih in he ooseps o heir evangelical ore-
bears and ancesors Asian Americans may hen be able o bring heir heo-
logical gifs o he conversaion able gifs ha will challenge he discussion while simulaneously enriching he are or all hose concerned abou he
euangelion in he presen ime I is ime o heologize as Asian Americans no
jus as Evangelicals in order ha Evangelicalism isel can be renewed and
invigoraed or he sake o he gospel and in anicipaion o he reign o God
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983091
resuls have been ormulaed and ransmited as biblically unded and univer-
sally applicable regardless o conexual consideraions
A (supposedly) universal doctrinal famework One example o how Norh American evangelical heology has proceeded wih universalisic assumpions
and hereby overlooked i no inenionally ignored oher culural perspec-
ives has o do wih he docrine o he aonemen and wha i addresses Pu
crassly humankind suffers rom one overall problem ha o sin agains God
and ha one problem demands basically one soluion he subsiuionary
aonemen o he Sonrsquos deah on he cross1048628983089 Now I realize ha i is unair o
depic evangelical views regarding he aonemen in such homogeneous ermssince he mater isel is sill being conesed1048628983090 Bu he ac is ha in some
evangelical circles deparure rom he subsiuionary view o he aonemen
is considered deviaion rom evangelical orhodoxy1048628983091 From his posiion oher
biblical aspecs and alernaive inerpreaions are eiher subsumed under he
docrine o penal subsiuion or argued o be flawed in some respec
O course such a viewpoin minimizes he role o medieval eudalism and
he jurisprudenial background o some o he Reormers in he emergenceand esablishmen o his undersanding o he aonemen in he evangelical
radiion jus as i really does no quesion he basically Augusinian anhro-
pology presumed in his process Now I am no a hisorical deerminis who
believes ha conex leads inexorably o our heological ideas jus as I do no
hink ha allowance or hisorical conexual acors relaivizes he ruh o
heological claims or produces docrinal heerodoxy Raher wihou denying
41Te World Evangelical Alliancersquos Saemen o Faih affirms ldquoWe believe in Our Lord JesusChris God manies in he flesh His virgin birh His sinless human lie His divine miracles His vicarious and aoning deah His bodily resurrecion His ascension His mediaorial work and HisPersonal reurn in power and glory Te Salvaion o los and sinul man hrough he shed bloodo he Lord Jesus Chris by aih apar rom works and regeneraion by he Holy Spirirdquo (see worldevangelicalorgweasaemenhm emphases original)
42See James Beilby and Paul R Eddy eds Te Naure o he Aonemen Four Views (DownersGrove IL IVP Academic 1048626983088983088983094) and Derek idball David Hilborn and Jusin Tacker eds Te
Aonemen Debae Papers fom he London Symposium on he Teology o he Aonemen (Grand
Rapids Zondervan 1048626983088983088983093) c J Denny Weaver Te Nonviolen Aonemen (Grand Rapids Eerd-mans 10486269830889830881048625) and Hans Boersma Violence Hospialiy and he Cross Recovering he Aonemen
radiion (Grand Rapids Baker Academic 1048626983088983088983092)43See S Lewis Johnson Jr ldquoBehold he Lamb Te Gospel and Subsiuionary Aonemenrdquo in John
H Armsrong ed Te Coming Evangelical Crisis Curren Challenges o he Auhoriy o Scripure
and he Gospel (Chicago Moody Press 1048625983097983097983094) pp 10486251048625983097-1048627983096
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983089 983089 983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
he imporance o he biblical and heological heme o subsiuion or he
docrine o he aonemen I am simply suggesing ha oher culural perspec-
ives and even assumpions migh highligh and emphasize oher biblicalmeaphors regarding Chrisrsquos salvific work
Bu o pursue he quesion ono Asian American errain wha difference
will i make i we recognize ha some Asians and Asian Americans live and
exis in a shame raher han guil culure How migh evangelical hinking
abou he aonemen be adjused revised and maybe even ransormed i
Chrisrsquos work no only assuaged he guil o sin rom human lives bu also re-
moved he shame in human hears10486281048628 My poin is ha evangelical heologicalendencies generally urge a universalisic sandpoin and in his paradigm
here is no need o atend o he pariculariies o or ariculae Asian Asian
American or oher culural perspecives since hese are all subsumed wihin he
biblical ramework read in an evangelical way In his case here isnrsquo even a
need o ask wheher radiional evangelical heologies and docrines like hose
regarding he aonemen may need o be revisied and reariculaed in ligh o
oher hisorical culural and experienial dynamics In ac Asian Americansare boh oo shameul and oo shy o even consider asking abou hese maters
I have argued so ar in his secion ha Asian American Evangelicals ormed
heologically according o he sensibiliies o he dominan evangelical culure
in Norh America have inernalized he whie evangelical worldview and in ha
sense mosly do no see he need o hink explicily rom an Asian American
vanage poin Asian American evangelical views are hereore a bes no more
han a minoriy heological perspecive wo relaed summary consequenceshave ollowed Asian American acquiescence o he majoriy culure Firs meh-
odologically and maerially evangelical heology has been undersood o be a-
hisorical a-culural and even a-conexual Te assumpion is ha he Bible
addresses all human beings so any plain reading o he Scripure will or should
be able o access he Word o God a any and all imes and places radiionally
ormulaed and ramed evangelical docrines derived rom an inducive sudy
44 Asian Americans are beginning o do jus his however991252eg Rachel Y Lei ldquoSaving Significanceo he Cross in he Asian American Conexrdquo SANACS Journal 1048625 (1048626983088983088983097) 983097983093-10486251048625983094 c Mark D Bakerand Joel B Green Recovering he Scandal o he Cross Te Aonemen in New esamen and Con-
emporary Conexs (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 1048626983088983088983088) chap 983094 ldquoRemoving AlienaingShame Te Saving Significance o he Cross in Japanrdquo
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983093
o Scripure hus orm he undispuable and unrevisable core o he gospel
Tere is litle recogniion o he hisorical culural and conexual perspecives
ha have conribued o he ariculaion o such evangelical belies Wha his means is ha here sill remains a core se o evangelical docrinal
achievemens and hese remain valid across space and ime alhough hey
may be supplemened by or ranslaed ino local conexual and siuaional
perspecives and idioms As we saw previously (chaper one) he recen Cam-
bridge Companion o Evangelical Teology reflecs precisely his mindse10486281048629 Te
Companion we know is divided ino wo pars Te firs is iled ldquoEvan-
gelicals and Chrisian Docrinerdquo and his includes eigh chapers on he oun-daional docrinal marix o evangelical belies he riniy Scripure chris-
ology heological anhropology jusificaionaonemen pneumaology
conversionsancificaion and ecclesiology Par wo ldquoTe Conexs o Evan-
gelical Teologyrdquo hen provides anoher nine chapers and hese cover issues
relaed o culure gender race and pluralism and include five chapers on
evangelical heology in Arican Asian European Lain American and Norh
American conexs Tis srucure o he Companion communicaes a wooldmessage ha evangelical docrine is a-conexually derived (par one) and
ha various hisorical conexs (par wo) can add a mos parochial ruhs
ha will no upse he docrinal supersrucure o he evangelical heological
landscape In shor basic heological and docrinal ruhs o he Chrisian
aih have already been ormulaed and can be ound in any oher evangelical
sysemaic heological ex quie apar rom Asian American or any oher
more specified perspecivesPu more poinedly i Asian Americans (or any oher ehnic or culural
group) were o wrie heir own heologies hese would be provincial under-
akings wih marginal relevance or he wider evangelical communiy Tese
would be o value only or ldquohoserdquo people (maybe immigrans reugees or
exiles) who have no ye been assimilaed ino he broader American evan-
gelical culure Litle wonder hen ha ew Asian Americans have venured
ino heological errioryhe second summary consequence o inernalizing he dominan
45imohy Larsen and Daniel J reier eds Te Cambridge Companion o Evangelical Teology (Cambridge Cambridge Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983095)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2735
983089 983089983094 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
worldview991252ha evangelical heology a leas in is dogmaic and sysemaic
configuraions is by and large a finished projec wih minimal inpu needed
rom Asian American or oher perspecives991252is ha Asian Americans wihheological educaion have urned in general o work in he hisorical and
social scienific disciplines10486281048630 Tere cerainly remains imporan work o be
done by hose working across he disciplines so I am no decrying such effors
Ye he ac ha hisorical sociological or oher disciplinary explicaions o
Asian American lie are published by universiy presses communicaes o
Asian Americans ha heir role is o shed new ligh on he Asian American
experience A he same ime he prevalence o hese analyical approachesamid he lacuna o explicily heological works suggess ha he ormer is o
minimal value a leas or he ldquorealrdquo heological work o dogmaics and sys-
emaics Furher ha hese scholarly publishers do no eaure exs on Asian
American evangelical heology confirms his division o labor (whie Evan-
gelicals wrie real heology Asian American Evangelicals do hisory sociology
ec) A he end o he day evangelical heologyrsquos assumpion remains undis-
urbed ha here are core docrines ha only need o be conexualized991252ha is ranslaed and made relevan991252around he world In his ramework
Asian Americans can conribue no o he ormer heological ormulaion bu
only o he later ranslaion and disseminaion ask10486281048631
46Eg he work o imohy seng and David Yoo in hisory Fenggang Yang and Rebecca Kim insociology and Russell Jeung in Asian American sudies among ohers see also my ldquoAsian Amer-ican Religion A Review Essayrdquo Nova Religio Te Journal o Alernaive and Emergen Religions 983097
no 1048627 (1048626983088983088983094) 9830971048626-104862598308898309547One could argue ha a parallel ye disinc moivaion drives Lain American or Hispanic evan-
gelical heology in a similar direcion I Asian Americans are cauioned agains hinking heo-logically rom ou o ehnic hisorical and conexual lives because o heir uncriical embrace o whie evangelical assumpions Hispanic Evangelicals may have adoped similar commimensalbei or slighly differen reasons relaed o he Lain American conex Te dominance o heRoman Caholic Church along wih is heological and olk radiions in he later environmenmay be behind Hispanic evangelical suspicions abou he role o hisory and culure in he doingo heology Te ani-Caholic senimen in hisoric Evangelicalism no doub is atracive oLainoas on he migran rail (rom Lain America o he Unied Saes) alhough such accom-modaion has brough wih i he heological coss elaboraed in he preceding pages For urher
discussion and oher angles on hese issues see Oscar Garcia-Johnson Te Mesizoa Communiyo he Spiri A Posmodern Lainoa Ecclesiology (Eugene OR Wip amp Sock 1048626983088983088983097) Sammy Alaro Divino Compantildeero oward a Hispanic Penecosal Chrisology (Eugene OR Pickwick10486269830881048625983088) Juan Mariacutenez ldquolsquoOuside he Gaersquo Evangelicalism and Laino Proesan Teologyrdquo in JeffreyGreenman and Gene L Green eds Global Teology in Evangelical Perspecive Exploring he Conex-
ual Naure o Teology and Mission (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 104862698308810486251048626) pp 1048625983095983097-983097983092 and
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983095
T983144983141 M983137983150983140983137983156983141 983151983142 A983155983145983137983150 A983149983141983154983145983139983137983150 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161
Te preceding analysis raises sel-criical awareness or Asian American Evan-
gelicals and invies hem in dialogue wih oher Evangelicals o consider wheher heir minoriy saus is problemaic and wha i anyhing can and
ough o be done abou i Now I am aware ha here are developmens wihin
he evangelical heological radiion broadly consrued ha have moved
beyond some o he sricures idenified in he preceding secion Progressive
Evangelicals he evangelical lef and posconservaive Evangelicals denoe jus
a ew o he rends among ohers percolaing on he margins o evangelical
heology10486281048632 Bu ha is precisely par o he problem hese are movemens haexcep or a small minoriy remain ouside he evangelical mainsream and
have also by and large been ignored by Asian American evangelical scholars
and heologians I believe ha producive ways orward can be chared via
Asian American Evangelicals in dialogue wih some o hese ideas alhough
a he end o he day such conversaions will only be producive as Asian
American Evangelicals ormulae a plaorm on which hey can bring some-
hing subsanive o he discussion Tis later ask is par o he presen chal-lenge and burden o he presen book
Insoar hen as I am ineresed in he quesion o wha Asian Americans can
conribue o evangelical heology no jus hisorically or sociologically bu a
a heological level my claim is ha pursui o hese maters ironically also in-
volves aking seriously he hisoriciy and pariculariy o Asian American cul-
ures experiences and perspecives In his final par o his chaper I do no
more han sugges in broad srokes how o go abou such an underakingRealities o the Asian American diaspora Par o ldquohe problem o evan-
gelical heologyrdquo can be clarified i we siuae Asian American evangelical
heology amid he broader Asian American diasporic hisorical and social
realiies described in par a he beginning o chaper wo Doing so enables
he sark realizaion ha Asian American Evangelicals are composed by a
wide range o experiences on he one hand and pressure o assimilae o
Juan F Mariacutenez and Lindy Scot eds Los Evangeacutelicos Porrais o Laino Proesanism in he
Unied Saes (Eugene OR Wip amp Sock 1048626983088983088983097)48Many o hese are discussed in Roger E Olson Reormed and Always Reorming Te Posconser-
vaive Approach o Evangelical Teology (Grand Rapids Baker Academic 1048626983088983088983095)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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983089 983089983096 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
American culure on he oher W hile Asians have lived in Norh America
since he ounding o he republic and had even conribued o he building
o he American empire during he nineeenh cenury he 983089983097983094983093 Immigraion Ac ha repealed he Orienal Exclusion Ac o 983089983097983090983092 reopened he door o a
new wave o Asian migraion During he las generaion Asian American lie
has been urher ransormed by he orces o globalizaion diasporas creaed
by modernizaion indusrializaion and urbanizaion reugee populaions
displaced by war amine and climae changes movemen enabled by he
emergence o a worldwide marke economy advances in echnology and mass
communicaion he cross-erilizaion o ideologies and shifs in inerna-ional relaions10486281048633 Te resul as saw in he previous chaper is he appearance
o a wide range o Asian American communiies across Norh America Lie
in such communiies is fluid affeced by migraion paterns socioeconomic
pressures and he srengh o relaions wih hose ldquoback homerdquo Te sronger
he ransnaional ies beween Asian immigrans in he Wes and heir amilies
organizaions and insiuions (religious and oherwise) in heir homeland
he more inense and longer-lasing he exchange o religious goods and ideas(in he orm o books periodicals and various orms o elecommunicaion)
Unsurprisingly hen firs-generaion immigrans ofen deepen he reli-
gious commimens ha hey held or praciced perhaps more nominally
beore moving Someimes immigrans conver o he more dominan religion
o heir new home In eiher case religious affiliaion ofen serves o secure
social neworks coner saus oherwise difficul o come by or immigrans
and srenghen ehnic culural and linguisic bonds and ideniies Bu or he983089983093 generaion (hose born in Asia bu who grew up a leas in par in he
Unied Saes like mysel) he process o assimilaion is well under way In
hese cases he ehnic enclave will develop English-speaking secions as well
as social organizaions school clubs and Chrisian congregaions
For young adul Asian American Evangelicals however here is ofen a
49For an overview o hese issues see Wanni W Anderson and Rober G Lee eds Displacemensand Diasporas Asians in he Americas (New Brunswick NJ Rugers Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983093) Idiscuss urher he implicaions o globalizaion or Chrisian heology in Amos Yong and PeerHelzel ldquoRober Cummings Neville and he Global Fuure o Teologyrdquo in Yong and Helzel edsTeology in Global Conex Essays in Honor o Rober Cummings Neville (New York amp Clark1048626983088983088983092) pp 1048626983097-9830921048626 esp pp 1048627983088-1048627983092
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983097
keen sense ha heir own ehnically organized congregaions or groups are
somehow less religiously and heologically legiimae because hey do no
have he more ldquouniversalrdquo appeal o whie or muliculural evangelicalchurches or parachurch organizaions10486291048624 Te resul is eiher he ransiion o
ehnic congregaions ino pan-ehnic congregaions or movemen rom heir
ldquohomerdquo congregaion o oher less ehnically defined church environmens1048629983089
By he ime he second generaion atains adulhood he remaining culural
or linguisic barriers o ull assimilaion ino American sociey are pracically
overcome ofen o he dismay o parens and grandparens1048629983090
Wha does such assimilaion consis o Cerainly speaking Englishparicipaing in he marke economy and adaping o he opions provided
by American seculariy and poliics are minimal adjusmens Bu perhaps
assimilaion also requires abandoning he norms o he immigran culure
in avor o American norms or amily and gender relaions and engaging
wih he public square on is erms I so would his no lead o an evan-
gelical sel-undersanding deeply ormed by American culure poliics
and economics Would his no resul in a subordinaion and even deor-maion o all ha is Asian excep or he biological phenoype I would
appear hen ha becoming American would more easily aciliae he
embrace o evangelical Chrisianiy991252i such is deined as a suburban
Midwesern whie middle-class religious phenomenon wih Wheaon
Illinois as is veriable ldquoMeccardquo991252bu his brings wih i he cos o losing
onersquos Asianness Does his mean ha ull accepance o Evangelicalism
50See eg Rebecca Y Kim ldquoNegoiaion o Ehnic and Religious Boundaries by Asian AmericanCampus Evangelicalsrdquo in ony Carnes and Fenggang Yang eds Asian American Religions Te
Making and Remaking o Borders and Boundaries (New York New York Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983092) pp10486259830921048625-983093983097 and Rudy V Buso ldquoTe Gospel According o he Model Minoriy Hazarding an Inerpre-aion o Asian American Evangelical College Sudensrdquo in David K Yoo ed New Spiriual Homes
Religion and Asian Americans (Honolulu Universiy o Hawaii Press 1048625983097983097983097) pp 1048625983094983097-98309698309551See Russell Jeung Faihul Generaions Race and New Asian American Churches (New Brunswick
NJ Rugers Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983092)52 As can be discerned by reading beween he lines o he Bible sudies in om Linrsquos Losing Face
and Finding Grace Tis appears o be he case wheher he second generaion inenionally a-emps o disinguish is ehnic congregaional lie rom ha o he firs immigran generaion or wheher he second generaion becomes absorbed ino nonehnic or even muliehnic congrega-ions on his poin see Elaine Howard Ecklund ldquoModels o Civic Responsibiliy Korean Amer-icans in Congregaions wih Differen Ehnic Composiionsrdquo Journal or he Scienific Sudy o
Religion 983092983092 no 1048625 (1048626983088983088983093) 1048625983093-1048626983096
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3135
983089 983090 983088 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
includes ldquorepenancerdquo rom Asia and ldquoconversionrdquo o Americanism1048629983091
Ta his is no he case seems o be borne ou by he sociological lieraure
which confirms ha ehniciy remains jus as imporan as religion in he or-maion o Asian American ideniy10486291048628 Bu i so evangelical heology has no
even begun o wresle wih he imporance o ehniciy and race no o
menion heir heological implicaions Second-generaion Korean Amer-
icans or insance seem o be inuiively drawn o churches and parachurch
minisries ha oreground heir Korean culural ideniy10486291048629 bu hey have
developed ew heological raionales or such orms o social organizaion
more o he poin heir own heological presupposiions miigae agains suchaciviy which may explain heir ideniy conflicedness
Unsurprisingly hen Asian American evangelical heology has ye o ge
off he ground even a he beginning o he weny-firs cenury Asian
American Evangelicals geting degrees rom insiuions o higher educaion
have had o wresle wihagains his assimilaive impulse o sruggle wih he
quesion o wheher hey are or should be doing (descripive) sociology raher
han heology (as normaive reflecion) and o ariculae an apologeic ordoing Asian American evangelical heology raher han jus evangelical he-
ology For oo many Asian American Evangelicals heir saus ldquobewix and
beweenrdquo991252on he one hand belonging o Asia and o he Unied Saes in
some respecs bu on he oher hand being a sranger o boh Asia and he
Unied Saes in oher respecs991252pus hem in a unique posiion o inerrogae
evangelical heology bu (o dae) leaves hem ouside he ormal organiza-
ional and insiuional srucures o criique effecively and ransorm heevangelical heological radiion
53One could also make he reverse argumen however ha Evangelicalism in he Unied Saes hasalready been molded by is social culural and hisorical conex o he exen ha he very eauresha mark he American way o lie991252ie individualism experienialism pragmaism even con-sumerism991252have also come o characerize evangelical Chrisianiy For an insighul analysis ohe ofenimes uncriical conflaion o Evangelicalism and Americanism and o he orces ha havealso resised such accommodaions see D G Har Ta Old-ime Religion in Modern America
Evangelical Proesanism in he wenieh Cenury (Chicago Ivan R Dee 10486269830889830881048626)54See Jerry Z Park ldquoTe Ehnic and Religious Ideniies o Young Asian Americansrdquo (PhD diss
Universiy o Nore Dame 1048626983088983088983092)55See Sharon Kim and Rebecca Y Kim ldquoSecond-Generaion Korean American Chrisiansrsquo Com-
muniies Congregaional Hybridiyrdquo in Carolyn Chen and Russell Jeung eds Susaining Faih
radiions Race Ehniciy and Religion Among he Laino and Asian American Second Generaion (New York New York Universiy Press 104862698308810486251048626) pp 1048625983095983094-9830971048627
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983090 983089
Moving trajectories o theological reflection O course i Asian Americans
hope o climb he ranks o he Norh American evangelical heological
academy hey can only do so on he erms esablished by heir hoss Andraher han responding o sociopoliical acors he evangelical heological
guild has always undersood isel primarily in heological erms and seen is
charge as deending hisorical orhodoxy wheher ha be agains liberalismrsquos
denial o biblical supernauralism agains neo-orhodoxyrsquos ambiguous sance
on Scripure agains mainsream sciencersquos heory o evoluion agains open
heismrsquos docrine o God and so on10486291048630 I evangelical heology has never
beore enerained ehnic perspecives in is discursive consrucion why nowundermine he (is presumed) universal ramework and applicabiliy by
adding he Asian or Asian American qualifiers
While in a sense his enire book provides a se o responses o his quesion
here I sugges hree reasons ha can moivae such a heological pah orward
Firs he Asian diaspora in he Unied Saes is now in a siuaion o reflec
subsanively on is experience o migraion While here are remendous
challenges o migraion10486291048631 some Asian Americans have achieved a level oupward social mobiliy so ha hey are now in he posiion o producing
scholarship inormed by such experienial perspecives Since he memory o
migraion among Asian Americans is more recen han hose o heir Cau-
casian colleagues such perspecives migh be helpul o ideniy how he mi-
graion rom he European coninen has shaped he evangelical heological
enerprise as a whole I Asian Americans can help heir evangelical colleagues
ideniy he hisorical impac o old o new world migraion on he belies andpracices o Norh American Evangelicalism ha in isel will open up pos-
sibiliies or considering aresh Asian American hisories and heir conribu-
ions o he wider conversaion
Second Asian Americans are orced o hink abou race and ehniciy in a
way unlike mos o heir whie brohers and sisers alhough heir reflecions
56Evangelical heologyrsquos many inernal and exernal batles are documened by Jon R Sone On heBoundaries o American Evangelicalism Te Poswar Evangelical Coaliion (New York S MarinrsquosPress 1048625983097983097983095)
57Some o hese are documened by Kenneh J Gues God in Chinaown Religion and Survival in
New Yorkrsquos Evolving Immigran Communiy (New York New York Universiy Press 10486269830889830881048627) whose work we will reurn o in chaper six
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3335
983089 983090 983090 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
can also mediae perspecive in an oherwise whie-and-black demarcaed
world Race and ehniciy are undeniable aspecs o Asian American hisory
and experience Te impor o his is a leas woold Firs Asian Americansare posiioned o engage he discussion opened up by black evangelical heo-
logians regarding conemporary heology991252even in is evangelical guises991252as
reflecing he ascen o whie perspecives in he early modern period a he
expense o Jewish and oher nonwhie culural realiies Asian American per-
specives on race and ehniciy will open up new visas on he racial and ehnic
dimensions o he biblical world10486291048632 In oher words he marginalized hisories
and perspecives o Asian American Evangelicals have much o conribue oconemporary biblical inerpreaion and heological explicaion Te dom-
inan orms o evangelical heology orged in par ou o he hegemony o
Chrisendom are in need o criical analysis and dialogical revision
Las bu no leas cenral and ongoing elemens o Asian American hisory
are par o he presen experiences o ransnaionalism and globalizaion Te
issues here are complex10486291048633 One mater ha needs o be addressed is he iner-
woven characer o he global economy and how i affecs people around he world differenly depending on various social poliical and culural circum-
sances In addiion wih regard o he Asian American side o his equaion
here remain difficul issues relaed o how he quesion o assimilaion or ac-
culuraion is being negoiaed and adjudicaed Firs- second- and hird-gener-
aion perspecives differ someimes momenously and his does no even acor
in he perspecives o he 983089983093 generaion I heology is o engage he hisorical
realiies o real flesh-and-blood human beings i mus engage such quesions inour conemporary world Asian American Evangelicals can lead he way in
hinking heologically abou such hings and his will benefi no only Asian
58 Asian Evangelicals hus need o build rom he insighul readings o mainline Proesan biblicalscholar a-Siong Benny Liew Wha Is Asian American Biblical Hermeneuics Reading he New
esamen (Honolulu Universiy o Hawaii Press 1048626983088983088983096) regarding he ehnic dynamics under-neah Jewish-Genile relaions in he New esamen o be sure Liewrsquos mainline Proesan as-sumpions may be raher disan rom evangelical ones so some criical dialogue and perhaps
correcion may also be in order Ye he srengh o Liewrsquos book is o sugges how Asian Americanexperiences o ehnic marginaliy can illuminae he dispues beween Jewish and Genile ollow-ers o he Messiah in he firs cenury Tis is an issue worh subsanial engagemen rom anevangelical perspecive
59Eg Neil J Ormerod and Shane Clifon Globalizaion and he Mission o he Church (New York amp Clark 104862698308810486251048625)
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983090983091
American communiies bu also hose o oher ehnic racial and culural groups
who are also wresling wih lie in he weny-firs-cenury global conex
Evangelical heology oday will need o heed more inenionally han i has beore acors o migraion ehniciy globalizaion and ransnaionalism
Asian American Evangelicals can assis wih hese maters i hey will arise o
he occasion Tis does no derac rom he universaliy o he gospel message
On he conrary i addresses quesions o universal significance ha are oher-
wise negleced or engaged rom or wihin only one (dominan cenris) se
o perspecives
Reconnecting to the broader evangelical theological tradition Beore con-cluding his chaper however an imporan cavea ough o be sounded None
o he preceding should be read as denying eiher Asian American indebedness
o he evangelical radiion or he inerrelaedness o Asian American and oher
evangelical effors in he conemporary heological ask Te preceding migh
sugges ha Asian Americans are only poining accusing fingers a heir whie
evangelical riends Wihou aking away anyhing rom he seriousness o he
oregoing discussion I also realize ha whie Evangelicals in paricular and Americans in general have been welcoming o Asians and ha we have made i
his ar on our diasporic journey only wih he help o such riends
Beyond such ecclesial collegialiy however I would gran ha Asian Amer-
icans are in various respecs beholden heologically o American Evangelicals
as well In paricular American evangelical commimens o Chris-
ceneredness biblical aihulness and missionary zealousness are imporan
elemens o Chrisian belie and pracice in he weny-firs cenury Asian American Evangelicals should embrace and live ou such commimens no
only or hemselves bu also or oher Evangelicals and even or he world
Ye my claim is precisely ha such a posure enables Asian American Evan-
gelicals o conribue heologically o he ormaion o an evangelical belie
and praxis relevan o he weny-firs cenury For his o happen however
Asian American Evangelicals mus embrace no only he evangel bu also he
hisoriciy o heir diasporic experiences Te incarnaion o he Son o Godconsised afer all o aking on he concreeness palpabiliy and emporaliy
o human Jewish and firs-cenury Palesinian flesh and he oupouring o he
Spiri o God on he Day o Penecos involved he redempion o he diversiy
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3535
983089 983090 983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
o human ongues languages and culures so ha hey migh bear winess o
he wondrous works o God (Acs 983090983089983089) Tis penecosal heme991252relaed o
Acs 983090 firs and oremos albei reraced unavoidably hrough he lens o mymodern penecosal ecclesial sensibiliies991252will inorm he deep srucure o
he argumen in he remainder o his volume ye achieved wihin a pen-
evangelical raher han merely charismaic rame o reerence My poin going
orward however is ha in ligh o hese heological and riniarian commi-
mens Evangelicals should be he firs o embrace he diversiy o heir his-
orical pariculariies raher han shy away rom hem radiionally o course
Evangelicals have subordinaed he vicissiudes o hisory and wih ha heiranxieies abou he flux and subjeciviies o experience o he surey and
oundaionalism o he Word o God as revealed in he Scripures My pro-
posal however is ha work o God in Chris and by he Spiri redeems us
amid wih and hrough he specificiies o our hisorical and culural expe-
rience (raher han saving us rom ou o such alogeher) and hus ha he
Word o God speaks ino such realiies (raher han ha we have o deny hem
or rejec hem as par o who we are)In shor Asian American Evangelicals do no need o be apologeic abou
heir lives experiences and perspecives Raher by ollowing he pah o he
Son o God ino he ar counry by receiving he infilling o he Spiri o God
poured ou on all flesh and by aihully atemping o live ou such a Chris-
cenered and Spiri-empowered aih in he ooseps o heir evangelical ore-
bears and ancesors Asian Americans may hen be able o bring heir heo-
logical gifs o he conversaion able gifs ha will challenge he discussion while simulaneously enriching he are or all hose concerned abou he
euangelion in he presen ime I is ime o heologize as Asian Americans no
jus as Evangelicals in order ha Evangelicalism isel can be renewed and
invigoraed or he sake o he gospel and in anicipaion o he reign o God
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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983089 983089 983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
he imporance o he biblical and heological heme o subsiuion or he
docrine o he aonemen I am simply suggesing ha oher culural perspec-
ives and even assumpions migh highligh and emphasize oher biblicalmeaphors regarding Chrisrsquos salvific work
Bu o pursue he quesion ono Asian American errain wha difference
will i make i we recognize ha some Asians and Asian Americans live and
exis in a shame raher han guil culure How migh evangelical hinking
abou he aonemen be adjused revised and maybe even ransormed i
Chrisrsquos work no only assuaged he guil o sin rom human lives bu also re-
moved he shame in human hears10486281048628 My poin is ha evangelical heologicalendencies generally urge a universalisic sandpoin and in his paradigm
here is no need o atend o he pariculariies o or ariculae Asian Asian
American or oher culural perspecives since hese are all subsumed wihin he
biblical ramework read in an evangelical way In his case here isnrsquo even a
need o ask wheher radiional evangelical heologies and docrines like hose
regarding he aonemen may need o be revisied and reariculaed in ligh o
oher hisorical culural and experienial dynamics In ac Asian Americansare boh oo shameul and oo shy o even consider asking abou hese maters
I have argued so ar in his secion ha Asian American Evangelicals ormed
heologically according o he sensibiliies o he dominan evangelical culure
in Norh America have inernalized he whie evangelical worldview and in ha
sense mosly do no see he need o hink explicily rom an Asian American
vanage poin Asian American evangelical views are hereore a bes no more
han a minoriy heological perspecive wo relaed summary consequenceshave ollowed Asian American acquiescence o he majoriy culure Firs meh-
odologically and maerially evangelical heology has been undersood o be a-
hisorical a-culural and even a-conexual Te assumpion is ha he Bible
addresses all human beings so any plain reading o he Scripure will or should
be able o access he Word o God a any and all imes and places radiionally
ormulaed and ramed evangelical docrines derived rom an inducive sudy
44 Asian Americans are beginning o do jus his however991252eg Rachel Y Lei ldquoSaving Significanceo he Cross in he Asian American Conexrdquo SANACS Journal 1048625 (1048626983088983088983097) 983097983093-10486251048625983094 c Mark D Bakerand Joel B Green Recovering he Scandal o he Cross Te Aonemen in New esamen and Con-
emporary Conexs (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 1048626983088983088983088) chap 983094 ldquoRemoving AlienaingShame Te Saving Significance o he Cross in Japanrdquo
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983093
o Scripure hus orm he undispuable and unrevisable core o he gospel
Tere is litle recogniion o he hisorical culural and conexual perspecives
ha have conribued o he ariculaion o such evangelical belies Wha his means is ha here sill remains a core se o evangelical docrinal
achievemens and hese remain valid across space and ime alhough hey
may be supplemened by or ranslaed ino local conexual and siuaional
perspecives and idioms As we saw previously (chaper one) he recen Cam-
bridge Companion o Evangelical Teology reflecs precisely his mindse10486281048629 Te
Companion we know is divided ino wo pars Te firs is iled ldquoEvan-
gelicals and Chrisian Docrinerdquo and his includes eigh chapers on he oun-daional docrinal marix o evangelical belies he riniy Scripure chris-
ology heological anhropology jusificaionaonemen pneumaology
conversionsancificaion and ecclesiology Par wo ldquoTe Conexs o Evan-
gelical Teologyrdquo hen provides anoher nine chapers and hese cover issues
relaed o culure gender race and pluralism and include five chapers on
evangelical heology in Arican Asian European Lain American and Norh
American conexs Tis srucure o he Companion communicaes a wooldmessage ha evangelical docrine is a-conexually derived (par one) and
ha various hisorical conexs (par wo) can add a mos parochial ruhs
ha will no upse he docrinal supersrucure o he evangelical heological
landscape In shor basic heological and docrinal ruhs o he Chrisian
aih have already been ormulaed and can be ound in any oher evangelical
sysemaic heological ex quie apar rom Asian American or any oher
more specified perspecivesPu more poinedly i Asian Americans (or any oher ehnic or culural
group) were o wrie heir own heologies hese would be provincial under-
akings wih marginal relevance or he wider evangelical communiy Tese
would be o value only or ldquohoserdquo people (maybe immigrans reugees or
exiles) who have no ye been assimilaed ino he broader American evan-
gelical culure Litle wonder hen ha ew Asian Americans have venured
ino heological errioryhe second summary consequence o inernalizing he dominan
45imohy Larsen and Daniel J reier eds Te Cambridge Companion o Evangelical Teology (Cambridge Cambridge Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983095)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2735
983089 983089983094 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
worldview991252ha evangelical heology a leas in is dogmaic and sysemaic
configuraions is by and large a finished projec wih minimal inpu needed
rom Asian American or oher perspecives991252is ha Asian Americans wihheological educaion have urned in general o work in he hisorical and
social scienific disciplines10486281048630 Tere cerainly remains imporan work o be
done by hose working across he disciplines so I am no decrying such effors
Ye he ac ha hisorical sociological or oher disciplinary explicaions o
Asian American lie are published by universiy presses communicaes o
Asian Americans ha heir role is o shed new ligh on he Asian American
experience A he same ime he prevalence o hese analyical approachesamid he lacuna o explicily heological works suggess ha he ormer is o
minimal value a leas or he ldquorealrdquo heological work o dogmaics and sys-
emaics Furher ha hese scholarly publishers do no eaure exs on Asian
American evangelical heology confirms his division o labor (whie Evan-
gelicals wrie real heology Asian American Evangelicals do hisory sociology
ec) A he end o he day evangelical heologyrsquos assumpion remains undis-
urbed ha here are core docrines ha only need o be conexualized991252ha is ranslaed and made relevan991252around he world In his ramework
Asian Americans can conribue no o he ormer heological ormulaion bu
only o he later ranslaion and disseminaion ask10486281048631
46Eg he work o imohy seng and David Yoo in hisory Fenggang Yang and Rebecca Kim insociology and Russell Jeung in Asian American sudies among ohers see also my ldquoAsian Amer-ican Religion A Review Essayrdquo Nova Religio Te Journal o Alernaive and Emergen Religions 983097
no 1048627 (1048626983088983088983094) 9830971048626-104862598308898309547One could argue ha a parallel ye disinc moivaion drives Lain American or Hispanic evan-
gelical heology in a similar direcion I Asian Americans are cauioned agains hinking heo-logically rom ou o ehnic hisorical and conexual lives because o heir uncriical embrace o whie evangelical assumpions Hispanic Evangelicals may have adoped similar commimensalbei or slighly differen reasons relaed o he Lain American conex Te dominance o heRoman Caholic Church along wih is heological and olk radiions in he later environmenmay be behind Hispanic evangelical suspicions abou he role o hisory and culure in he doingo heology Te ani-Caholic senimen in hisoric Evangelicalism no doub is atracive oLainoas on he migran rail (rom Lain America o he Unied Saes) alhough such accom-modaion has brough wih i he heological coss elaboraed in he preceding pages For urher
discussion and oher angles on hese issues see Oscar Garcia-Johnson Te Mesizoa Communiyo he Spiri A Posmodern Lainoa Ecclesiology (Eugene OR Wip amp Sock 1048626983088983088983097) Sammy Alaro Divino Compantildeero oward a Hispanic Penecosal Chrisology (Eugene OR Pickwick10486269830881048625983088) Juan Mariacutenez ldquolsquoOuside he Gaersquo Evangelicalism and Laino Proesan Teologyrdquo in JeffreyGreenman and Gene L Green eds Global Teology in Evangelical Perspecive Exploring he Conex-
ual Naure o Teology and Mission (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 104862698308810486251048626) pp 1048625983095983097-983097983092 and
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983095
T983144983141 M983137983150983140983137983156983141 983151983142 A983155983145983137983150 A983149983141983154983145983139983137983150 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161
Te preceding analysis raises sel-criical awareness or Asian American Evan-
gelicals and invies hem in dialogue wih oher Evangelicals o consider wheher heir minoriy saus is problemaic and wha i anyhing can and
ough o be done abou i Now I am aware ha here are developmens wihin
he evangelical heological radiion broadly consrued ha have moved
beyond some o he sricures idenified in he preceding secion Progressive
Evangelicals he evangelical lef and posconservaive Evangelicals denoe jus
a ew o he rends among ohers percolaing on he margins o evangelical
heology10486281048632 Bu ha is precisely par o he problem hese are movemens haexcep or a small minoriy remain ouside he evangelical mainsream and
have also by and large been ignored by Asian American evangelical scholars
and heologians I believe ha producive ways orward can be chared via
Asian American Evangelicals in dialogue wih some o hese ideas alhough
a he end o he day such conversaions will only be producive as Asian
American Evangelicals ormulae a plaorm on which hey can bring some-
hing subsanive o he discussion Tis later ask is par o he presen chal-lenge and burden o he presen book
Insoar hen as I am ineresed in he quesion o wha Asian Americans can
conribue o evangelical heology no jus hisorically or sociologically bu a
a heological level my claim is ha pursui o hese maters ironically also in-
volves aking seriously he hisoriciy and pariculariy o Asian American cul-
ures experiences and perspecives In his final par o his chaper I do no
more han sugges in broad srokes how o go abou such an underakingRealities o the Asian American diaspora Par o ldquohe problem o evan-
gelical heologyrdquo can be clarified i we siuae Asian American evangelical
heology amid he broader Asian American diasporic hisorical and social
realiies described in par a he beginning o chaper wo Doing so enables
he sark realizaion ha Asian American Evangelicals are composed by a
wide range o experiences on he one hand and pressure o assimilae o
Juan F Mariacutenez and Lindy Scot eds Los Evangeacutelicos Porrais o Laino Proesanism in he
Unied Saes (Eugene OR Wip amp Sock 1048626983088983088983097)48Many o hese are discussed in Roger E Olson Reormed and Always Reorming Te Posconser-
vaive Approach o Evangelical Teology (Grand Rapids Baker Academic 1048626983088983088983095)
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983089 983089983096 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
American culure on he oher W hile Asians have lived in Norh America
since he ounding o he republic and had even conribued o he building
o he American empire during he nineeenh cenury he 983089983097983094983093 Immigraion Ac ha repealed he Orienal Exclusion Ac o 983089983097983090983092 reopened he door o a
new wave o Asian migraion During he las generaion Asian American lie
has been urher ransormed by he orces o globalizaion diasporas creaed
by modernizaion indusrializaion and urbanizaion reugee populaions
displaced by war amine and climae changes movemen enabled by he
emergence o a worldwide marke economy advances in echnology and mass
communicaion he cross-erilizaion o ideologies and shifs in inerna-ional relaions10486281048633 Te resul as saw in he previous chaper is he appearance
o a wide range o Asian American communiies across Norh America Lie
in such communiies is fluid affeced by migraion paterns socioeconomic
pressures and he srengh o relaions wih hose ldquoback homerdquo Te sronger
he ransnaional ies beween Asian immigrans in he Wes and heir amilies
organizaions and insiuions (religious and oherwise) in heir homeland
he more inense and longer-lasing he exchange o religious goods and ideas(in he orm o books periodicals and various orms o elecommunicaion)
Unsurprisingly hen firs-generaion immigrans ofen deepen he reli-
gious commimens ha hey held or praciced perhaps more nominally
beore moving Someimes immigrans conver o he more dominan religion
o heir new home In eiher case religious affiliaion ofen serves o secure
social neworks coner saus oherwise difficul o come by or immigrans
and srenghen ehnic culural and linguisic bonds and ideniies Bu or he983089983093 generaion (hose born in Asia bu who grew up a leas in par in he
Unied Saes like mysel) he process o assimilaion is well under way In
hese cases he ehnic enclave will develop English-speaking secions as well
as social organizaions school clubs and Chrisian congregaions
For young adul Asian American Evangelicals however here is ofen a
49For an overview o hese issues see Wanni W Anderson and Rober G Lee eds Displacemensand Diasporas Asians in he Americas (New Brunswick NJ Rugers Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983093) Idiscuss urher he implicaions o globalizaion or Chrisian heology in Amos Yong and PeerHelzel ldquoRober Cummings Neville and he Global Fuure o Teologyrdquo in Yong and Helzel edsTeology in Global Conex Essays in Honor o Rober Cummings Neville (New York amp Clark1048626983088983088983092) pp 1048626983097-9830921048626 esp pp 1048627983088-1048627983092
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983097
keen sense ha heir own ehnically organized congregaions or groups are
somehow less religiously and heologically legiimae because hey do no
have he more ldquouniversalrdquo appeal o whie or muliculural evangelicalchurches or parachurch organizaions10486291048624 Te resul is eiher he ransiion o
ehnic congregaions ino pan-ehnic congregaions or movemen rom heir
ldquohomerdquo congregaion o oher less ehnically defined church environmens1048629983089
By he ime he second generaion atains adulhood he remaining culural
or linguisic barriers o ull assimilaion ino American sociey are pracically
overcome ofen o he dismay o parens and grandparens1048629983090
Wha does such assimilaion consis o Cerainly speaking Englishparicipaing in he marke economy and adaping o he opions provided
by American seculariy and poliics are minimal adjusmens Bu perhaps
assimilaion also requires abandoning he norms o he immigran culure
in avor o American norms or amily and gender relaions and engaging
wih he public square on is erms I so would his no lead o an evan-
gelical sel-undersanding deeply ormed by American culure poliics
and economics Would his no resul in a subordinaion and even deor-maion o all ha is Asian excep or he biological phenoype I would
appear hen ha becoming American would more easily aciliae he
embrace o evangelical Chrisianiy991252i such is deined as a suburban
Midwesern whie middle-class religious phenomenon wih Wheaon
Illinois as is veriable ldquoMeccardquo991252bu his brings wih i he cos o losing
onersquos Asianness Does his mean ha ull accepance o Evangelicalism
50See eg Rebecca Y Kim ldquoNegoiaion o Ehnic and Religious Boundaries by Asian AmericanCampus Evangelicalsrdquo in ony Carnes and Fenggang Yang eds Asian American Religions Te
Making and Remaking o Borders and Boundaries (New York New York Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983092) pp10486259830921048625-983093983097 and Rudy V Buso ldquoTe Gospel According o he Model Minoriy Hazarding an Inerpre-aion o Asian American Evangelical College Sudensrdquo in David K Yoo ed New Spiriual Homes
Religion and Asian Americans (Honolulu Universiy o Hawaii Press 1048625983097983097983097) pp 1048625983094983097-98309698309551See Russell Jeung Faihul Generaions Race and New Asian American Churches (New Brunswick
NJ Rugers Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983092)52 As can be discerned by reading beween he lines o he Bible sudies in om Linrsquos Losing Face
and Finding Grace Tis appears o be he case wheher he second generaion inenionally a-emps o disinguish is ehnic congregaional lie rom ha o he firs immigran generaion or wheher he second generaion becomes absorbed ino nonehnic or even muliehnic congrega-ions on his poin see Elaine Howard Ecklund ldquoModels o Civic Responsibiliy Korean Amer-icans in Congregaions wih Differen Ehnic Composiionsrdquo Journal or he Scienific Sudy o
Religion 983092983092 no 1048625 (1048626983088983088983093) 1048625983093-1048626983096
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3135
983089 983090 983088 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
includes ldquorepenancerdquo rom Asia and ldquoconversionrdquo o Americanism1048629983091
Ta his is no he case seems o be borne ou by he sociological lieraure
which confirms ha ehniciy remains jus as imporan as religion in he or-maion o Asian American ideniy10486291048628 Bu i so evangelical heology has no
even begun o wresle wih he imporance o ehniciy and race no o
menion heir heological implicaions Second-generaion Korean Amer-
icans or insance seem o be inuiively drawn o churches and parachurch
minisries ha oreground heir Korean culural ideniy10486291048629 bu hey have
developed ew heological raionales or such orms o social organizaion
more o he poin heir own heological presupposiions miigae agains suchaciviy which may explain heir ideniy conflicedness
Unsurprisingly hen Asian American evangelical heology has ye o ge
off he ground even a he beginning o he weny-firs cenury Asian
American Evangelicals geting degrees rom insiuions o higher educaion
have had o wresle wihagains his assimilaive impulse o sruggle wih he
quesion o wheher hey are or should be doing (descripive) sociology raher
han heology (as normaive reflecion) and o ariculae an apologeic ordoing Asian American evangelical heology raher han jus evangelical he-
ology For oo many Asian American Evangelicals heir saus ldquobewix and
beweenrdquo991252on he one hand belonging o Asia and o he Unied Saes in
some respecs bu on he oher hand being a sranger o boh Asia and he
Unied Saes in oher respecs991252pus hem in a unique posiion o inerrogae
evangelical heology bu (o dae) leaves hem ouside he ormal organiza-
ional and insiuional srucures o criique effecively and ransorm heevangelical heological radiion
53One could also make he reverse argumen however ha Evangelicalism in he Unied Saes hasalready been molded by is social culural and hisorical conex o he exen ha he very eauresha mark he American way o lie991252ie individualism experienialism pragmaism even con-sumerism991252have also come o characerize evangelical Chrisianiy For an insighul analysis ohe ofenimes uncriical conflaion o Evangelicalism and Americanism and o he orces ha havealso resised such accommodaions see D G Har Ta Old-ime Religion in Modern America
Evangelical Proesanism in he wenieh Cenury (Chicago Ivan R Dee 10486269830889830881048626)54See Jerry Z Park ldquoTe Ehnic and Religious Ideniies o Young Asian Americansrdquo (PhD diss
Universiy o Nore Dame 1048626983088983088983092)55See Sharon Kim and Rebecca Y Kim ldquoSecond-Generaion Korean American Chrisiansrsquo Com-
muniies Congregaional Hybridiyrdquo in Carolyn Chen and Russell Jeung eds Susaining Faih
radiions Race Ehniciy and Religion Among he Laino and Asian American Second Generaion (New York New York Universiy Press 104862698308810486251048626) pp 1048625983095983094-9830971048627
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983090 983089
Moving trajectories o theological reflection O course i Asian Americans
hope o climb he ranks o he Norh American evangelical heological
academy hey can only do so on he erms esablished by heir hoss Andraher han responding o sociopoliical acors he evangelical heological
guild has always undersood isel primarily in heological erms and seen is
charge as deending hisorical orhodoxy wheher ha be agains liberalismrsquos
denial o biblical supernauralism agains neo-orhodoxyrsquos ambiguous sance
on Scripure agains mainsream sciencersquos heory o evoluion agains open
heismrsquos docrine o God and so on10486291048630 I evangelical heology has never
beore enerained ehnic perspecives in is discursive consrucion why nowundermine he (is presumed) universal ramework and applicabiliy by
adding he Asian or Asian American qualifiers
While in a sense his enire book provides a se o responses o his quesion
here I sugges hree reasons ha can moivae such a heological pah orward
Firs he Asian diaspora in he Unied Saes is now in a siuaion o reflec
subsanively on is experience o migraion While here are remendous
challenges o migraion10486291048631 some Asian Americans have achieved a level oupward social mobiliy so ha hey are now in he posiion o producing
scholarship inormed by such experienial perspecives Since he memory o
migraion among Asian Americans is more recen han hose o heir Cau-
casian colleagues such perspecives migh be helpul o ideniy how he mi-
graion rom he European coninen has shaped he evangelical heological
enerprise as a whole I Asian Americans can help heir evangelical colleagues
ideniy he hisorical impac o old o new world migraion on he belies andpracices o Norh American Evangelicalism ha in isel will open up pos-
sibiliies or considering aresh Asian American hisories and heir conribu-
ions o he wider conversaion
Second Asian Americans are orced o hink abou race and ehniciy in a
way unlike mos o heir whie brohers and sisers alhough heir reflecions
56Evangelical heologyrsquos many inernal and exernal batles are documened by Jon R Sone On heBoundaries o American Evangelicalism Te Poswar Evangelical Coaliion (New York S MarinrsquosPress 1048625983097983097983095)
57Some o hese are documened by Kenneh J Gues God in Chinaown Religion and Survival in
New Yorkrsquos Evolving Immigran Communiy (New York New York Universiy Press 10486269830889830881048627) whose work we will reurn o in chaper six
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3335
983089 983090 983090 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
can also mediae perspecive in an oherwise whie-and-black demarcaed
world Race and ehniciy are undeniable aspecs o Asian American hisory
and experience Te impor o his is a leas woold Firs Asian Americansare posiioned o engage he discussion opened up by black evangelical heo-
logians regarding conemporary heology991252even in is evangelical guises991252as
reflecing he ascen o whie perspecives in he early modern period a he
expense o Jewish and oher nonwhie culural realiies Asian American per-
specives on race and ehniciy will open up new visas on he racial and ehnic
dimensions o he biblical world10486291048632 In oher words he marginalized hisories
and perspecives o Asian American Evangelicals have much o conribue oconemporary biblical inerpreaion and heological explicaion Te dom-
inan orms o evangelical heology orged in par ou o he hegemony o
Chrisendom are in need o criical analysis and dialogical revision
Las bu no leas cenral and ongoing elemens o Asian American hisory
are par o he presen experiences o ransnaionalism and globalizaion Te
issues here are complex10486291048633 One mater ha needs o be addressed is he iner-
woven characer o he global economy and how i affecs people around he world differenly depending on various social poliical and culural circum-
sances In addiion wih regard o he Asian American side o his equaion
here remain difficul issues relaed o how he quesion o assimilaion or ac-
culuraion is being negoiaed and adjudicaed Firs- second- and hird-gener-
aion perspecives differ someimes momenously and his does no even acor
in he perspecives o he 983089983093 generaion I heology is o engage he hisorical
realiies o real flesh-and-blood human beings i mus engage such quesions inour conemporary world Asian American Evangelicals can lead he way in
hinking heologically abou such hings and his will benefi no only Asian
58 Asian Evangelicals hus need o build rom he insighul readings o mainline Proesan biblicalscholar a-Siong Benny Liew Wha Is Asian American Biblical Hermeneuics Reading he New
esamen (Honolulu Universiy o Hawaii Press 1048626983088983088983096) regarding he ehnic dynamics under-neah Jewish-Genile relaions in he New esamen o be sure Liewrsquos mainline Proesan as-sumpions may be raher disan rom evangelical ones so some criical dialogue and perhaps
correcion may also be in order Ye he srengh o Liewrsquos book is o sugges how Asian Americanexperiences o ehnic marginaliy can illuminae he dispues beween Jewish and Genile ollow-ers o he Messiah in he firs cenury Tis is an issue worh subsanial engagemen rom anevangelical perspecive
59Eg Neil J Ormerod and Shane Clifon Globalizaion and he Mission o he Church (New York amp Clark 104862698308810486251048625)
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983090983091
American communiies bu also hose o oher ehnic racial and culural groups
who are also wresling wih lie in he weny-firs-cenury global conex
Evangelical heology oday will need o heed more inenionally han i has beore acors o migraion ehniciy globalizaion and ransnaionalism
Asian American Evangelicals can assis wih hese maters i hey will arise o
he occasion Tis does no derac rom he universaliy o he gospel message
On he conrary i addresses quesions o universal significance ha are oher-
wise negleced or engaged rom or wihin only one (dominan cenris) se
o perspecives
Reconnecting to the broader evangelical theological tradition Beore con-cluding his chaper however an imporan cavea ough o be sounded None
o he preceding should be read as denying eiher Asian American indebedness
o he evangelical radiion or he inerrelaedness o Asian American and oher
evangelical effors in he conemporary heological ask Te preceding migh
sugges ha Asian Americans are only poining accusing fingers a heir whie
evangelical riends Wihou aking away anyhing rom he seriousness o he
oregoing discussion I also realize ha whie Evangelicals in paricular and Americans in general have been welcoming o Asians and ha we have made i
his ar on our diasporic journey only wih he help o such riends
Beyond such ecclesial collegialiy however I would gran ha Asian Amer-
icans are in various respecs beholden heologically o American Evangelicals
as well In paricular American evangelical commimens o Chris-
ceneredness biblical aihulness and missionary zealousness are imporan
elemens o Chrisian belie and pracice in he weny-firs cenury Asian American Evangelicals should embrace and live ou such commimens no
only or hemselves bu also or oher Evangelicals and even or he world
Ye my claim is precisely ha such a posure enables Asian American Evan-
gelicals o conribue heologically o he ormaion o an evangelical belie
and praxis relevan o he weny-firs cenury For his o happen however
Asian American Evangelicals mus embrace no only he evangel bu also he
hisoriciy o heir diasporic experiences Te incarnaion o he Son o Godconsised afer all o aking on he concreeness palpabiliy and emporaliy
o human Jewish and firs-cenury Palesinian flesh and he oupouring o he
Spiri o God on he Day o Penecos involved he redempion o he diversiy
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3535
983089 983090 983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
o human ongues languages and culures so ha hey migh bear winess o
he wondrous works o God (Acs 983090983089983089) Tis penecosal heme991252relaed o
Acs 983090 firs and oremos albei reraced unavoidably hrough he lens o mymodern penecosal ecclesial sensibiliies991252will inorm he deep srucure o
he argumen in he remainder o his volume ye achieved wihin a pen-
evangelical raher han merely charismaic rame o reerence My poin going
orward however is ha in ligh o hese heological and riniarian commi-
mens Evangelicals should be he firs o embrace he diversiy o heir his-
orical pariculariies raher han shy away rom hem radiionally o course
Evangelicals have subordinaed he vicissiudes o hisory and wih ha heiranxieies abou he flux and subjeciviies o experience o he surey and
oundaionalism o he Word o God as revealed in he Scripures My pro-
posal however is ha work o God in Chris and by he Spiri redeems us
amid wih and hrough he specificiies o our hisorical and culural expe-
rience (raher han saving us rom ou o such alogeher) and hus ha he
Word o God speaks ino such realiies (raher han ha we have o deny hem
or rejec hem as par o who we are)In shor Asian American Evangelicals do no need o be apologeic abou
heir lives experiences and perspecives Raher by ollowing he pah o he
Son o God ino he ar counry by receiving he infilling o he Spiri o God
poured ou on all flesh and by aihully atemping o live ou such a Chris-
cenered and Spiri-empowered aih in he ooseps o heir evangelical ore-
bears and ancesors Asian Americans may hen be able o bring heir heo-
logical gifs o he conversaion able gifs ha will challenge he discussion while simulaneously enriching he are or all hose concerned abou he
euangelion in he presen ime I is ime o heologize as Asian Americans no
jus as Evangelicals in order ha Evangelicalism isel can be renewed and
invigoraed or he sake o he gospel and in anicipaion o he reign o God
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983093
o Scripure hus orm he undispuable and unrevisable core o he gospel
Tere is litle recogniion o he hisorical culural and conexual perspecives
ha have conribued o he ariculaion o such evangelical belies Wha his means is ha here sill remains a core se o evangelical docrinal
achievemens and hese remain valid across space and ime alhough hey
may be supplemened by or ranslaed ino local conexual and siuaional
perspecives and idioms As we saw previously (chaper one) he recen Cam-
bridge Companion o Evangelical Teology reflecs precisely his mindse10486281048629 Te
Companion we know is divided ino wo pars Te firs is iled ldquoEvan-
gelicals and Chrisian Docrinerdquo and his includes eigh chapers on he oun-daional docrinal marix o evangelical belies he riniy Scripure chris-
ology heological anhropology jusificaionaonemen pneumaology
conversionsancificaion and ecclesiology Par wo ldquoTe Conexs o Evan-
gelical Teologyrdquo hen provides anoher nine chapers and hese cover issues
relaed o culure gender race and pluralism and include five chapers on
evangelical heology in Arican Asian European Lain American and Norh
American conexs Tis srucure o he Companion communicaes a wooldmessage ha evangelical docrine is a-conexually derived (par one) and
ha various hisorical conexs (par wo) can add a mos parochial ruhs
ha will no upse he docrinal supersrucure o he evangelical heological
landscape In shor basic heological and docrinal ruhs o he Chrisian
aih have already been ormulaed and can be ound in any oher evangelical
sysemaic heological ex quie apar rom Asian American or any oher
more specified perspecivesPu more poinedly i Asian Americans (or any oher ehnic or culural
group) were o wrie heir own heologies hese would be provincial under-
akings wih marginal relevance or he wider evangelical communiy Tese
would be o value only or ldquohoserdquo people (maybe immigrans reugees or
exiles) who have no ye been assimilaed ino he broader American evan-
gelical culure Litle wonder hen ha ew Asian Americans have venured
ino heological errioryhe second summary consequence o inernalizing he dominan
45imohy Larsen and Daniel J reier eds Te Cambridge Companion o Evangelical Teology (Cambridge Cambridge Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983095)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
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983089 983089983094 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
worldview991252ha evangelical heology a leas in is dogmaic and sysemaic
configuraions is by and large a finished projec wih minimal inpu needed
rom Asian American or oher perspecives991252is ha Asian Americans wihheological educaion have urned in general o work in he hisorical and
social scienific disciplines10486281048630 Tere cerainly remains imporan work o be
done by hose working across he disciplines so I am no decrying such effors
Ye he ac ha hisorical sociological or oher disciplinary explicaions o
Asian American lie are published by universiy presses communicaes o
Asian Americans ha heir role is o shed new ligh on he Asian American
experience A he same ime he prevalence o hese analyical approachesamid he lacuna o explicily heological works suggess ha he ormer is o
minimal value a leas or he ldquorealrdquo heological work o dogmaics and sys-
emaics Furher ha hese scholarly publishers do no eaure exs on Asian
American evangelical heology confirms his division o labor (whie Evan-
gelicals wrie real heology Asian American Evangelicals do hisory sociology
ec) A he end o he day evangelical heologyrsquos assumpion remains undis-
urbed ha here are core docrines ha only need o be conexualized991252ha is ranslaed and made relevan991252around he world In his ramework
Asian Americans can conribue no o he ormer heological ormulaion bu
only o he later ranslaion and disseminaion ask10486281048631
46Eg he work o imohy seng and David Yoo in hisory Fenggang Yang and Rebecca Kim insociology and Russell Jeung in Asian American sudies among ohers see also my ldquoAsian Amer-ican Religion A Review Essayrdquo Nova Religio Te Journal o Alernaive and Emergen Religions 983097
no 1048627 (1048626983088983088983094) 9830971048626-104862598308898309547One could argue ha a parallel ye disinc moivaion drives Lain American or Hispanic evan-
gelical heology in a similar direcion I Asian Americans are cauioned agains hinking heo-logically rom ou o ehnic hisorical and conexual lives because o heir uncriical embrace o whie evangelical assumpions Hispanic Evangelicals may have adoped similar commimensalbei or slighly differen reasons relaed o he Lain American conex Te dominance o heRoman Caholic Church along wih is heological and olk radiions in he later environmenmay be behind Hispanic evangelical suspicions abou he role o hisory and culure in he doingo heology Te ani-Caholic senimen in hisoric Evangelicalism no doub is atracive oLainoas on he migran rail (rom Lain America o he Unied Saes) alhough such accom-modaion has brough wih i he heological coss elaboraed in he preceding pages For urher
discussion and oher angles on hese issues see Oscar Garcia-Johnson Te Mesizoa Communiyo he Spiri A Posmodern Lainoa Ecclesiology (Eugene OR Wip amp Sock 1048626983088983088983097) Sammy Alaro Divino Compantildeero oward a Hispanic Penecosal Chrisology (Eugene OR Pickwick10486269830881048625983088) Juan Mariacutenez ldquolsquoOuside he Gaersquo Evangelicalism and Laino Proesan Teologyrdquo in JeffreyGreenman and Gene L Green eds Global Teology in Evangelical Perspecive Exploring he Conex-
ual Naure o Teology and Mission (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 104862698308810486251048626) pp 1048625983095983097-983097983092 and
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983095
T983144983141 M983137983150983140983137983156983141 983151983142 A983155983145983137983150 A983149983141983154983145983139983137983150 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161
Te preceding analysis raises sel-criical awareness or Asian American Evan-
gelicals and invies hem in dialogue wih oher Evangelicals o consider wheher heir minoriy saus is problemaic and wha i anyhing can and
ough o be done abou i Now I am aware ha here are developmens wihin
he evangelical heological radiion broadly consrued ha have moved
beyond some o he sricures idenified in he preceding secion Progressive
Evangelicals he evangelical lef and posconservaive Evangelicals denoe jus
a ew o he rends among ohers percolaing on he margins o evangelical
heology10486281048632 Bu ha is precisely par o he problem hese are movemens haexcep or a small minoriy remain ouside he evangelical mainsream and
have also by and large been ignored by Asian American evangelical scholars
and heologians I believe ha producive ways orward can be chared via
Asian American Evangelicals in dialogue wih some o hese ideas alhough
a he end o he day such conversaions will only be producive as Asian
American Evangelicals ormulae a plaorm on which hey can bring some-
hing subsanive o he discussion Tis later ask is par o he presen chal-lenge and burden o he presen book
Insoar hen as I am ineresed in he quesion o wha Asian Americans can
conribue o evangelical heology no jus hisorically or sociologically bu a
a heological level my claim is ha pursui o hese maters ironically also in-
volves aking seriously he hisoriciy and pariculariy o Asian American cul-
ures experiences and perspecives In his final par o his chaper I do no
more han sugges in broad srokes how o go abou such an underakingRealities o the Asian American diaspora Par o ldquohe problem o evan-
gelical heologyrdquo can be clarified i we siuae Asian American evangelical
heology amid he broader Asian American diasporic hisorical and social
realiies described in par a he beginning o chaper wo Doing so enables
he sark realizaion ha Asian American Evangelicals are composed by a
wide range o experiences on he one hand and pressure o assimilae o
Juan F Mariacutenez and Lindy Scot eds Los Evangeacutelicos Porrais o Laino Proesanism in he
Unied Saes (Eugene OR Wip amp Sock 1048626983088983088983097)48Many o hese are discussed in Roger E Olson Reormed and Always Reorming Te Posconser-
vaive Approach o Evangelical Teology (Grand Rapids Baker Academic 1048626983088983088983095)
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2935
983089 983089983096 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
American culure on he oher W hile Asians have lived in Norh America
since he ounding o he republic and had even conribued o he building
o he American empire during he nineeenh cenury he 983089983097983094983093 Immigraion Ac ha repealed he Orienal Exclusion Ac o 983089983097983090983092 reopened he door o a
new wave o Asian migraion During he las generaion Asian American lie
has been urher ransormed by he orces o globalizaion diasporas creaed
by modernizaion indusrializaion and urbanizaion reugee populaions
displaced by war amine and climae changes movemen enabled by he
emergence o a worldwide marke economy advances in echnology and mass
communicaion he cross-erilizaion o ideologies and shifs in inerna-ional relaions10486281048633 Te resul as saw in he previous chaper is he appearance
o a wide range o Asian American communiies across Norh America Lie
in such communiies is fluid affeced by migraion paterns socioeconomic
pressures and he srengh o relaions wih hose ldquoback homerdquo Te sronger
he ransnaional ies beween Asian immigrans in he Wes and heir amilies
organizaions and insiuions (religious and oherwise) in heir homeland
he more inense and longer-lasing he exchange o religious goods and ideas(in he orm o books periodicals and various orms o elecommunicaion)
Unsurprisingly hen firs-generaion immigrans ofen deepen he reli-
gious commimens ha hey held or praciced perhaps more nominally
beore moving Someimes immigrans conver o he more dominan religion
o heir new home In eiher case religious affiliaion ofen serves o secure
social neworks coner saus oherwise difficul o come by or immigrans
and srenghen ehnic culural and linguisic bonds and ideniies Bu or he983089983093 generaion (hose born in Asia bu who grew up a leas in par in he
Unied Saes like mysel) he process o assimilaion is well under way In
hese cases he ehnic enclave will develop English-speaking secions as well
as social organizaions school clubs and Chrisian congregaions
For young adul Asian American Evangelicals however here is ofen a
49For an overview o hese issues see Wanni W Anderson and Rober G Lee eds Displacemensand Diasporas Asians in he Americas (New Brunswick NJ Rugers Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983093) Idiscuss urher he implicaions o globalizaion or Chrisian heology in Amos Yong and PeerHelzel ldquoRober Cummings Neville and he Global Fuure o Teologyrdquo in Yong and Helzel edsTeology in Global Conex Essays in Honor o Rober Cummings Neville (New York amp Clark1048626983088983088983092) pp 1048626983097-9830921048626 esp pp 1048627983088-1048627983092
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983097
keen sense ha heir own ehnically organized congregaions or groups are
somehow less religiously and heologically legiimae because hey do no
have he more ldquouniversalrdquo appeal o whie or muliculural evangelicalchurches or parachurch organizaions10486291048624 Te resul is eiher he ransiion o
ehnic congregaions ino pan-ehnic congregaions or movemen rom heir
ldquohomerdquo congregaion o oher less ehnically defined church environmens1048629983089
By he ime he second generaion atains adulhood he remaining culural
or linguisic barriers o ull assimilaion ino American sociey are pracically
overcome ofen o he dismay o parens and grandparens1048629983090
Wha does such assimilaion consis o Cerainly speaking Englishparicipaing in he marke economy and adaping o he opions provided
by American seculariy and poliics are minimal adjusmens Bu perhaps
assimilaion also requires abandoning he norms o he immigran culure
in avor o American norms or amily and gender relaions and engaging
wih he public square on is erms I so would his no lead o an evan-
gelical sel-undersanding deeply ormed by American culure poliics
and economics Would his no resul in a subordinaion and even deor-maion o all ha is Asian excep or he biological phenoype I would
appear hen ha becoming American would more easily aciliae he
embrace o evangelical Chrisianiy991252i such is deined as a suburban
Midwesern whie middle-class religious phenomenon wih Wheaon
Illinois as is veriable ldquoMeccardquo991252bu his brings wih i he cos o losing
onersquos Asianness Does his mean ha ull accepance o Evangelicalism
50See eg Rebecca Y Kim ldquoNegoiaion o Ehnic and Religious Boundaries by Asian AmericanCampus Evangelicalsrdquo in ony Carnes and Fenggang Yang eds Asian American Religions Te
Making and Remaking o Borders and Boundaries (New York New York Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983092) pp10486259830921048625-983093983097 and Rudy V Buso ldquoTe Gospel According o he Model Minoriy Hazarding an Inerpre-aion o Asian American Evangelical College Sudensrdquo in David K Yoo ed New Spiriual Homes
Religion and Asian Americans (Honolulu Universiy o Hawaii Press 1048625983097983097983097) pp 1048625983094983097-98309698309551See Russell Jeung Faihul Generaions Race and New Asian American Churches (New Brunswick
NJ Rugers Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983092)52 As can be discerned by reading beween he lines o he Bible sudies in om Linrsquos Losing Face
and Finding Grace Tis appears o be he case wheher he second generaion inenionally a-emps o disinguish is ehnic congregaional lie rom ha o he firs immigran generaion or wheher he second generaion becomes absorbed ino nonehnic or even muliehnic congrega-ions on his poin see Elaine Howard Ecklund ldquoModels o Civic Responsibiliy Korean Amer-icans in Congregaions wih Differen Ehnic Composiionsrdquo Journal or he Scienific Sudy o
Religion 983092983092 no 1048625 (1048626983088983088983093) 1048625983093-1048626983096
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3135
983089 983090 983088 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
includes ldquorepenancerdquo rom Asia and ldquoconversionrdquo o Americanism1048629983091
Ta his is no he case seems o be borne ou by he sociological lieraure
which confirms ha ehniciy remains jus as imporan as religion in he or-maion o Asian American ideniy10486291048628 Bu i so evangelical heology has no
even begun o wresle wih he imporance o ehniciy and race no o
menion heir heological implicaions Second-generaion Korean Amer-
icans or insance seem o be inuiively drawn o churches and parachurch
minisries ha oreground heir Korean culural ideniy10486291048629 bu hey have
developed ew heological raionales or such orms o social organizaion
more o he poin heir own heological presupposiions miigae agains suchaciviy which may explain heir ideniy conflicedness
Unsurprisingly hen Asian American evangelical heology has ye o ge
off he ground even a he beginning o he weny-firs cenury Asian
American Evangelicals geting degrees rom insiuions o higher educaion
have had o wresle wihagains his assimilaive impulse o sruggle wih he
quesion o wheher hey are or should be doing (descripive) sociology raher
han heology (as normaive reflecion) and o ariculae an apologeic ordoing Asian American evangelical heology raher han jus evangelical he-
ology For oo many Asian American Evangelicals heir saus ldquobewix and
beweenrdquo991252on he one hand belonging o Asia and o he Unied Saes in
some respecs bu on he oher hand being a sranger o boh Asia and he
Unied Saes in oher respecs991252pus hem in a unique posiion o inerrogae
evangelical heology bu (o dae) leaves hem ouside he ormal organiza-
ional and insiuional srucures o criique effecively and ransorm heevangelical heological radiion
53One could also make he reverse argumen however ha Evangelicalism in he Unied Saes hasalready been molded by is social culural and hisorical conex o he exen ha he very eauresha mark he American way o lie991252ie individualism experienialism pragmaism even con-sumerism991252have also come o characerize evangelical Chrisianiy For an insighul analysis ohe ofenimes uncriical conflaion o Evangelicalism and Americanism and o he orces ha havealso resised such accommodaions see D G Har Ta Old-ime Religion in Modern America
Evangelical Proesanism in he wenieh Cenury (Chicago Ivan R Dee 10486269830889830881048626)54See Jerry Z Park ldquoTe Ehnic and Religious Ideniies o Young Asian Americansrdquo (PhD diss
Universiy o Nore Dame 1048626983088983088983092)55See Sharon Kim and Rebecca Y Kim ldquoSecond-Generaion Korean American Chrisiansrsquo Com-
muniies Congregaional Hybridiyrdquo in Carolyn Chen and Russell Jeung eds Susaining Faih
radiions Race Ehniciy and Religion Among he Laino and Asian American Second Generaion (New York New York Universiy Press 104862698308810486251048626) pp 1048625983095983094-9830971048627
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983090 983089
Moving trajectories o theological reflection O course i Asian Americans
hope o climb he ranks o he Norh American evangelical heological
academy hey can only do so on he erms esablished by heir hoss Andraher han responding o sociopoliical acors he evangelical heological
guild has always undersood isel primarily in heological erms and seen is
charge as deending hisorical orhodoxy wheher ha be agains liberalismrsquos
denial o biblical supernauralism agains neo-orhodoxyrsquos ambiguous sance
on Scripure agains mainsream sciencersquos heory o evoluion agains open
heismrsquos docrine o God and so on10486291048630 I evangelical heology has never
beore enerained ehnic perspecives in is discursive consrucion why nowundermine he (is presumed) universal ramework and applicabiliy by
adding he Asian or Asian American qualifiers
While in a sense his enire book provides a se o responses o his quesion
here I sugges hree reasons ha can moivae such a heological pah orward
Firs he Asian diaspora in he Unied Saes is now in a siuaion o reflec
subsanively on is experience o migraion While here are remendous
challenges o migraion10486291048631 some Asian Americans have achieved a level oupward social mobiliy so ha hey are now in he posiion o producing
scholarship inormed by such experienial perspecives Since he memory o
migraion among Asian Americans is more recen han hose o heir Cau-
casian colleagues such perspecives migh be helpul o ideniy how he mi-
graion rom he European coninen has shaped he evangelical heological
enerprise as a whole I Asian Americans can help heir evangelical colleagues
ideniy he hisorical impac o old o new world migraion on he belies andpracices o Norh American Evangelicalism ha in isel will open up pos-
sibiliies or considering aresh Asian American hisories and heir conribu-
ions o he wider conversaion
Second Asian Americans are orced o hink abou race and ehniciy in a
way unlike mos o heir whie brohers and sisers alhough heir reflecions
56Evangelical heologyrsquos many inernal and exernal batles are documened by Jon R Sone On heBoundaries o American Evangelicalism Te Poswar Evangelical Coaliion (New York S MarinrsquosPress 1048625983097983097983095)
57Some o hese are documened by Kenneh J Gues God in Chinaown Religion and Survival in
New Yorkrsquos Evolving Immigran Communiy (New York New York Universiy Press 10486269830889830881048627) whose work we will reurn o in chaper six
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3335
983089 983090 983090 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
can also mediae perspecive in an oherwise whie-and-black demarcaed
world Race and ehniciy are undeniable aspecs o Asian American hisory
and experience Te impor o his is a leas woold Firs Asian Americansare posiioned o engage he discussion opened up by black evangelical heo-
logians regarding conemporary heology991252even in is evangelical guises991252as
reflecing he ascen o whie perspecives in he early modern period a he
expense o Jewish and oher nonwhie culural realiies Asian American per-
specives on race and ehniciy will open up new visas on he racial and ehnic
dimensions o he biblical world10486291048632 In oher words he marginalized hisories
and perspecives o Asian American Evangelicals have much o conribue oconemporary biblical inerpreaion and heological explicaion Te dom-
inan orms o evangelical heology orged in par ou o he hegemony o
Chrisendom are in need o criical analysis and dialogical revision
Las bu no leas cenral and ongoing elemens o Asian American hisory
are par o he presen experiences o ransnaionalism and globalizaion Te
issues here are complex10486291048633 One mater ha needs o be addressed is he iner-
woven characer o he global economy and how i affecs people around he world differenly depending on various social poliical and culural circum-
sances In addiion wih regard o he Asian American side o his equaion
here remain difficul issues relaed o how he quesion o assimilaion or ac-
culuraion is being negoiaed and adjudicaed Firs- second- and hird-gener-
aion perspecives differ someimes momenously and his does no even acor
in he perspecives o he 983089983093 generaion I heology is o engage he hisorical
realiies o real flesh-and-blood human beings i mus engage such quesions inour conemporary world Asian American Evangelicals can lead he way in
hinking heologically abou such hings and his will benefi no only Asian
58 Asian Evangelicals hus need o build rom he insighul readings o mainline Proesan biblicalscholar a-Siong Benny Liew Wha Is Asian American Biblical Hermeneuics Reading he New
esamen (Honolulu Universiy o Hawaii Press 1048626983088983088983096) regarding he ehnic dynamics under-neah Jewish-Genile relaions in he New esamen o be sure Liewrsquos mainline Proesan as-sumpions may be raher disan rom evangelical ones so some criical dialogue and perhaps
correcion may also be in order Ye he srengh o Liewrsquos book is o sugges how Asian Americanexperiences o ehnic marginaliy can illuminae he dispues beween Jewish and Genile ollow-ers o he Messiah in he firs cenury Tis is an issue worh subsanial engagemen rom anevangelical perspecive
59Eg Neil J Ormerod and Shane Clifon Globalizaion and he Mission o he Church (New York amp Clark 104862698308810486251048625)
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3435
he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983090983091
American communiies bu also hose o oher ehnic racial and culural groups
who are also wresling wih lie in he weny-firs-cenury global conex
Evangelical heology oday will need o heed more inenionally han i has beore acors o migraion ehniciy globalizaion and ransnaionalism
Asian American Evangelicals can assis wih hese maters i hey will arise o
he occasion Tis does no derac rom he universaliy o he gospel message
On he conrary i addresses quesions o universal significance ha are oher-
wise negleced or engaged rom or wihin only one (dominan cenris) se
o perspecives
Reconnecting to the broader evangelical theological tradition Beore con-cluding his chaper however an imporan cavea ough o be sounded None
o he preceding should be read as denying eiher Asian American indebedness
o he evangelical radiion or he inerrelaedness o Asian American and oher
evangelical effors in he conemporary heological ask Te preceding migh
sugges ha Asian Americans are only poining accusing fingers a heir whie
evangelical riends Wihou aking away anyhing rom he seriousness o he
oregoing discussion I also realize ha whie Evangelicals in paricular and Americans in general have been welcoming o Asians and ha we have made i
his ar on our diasporic journey only wih he help o such riends
Beyond such ecclesial collegialiy however I would gran ha Asian Amer-
icans are in various respecs beholden heologically o American Evangelicals
as well In paricular American evangelical commimens o Chris-
ceneredness biblical aihulness and missionary zealousness are imporan
elemens o Chrisian belie and pracice in he weny-firs cenury Asian American Evangelicals should embrace and live ou such commimens no
only or hemselves bu also or oher Evangelicals and even or he world
Ye my claim is precisely ha such a posure enables Asian American Evan-
gelicals o conribue heologically o he ormaion o an evangelical belie
and praxis relevan o he weny-firs cenury For his o happen however
Asian American Evangelicals mus embrace no only he evangel bu also he
hisoriciy o heir diasporic experiences Te incarnaion o he Son o Godconsised afer all o aking on he concreeness palpabiliy and emporaliy
o human Jewish and firs-cenury Palesinian flesh and he oupouring o he
Spiri o God on he Day o Penecos involved he redempion o he diversiy
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3535
983089 983090 983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
o human ongues languages and culures so ha hey migh bear winess o
he wondrous works o God (Acs 983090983089983089) Tis penecosal heme991252relaed o
Acs 983090 firs and oremos albei reraced unavoidably hrough he lens o mymodern penecosal ecclesial sensibiliies991252will inorm he deep srucure o
he argumen in he remainder o his volume ye achieved wihin a pen-
evangelical raher han merely charismaic rame o reerence My poin going
orward however is ha in ligh o hese heological and riniarian commi-
mens Evangelicals should be he firs o embrace he diversiy o heir his-
orical pariculariies raher han shy away rom hem radiionally o course
Evangelicals have subordinaed he vicissiudes o hisory and wih ha heiranxieies abou he flux and subjeciviies o experience o he surey and
oundaionalism o he Word o God as revealed in he Scripures My pro-
posal however is ha work o God in Chris and by he Spiri redeems us
amid wih and hrough he specificiies o our hisorical and culural expe-
rience (raher han saving us rom ou o such alogeher) and hus ha he
Word o God speaks ino such realiies (raher han ha we have o deny hem
or rejec hem as par o who we are)In shor Asian American Evangelicals do no need o be apologeic abou
heir lives experiences and perspecives Raher by ollowing he pah o he
Son o God ino he ar counry by receiving he infilling o he Spiri o God
poured ou on all flesh and by aihully atemping o live ou such a Chris-
cenered and Spiri-empowered aih in he ooseps o heir evangelical ore-
bears and ancesors Asian Americans may hen be able o bring heir heo-
logical gifs o he conversaion able gifs ha will challenge he discussion while simulaneously enriching he are or all hose concerned abou he
euangelion in he presen ime I is ime o heologize as Asian Americans no
jus as Evangelicals in order ha Evangelicalism isel can be renewed and
invigoraed or he sake o he gospel and in anicipaion o he reign o God
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2735
983089 983089983094 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
worldview991252ha evangelical heology a leas in is dogmaic and sysemaic
configuraions is by and large a finished projec wih minimal inpu needed
rom Asian American or oher perspecives991252is ha Asian Americans wihheological educaion have urned in general o work in he hisorical and
social scienific disciplines10486281048630 Tere cerainly remains imporan work o be
done by hose working across he disciplines so I am no decrying such effors
Ye he ac ha hisorical sociological or oher disciplinary explicaions o
Asian American lie are published by universiy presses communicaes o
Asian Americans ha heir role is o shed new ligh on he Asian American
experience A he same ime he prevalence o hese analyical approachesamid he lacuna o explicily heological works suggess ha he ormer is o
minimal value a leas or he ldquorealrdquo heological work o dogmaics and sys-
emaics Furher ha hese scholarly publishers do no eaure exs on Asian
American evangelical heology confirms his division o labor (whie Evan-
gelicals wrie real heology Asian American Evangelicals do hisory sociology
ec) A he end o he day evangelical heologyrsquos assumpion remains undis-
urbed ha here are core docrines ha only need o be conexualized991252ha is ranslaed and made relevan991252around he world In his ramework
Asian Americans can conribue no o he ormer heological ormulaion bu
only o he later ranslaion and disseminaion ask10486281048631
46Eg he work o imohy seng and David Yoo in hisory Fenggang Yang and Rebecca Kim insociology and Russell Jeung in Asian American sudies among ohers see also my ldquoAsian Amer-ican Religion A Review Essayrdquo Nova Religio Te Journal o Alernaive and Emergen Religions 983097
no 1048627 (1048626983088983088983094) 9830971048626-104862598308898309547One could argue ha a parallel ye disinc moivaion drives Lain American or Hispanic evan-
gelical heology in a similar direcion I Asian Americans are cauioned agains hinking heo-logically rom ou o ehnic hisorical and conexual lives because o heir uncriical embrace o whie evangelical assumpions Hispanic Evangelicals may have adoped similar commimensalbei or slighly differen reasons relaed o he Lain American conex Te dominance o heRoman Caholic Church along wih is heological and olk radiions in he later environmenmay be behind Hispanic evangelical suspicions abou he role o hisory and culure in he doingo heology Te ani-Caholic senimen in hisoric Evangelicalism no doub is atracive oLainoas on he migran rail (rom Lain America o he Unied Saes) alhough such accom-modaion has brough wih i he heological coss elaboraed in he preceding pages For urher
discussion and oher angles on hese issues see Oscar Garcia-Johnson Te Mesizoa Communiyo he Spiri A Posmodern Lainoa Ecclesiology (Eugene OR Wip amp Sock 1048626983088983088983097) Sammy Alaro Divino Compantildeero oward a Hispanic Penecosal Chrisology (Eugene OR Pickwick10486269830881048625983088) Juan Mariacutenez ldquolsquoOuside he Gaersquo Evangelicalism and Laino Proesan Teologyrdquo in JeffreyGreenman and Gene L Green eds Global Teology in Evangelical Perspecive Exploring he Conex-
ual Naure o Teology and Mission (Downers Grove IL InerVarsiy Press 104862698308810486251048626) pp 1048625983095983097-983097983092 and
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2835
he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983095
T983144983141 M983137983150983140983137983156983141 983151983142 A983155983145983137983150 A983149983141983154983145983139983137983150 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161
Te preceding analysis raises sel-criical awareness or Asian American Evan-
gelicals and invies hem in dialogue wih oher Evangelicals o consider wheher heir minoriy saus is problemaic and wha i anyhing can and
ough o be done abou i Now I am aware ha here are developmens wihin
he evangelical heological radiion broadly consrued ha have moved
beyond some o he sricures idenified in he preceding secion Progressive
Evangelicals he evangelical lef and posconservaive Evangelicals denoe jus
a ew o he rends among ohers percolaing on he margins o evangelical
heology10486281048632 Bu ha is precisely par o he problem hese are movemens haexcep or a small minoriy remain ouside he evangelical mainsream and
have also by and large been ignored by Asian American evangelical scholars
and heologians I believe ha producive ways orward can be chared via
Asian American Evangelicals in dialogue wih some o hese ideas alhough
a he end o he day such conversaions will only be producive as Asian
American Evangelicals ormulae a plaorm on which hey can bring some-
hing subsanive o he discussion Tis later ask is par o he presen chal-lenge and burden o he presen book
Insoar hen as I am ineresed in he quesion o wha Asian Americans can
conribue o evangelical heology no jus hisorically or sociologically bu a
a heological level my claim is ha pursui o hese maters ironically also in-
volves aking seriously he hisoriciy and pariculariy o Asian American cul-
ures experiences and perspecives In his final par o his chaper I do no
more han sugges in broad srokes how o go abou such an underakingRealities o the Asian American diaspora Par o ldquohe problem o evan-
gelical heologyrdquo can be clarified i we siuae Asian American evangelical
heology amid he broader Asian American diasporic hisorical and social
realiies described in par a he beginning o chaper wo Doing so enables
he sark realizaion ha Asian American Evangelicals are composed by a
wide range o experiences on he one hand and pressure o assimilae o
Juan F Mariacutenez and Lindy Scot eds Los Evangeacutelicos Porrais o Laino Proesanism in he
Unied Saes (Eugene OR Wip amp Sock 1048626983088983088983097)48Many o hese are discussed in Roger E Olson Reormed and Always Reorming Te Posconser-
vaive Approach o Evangelical Teology (Grand Rapids Baker Academic 1048626983088983088983095)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2935
983089 983089983096 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
American culure on he oher W hile Asians have lived in Norh America
since he ounding o he republic and had even conribued o he building
o he American empire during he nineeenh cenury he 983089983097983094983093 Immigraion Ac ha repealed he Orienal Exclusion Ac o 983089983097983090983092 reopened he door o a
new wave o Asian migraion During he las generaion Asian American lie
has been urher ransormed by he orces o globalizaion diasporas creaed
by modernizaion indusrializaion and urbanizaion reugee populaions
displaced by war amine and climae changes movemen enabled by he
emergence o a worldwide marke economy advances in echnology and mass
communicaion he cross-erilizaion o ideologies and shifs in inerna-ional relaions10486281048633 Te resul as saw in he previous chaper is he appearance
o a wide range o Asian American communiies across Norh America Lie
in such communiies is fluid affeced by migraion paterns socioeconomic
pressures and he srengh o relaions wih hose ldquoback homerdquo Te sronger
he ransnaional ies beween Asian immigrans in he Wes and heir amilies
organizaions and insiuions (religious and oherwise) in heir homeland
he more inense and longer-lasing he exchange o religious goods and ideas(in he orm o books periodicals and various orms o elecommunicaion)
Unsurprisingly hen firs-generaion immigrans ofen deepen he reli-
gious commimens ha hey held or praciced perhaps more nominally
beore moving Someimes immigrans conver o he more dominan religion
o heir new home In eiher case religious affiliaion ofen serves o secure
social neworks coner saus oherwise difficul o come by or immigrans
and srenghen ehnic culural and linguisic bonds and ideniies Bu or he983089983093 generaion (hose born in Asia bu who grew up a leas in par in he
Unied Saes like mysel) he process o assimilaion is well under way In
hese cases he ehnic enclave will develop English-speaking secions as well
as social organizaions school clubs and Chrisian congregaions
For young adul Asian American Evangelicals however here is ofen a
49For an overview o hese issues see Wanni W Anderson and Rober G Lee eds Displacemensand Diasporas Asians in he Americas (New Brunswick NJ Rugers Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983093) Idiscuss urher he implicaions o globalizaion or Chrisian heology in Amos Yong and PeerHelzel ldquoRober Cummings Neville and he Global Fuure o Teologyrdquo in Yong and Helzel edsTeology in Global Conex Essays in Honor o Rober Cummings Neville (New York amp Clark1048626983088983088983092) pp 1048626983097-9830921048626 esp pp 1048627983088-1048627983092
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983097
keen sense ha heir own ehnically organized congregaions or groups are
somehow less religiously and heologically legiimae because hey do no
have he more ldquouniversalrdquo appeal o whie or muliculural evangelicalchurches or parachurch organizaions10486291048624 Te resul is eiher he ransiion o
ehnic congregaions ino pan-ehnic congregaions or movemen rom heir
ldquohomerdquo congregaion o oher less ehnically defined church environmens1048629983089
By he ime he second generaion atains adulhood he remaining culural
or linguisic barriers o ull assimilaion ino American sociey are pracically
overcome ofen o he dismay o parens and grandparens1048629983090
Wha does such assimilaion consis o Cerainly speaking Englishparicipaing in he marke economy and adaping o he opions provided
by American seculariy and poliics are minimal adjusmens Bu perhaps
assimilaion also requires abandoning he norms o he immigran culure
in avor o American norms or amily and gender relaions and engaging
wih he public square on is erms I so would his no lead o an evan-
gelical sel-undersanding deeply ormed by American culure poliics
and economics Would his no resul in a subordinaion and even deor-maion o all ha is Asian excep or he biological phenoype I would
appear hen ha becoming American would more easily aciliae he
embrace o evangelical Chrisianiy991252i such is deined as a suburban
Midwesern whie middle-class religious phenomenon wih Wheaon
Illinois as is veriable ldquoMeccardquo991252bu his brings wih i he cos o losing
onersquos Asianness Does his mean ha ull accepance o Evangelicalism
50See eg Rebecca Y Kim ldquoNegoiaion o Ehnic and Religious Boundaries by Asian AmericanCampus Evangelicalsrdquo in ony Carnes and Fenggang Yang eds Asian American Religions Te
Making and Remaking o Borders and Boundaries (New York New York Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983092) pp10486259830921048625-983093983097 and Rudy V Buso ldquoTe Gospel According o he Model Minoriy Hazarding an Inerpre-aion o Asian American Evangelical College Sudensrdquo in David K Yoo ed New Spiriual Homes
Religion and Asian Americans (Honolulu Universiy o Hawaii Press 1048625983097983097983097) pp 1048625983094983097-98309698309551See Russell Jeung Faihul Generaions Race and New Asian American Churches (New Brunswick
NJ Rugers Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983092)52 As can be discerned by reading beween he lines o he Bible sudies in om Linrsquos Losing Face
and Finding Grace Tis appears o be he case wheher he second generaion inenionally a-emps o disinguish is ehnic congregaional lie rom ha o he firs immigran generaion or wheher he second generaion becomes absorbed ino nonehnic or even muliehnic congrega-ions on his poin see Elaine Howard Ecklund ldquoModels o Civic Responsibiliy Korean Amer-icans in Congregaions wih Differen Ehnic Composiionsrdquo Journal or he Scienific Sudy o
Religion 983092983092 no 1048625 (1048626983088983088983093) 1048625983093-1048626983096
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3135
983089 983090 983088 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
includes ldquorepenancerdquo rom Asia and ldquoconversionrdquo o Americanism1048629983091
Ta his is no he case seems o be borne ou by he sociological lieraure
which confirms ha ehniciy remains jus as imporan as religion in he or-maion o Asian American ideniy10486291048628 Bu i so evangelical heology has no
even begun o wresle wih he imporance o ehniciy and race no o
menion heir heological implicaions Second-generaion Korean Amer-
icans or insance seem o be inuiively drawn o churches and parachurch
minisries ha oreground heir Korean culural ideniy10486291048629 bu hey have
developed ew heological raionales or such orms o social organizaion
more o he poin heir own heological presupposiions miigae agains suchaciviy which may explain heir ideniy conflicedness
Unsurprisingly hen Asian American evangelical heology has ye o ge
off he ground even a he beginning o he weny-firs cenury Asian
American Evangelicals geting degrees rom insiuions o higher educaion
have had o wresle wihagains his assimilaive impulse o sruggle wih he
quesion o wheher hey are or should be doing (descripive) sociology raher
han heology (as normaive reflecion) and o ariculae an apologeic ordoing Asian American evangelical heology raher han jus evangelical he-
ology For oo many Asian American Evangelicals heir saus ldquobewix and
beweenrdquo991252on he one hand belonging o Asia and o he Unied Saes in
some respecs bu on he oher hand being a sranger o boh Asia and he
Unied Saes in oher respecs991252pus hem in a unique posiion o inerrogae
evangelical heology bu (o dae) leaves hem ouside he ormal organiza-
ional and insiuional srucures o criique effecively and ransorm heevangelical heological radiion
53One could also make he reverse argumen however ha Evangelicalism in he Unied Saes hasalready been molded by is social culural and hisorical conex o he exen ha he very eauresha mark he American way o lie991252ie individualism experienialism pragmaism even con-sumerism991252have also come o characerize evangelical Chrisianiy For an insighul analysis ohe ofenimes uncriical conflaion o Evangelicalism and Americanism and o he orces ha havealso resised such accommodaions see D G Har Ta Old-ime Religion in Modern America
Evangelical Proesanism in he wenieh Cenury (Chicago Ivan R Dee 10486269830889830881048626)54See Jerry Z Park ldquoTe Ehnic and Religious Ideniies o Young Asian Americansrdquo (PhD diss
Universiy o Nore Dame 1048626983088983088983092)55See Sharon Kim and Rebecca Y Kim ldquoSecond-Generaion Korean American Chrisiansrsquo Com-
muniies Congregaional Hybridiyrdquo in Carolyn Chen and Russell Jeung eds Susaining Faih
radiions Race Ehniciy and Religion Among he Laino and Asian American Second Generaion (New York New York Universiy Press 104862698308810486251048626) pp 1048625983095983094-9830971048627
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3235
he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983090 983089
Moving trajectories o theological reflection O course i Asian Americans
hope o climb he ranks o he Norh American evangelical heological
academy hey can only do so on he erms esablished by heir hoss Andraher han responding o sociopoliical acors he evangelical heological
guild has always undersood isel primarily in heological erms and seen is
charge as deending hisorical orhodoxy wheher ha be agains liberalismrsquos
denial o biblical supernauralism agains neo-orhodoxyrsquos ambiguous sance
on Scripure agains mainsream sciencersquos heory o evoluion agains open
heismrsquos docrine o God and so on10486291048630 I evangelical heology has never
beore enerained ehnic perspecives in is discursive consrucion why nowundermine he (is presumed) universal ramework and applicabiliy by
adding he Asian or Asian American qualifiers
While in a sense his enire book provides a se o responses o his quesion
here I sugges hree reasons ha can moivae such a heological pah orward
Firs he Asian diaspora in he Unied Saes is now in a siuaion o reflec
subsanively on is experience o migraion While here are remendous
challenges o migraion10486291048631 some Asian Americans have achieved a level oupward social mobiliy so ha hey are now in he posiion o producing
scholarship inormed by such experienial perspecives Since he memory o
migraion among Asian Americans is more recen han hose o heir Cau-
casian colleagues such perspecives migh be helpul o ideniy how he mi-
graion rom he European coninen has shaped he evangelical heological
enerprise as a whole I Asian Americans can help heir evangelical colleagues
ideniy he hisorical impac o old o new world migraion on he belies andpracices o Norh American Evangelicalism ha in isel will open up pos-
sibiliies or considering aresh Asian American hisories and heir conribu-
ions o he wider conversaion
Second Asian Americans are orced o hink abou race and ehniciy in a
way unlike mos o heir whie brohers and sisers alhough heir reflecions
56Evangelical heologyrsquos many inernal and exernal batles are documened by Jon R Sone On heBoundaries o American Evangelicalism Te Poswar Evangelical Coaliion (New York S MarinrsquosPress 1048625983097983097983095)
57Some o hese are documened by Kenneh J Gues God in Chinaown Religion and Survival in
New Yorkrsquos Evolving Immigran Communiy (New York New York Universiy Press 10486269830889830881048627) whose work we will reurn o in chaper six
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3335
983089 983090 983090 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
can also mediae perspecive in an oherwise whie-and-black demarcaed
world Race and ehniciy are undeniable aspecs o Asian American hisory
and experience Te impor o his is a leas woold Firs Asian Americansare posiioned o engage he discussion opened up by black evangelical heo-
logians regarding conemporary heology991252even in is evangelical guises991252as
reflecing he ascen o whie perspecives in he early modern period a he
expense o Jewish and oher nonwhie culural realiies Asian American per-
specives on race and ehniciy will open up new visas on he racial and ehnic
dimensions o he biblical world10486291048632 In oher words he marginalized hisories
and perspecives o Asian American Evangelicals have much o conribue oconemporary biblical inerpreaion and heological explicaion Te dom-
inan orms o evangelical heology orged in par ou o he hegemony o
Chrisendom are in need o criical analysis and dialogical revision
Las bu no leas cenral and ongoing elemens o Asian American hisory
are par o he presen experiences o ransnaionalism and globalizaion Te
issues here are complex10486291048633 One mater ha needs o be addressed is he iner-
woven characer o he global economy and how i affecs people around he world differenly depending on various social poliical and culural circum-
sances In addiion wih regard o he Asian American side o his equaion
here remain difficul issues relaed o how he quesion o assimilaion or ac-
culuraion is being negoiaed and adjudicaed Firs- second- and hird-gener-
aion perspecives differ someimes momenously and his does no even acor
in he perspecives o he 983089983093 generaion I heology is o engage he hisorical
realiies o real flesh-and-blood human beings i mus engage such quesions inour conemporary world Asian American Evangelicals can lead he way in
hinking heologically abou such hings and his will benefi no only Asian
58 Asian Evangelicals hus need o build rom he insighul readings o mainline Proesan biblicalscholar a-Siong Benny Liew Wha Is Asian American Biblical Hermeneuics Reading he New
esamen (Honolulu Universiy o Hawaii Press 1048626983088983088983096) regarding he ehnic dynamics under-neah Jewish-Genile relaions in he New esamen o be sure Liewrsquos mainline Proesan as-sumpions may be raher disan rom evangelical ones so some criical dialogue and perhaps
correcion may also be in order Ye he srengh o Liewrsquos book is o sugges how Asian Americanexperiences o ehnic marginaliy can illuminae he dispues beween Jewish and Genile ollow-ers o he Messiah in he firs cenury Tis is an issue worh subsanial engagemen rom anevangelical perspecive
59Eg Neil J Ormerod and Shane Clifon Globalizaion and he Mission o he Church (New York amp Clark 104862698308810486251048625)
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8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3435
he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983090983091
American communiies bu also hose o oher ehnic racial and culural groups
who are also wresling wih lie in he weny-firs-cenury global conex
Evangelical heology oday will need o heed more inenionally han i has beore acors o migraion ehniciy globalizaion and ransnaionalism
Asian American Evangelicals can assis wih hese maters i hey will arise o
he occasion Tis does no derac rom he universaliy o he gospel message
On he conrary i addresses quesions o universal significance ha are oher-
wise negleced or engaged rom or wihin only one (dominan cenris) se
o perspecives
Reconnecting to the broader evangelical theological tradition Beore con-cluding his chaper however an imporan cavea ough o be sounded None
o he preceding should be read as denying eiher Asian American indebedness
o he evangelical radiion or he inerrelaedness o Asian American and oher
evangelical effors in he conemporary heological ask Te preceding migh
sugges ha Asian Americans are only poining accusing fingers a heir whie
evangelical riends Wihou aking away anyhing rom he seriousness o he
oregoing discussion I also realize ha whie Evangelicals in paricular and Americans in general have been welcoming o Asians and ha we have made i
his ar on our diasporic journey only wih he help o such riends
Beyond such ecclesial collegialiy however I would gran ha Asian Amer-
icans are in various respecs beholden heologically o American Evangelicals
as well In paricular American evangelical commimens o Chris-
ceneredness biblical aihulness and missionary zealousness are imporan
elemens o Chrisian belie and pracice in he weny-firs cenury Asian American Evangelicals should embrace and live ou such commimens no
only or hemselves bu also or oher Evangelicals and even or he world
Ye my claim is precisely ha such a posure enables Asian American Evan-
gelicals o conribue heologically o he ormaion o an evangelical belie
and praxis relevan o he weny-firs cenury For his o happen however
Asian American Evangelicals mus embrace no only he evangel bu also he
hisoriciy o heir diasporic experiences Te incarnaion o he Son o Godconsised afer all o aking on he concreeness palpabiliy and emporaliy
o human Jewish and firs-cenury Palesinian flesh and he oupouring o he
Spiri o God on he Day o Penecos involved he redempion o he diversiy
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3535
983089 983090 983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
o human ongues languages and culures so ha hey migh bear winess o
he wondrous works o God (Acs 983090983089983089) Tis penecosal heme991252relaed o
Acs 983090 firs and oremos albei reraced unavoidably hrough he lens o mymodern penecosal ecclesial sensibiliies991252will inorm he deep srucure o
he argumen in he remainder o his volume ye achieved wihin a pen-
evangelical raher han merely charismaic rame o reerence My poin going
orward however is ha in ligh o hese heological and riniarian commi-
mens Evangelicals should be he firs o embrace he diversiy o heir his-
orical pariculariies raher han shy away rom hem radiionally o course
Evangelicals have subordinaed he vicissiudes o hisory and wih ha heiranxieies abou he flux and subjeciviies o experience o he surey and
oundaionalism o he Word o God as revealed in he Scripures My pro-
posal however is ha work o God in Chris and by he Spiri redeems us
amid wih and hrough he specificiies o our hisorical and culural expe-
rience (raher han saving us rom ou o such alogeher) and hus ha he
Word o God speaks ino such realiies (raher han ha we have o deny hem
or rejec hem as par o who we are)In shor Asian American Evangelicals do no need o be apologeic abou
heir lives experiences and perspecives Raher by ollowing he pah o he
Son o God ino he ar counry by receiving he infilling o he Spiri o God
poured ou on all flesh and by aihully atemping o live ou such a Chris-
cenered and Spiri-empowered aih in he ooseps o heir evangelical ore-
bears and ancesors Asian Americans may hen be able o bring heir heo-
logical gifs o he conversaion able gifs ha will challenge he discussion while simulaneously enriching he are or all hose concerned abou he
euangelion in he presen ime I is ime o heologize as Asian Americans no
jus as Evangelicals in order ha Evangelicalism isel can be renewed and
invigoraed or he sake o he gospel and in anicipaion o he reign o God
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2835
he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983095
T983144983141 M983137983150983140983137983156983141 983151983142 A983155983145983137983150 A983149983141983154983145983139983137983150 E983158983137983150983143983141983148983145983139983137983148 T983144983141983151983148983151983143983161
Te preceding analysis raises sel-criical awareness or Asian American Evan-
gelicals and invies hem in dialogue wih oher Evangelicals o consider wheher heir minoriy saus is problemaic and wha i anyhing can and
ough o be done abou i Now I am aware ha here are developmens wihin
he evangelical heological radiion broadly consrued ha have moved
beyond some o he sricures idenified in he preceding secion Progressive
Evangelicals he evangelical lef and posconservaive Evangelicals denoe jus
a ew o he rends among ohers percolaing on he margins o evangelical
heology10486281048632 Bu ha is precisely par o he problem hese are movemens haexcep or a small minoriy remain ouside he evangelical mainsream and
have also by and large been ignored by Asian American evangelical scholars
and heologians I believe ha producive ways orward can be chared via
Asian American Evangelicals in dialogue wih some o hese ideas alhough
a he end o he day such conversaions will only be producive as Asian
American Evangelicals ormulae a plaorm on which hey can bring some-
hing subsanive o he discussion Tis later ask is par o he presen chal-lenge and burden o he presen book
Insoar hen as I am ineresed in he quesion o wha Asian Americans can
conribue o evangelical heology no jus hisorically or sociologically bu a
a heological level my claim is ha pursui o hese maters ironically also in-
volves aking seriously he hisoriciy and pariculariy o Asian American cul-
ures experiences and perspecives In his final par o his chaper I do no
more han sugges in broad srokes how o go abou such an underakingRealities o the Asian American diaspora Par o ldquohe problem o evan-
gelical heologyrdquo can be clarified i we siuae Asian American evangelical
heology amid he broader Asian American diasporic hisorical and social
realiies described in par a he beginning o chaper wo Doing so enables
he sark realizaion ha Asian American Evangelicals are composed by a
wide range o experiences on he one hand and pressure o assimilae o
Juan F Mariacutenez and Lindy Scot eds Los Evangeacutelicos Porrais o Laino Proesanism in he
Unied Saes (Eugene OR Wip amp Sock 1048626983088983088983097)48Many o hese are discussed in Roger E Olson Reormed and Always Reorming Te Posconser-
vaive Approach o Evangelical Teology (Grand Rapids Baker Academic 1048626983088983088983095)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2935
983089 983089983096 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
American culure on he oher W hile Asians have lived in Norh America
since he ounding o he republic and had even conribued o he building
o he American empire during he nineeenh cenury he 983089983097983094983093 Immigraion Ac ha repealed he Orienal Exclusion Ac o 983089983097983090983092 reopened he door o a
new wave o Asian migraion During he las generaion Asian American lie
has been urher ransormed by he orces o globalizaion diasporas creaed
by modernizaion indusrializaion and urbanizaion reugee populaions
displaced by war amine and climae changes movemen enabled by he
emergence o a worldwide marke economy advances in echnology and mass
communicaion he cross-erilizaion o ideologies and shifs in inerna-ional relaions10486281048633 Te resul as saw in he previous chaper is he appearance
o a wide range o Asian American communiies across Norh America Lie
in such communiies is fluid affeced by migraion paterns socioeconomic
pressures and he srengh o relaions wih hose ldquoback homerdquo Te sronger
he ransnaional ies beween Asian immigrans in he Wes and heir amilies
organizaions and insiuions (religious and oherwise) in heir homeland
he more inense and longer-lasing he exchange o religious goods and ideas(in he orm o books periodicals and various orms o elecommunicaion)
Unsurprisingly hen firs-generaion immigrans ofen deepen he reli-
gious commimens ha hey held or praciced perhaps more nominally
beore moving Someimes immigrans conver o he more dominan religion
o heir new home In eiher case religious affiliaion ofen serves o secure
social neworks coner saus oherwise difficul o come by or immigrans
and srenghen ehnic culural and linguisic bonds and ideniies Bu or he983089983093 generaion (hose born in Asia bu who grew up a leas in par in he
Unied Saes like mysel) he process o assimilaion is well under way In
hese cases he ehnic enclave will develop English-speaking secions as well
as social organizaions school clubs and Chrisian congregaions
For young adul Asian American Evangelicals however here is ofen a
49For an overview o hese issues see Wanni W Anderson and Rober G Lee eds Displacemensand Diasporas Asians in he Americas (New Brunswick NJ Rugers Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983093) Idiscuss urher he implicaions o globalizaion or Chrisian heology in Amos Yong and PeerHelzel ldquoRober Cummings Neville and he Global Fuure o Teologyrdquo in Yong and Helzel edsTeology in Global Conex Essays in Honor o Rober Cummings Neville (New York amp Clark1048626983088983088983092) pp 1048626983097-9830921048626 esp pp 1048627983088-1048627983092
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983097
keen sense ha heir own ehnically organized congregaions or groups are
somehow less religiously and heologically legiimae because hey do no
have he more ldquouniversalrdquo appeal o whie or muliculural evangelicalchurches or parachurch organizaions10486291048624 Te resul is eiher he ransiion o
ehnic congregaions ino pan-ehnic congregaions or movemen rom heir
ldquohomerdquo congregaion o oher less ehnically defined church environmens1048629983089
By he ime he second generaion atains adulhood he remaining culural
or linguisic barriers o ull assimilaion ino American sociey are pracically
overcome ofen o he dismay o parens and grandparens1048629983090
Wha does such assimilaion consis o Cerainly speaking Englishparicipaing in he marke economy and adaping o he opions provided
by American seculariy and poliics are minimal adjusmens Bu perhaps
assimilaion also requires abandoning he norms o he immigran culure
in avor o American norms or amily and gender relaions and engaging
wih he public square on is erms I so would his no lead o an evan-
gelical sel-undersanding deeply ormed by American culure poliics
and economics Would his no resul in a subordinaion and even deor-maion o all ha is Asian excep or he biological phenoype I would
appear hen ha becoming American would more easily aciliae he
embrace o evangelical Chrisianiy991252i such is deined as a suburban
Midwesern whie middle-class religious phenomenon wih Wheaon
Illinois as is veriable ldquoMeccardquo991252bu his brings wih i he cos o losing
onersquos Asianness Does his mean ha ull accepance o Evangelicalism
50See eg Rebecca Y Kim ldquoNegoiaion o Ehnic and Religious Boundaries by Asian AmericanCampus Evangelicalsrdquo in ony Carnes and Fenggang Yang eds Asian American Religions Te
Making and Remaking o Borders and Boundaries (New York New York Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983092) pp10486259830921048625-983093983097 and Rudy V Buso ldquoTe Gospel According o he Model Minoriy Hazarding an Inerpre-aion o Asian American Evangelical College Sudensrdquo in David K Yoo ed New Spiriual Homes
Religion and Asian Americans (Honolulu Universiy o Hawaii Press 1048625983097983097983097) pp 1048625983094983097-98309698309551See Russell Jeung Faihul Generaions Race and New Asian American Churches (New Brunswick
NJ Rugers Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983092)52 As can be discerned by reading beween he lines o he Bible sudies in om Linrsquos Losing Face
and Finding Grace Tis appears o be he case wheher he second generaion inenionally a-emps o disinguish is ehnic congregaional lie rom ha o he firs immigran generaion or wheher he second generaion becomes absorbed ino nonehnic or even muliehnic congrega-ions on his poin see Elaine Howard Ecklund ldquoModels o Civic Responsibiliy Korean Amer-icans in Congregaions wih Differen Ehnic Composiionsrdquo Journal or he Scienific Sudy o
Religion 983092983092 no 1048625 (1048626983088983088983093) 1048625983093-1048626983096
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3135
983089 983090 983088 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
includes ldquorepenancerdquo rom Asia and ldquoconversionrdquo o Americanism1048629983091
Ta his is no he case seems o be borne ou by he sociological lieraure
which confirms ha ehniciy remains jus as imporan as religion in he or-maion o Asian American ideniy10486291048628 Bu i so evangelical heology has no
even begun o wresle wih he imporance o ehniciy and race no o
menion heir heological implicaions Second-generaion Korean Amer-
icans or insance seem o be inuiively drawn o churches and parachurch
minisries ha oreground heir Korean culural ideniy10486291048629 bu hey have
developed ew heological raionales or such orms o social organizaion
more o he poin heir own heological presupposiions miigae agains suchaciviy which may explain heir ideniy conflicedness
Unsurprisingly hen Asian American evangelical heology has ye o ge
off he ground even a he beginning o he weny-firs cenury Asian
American Evangelicals geting degrees rom insiuions o higher educaion
have had o wresle wihagains his assimilaive impulse o sruggle wih he
quesion o wheher hey are or should be doing (descripive) sociology raher
han heology (as normaive reflecion) and o ariculae an apologeic ordoing Asian American evangelical heology raher han jus evangelical he-
ology For oo many Asian American Evangelicals heir saus ldquobewix and
beweenrdquo991252on he one hand belonging o Asia and o he Unied Saes in
some respecs bu on he oher hand being a sranger o boh Asia and he
Unied Saes in oher respecs991252pus hem in a unique posiion o inerrogae
evangelical heology bu (o dae) leaves hem ouside he ormal organiza-
ional and insiuional srucures o criique effecively and ransorm heevangelical heological radiion
53One could also make he reverse argumen however ha Evangelicalism in he Unied Saes hasalready been molded by is social culural and hisorical conex o he exen ha he very eauresha mark he American way o lie991252ie individualism experienialism pragmaism even con-sumerism991252have also come o characerize evangelical Chrisianiy For an insighul analysis ohe ofenimes uncriical conflaion o Evangelicalism and Americanism and o he orces ha havealso resised such accommodaions see D G Har Ta Old-ime Religion in Modern America
Evangelical Proesanism in he wenieh Cenury (Chicago Ivan R Dee 10486269830889830881048626)54See Jerry Z Park ldquoTe Ehnic and Religious Ideniies o Young Asian Americansrdquo (PhD diss
Universiy o Nore Dame 1048626983088983088983092)55See Sharon Kim and Rebecca Y Kim ldquoSecond-Generaion Korean American Chrisiansrsquo Com-
muniies Congregaional Hybridiyrdquo in Carolyn Chen and Russell Jeung eds Susaining Faih
radiions Race Ehniciy and Religion Among he Laino and Asian American Second Generaion (New York New York Universiy Press 104862698308810486251048626) pp 1048625983095983094-9830971048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983090 983089
Moving trajectories o theological reflection O course i Asian Americans
hope o climb he ranks o he Norh American evangelical heological
academy hey can only do so on he erms esablished by heir hoss Andraher han responding o sociopoliical acors he evangelical heological
guild has always undersood isel primarily in heological erms and seen is
charge as deending hisorical orhodoxy wheher ha be agains liberalismrsquos
denial o biblical supernauralism agains neo-orhodoxyrsquos ambiguous sance
on Scripure agains mainsream sciencersquos heory o evoluion agains open
heismrsquos docrine o God and so on10486291048630 I evangelical heology has never
beore enerained ehnic perspecives in is discursive consrucion why nowundermine he (is presumed) universal ramework and applicabiliy by
adding he Asian or Asian American qualifiers
While in a sense his enire book provides a se o responses o his quesion
here I sugges hree reasons ha can moivae such a heological pah orward
Firs he Asian diaspora in he Unied Saes is now in a siuaion o reflec
subsanively on is experience o migraion While here are remendous
challenges o migraion10486291048631 some Asian Americans have achieved a level oupward social mobiliy so ha hey are now in he posiion o producing
scholarship inormed by such experienial perspecives Since he memory o
migraion among Asian Americans is more recen han hose o heir Cau-
casian colleagues such perspecives migh be helpul o ideniy how he mi-
graion rom he European coninen has shaped he evangelical heological
enerprise as a whole I Asian Americans can help heir evangelical colleagues
ideniy he hisorical impac o old o new world migraion on he belies andpracices o Norh American Evangelicalism ha in isel will open up pos-
sibiliies or considering aresh Asian American hisories and heir conribu-
ions o he wider conversaion
Second Asian Americans are orced o hink abou race and ehniciy in a
way unlike mos o heir whie brohers and sisers alhough heir reflecions
56Evangelical heologyrsquos many inernal and exernal batles are documened by Jon R Sone On heBoundaries o American Evangelicalism Te Poswar Evangelical Coaliion (New York S MarinrsquosPress 1048625983097983097983095)
57Some o hese are documened by Kenneh J Gues God in Chinaown Religion and Survival in
New Yorkrsquos Evolving Immigran Communiy (New York New York Universiy Press 10486269830889830881048627) whose work we will reurn o in chaper six
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3335
983089 983090 983090 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
can also mediae perspecive in an oherwise whie-and-black demarcaed
world Race and ehniciy are undeniable aspecs o Asian American hisory
and experience Te impor o his is a leas woold Firs Asian Americansare posiioned o engage he discussion opened up by black evangelical heo-
logians regarding conemporary heology991252even in is evangelical guises991252as
reflecing he ascen o whie perspecives in he early modern period a he
expense o Jewish and oher nonwhie culural realiies Asian American per-
specives on race and ehniciy will open up new visas on he racial and ehnic
dimensions o he biblical world10486291048632 In oher words he marginalized hisories
and perspecives o Asian American Evangelicals have much o conribue oconemporary biblical inerpreaion and heological explicaion Te dom-
inan orms o evangelical heology orged in par ou o he hegemony o
Chrisendom are in need o criical analysis and dialogical revision
Las bu no leas cenral and ongoing elemens o Asian American hisory
are par o he presen experiences o ransnaionalism and globalizaion Te
issues here are complex10486291048633 One mater ha needs o be addressed is he iner-
woven characer o he global economy and how i affecs people around he world differenly depending on various social poliical and culural circum-
sances In addiion wih regard o he Asian American side o his equaion
here remain difficul issues relaed o how he quesion o assimilaion or ac-
culuraion is being negoiaed and adjudicaed Firs- second- and hird-gener-
aion perspecives differ someimes momenously and his does no even acor
in he perspecives o he 983089983093 generaion I heology is o engage he hisorical
realiies o real flesh-and-blood human beings i mus engage such quesions inour conemporary world Asian American Evangelicals can lead he way in
hinking heologically abou such hings and his will benefi no only Asian
58 Asian Evangelicals hus need o build rom he insighul readings o mainline Proesan biblicalscholar a-Siong Benny Liew Wha Is Asian American Biblical Hermeneuics Reading he New
esamen (Honolulu Universiy o Hawaii Press 1048626983088983088983096) regarding he ehnic dynamics under-neah Jewish-Genile relaions in he New esamen o be sure Liewrsquos mainline Proesan as-sumpions may be raher disan rom evangelical ones so some criical dialogue and perhaps
correcion may also be in order Ye he srengh o Liewrsquos book is o sugges how Asian Americanexperiences o ehnic marginaliy can illuminae he dispues beween Jewish and Genile ollow-ers o he Messiah in he firs cenury Tis is an issue worh subsanial engagemen rom anevangelical perspecive
59Eg Neil J Ormerod and Shane Clifon Globalizaion and he Mission o he Church (New York amp Clark 104862698308810486251048625)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983090983091
American communiies bu also hose o oher ehnic racial and culural groups
who are also wresling wih lie in he weny-firs-cenury global conex
Evangelical heology oday will need o heed more inenionally han i has beore acors o migraion ehniciy globalizaion and ransnaionalism
Asian American Evangelicals can assis wih hese maters i hey will arise o
he occasion Tis does no derac rom he universaliy o he gospel message
On he conrary i addresses quesions o universal significance ha are oher-
wise negleced or engaged rom or wihin only one (dominan cenris) se
o perspecives
Reconnecting to the broader evangelical theological tradition Beore con-cluding his chaper however an imporan cavea ough o be sounded None
o he preceding should be read as denying eiher Asian American indebedness
o he evangelical radiion or he inerrelaedness o Asian American and oher
evangelical effors in he conemporary heological ask Te preceding migh
sugges ha Asian Americans are only poining accusing fingers a heir whie
evangelical riends Wihou aking away anyhing rom he seriousness o he
oregoing discussion I also realize ha whie Evangelicals in paricular and Americans in general have been welcoming o Asians and ha we have made i
his ar on our diasporic journey only wih he help o such riends
Beyond such ecclesial collegialiy however I would gran ha Asian Amer-
icans are in various respecs beholden heologically o American Evangelicals
as well In paricular American evangelical commimens o Chris-
ceneredness biblical aihulness and missionary zealousness are imporan
elemens o Chrisian belie and pracice in he weny-firs cenury Asian American Evangelicals should embrace and live ou such commimens no
only or hemselves bu also or oher Evangelicals and even or he world
Ye my claim is precisely ha such a posure enables Asian American Evan-
gelicals o conribue heologically o he ormaion o an evangelical belie
and praxis relevan o he weny-firs cenury For his o happen however
Asian American Evangelicals mus embrace no only he evangel bu also he
hisoriciy o heir diasporic experiences Te incarnaion o he Son o Godconsised afer all o aking on he concreeness palpabiliy and emporaliy
o human Jewish and firs-cenury Palesinian flesh and he oupouring o he
Spiri o God on he Day o Penecos involved he redempion o he diversiy
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3535
983089 983090 983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
o human ongues languages and culures so ha hey migh bear winess o
he wondrous works o God (Acs 983090983089983089) Tis penecosal heme991252relaed o
Acs 983090 firs and oremos albei reraced unavoidably hrough he lens o mymodern penecosal ecclesial sensibiliies991252will inorm he deep srucure o
he argumen in he remainder o his volume ye achieved wihin a pen-
evangelical raher han merely charismaic rame o reerence My poin going
orward however is ha in ligh o hese heological and riniarian commi-
mens Evangelicals should be he firs o embrace he diversiy o heir his-
orical pariculariies raher han shy away rom hem radiionally o course
Evangelicals have subordinaed he vicissiudes o hisory and wih ha heiranxieies abou he flux and subjeciviies o experience o he surey and
oundaionalism o he Word o God as revealed in he Scripures My pro-
posal however is ha work o God in Chris and by he Spiri redeems us
amid wih and hrough he specificiies o our hisorical and culural expe-
rience (raher han saving us rom ou o such alogeher) and hus ha he
Word o God speaks ino such realiies (raher han ha we have o deny hem
or rejec hem as par o who we are)In shor Asian American Evangelicals do no need o be apologeic abou
heir lives experiences and perspecives Raher by ollowing he pah o he
Son o God ino he ar counry by receiving he infilling o he Spiri o God
poured ou on all flesh and by aihully atemping o live ou such a Chris-
cenered and Spiri-empowered aih in he ooseps o heir evangelical ore-
bears and ancesors Asian Americans may hen be able o bring heir heo-
logical gifs o he conversaion able gifs ha will challenge he discussion while simulaneously enriching he are or all hose concerned abou he
euangelion in he presen ime I is ime o heologize as Asian Americans no
jus as Evangelicals in order ha Evangelicalism isel can be renewed and
invigoraed or he sake o he gospel and in anicipaion o he reign o God
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 2935
983089 983089983096 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
American culure on he oher W hile Asians have lived in Norh America
since he ounding o he republic and had even conribued o he building
o he American empire during he nineeenh cenury he 983089983097983094983093 Immigraion Ac ha repealed he Orienal Exclusion Ac o 983089983097983090983092 reopened he door o a
new wave o Asian migraion During he las generaion Asian American lie
has been urher ransormed by he orces o globalizaion diasporas creaed
by modernizaion indusrializaion and urbanizaion reugee populaions
displaced by war amine and climae changes movemen enabled by he
emergence o a worldwide marke economy advances in echnology and mass
communicaion he cross-erilizaion o ideologies and shifs in inerna-ional relaions10486281048633 Te resul as saw in he previous chaper is he appearance
o a wide range o Asian American communiies across Norh America Lie
in such communiies is fluid affeced by migraion paterns socioeconomic
pressures and he srengh o relaions wih hose ldquoback homerdquo Te sronger
he ransnaional ies beween Asian immigrans in he Wes and heir amilies
organizaions and insiuions (religious and oherwise) in heir homeland
he more inense and longer-lasing he exchange o religious goods and ideas(in he orm o books periodicals and various orms o elecommunicaion)
Unsurprisingly hen firs-generaion immigrans ofen deepen he reli-
gious commimens ha hey held or praciced perhaps more nominally
beore moving Someimes immigrans conver o he more dominan religion
o heir new home In eiher case religious affiliaion ofen serves o secure
social neworks coner saus oherwise difficul o come by or immigrans
and srenghen ehnic culural and linguisic bonds and ideniies Bu or he983089983093 generaion (hose born in Asia bu who grew up a leas in par in he
Unied Saes like mysel) he process o assimilaion is well under way In
hese cases he ehnic enclave will develop English-speaking secions as well
as social organizaions school clubs and Chrisian congregaions
For young adul Asian American Evangelicals however here is ofen a
49For an overview o hese issues see Wanni W Anderson and Rober G Lee eds Displacemensand Diasporas Asians in he Americas (New Brunswick NJ Rugers Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983093) Idiscuss urher he implicaions o globalizaion or Chrisian heology in Amos Yong and PeerHelzel ldquoRober Cummings Neville and he Global Fuure o Teologyrdquo in Yong and Helzel edsTeology in Global Conex Essays in Honor o Rober Cummings Neville (New York amp Clark1048626983088983088983092) pp 1048626983097-9830921048626 esp pp 1048627983088-1048627983092
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3035
he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983097
keen sense ha heir own ehnically organized congregaions or groups are
somehow less religiously and heologically legiimae because hey do no
have he more ldquouniversalrdquo appeal o whie or muliculural evangelicalchurches or parachurch organizaions10486291048624 Te resul is eiher he ransiion o
ehnic congregaions ino pan-ehnic congregaions or movemen rom heir
ldquohomerdquo congregaion o oher less ehnically defined church environmens1048629983089
By he ime he second generaion atains adulhood he remaining culural
or linguisic barriers o ull assimilaion ino American sociey are pracically
overcome ofen o he dismay o parens and grandparens1048629983090
Wha does such assimilaion consis o Cerainly speaking Englishparicipaing in he marke economy and adaping o he opions provided
by American seculariy and poliics are minimal adjusmens Bu perhaps
assimilaion also requires abandoning he norms o he immigran culure
in avor o American norms or amily and gender relaions and engaging
wih he public square on is erms I so would his no lead o an evan-
gelical sel-undersanding deeply ormed by American culure poliics
and economics Would his no resul in a subordinaion and even deor-maion o all ha is Asian excep or he biological phenoype I would
appear hen ha becoming American would more easily aciliae he
embrace o evangelical Chrisianiy991252i such is deined as a suburban
Midwesern whie middle-class religious phenomenon wih Wheaon
Illinois as is veriable ldquoMeccardquo991252bu his brings wih i he cos o losing
onersquos Asianness Does his mean ha ull accepance o Evangelicalism
50See eg Rebecca Y Kim ldquoNegoiaion o Ehnic and Religious Boundaries by Asian AmericanCampus Evangelicalsrdquo in ony Carnes and Fenggang Yang eds Asian American Religions Te
Making and Remaking o Borders and Boundaries (New York New York Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983092) pp10486259830921048625-983093983097 and Rudy V Buso ldquoTe Gospel According o he Model Minoriy Hazarding an Inerpre-aion o Asian American Evangelical College Sudensrdquo in David K Yoo ed New Spiriual Homes
Religion and Asian Americans (Honolulu Universiy o Hawaii Press 1048625983097983097983097) pp 1048625983094983097-98309698309551See Russell Jeung Faihul Generaions Race and New Asian American Churches (New Brunswick
NJ Rugers Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983092)52 As can be discerned by reading beween he lines o he Bible sudies in om Linrsquos Losing Face
and Finding Grace Tis appears o be he case wheher he second generaion inenionally a-emps o disinguish is ehnic congregaional lie rom ha o he firs immigran generaion or wheher he second generaion becomes absorbed ino nonehnic or even muliehnic congrega-ions on his poin see Elaine Howard Ecklund ldquoModels o Civic Responsibiliy Korean Amer-icans in Congregaions wih Differen Ehnic Composiionsrdquo Journal or he Scienific Sudy o
Religion 983092983092 no 1048625 (1048626983088983088983093) 1048625983093-1048626983096
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3135
983089 983090 983088 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
includes ldquorepenancerdquo rom Asia and ldquoconversionrdquo o Americanism1048629983091
Ta his is no he case seems o be borne ou by he sociological lieraure
which confirms ha ehniciy remains jus as imporan as religion in he or-maion o Asian American ideniy10486291048628 Bu i so evangelical heology has no
even begun o wresle wih he imporance o ehniciy and race no o
menion heir heological implicaions Second-generaion Korean Amer-
icans or insance seem o be inuiively drawn o churches and parachurch
minisries ha oreground heir Korean culural ideniy10486291048629 bu hey have
developed ew heological raionales or such orms o social organizaion
more o he poin heir own heological presupposiions miigae agains suchaciviy which may explain heir ideniy conflicedness
Unsurprisingly hen Asian American evangelical heology has ye o ge
off he ground even a he beginning o he weny-firs cenury Asian
American Evangelicals geting degrees rom insiuions o higher educaion
have had o wresle wihagains his assimilaive impulse o sruggle wih he
quesion o wheher hey are or should be doing (descripive) sociology raher
han heology (as normaive reflecion) and o ariculae an apologeic ordoing Asian American evangelical heology raher han jus evangelical he-
ology For oo many Asian American Evangelicals heir saus ldquobewix and
beweenrdquo991252on he one hand belonging o Asia and o he Unied Saes in
some respecs bu on he oher hand being a sranger o boh Asia and he
Unied Saes in oher respecs991252pus hem in a unique posiion o inerrogae
evangelical heology bu (o dae) leaves hem ouside he ormal organiza-
ional and insiuional srucures o criique effecively and ransorm heevangelical heological radiion
53One could also make he reverse argumen however ha Evangelicalism in he Unied Saes hasalready been molded by is social culural and hisorical conex o he exen ha he very eauresha mark he American way o lie991252ie individualism experienialism pragmaism even con-sumerism991252have also come o characerize evangelical Chrisianiy For an insighul analysis ohe ofenimes uncriical conflaion o Evangelicalism and Americanism and o he orces ha havealso resised such accommodaions see D G Har Ta Old-ime Religion in Modern America
Evangelical Proesanism in he wenieh Cenury (Chicago Ivan R Dee 10486269830889830881048626)54See Jerry Z Park ldquoTe Ehnic and Religious Ideniies o Young Asian Americansrdquo (PhD diss
Universiy o Nore Dame 1048626983088983088983092)55See Sharon Kim and Rebecca Y Kim ldquoSecond-Generaion Korean American Chrisiansrsquo Com-
muniies Congregaional Hybridiyrdquo in Carolyn Chen and Russell Jeung eds Susaining Faih
radiions Race Ehniciy and Religion Among he Laino and Asian American Second Generaion (New York New York Universiy Press 104862698308810486251048626) pp 1048625983095983094-9830971048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3235
he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983090 983089
Moving trajectories o theological reflection O course i Asian Americans
hope o climb he ranks o he Norh American evangelical heological
academy hey can only do so on he erms esablished by heir hoss Andraher han responding o sociopoliical acors he evangelical heological
guild has always undersood isel primarily in heological erms and seen is
charge as deending hisorical orhodoxy wheher ha be agains liberalismrsquos
denial o biblical supernauralism agains neo-orhodoxyrsquos ambiguous sance
on Scripure agains mainsream sciencersquos heory o evoluion agains open
heismrsquos docrine o God and so on10486291048630 I evangelical heology has never
beore enerained ehnic perspecives in is discursive consrucion why nowundermine he (is presumed) universal ramework and applicabiliy by
adding he Asian or Asian American qualifiers
While in a sense his enire book provides a se o responses o his quesion
here I sugges hree reasons ha can moivae such a heological pah orward
Firs he Asian diaspora in he Unied Saes is now in a siuaion o reflec
subsanively on is experience o migraion While here are remendous
challenges o migraion10486291048631 some Asian Americans have achieved a level oupward social mobiliy so ha hey are now in he posiion o producing
scholarship inormed by such experienial perspecives Since he memory o
migraion among Asian Americans is more recen han hose o heir Cau-
casian colleagues such perspecives migh be helpul o ideniy how he mi-
graion rom he European coninen has shaped he evangelical heological
enerprise as a whole I Asian Americans can help heir evangelical colleagues
ideniy he hisorical impac o old o new world migraion on he belies andpracices o Norh American Evangelicalism ha in isel will open up pos-
sibiliies or considering aresh Asian American hisories and heir conribu-
ions o he wider conversaion
Second Asian Americans are orced o hink abou race and ehniciy in a
way unlike mos o heir whie brohers and sisers alhough heir reflecions
56Evangelical heologyrsquos many inernal and exernal batles are documened by Jon R Sone On heBoundaries o American Evangelicalism Te Poswar Evangelical Coaliion (New York S MarinrsquosPress 1048625983097983097983095)
57Some o hese are documened by Kenneh J Gues God in Chinaown Religion and Survival in
New Yorkrsquos Evolving Immigran Communiy (New York New York Universiy Press 10486269830889830881048627) whose work we will reurn o in chaper six
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3335
983089 983090 983090 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
can also mediae perspecive in an oherwise whie-and-black demarcaed
world Race and ehniciy are undeniable aspecs o Asian American hisory
and experience Te impor o his is a leas woold Firs Asian Americansare posiioned o engage he discussion opened up by black evangelical heo-
logians regarding conemporary heology991252even in is evangelical guises991252as
reflecing he ascen o whie perspecives in he early modern period a he
expense o Jewish and oher nonwhie culural realiies Asian American per-
specives on race and ehniciy will open up new visas on he racial and ehnic
dimensions o he biblical world10486291048632 In oher words he marginalized hisories
and perspecives o Asian American Evangelicals have much o conribue oconemporary biblical inerpreaion and heological explicaion Te dom-
inan orms o evangelical heology orged in par ou o he hegemony o
Chrisendom are in need o criical analysis and dialogical revision
Las bu no leas cenral and ongoing elemens o Asian American hisory
are par o he presen experiences o ransnaionalism and globalizaion Te
issues here are complex10486291048633 One mater ha needs o be addressed is he iner-
woven characer o he global economy and how i affecs people around he world differenly depending on various social poliical and culural circum-
sances In addiion wih regard o he Asian American side o his equaion
here remain difficul issues relaed o how he quesion o assimilaion or ac-
culuraion is being negoiaed and adjudicaed Firs- second- and hird-gener-
aion perspecives differ someimes momenously and his does no even acor
in he perspecives o he 983089983093 generaion I heology is o engage he hisorical
realiies o real flesh-and-blood human beings i mus engage such quesions inour conemporary world Asian American Evangelicals can lead he way in
hinking heologically abou such hings and his will benefi no only Asian
58 Asian Evangelicals hus need o build rom he insighul readings o mainline Proesan biblicalscholar a-Siong Benny Liew Wha Is Asian American Biblical Hermeneuics Reading he New
esamen (Honolulu Universiy o Hawaii Press 1048626983088983088983096) regarding he ehnic dynamics under-neah Jewish-Genile relaions in he New esamen o be sure Liewrsquos mainline Proesan as-sumpions may be raher disan rom evangelical ones so some criical dialogue and perhaps
correcion may also be in order Ye he srengh o Liewrsquos book is o sugges how Asian Americanexperiences o ehnic marginaliy can illuminae he dispues beween Jewish and Genile ollow-ers o he Messiah in he firs cenury Tis is an issue worh subsanial engagemen rom anevangelical perspecive
59Eg Neil J Ormerod and Shane Clifon Globalizaion and he Mission o he Church (New York amp Clark 104862698308810486251048625)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3435
he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983090983091
American communiies bu also hose o oher ehnic racial and culural groups
who are also wresling wih lie in he weny-firs-cenury global conex
Evangelical heology oday will need o heed more inenionally han i has beore acors o migraion ehniciy globalizaion and ransnaionalism
Asian American Evangelicals can assis wih hese maters i hey will arise o
he occasion Tis does no derac rom he universaliy o he gospel message
On he conrary i addresses quesions o universal significance ha are oher-
wise negleced or engaged rom or wihin only one (dominan cenris) se
o perspecives
Reconnecting to the broader evangelical theological tradition Beore con-cluding his chaper however an imporan cavea ough o be sounded None
o he preceding should be read as denying eiher Asian American indebedness
o he evangelical radiion or he inerrelaedness o Asian American and oher
evangelical effors in he conemporary heological ask Te preceding migh
sugges ha Asian Americans are only poining accusing fingers a heir whie
evangelical riends Wihou aking away anyhing rom he seriousness o he
oregoing discussion I also realize ha whie Evangelicals in paricular and Americans in general have been welcoming o Asians and ha we have made i
his ar on our diasporic journey only wih he help o such riends
Beyond such ecclesial collegialiy however I would gran ha Asian Amer-
icans are in various respecs beholden heologically o American Evangelicals
as well In paricular American evangelical commimens o Chris-
ceneredness biblical aihulness and missionary zealousness are imporan
elemens o Chrisian belie and pracice in he weny-firs cenury Asian American Evangelicals should embrace and live ou such commimens no
only or hemselves bu also or oher Evangelicals and even or he world
Ye my claim is precisely ha such a posure enables Asian American Evan-
gelicals o conribue heologically o he ormaion o an evangelical belie
and praxis relevan o he weny-firs cenury For his o happen however
Asian American Evangelicals mus embrace no only he evangel bu also he
hisoriciy o heir diasporic experiences Te incarnaion o he Son o Godconsised afer all o aking on he concreeness palpabiliy and emporaliy
o human Jewish and firs-cenury Palesinian flesh and he oupouring o he
Spiri o God on he Day o Penecos involved he redempion o he diversiy
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3535
983089 983090 983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
o human ongues languages and culures so ha hey migh bear winess o
he wondrous works o God (Acs 983090983089983089) Tis penecosal heme991252relaed o
Acs 983090 firs and oremos albei reraced unavoidably hrough he lens o mymodern penecosal ecclesial sensibiliies991252will inorm he deep srucure o
he argumen in he remainder o his volume ye achieved wihin a pen-
evangelical raher han merely charismaic rame o reerence My poin going
orward however is ha in ligh o hese heological and riniarian commi-
mens Evangelicals should be he firs o embrace he diversiy o heir his-
orical pariculariies raher han shy away rom hem radiionally o course
Evangelicals have subordinaed he vicissiudes o hisory and wih ha heiranxieies abou he flux and subjeciviies o experience o he surey and
oundaionalism o he Word o God as revealed in he Scripures My pro-
posal however is ha work o God in Chris and by he Spiri redeems us
amid wih and hrough he specificiies o our hisorical and culural expe-
rience (raher han saving us rom ou o such alogeher) and hus ha he
Word o God speaks ino such realiies (raher han ha we have o deny hem
or rejec hem as par o who we are)In shor Asian American Evangelicals do no need o be apologeic abou
heir lives experiences and perspecives Raher by ollowing he pah o he
Son o God ino he ar counry by receiving he infilling o he Spiri o God
poured ou on all flesh and by aihully atemping o live ou such a Chris-
cenered and Spiri-empowered aih in he ooseps o heir evangelical ore-
bears and ancesors Asian Americans may hen be able o bring heir heo-
logical gifs o he conversaion able gifs ha will challenge he discussion while simulaneously enriching he are or all hose concerned abou he
euangelion in he presen ime I is ime o heologize as Asian Americans no
jus as Evangelicals in order ha Evangelicalism isel can be renewed and
invigoraed or he sake o he gospel and in anicipaion o he reign o God
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3035
he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983089983097
keen sense ha heir own ehnically organized congregaions or groups are
somehow less religiously and heologically legiimae because hey do no
have he more ldquouniversalrdquo appeal o whie or muliculural evangelicalchurches or parachurch organizaions10486291048624 Te resul is eiher he ransiion o
ehnic congregaions ino pan-ehnic congregaions or movemen rom heir
ldquohomerdquo congregaion o oher less ehnically defined church environmens1048629983089
By he ime he second generaion atains adulhood he remaining culural
or linguisic barriers o ull assimilaion ino American sociey are pracically
overcome ofen o he dismay o parens and grandparens1048629983090
Wha does such assimilaion consis o Cerainly speaking Englishparicipaing in he marke economy and adaping o he opions provided
by American seculariy and poliics are minimal adjusmens Bu perhaps
assimilaion also requires abandoning he norms o he immigran culure
in avor o American norms or amily and gender relaions and engaging
wih he public square on is erms I so would his no lead o an evan-
gelical sel-undersanding deeply ormed by American culure poliics
and economics Would his no resul in a subordinaion and even deor-maion o all ha is Asian excep or he biological phenoype I would
appear hen ha becoming American would more easily aciliae he
embrace o evangelical Chrisianiy991252i such is deined as a suburban
Midwesern whie middle-class religious phenomenon wih Wheaon
Illinois as is veriable ldquoMeccardquo991252bu his brings wih i he cos o losing
onersquos Asianness Does his mean ha ull accepance o Evangelicalism
50See eg Rebecca Y Kim ldquoNegoiaion o Ehnic and Religious Boundaries by Asian AmericanCampus Evangelicalsrdquo in ony Carnes and Fenggang Yang eds Asian American Religions Te
Making and Remaking o Borders and Boundaries (New York New York Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983092) pp10486259830921048625-983093983097 and Rudy V Buso ldquoTe Gospel According o he Model Minoriy Hazarding an Inerpre-aion o Asian American Evangelical College Sudensrdquo in David K Yoo ed New Spiriual Homes
Religion and Asian Americans (Honolulu Universiy o Hawaii Press 1048625983097983097983097) pp 1048625983094983097-98309698309551See Russell Jeung Faihul Generaions Race and New Asian American Churches (New Brunswick
NJ Rugers Universiy Press 1048626983088983088983092)52 As can be discerned by reading beween he lines o he Bible sudies in om Linrsquos Losing Face
and Finding Grace Tis appears o be he case wheher he second generaion inenionally a-emps o disinguish is ehnic congregaional lie rom ha o he firs immigran generaion or wheher he second generaion becomes absorbed ino nonehnic or even muliehnic congrega-ions on his poin see Elaine Howard Ecklund ldquoModels o Civic Responsibiliy Korean Amer-icans in Congregaions wih Differen Ehnic Composiionsrdquo Journal or he Scienific Sudy o
Religion 983092983092 no 1048625 (1048626983088983088983093) 1048625983093-1048626983096
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3135
983089 983090 983088 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
includes ldquorepenancerdquo rom Asia and ldquoconversionrdquo o Americanism1048629983091
Ta his is no he case seems o be borne ou by he sociological lieraure
which confirms ha ehniciy remains jus as imporan as religion in he or-maion o Asian American ideniy10486291048628 Bu i so evangelical heology has no
even begun o wresle wih he imporance o ehniciy and race no o
menion heir heological implicaions Second-generaion Korean Amer-
icans or insance seem o be inuiively drawn o churches and parachurch
minisries ha oreground heir Korean culural ideniy10486291048629 bu hey have
developed ew heological raionales or such orms o social organizaion
more o he poin heir own heological presupposiions miigae agains suchaciviy which may explain heir ideniy conflicedness
Unsurprisingly hen Asian American evangelical heology has ye o ge
off he ground even a he beginning o he weny-firs cenury Asian
American Evangelicals geting degrees rom insiuions o higher educaion
have had o wresle wihagains his assimilaive impulse o sruggle wih he
quesion o wheher hey are or should be doing (descripive) sociology raher
han heology (as normaive reflecion) and o ariculae an apologeic ordoing Asian American evangelical heology raher han jus evangelical he-
ology For oo many Asian American Evangelicals heir saus ldquobewix and
beweenrdquo991252on he one hand belonging o Asia and o he Unied Saes in
some respecs bu on he oher hand being a sranger o boh Asia and he
Unied Saes in oher respecs991252pus hem in a unique posiion o inerrogae
evangelical heology bu (o dae) leaves hem ouside he ormal organiza-
ional and insiuional srucures o criique effecively and ransorm heevangelical heological radiion
53One could also make he reverse argumen however ha Evangelicalism in he Unied Saes hasalready been molded by is social culural and hisorical conex o he exen ha he very eauresha mark he American way o lie991252ie individualism experienialism pragmaism even con-sumerism991252have also come o characerize evangelical Chrisianiy For an insighul analysis ohe ofenimes uncriical conflaion o Evangelicalism and Americanism and o he orces ha havealso resised such accommodaions see D G Har Ta Old-ime Religion in Modern America
Evangelical Proesanism in he wenieh Cenury (Chicago Ivan R Dee 10486269830889830881048626)54See Jerry Z Park ldquoTe Ehnic and Religious Ideniies o Young Asian Americansrdquo (PhD diss
Universiy o Nore Dame 1048626983088983088983092)55See Sharon Kim and Rebecca Y Kim ldquoSecond-Generaion Korean American Chrisiansrsquo Com-
muniies Congregaional Hybridiyrdquo in Carolyn Chen and Russell Jeung eds Susaining Faih
radiions Race Ehniciy and Religion Among he Laino and Asian American Second Generaion (New York New York Universiy Press 104862698308810486251048626) pp 1048625983095983094-9830971048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3235
he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983090 983089
Moving trajectories o theological reflection O course i Asian Americans
hope o climb he ranks o he Norh American evangelical heological
academy hey can only do so on he erms esablished by heir hoss Andraher han responding o sociopoliical acors he evangelical heological
guild has always undersood isel primarily in heological erms and seen is
charge as deending hisorical orhodoxy wheher ha be agains liberalismrsquos
denial o biblical supernauralism agains neo-orhodoxyrsquos ambiguous sance
on Scripure agains mainsream sciencersquos heory o evoluion agains open
heismrsquos docrine o God and so on10486291048630 I evangelical heology has never
beore enerained ehnic perspecives in is discursive consrucion why nowundermine he (is presumed) universal ramework and applicabiliy by
adding he Asian or Asian American qualifiers
While in a sense his enire book provides a se o responses o his quesion
here I sugges hree reasons ha can moivae such a heological pah orward
Firs he Asian diaspora in he Unied Saes is now in a siuaion o reflec
subsanively on is experience o migraion While here are remendous
challenges o migraion10486291048631 some Asian Americans have achieved a level oupward social mobiliy so ha hey are now in he posiion o producing
scholarship inormed by such experienial perspecives Since he memory o
migraion among Asian Americans is more recen han hose o heir Cau-
casian colleagues such perspecives migh be helpul o ideniy how he mi-
graion rom he European coninen has shaped he evangelical heological
enerprise as a whole I Asian Americans can help heir evangelical colleagues
ideniy he hisorical impac o old o new world migraion on he belies andpracices o Norh American Evangelicalism ha in isel will open up pos-
sibiliies or considering aresh Asian American hisories and heir conribu-
ions o he wider conversaion
Second Asian Americans are orced o hink abou race and ehniciy in a
way unlike mos o heir whie brohers and sisers alhough heir reflecions
56Evangelical heologyrsquos many inernal and exernal batles are documened by Jon R Sone On heBoundaries o American Evangelicalism Te Poswar Evangelical Coaliion (New York S MarinrsquosPress 1048625983097983097983095)
57Some o hese are documened by Kenneh J Gues God in Chinaown Religion and Survival in
New Yorkrsquos Evolving Immigran Communiy (New York New York Universiy Press 10486269830889830881048627) whose work we will reurn o in chaper six
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3335
983089 983090 983090 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
can also mediae perspecive in an oherwise whie-and-black demarcaed
world Race and ehniciy are undeniable aspecs o Asian American hisory
and experience Te impor o his is a leas woold Firs Asian Americansare posiioned o engage he discussion opened up by black evangelical heo-
logians regarding conemporary heology991252even in is evangelical guises991252as
reflecing he ascen o whie perspecives in he early modern period a he
expense o Jewish and oher nonwhie culural realiies Asian American per-
specives on race and ehniciy will open up new visas on he racial and ehnic
dimensions o he biblical world10486291048632 In oher words he marginalized hisories
and perspecives o Asian American Evangelicals have much o conribue oconemporary biblical inerpreaion and heological explicaion Te dom-
inan orms o evangelical heology orged in par ou o he hegemony o
Chrisendom are in need o criical analysis and dialogical revision
Las bu no leas cenral and ongoing elemens o Asian American hisory
are par o he presen experiences o ransnaionalism and globalizaion Te
issues here are complex10486291048633 One mater ha needs o be addressed is he iner-
woven characer o he global economy and how i affecs people around he world differenly depending on various social poliical and culural circum-
sances In addiion wih regard o he Asian American side o his equaion
here remain difficul issues relaed o how he quesion o assimilaion or ac-
culuraion is being negoiaed and adjudicaed Firs- second- and hird-gener-
aion perspecives differ someimes momenously and his does no even acor
in he perspecives o he 983089983093 generaion I heology is o engage he hisorical
realiies o real flesh-and-blood human beings i mus engage such quesions inour conemporary world Asian American Evangelicals can lead he way in
hinking heologically abou such hings and his will benefi no only Asian
58 Asian Evangelicals hus need o build rom he insighul readings o mainline Proesan biblicalscholar a-Siong Benny Liew Wha Is Asian American Biblical Hermeneuics Reading he New
esamen (Honolulu Universiy o Hawaii Press 1048626983088983088983096) regarding he ehnic dynamics under-neah Jewish-Genile relaions in he New esamen o be sure Liewrsquos mainline Proesan as-sumpions may be raher disan rom evangelical ones so some criical dialogue and perhaps
correcion may also be in order Ye he srengh o Liewrsquos book is o sugges how Asian Americanexperiences o ehnic marginaliy can illuminae he dispues beween Jewish and Genile ollow-ers o he Messiah in he firs cenury Tis is an issue worh subsanial engagemen rom anevangelical perspecive
59Eg Neil J Ormerod and Shane Clifon Globalizaion and he Mission o he Church (New York amp Clark 104862698308810486251048625)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3435
he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983090983091
American communiies bu also hose o oher ehnic racial and culural groups
who are also wresling wih lie in he weny-firs-cenury global conex
Evangelical heology oday will need o heed more inenionally han i has beore acors o migraion ehniciy globalizaion and ransnaionalism
Asian American Evangelicals can assis wih hese maters i hey will arise o
he occasion Tis does no derac rom he universaliy o he gospel message
On he conrary i addresses quesions o universal significance ha are oher-
wise negleced or engaged rom or wihin only one (dominan cenris) se
o perspecives
Reconnecting to the broader evangelical theological tradition Beore con-cluding his chaper however an imporan cavea ough o be sounded None
o he preceding should be read as denying eiher Asian American indebedness
o he evangelical radiion or he inerrelaedness o Asian American and oher
evangelical effors in he conemporary heological ask Te preceding migh
sugges ha Asian Americans are only poining accusing fingers a heir whie
evangelical riends Wihou aking away anyhing rom he seriousness o he
oregoing discussion I also realize ha whie Evangelicals in paricular and Americans in general have been welcoming o Asians and ha we have made i
his ar on our diasporic journey only wih he help o such riends
Beyond such ecclesial collegialiy however I would gran ha Asian Amer-
icans are in various respecs beholden heologically o American Evangelicals
as well In paricular American evangelical commimens o Chris-
ceneredness biblical aihulness and missionary zealousness are imporan
elemens o Chrisian belie and pracice in he weny-firs cenury Asian American Evangelicals should embrace and live ou such commimens no
only or hemselves bu also or oher Evangelicals and even or he world
Ye my claim is precisely ha such a posure enables Asian American Evan-
gelicals o conribue heologically o he ormaion o an evangelical belie
and praxis relevan o he weny-firs cenury For his o happen however
Asian American Evangelicals mus embrace no only he evangel bu also he
hisoriciy o heir diasporic experiences Te incarnaion o he Son o Godconsised afer all o aking on he concreeness palpabiliy and emporaliy
o human Jewish and firs-cenury Palesinian flesh and he oupouring o he
Spiri o God on he Day o Penecos involved he redempion o he diversiy
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3535
983089 983090 983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
o human ongues languages and culures so ha hey migh bear winess o
he wondrous works o God (Acs 983090983089983089) Tis penecosal heme991252relaed o
Acs 983090 firs and oremos albei reraced unavoidably hrough he lens o mymodern penecosal ecclesial sensibiliies991252will inorm he deep srucure o
he argumen in he remainder o his volume ye achieved wihin a pen-
evangelical raher han merely charismaic rame o reerence My poin going
orward however is ha in ligh o hese heological and riniarian commi-
mens Evangelicals should be he firs o embrace he diversiy o heir his-
orical pariculariies raher han shy away rom hem radiionally o course
Evangelicals have subordinaed he vicissiudes o hisory and wih ha heiranxieies abou he flux and subjeciviies o experience o he surey and
oundaionalism o he Word o God as revealed in he Scripures My pro-
posal however is ha work o God in Chris and by he Spiri redeems us
amid wih and hrough he specificiies o our hisorical and culural expe-
rience (raher han saving us rom ou o such alogeher) and hus ha he
Word o God speaks ino such realiies (raher han ha we have o deny hem
or rejec hem as par o who we are)In shor Asian American Evangelicals do no need o be apologeic abou
heir lives experiences and perspecives Raher by ollowing he pah o he
Son o God ino he ar counry by receiving he infilling o he Spiri o God
poured ou on all flesh and by aihully atemping o live ou such a Chris-
cenered and Spiri-empowered aih in he ooseps o heir evangelical ore-
bears and ancesors Asian Americans may hen be able o bring heir heo-
logical gifs o he conversaion able gifs ha will challenge he discussion while simulaneously enriching he are or all hose concerned abou he
euangelion in he presen ime I is ime o heologize as Asian Americans no
jus as Evangelicals in order ha Evangelicalism isel can be renewed and
invigoraed or he sake o he gospel and in anicipaion o he reign o God
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3135
983089 983090 983088 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
includes ldquorepenancerdquo rom Asia and ldquoconversionrdquo o Americanism1048629983091
Ta his is no he case seems o be borne ou by he sociological lieraure
which confirms ha ehniciy remains jus as imporan as religion in he or-maion o Asian American ideniy10486291048628 Bu i so evangelical heology has no
even begun o wresle wih he imporance o ehniciy and race no o
menion heir heological implicaions Second-generaion Korean Amer-
icans or insance seem o be inuiively drawn o churches and parachurch
minisries ha oreground heir Korean culural ideniy10486291048629 bu hey have
developed ew heological raionales or such orms o social organizaion
more o he poin heir own heological presupposiions miigae agains suchaciviy which may explain heir ideniy conflicedness
Unsurprisingly hen Asian American evangelical heology has ye o ge
off he ground even a he beginning o he weny-firs cenury Asian
American Evangelicals geting degrees rom insiuions o higher educaion
have had o wresle wihagains his assimilaive impulse o sruggle wih he
quesion o wheher hey are or should be doing (descripive) sociology raher
han heology (as normaive reflecion) and o ariculae an apologeic ordoing Asian American evangelical heology raher han jus evangelical he-
ology For oo many Asian American Evangelicals heir saus ldquobewix and
beweenrdquo991252on he one hand belonging o Asia and o he Unied Saes in
some respecs bu on he oher hand being a sranger o boh Asia and he
Unied Saes in oher respecs991252pus hem in a unique posiion o inerrogae
evangelical heology bu (o dae) leaves hem ouside he ormal organiza-
ional and insiuional srucures o criique effecively and ransorm heevangelical heological radiion
53One could also make he reverse argumen however ha Evangelicalism in he Unied Saes hasalready been molded by is social culural and hisorical conex o he exen ha he very eauresha mark he American way o lie991252ie individualism experienialism pragmaism even con-sumerism991252have also come o characerize evangelical Chrisianiy For an insighul analysis ohe ofenimes uncriical conflaion o Evangelicalism and Americanism and o he orces ha havealso resised such accommodaions see D G Har Ta Old-ime Religion in Modern America
Evangelical Proesanism in he wenieh Cenury (Chicago Ivan R Dee 10486269830889830881048626)54See Jerry Z Park ldquoTe Ehnic and Religious Ideniies o Young Asian Americansrdquo (PhD diss
Universiy o Nore Dame 1048626983088983088983092)55See Sharon Kim and Rebecca Y Kim ldquoSecond-Generaion Korean American Chrisiansrsquo Com-
muniies Congregaional Hybridiyrdquo in Carolyn Chen and Russell Jeung eds Susaining Faih
radiions Race Ehniciy and Religion Among he Laino and Asian American Second Generaion (New York New York Universiy Press 104862698308810486251048626) pp 1048625983095983094-9830971048627
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3235
he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983090 983089
Moving trajectories o theological reflection O course i Asian Americans
hope o climb he ranks o he Norh American evangelical heological
academy hey can only do so on he erms esablished by heir hoss Andraher han responding o sociopoliical acors he evangelical heological
guild has always undersood isel primarily in heological erms and seen is
charge as deending hisorical orhodoxy wheher ha be agains liberalismrsquos
denial o biblical supernauralism agains neo-orhodoxyrsquos ambiguous sance
on Scripure agains mainsream sciencersquos heory o evoluion agains open
heismrsquos docrine o God and so on10486291048630 I evangelical heology has never
beore enerained ehnic perspecives in is discursive consrucion why nowundermine he (is presumed) universal ramework and applicabiliy by
adding he Asian or Asian American qualifiers
While in a sense his enire book provides a se o responses o his quesion
here I sugges hree reasons ha can moivae such a heological pah orward
Firs he Asian diaspora in he Unied Saes is now in a siuaion o reflec
subsanively on is experience o migraion While here are remendous
challenges o migraion10486291048631 some Asian Americans have achieved a level oupward social mobiliy so ha hey are now in he posiion o producing
scholarship inormed by such experienial perspecives Since he memory o
migraion among Asian Americans is more recen han hose o heir Cau-
casian colleagues such perspecives migh be helpul o ideniy how he mi-
graion rom he European coninen has shaped he evangelical heological
enerprise as a whole I Asian Americans can help heir evangelical colleagues
ideniy he hisorical impac o old o new world migraion on he belies andpracices o Norh American Evangelicalism ha in isel will open up pos-
sibiliies or considering aresh Asian American hisories and heir conribu-
ions o he wider conversaion
Second Asian Americans are orced o hink abou race and ehniciy in a
way unlike mos o heir whie brohers and sisers alhough heir reflecions
56Evangelical heologyrsquos many inernal and exernal batles are documened by Jon R Sone On heBoundaries o American Evangelicalism Te Poswar Evangelical Coaliion (New York S MarinrsquosPress 1048625983097983097983095)
57Some o hese are documened by Kenneh J Gues God in Chinaown Religion and Survival in
New Yorkrsquos Evolving Immigran Communiy (New York New York Universiy Press 10486269830889830881048627) whose work we will reurn o in chaper six
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3335
983089 983090 983090 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
can also mediae perspecive in an oherwise whie-and-black demarcaed
world Race and ehniciy are undeniable aspecs o Asian American hisory
and experience Te impor o his is a leas woold Firs Asian Americansare posiioned o engage he discussion opened up by black evangelical heo-
logians regarding conemporary heology991252even in is evangelical guises991252as
reflecing he ascen o whie perspecives in he early modern period a he
expense o Jewish and oher nonwhie culural realiies Asian American per-
specives on race and ehniciy will open up new visas on he racial and ehnic
dimensions o he biblical world10486291048632 In oher words he marginalized hisories
and perspecives o Asian American Evangelicals have much o conribue oconemporary biblical inerpreaion and heological explicaion Te dom-
inan orms o evangelical heology orged in par ou o he hegemony o
Chrisendom are in need o criical analysis and dialogical revision
Las bu no leas cenral and ongoing elemens o Asian American hisory
are par o he presen experiences o ransnaionalism and globalizaion Te
issues here are complex10486291048633 One mater ha needs o be addressed is he iner-
woven characer o he global economy and how i affecs people around he world differenly depending on various social poliical and culural circum-
sances In addiion wih regard o he Asian American side o his equaion
here remain difficul issues relaed o how he quesion o assimilaion or ac-
culuraion is being negoiaed and adjudicaed Firs- second- and hird-gener-
aion perspecives differ someimes momenously and his does no even acor
in he perspecives o he 983089983093 generaion I heology is o engage he hisorical
realiies o real flesh-and-blood human beings i mus engage such quesions inour conemporary world Asian American Evangelicals can lead he way in
hinking heologically abou such hings and his will benefi no only Asian
58 Asian Evangelicals hus need o build rom he insighul readings o mainline Proesan biblicalscholar a-Siong Benny Liew Wha Is Asian American Biblical Hermeneuics Reading he New
esamen (Honolulu Universiy o Hawaii Press 1048626983088983088983096) regarding he ehnic dynamics under-neah Jewish-Genile relaions in he New esamen o be sure Liewrsquos mainline Proesan as-sumpions may be raher disan rom evangelical ones so some criical dialogue and perhaps
correcion may also be in order Ye he srengh o Liewrsquos book is o sugges how Asian Americanexperiences o ehnic marginaliy can illuminae he dispues beween Jewish and Genile ollow-ers o he Messiah in he firs cenury Tis is an issue worh subsanial engagemen rom anevangelical perspecive
59Eg Neil J Ormerod and Shane Clifon Globalizaion and he Mission o he Church (New York amp Clark 104862698308810486251048625)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3435
he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983090983091
American communiies bu also hose o oher ehnic racial and culural groups
who are also wresling wih lie in he weny-firs-cenury global conex
Evangelical heology oday will need o heed more inenionally han i has beore acors o migraion ehniciy globalizaion and ransnaionalism
Asian American Evangelicals can assis wih hese maters i hey will arise o
he occasion Tis does no derac rom he universaliy o he gospel message
On he conrary i addresses quesions o universal significance ha are oher-
wise negleced or engaged rom or wihin only one (dominan cenris) se
o perspecives
Reconnecting to the broader evangelical theological tradition Beore con-cluding his chaper however an imporan cavea ough o be sounded None
o he preceding should be read as denying eiher Asian American indebedness
o he evangelical radiion or he inerrelaedness o Asian American and oher
evangelical effors in he conemporary heological ask Te preceding migh
sugges ha Asian Americans are only poining accusing fingers a heir whie
evangelical riends Wihou aking away anyhing rom he seriousness o he
oregoing discussion I also realize ha whie Evangelicals in paricular and Americans in general have been welcoming o Asians and ha we have made i
his ar on our diasporic journey only wih he help o such riends
Beyond such ecclesial collegialiy however I would gran ha Asian Amer-
icans are in various respecs beholden heologically o American Evangelicals
as well In paricular American evangelical commimens o Chris-
ceneredness biblical aihulness and missionary zealousness are imporan
elemens o Chrisian belie and pracice in he weny-firs cenury Asian American Evangelicals should embrace and live ou such commimens no
only or hemselves bu also or oher Evangelicals and even or he world
Ye my claim is precisely ha such a posure enables Asian American Evan-
gelicals o conribue heologically o he ormaion o an evangelical belie
and praxis relevan o he weny-firs cenury For his o happen however
Asian American Evangelicals mus embrace no only he evangel bu also he
hisoriciy o heir diasporic experiences Te incarnaion o he Son o Godconsised afer all o aking on he concreeness palpabiliy and emporaliy
o human Jewish and firs-cenury Palesinian flesh and he oupouring o he
Spiri o God on he Day o Penecos involved he redempion o he diversiy
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3535
983089 983090 983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
o human ongues languages and culures so ha hey migh bear winess o
he wondrous works o God (Acs 983090983089983089) Tis penecosal heme991252relaed o
Acs 983090 firs and oremos albei reraced unavoidably hrough he lens o mymodern penecosal ecclesial sensibiliies991252will inorm he deep srucure o
he argumen in he remainder o his volume ye achieved wihin a pen-
evangelical raher han merely charismaic rame o reerence My poin going
orward however is ha in ligh o hese heological and riniarian commi-
mens Evangelicals should be he firs o embrace he diversiy o heir his-
orical pariculariies raher han shy away rom hem radiionally o course
Evangelicals have subordinaed he vicissiudes o hisory and wih ha heiranxieies abou he flux and subjeciviies o experience o he surey and
oundaionalism o he Word o God as revealed in he Scripures My pro-
posal however is ha work o God in Chris and by he Spiri redeems us
amid wih and hrough he specificiies o our hisorical and culural expe-
rience (raher han saving us rom ou o such alogeher) and hus ha he
Word o God speaks ino such realiies (raher han ha we have o deny hem
or rejec hem as par o who we are)In shor Asian American Evangelicals do no need o be apologeic abou
heir lives experiences and perspecives Raher by ollowing he pah o he
Son o God ino he ar counry by receiving he infilling o he Spiri o God
poured ou on all flesh and by aihully atemping o live ou such a Chris-
cenered and Spiri-empowered aih in he ooseps o heir evangelical ore-
bears and ancesors Asian Americans may hen be able o bring heir heo-
logical gifs o he conversaion able gifs ha will challenge he discussion while simulaneously enriching he are or all hose concerned abou he
euangelion in he presen ime I is ime o heologize as Asian Americans no
jus as Evangelicals in order ha Evangelicalism isel can be renewed and
invigoraed or he sake o he gospel and in anicipaion o he reign o God
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3235
he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983090 983089
Moving trajectories o theological reflection O course i Asian Americans
hope o climb he ranks o he Norh American evangelical heological
academy hey can only do so on he erms esablished by heir hoss Andraher han responding o sociopoliical acors he evangelical heological
guild has always undersood isel primarily in heological erms and seen is
charge as deending hisorical orhodoxy wheher ha be agains liberalismrsquos
denial o biblical supernauralism agains neo-orhodoxyrsquos ambiguous sance
on Scripure agains mainsream sciencersquos heory o evoluion agains open
heismrsquos docrine o God and so on10486291048630 I evangelical heology has never
beore enerained ehnic perspecives in is discursive consrucion why nowundermine he (is presumed) universal ramework and applicabiliy by
adding he Asian or Asian American qualifiers
While in a sense his enire book provides a se o responses o his quesion
here I sugges hree reasons ha can moivae such a heological pah orward
Firs he Asian diaspora in he Unied Saes is now in a siuaion o reflec
subsanively on is experience o migraion While here are remendous
challenges o migraion10486291048631 some Asian Americans have achieved a level oupward social mobiliy so ha hey are now in he posiion o producing
scholarship inormed by such experienial perspecives Since he memory o
migraion among Asian Americans is more recen han hose o heir Cau-
casian colleagues such perspecives migh be helpul o ideniy how he mi-
graion rom he European coninen has shaped he evangelical heological
enerprise as a whole I Asian Americans can help heir evangelical colleagues
ideniy he hisorical impac o old o new world migraion on he belies andpracices o Norh American Evangelicalism ha in isel will open up pos-
sibiliies or considering aresh Asian American hisories and heir conribu-
ions o he wider conversaion
Second Asian Americans are orced o hink abou race and ehniciy in a
way unlike mos o heir whie brohers and sisers alhough heir reflecions
56Evangelical heologyrsquos many inernal and exernal batles are documened by Jon R Sone On heBoundaries o American Evangelicalism Te Poswar Evangelical Coaliion (New York S MarinrsquosPress 1048625983097983097983095)
57Some o hese are documened by Kenneh J Gues God in Chinaown Religion and Survival in
New Yorkrsquos Evolving Immigran Communiy (New York New York Universiy Press 10486269830889830881048627) whose work we will reurn o in chaper six
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3335
983089 983090 983090 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
can also mediae perspecive in an oherwise whie-and-black demarcaed
world Race and ehniciy are undeniable aspecs o Asian American hisory
and experience Te impor o his is a leas woold Firs Asian Americansare posiioned o engage he discussion opened up by black evangelical heo-
logians regarding conemporary heology991252even in is evangelical guises991252as
reflecing he ascen o whie perspecives in he early modern period a he
expense o Jewish and oher nonwhie culural realiies Asian American per-
specives on race and ehniciy will open up new visas on he racial and ehnic
dimensions o he biblical world10486291048632 In oher words he marginalized hisories
and perspecives o Asian American Evangelicals have much o conribue oconemporary biblical inerpreaion and heological explicaion Te dom-
inan orms o evangelical heology orged in par ou o he hegemony o
Chrisendom are in need o criical analysis and dialogical revision
Las bu no leas cenral and ongoing elemens o Asian American hisory
are par o he presen experiences o ransnaionalism and globalizaion Te
issues here are complex10486291048633 One mater ha needs o be addressed is he iner-
woven characer o he global economy and how i affecs people around he world differenly depending on various social poliical and culural circum-
sances In addiion wih regard o he Asian American side o his equaion
here remain difficul issues relaed o how he quesion o assimilaion or ac-
culuraion is being negoiaed and adjudicaed Firs- second- and hird-gener-
aion perspecives differ someimes momenously and his does no even acor
in he perspecives o he 983089983093 generaion I heology is o engage he hisorical
realiies o real flesh-and-blood human beings i mus engage such quesions inour conemporary world Asian American Evangelicals can lead he way in
hinking heologically abou such hings and his will benefi no only Asian
58 Asian Evangelicals hus need o build rom he insighul readings o mainline Proesan biblicalscholar a-Siong Benny Liew Wha Is Asian American Biblical Hermeneuics Reading he New
esamen (Honolulu Universiy o Hawaii Press 1048626983088983088983096) regarding he ehnic dynamics under-neah Jewish-Genile relaions in he New esamen o be sure Liewrsquos mainline Proesan as-sumpions may be raher disan rom evangelical ones so some criical dialogue and perhaps
correcion may also be in order Ye he srengh o Liewrsquos book is o sugges how Asian Americanexperiences o ehnic marginaliy can illuminae he dispues beween Jewish and Genile ollow-ers o he Messiah in he firs cenury Tis is an issue worh subsanial engagemen rom anevangelical perspecive
59Eg Neil J Ormerod and Shane Clifon Globalizaion and he Mission o he Church (New York amp Clark 104862698308810486251048625)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3435
he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983090983091
American communiies bu also hose o oher ehnic racial and culural groups
who are also wresling wih lie in he weny-firs-cenury global conex
Evangelical heology oday will need o heed more inenionally han i has beore acors o migraion ehniciy globalizaion and ransnaionalism
Asian American Evangelicals can assis wih hese maters i hey will arise o
he occasion Tis does no derac rom he universaliy o he gospel message
On he conrary i addresses quesions o universal significance ha are oher-
wise negleced or engaged rom or wihin only one (dominan cenris) se
o perspecives
Reconnecting to the broader evangelical theological tradition Beore con-cluding his chaper however an imporan cavea ough o be sounded None
o he preceding should be read as denying eiher Asian American indebedness
o he evangelical radiion or he inerrelaedness o Asian American and oher
evangelical effors in he conemporary heological ask Te preceding migh
sugges ha Asian Americans are only poining accusing fingers a heir whie
evangelical riends Wihou aking away anyhing rom he seriousness o he
oregoing discussion I also realize ha whie Evangelicals in paricular and Americans in general have been welcoming o Asians and ha we have made i
his ar on our diasporic journey only wih he help o such riends
Beyond such ecclesial collegialiy however I would gran ha Asian Amer-
icans are in various respecs beholden heologically o American Evangelicals
as well In paricular American evangelical commimens o Chris-
ceneredness biblical aihulness and missionary zealousness are imporan
elemens o Chrisian belie and pracice in he weny-firs cenury Asian American Evangelicals should embrace and live ou such commimens no
only or hemselves bu also or oher Evangelicals and even or he world
Ye my claim is precisely ha such a posure enables Asian American Evan-
gelicals o conribue heologically o he ormaion o an evangelical belie
and praxis relevan o he weny-firs cenury For his o happen however
Asian American Evangelicals mus embrace no only he evangel bu also he
hisoriciy o heir diasporic experiences Te incarnaion o he Son o Godconsised afer all o aking on he concreeness palpabiliy and emporaliy
o human Jewish and firs-cenury Palesinian flesh and he oupouring o he
Spiri o God on he Day o Penecos involved he redempion o he diversiy
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3535
983089 983090 983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
o human ongues languages and culures so ha hey migh bear winess o
he wondrous works o God (Acs 983090983089983089) Tis penecosal heme991252relaed o
Acs 983090 firs and oremos albei reraced unavoidably hrough he lens o mymodern penecosal ecclesial sensibiliies991252will inorm he deep srucure o
he argumen in he remainder o his volume ye achieved wihin a pen-
evangelical raher han merely charismaic rame o reerence My poin going
orward however is ha in ligh o hese heological and riniarian commi-
mens Evangelicals should be he firs o embrace he diversiy o heir his-
orical pariculariies raher han shy away rom hem radiionally o course
Evangelicals have subordinaed he vicissiudes o hisory and wih ha heiranxieies abou he flux and subjeciviies o experience o he surey and
oundaionalism o he Word o God as revealed in he Scripures My pro-
posal however is ha work o God in Chris and by he Spiri redeems us
amid wih and hrough he specificiies o our hisorical and culural expe-
rience (raher han saving us rom ou o such alogeher) and hus ha he
Word o God speaks ino such realiies (raher han ha we have o deny hem
or rejec hem as par o who we are)In shor Asian American Evangelicals do no need o be apologeic abou
heir lives experiences and perspecives Raher by ollowing he pah o he
Son o God ino he ar counry by receiving he infilling o he Spiri o God
poured ou on all flesh and by aihully atemping o live ou such a Chris-
cenered and Spiri-empowered aih in he ooseps o heir evangelical ore-
bears and ancesors Asian Americans may hen be able o bring heir heo-
logical gifs o he conversaion able gifs ha will challenge he discussion while simulaneously enriching he are or all hose concerned abou he
euangelion in he presen ime I is ime o heologize as Asian Americans no
jus as Evangelicals in order ha Evangelicalism isel can be renewed and
invigoraed or he sake o he gospel and in anicipaion o he reign o God
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3335
983089 983090 983090 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
can also mediae perspecive in an oherwise whie-and-black demarcaed
world Race and ehniciy are undeniable aspecs o Asian American hisory
and experience Te impor o his is a leas woold Firs Asian Americansare posiioned o engage he discussion opened up by black evangelical heo-
logians regarding conemporary heology991252even in is evangelical guises991252as
reflecing he ascen o whie perspecives in he early modern period a he
expense o Jewish and oher nonwhie culural realiies Asian American per-
specives on race and ehniciy will open up new visas on he racial and ehnic
dimensions o he biblical world10486291048632 In oher words he marginalized hisories
and perspecives o Asian American Evangelicals have much o conribue oconemporary biblical inerpreaion and heological explicaion Te dom-
inan orms o evangelical heology orged in par ou o he hegemony o
Chrisendom are in need o criical analysis and dialogical revision
Las bu no leas cenral and ongoing elemens o Asian American hisory
are par o he presen experiences o ransnaionalism and globalizaion Te
issues here are complex10486291048633 One mater ha needs o be addressed is he iner-
woven characer o he global economy and how i affecs people around he world differenly depending on various social poliical and culural circum-
sances In addiion wih regard o he Asian American side o his equaion
here remain difficul issues relaed o how he quesion o assimilaion or ac-
culuraion is being negoiaed and adjudicaed Firs- second- and hird-gener-
aion perspecives differ someimes momenously and his does no even acor
in he perspecives o he 983089983093 generaion I heology is o engage he hisorical
realiies o real flesh-and-blood human beings i mus engage such quesions inour conemporary world Asian American Evangelicals can lead he way in
hinking heologically abou such hings and his will benefi no only Asian
58 Asian Evangelicals hus need o build rom he insighul readings o mainline Proesan biblicalscholar a-Siong Benny Liew Wha Is Asian American Biblical Hermeneuics Reading he New
esamen (Honolulu Universiy o Hawaii Press 1048626983088983088983096) regarding he ehnic dynamics under-neah Jewish-Genile relaions in he New esamen o be sure Liewrsquos mainline Proesan as-sumpions may be raher disan rom evangelical ones so some criical dialogue and perhaps
correcion may also be in order Ye he srengh o Liewrsquos book is o sugges how Asian Americanexperiences o ehnic marginaliy can illuminae he dispues beween Jewish and Genile ollow-ers o he Messiah in he firs cenury Tis is an issue worh subsanial engagemen rom anevangelical perspecive
59Eg Neil J Ormerod and Shane Clifon Globalizaion and he Mission o he Church (New York amp Clark 104862698308810486251048625)
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
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he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983090983091
American communiies bu also hose o oher ehnic racial and culural groups
who are also wresling wih lie in he weny-firs-cenury global conex
Evangelical heology oday will need o heed more inenionally han i has beore acors o migraion ehniciy globalizaion and ransnaionalism
Asian American Evangelicals can assis wih hese maters i hey will arise o
he occasion Tis does no derac rom he universaliy o he gospel message
On he conrary i addresses quesions o universal significance ha are oher-
wise negleced or engaged rom or wihin only one (dominan cenris) se
o perspecives
Reconnecting to the broader evangelical theological tradition Beore con-cluding his chaper however an imporan cavea ough o be sounded None
o he preceding should be read as denying eiher Asian American indebedness
o he evangelical radiion or he inerrelaedness o Asian American and oher
evangelical effors in he conemporary heological ask Te preceding migh
sugges ha Asian Americans are only poining accusing fingers a heir whie
evangelical riends Wihou aking away anyhing rom he seriousness o he
oregoing discussion I also realize ha whie Evangelicals in paricular and Americans in general have been welcoming o Asians and ha we have made i
his ar on our diasporic journey only wih he help o such riends
Beyond such ecclesial collegialiy however I would gran ha Asian Amer-
icans are in various respecs beholden heologically o American Evangelicals
as well In paricular American evangelical commimens o Chris-
ceneredness biblical aihulness and missionary zealousness are imporan
elemens o Chrisian belie and pracice in he weny-firs cenury Asian American Evangelicals should embrace and live ou such commimens no
only or hemselves bu also or oher Evangelicals and even or he world
Ye my claim is precisely ha such a posure enables Asian American Evan-
gelicals o conribue heologically o he ormaion o an evangelical belie
and praxis relevan o he weny-firs cenury For his o happen however
Asian American Evangelicals mus embrace no only he evangel bu also he
hisoriciy o heir diasporic experiences Te incarnaion o he Son o Godconsised afer all o aking on he concreeness palpabiliy and emporaliy
o human Jewish and firs-cenury Palesinian flesh and he oupouring o he
Spiri o God on he Day o Penecos involved he redempion o he diversiy
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3535
983089 983090 983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
o human ongues languages and culures so ha hey migh bear winess o
he wondrous works o God (Acs 983090983089983089) Tis penecosal heme991252relaed o
Acs 983090 firs and oremos albei reraced unavoidably hrough he lens o mymodern penecosal ecclesial sensibiliies991252will inorm he deep srucure o
he argumen in he remainder o his volume ye achieved wihin a pen-
evangelical raher han merely charismaic rame o reerence My poin going
orward however is ha in ligh o hese heological and riniarian commi-
mens Evangelicals should be he firs o embrace he diversiy o heir his-
orical pariculariies raher han shy away rom hem radiionally o course
Evangelicals have subordinaed he vicissiudes o hisory and wih ha heiranxieies abou he flux and subjeciviies o experience o he surey and
oundaionalism o he Word o God as revealed in he Scripures My pro-
posal however is ha work o God in Chris and by he Spiri redeems us
amid wih and hrough he specificiies o our hisorical and culural expe-
rience (raher han saving us rom ou o such alogeher) and hus ha he
Word o God speaks ino such realiies (raher han ha we have o deny hem
or rejec hem as par o who we are)In shor Asian American Evangelicals do no need o be apologeic abou
heir lives experiences and perspecives Raher by ollowing he pah o he
Son o God ino he ar counry by receiving he infilling o he Spiri o God
poured ou on all flesh and by aihully atemping o live ou such a Chris-
cenered and Spiri-empowered aih in he ooseps o heir evangelical ore-
bears and ancesors Asian Americans may hen be able o bring heir heo-
logical gifs o he conversaion able gifs ha will challenge he discussion while simulaneously enriching he are or all hose concerned abou he
euangelion in he presen ime I is ime o heologize as Asian Americans no
jus as Evangelicals in order ha Evangelicalism isel can be renewed and
invigoraed or he sake o he gospel and in anicipaion o he reign o God
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3435
he Legacy o Evangelical heology 983089 983090983091
American communiies bu also hose o oher ehnic racial and culural groups
who are also wresling wih lie in he weny-firs-cenury global conex
Evangelical heology oday will need o heed more inenionally han i has beore acors o migraion ehniciy globalizaion and ransnaionalism
Asian American Evangelicals can assis wih hese maters i hey will arise o
he occasion Tis does no derac rom he universaliy o he gospel message
On he conrary i addresses quesions o universal significance ha are oher-
wise negleced or engaged rom or wihin only one (dominan cenris) se
o perspecives
Reconnecting to the broader evangelical theological tradition Beore con-cluding his chaper however an imporan cavea ough o be sounded None
o he preceding should be read as denying eiher Asian American indebedness
o he evangelical radiion or he inerrelaedness o Asian American and oher
evangelical effors in he conemporary heological ask Te preceding migh
sugges ha Asian Americans are only poining accusing fingers a heir whie
evangelical riends Wihou aking away anyhing rom he seriousness o he
oregoing discussion I also realize ha whie Evangelicals in paricular and Americans in general have been welcoming o Asians and ha we have made i
his ar on our diasporic journey only wih he help o such riends
Beyond such ecclesial collegialiy however I would gran ha Asian Amer-
icans are in various respecs beholden heologically o American Evangelicals
as well In paricular American evangelical commimens o Chris-
ceneredness biblical aihulness and missionary zealousness are imporan
elemens o Chrisian belie and pracice in he weny-firs cenury Asian American Evangelicals should embrace and live ou such commimens no
only or hemselves bu also or oher Evangelicals and even or he world
Ye my claim is precisely ha such a posure enables Asian American Evan-
gelicals o conribue heologically o he ormaion o an evangelical belie
and praxis relevan o he weny-firs cenury For his o happen however
Asian American Evangelicals mus embrace no only he evangel bu also he
hisoriciy o heir diasporic experiences Te incarnaion o he Son o Godconsised afer all o aking on he concreeness palpabiliy and emporaliy
o human Jewish and firs-cenury Palesinian flesh and he oupouring o he
Spiri o God on he Day o Penecos involved he redempion o he diversiy
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3535
983089 983090 983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
o human ongues languages and culures so ha hey migh bear winess o
he wondrous works o God (Acs 983090983089983089) Tis penecosal heme991252relaed o
Acs 983090 firs and oremos albei reraced unavoidably hrough he lens o mymodern penecosal ecclesial sensibiliies991252will inorm he deep srucure o
he argumen in he remainder o his volume ye achieved wihin a pen-
evangelical raher han merely charismaic rame o reerence My poin going
orward however is ha in ligh o hese heological and riniarian commi-
mens Evangelicals should be he firs o embrace he diversiy o heir his-
orical pariculariies raher han shy away rom hem radiionally o course
Evangelicals have subordinaed he vicissiudes o hisory and wih ha heiranxieies abou he flux and subjeciviies o experience o he surey and
oundaionalism o he Word o God as revealed in he Scripures My pro-
posal however is ha work o God in Chris and by he Spiri redeems us
amid wih and hrough he specificiies o our hisorical and culural expe-
rience (raher han saving us rom ou o such alogeher) and hus ha he
Word o God speaks ino such realiies (raher han ha we have o deny hem
or rejec hem as par o who we are)In shor Asian American Evangelicals do no need o be apologeic abou
heir lives experiences and perspecives Raher by ollowing he pah o he
Son o God ino he ar counry by receiving he infilling o he Spiri o God
poured ou on all flesh and by aihully atemping o live ou such a Chris-
cenered and Spiri-empowered aih in he ooseps o heir evangelical ore-
bears and ancesors Asian Americans may hen be able o bring heir heo-
logical gifs o he conversaion able gifs ha will challenge he discussion while simulaneously enriching he are or all hose concerned abou he
euangelion in he presen ime I is ime o heologize as Asian Americans no
jus as Evangelicals in order ha Evangelicalism isel can be renewed and
invigoraed or he sake o he gospel and in anicipaion o he reign o God
8112019 The Future of Evangelical Theology by Amos Yong - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullthe-future-of-evangelical-theology-by-amos-yong-excerpt 3535
983089 983090 983092 983144983141 F 983157983156 983157983154 983141 983151 983142 E 983158983137 983150983143983141983148 983145983139983137 983148 983144983141983151 983148 983151 983143983161
o human ongues languages and culures so ha hey migh bear winess o
he wondrous works o God (Acs 983090983089983089) Tis penecosal heme991252relaed o
Acs 983090 firs and oremos albei reraced unavoidably hrough he lens o mymodern penecosal ecclesial sensibiliies991252will inorm he deep srucure o
he argumen in he remainder o his volume ye achieved wihin a pen-
evangelical raher han merely charismaic rame o reerence My poin going
orward however is ha in ligh o hese heological and riniarian commi-
mens Evangelicals should be he firs o embrace he diversiy o heir his-
orical pariculariies raher han shy away rom hem radiionally o course
Evangelicals have subordinaed he vicissiudes o hisory and wih ha heiranxieies abou he flux and subjeciviies o experience o he surey and
oundaionalism o he Word o God as revealed in he Scripures My pro-
posal however is ha work o God in Chris and by he Spiri redeems us
amid wih and hrough he specificiies o our hisorical and culural expe-
rience (raher han saving us rom ou o such alogeher) and hus ha he
Word o God speaks ino such realiies (raher han ha we have o deny hem
or rejec hem as par o who we are)In shor Asian American Evangelicals do no need o be apologeic abou
heir lives experiences and perspecives Raher by ollowing he pah o he
Son o God ino he ar counry by receiving he infilling o he Spiri o God
poured ou on all flesh and by aihully atemping o live ou such a Chris-
cenered and Spiri-empowered aih in he ooseps o heir evangelical ore-
bears and ancesors Asian Americans may hen be able o bring heir heo-
logical gifs o he conversaion able gifs ha will challenge he discussion while simulaneously enriching he are or all hose concerned abou he
euangelion in he presen ime I is ime o heologize as Asian Americans no
jus as Evangelicals in order ha Evangelicalism isel can be renewed and
invigoraed or he sake o he gospel and in anicipaion o he reign o God