RECLAIMING AN ASIAN PERSPECTIVE IN URBAN MINISTRY
I didn’t know what to expect when I first signed up for the L2 Leaders Forum in Chicago. Living and working in a predominantly African-American neighborhood and being married to a Caucasian woman and having mostly Caucasian friends, I hadn’t had many opportunities recently to gather with other Asian-Americans. Quite frankly, while my Asianness influences my worldview on race matters – such as black/white relations in America, living as a minority in this country, and topics unique to Asian-Americans – I engage with all of these issues in a detached, race-neutral sort of way. Not that I am embarrassed of my Asianness, far from it; and yet, I could make a list of adjectives and terms to describe myself, and “Asian-American Christian leader” might not have made the top ten.
And so it was with not a little apprehension that I made my way down from my hotel room to the forum’s first activity. I sort of dreaded not being the only Asian in the room; I ran in so many circles where I was the only Asian face that not having that distinctiveness suddenly made me feel uncomfortably vulnerable and plain. I scanned my brain for other ways I could distinguish myself when my conscience caught up with me and recognized this way of thinking as prideful and terribly self-centered. I said a little prayer and asked God to give me an open and soft heart to receive whatever he had for me at this conference.
God does indeed answer prayers, even from people who are prideful and self-centered, when those prayers involve His Name being glorified and His Kingdom being advanced. I ended up having a great time at the L2 Leaders Forum, and was inspired by the many wise words and interesting ideas that were shared by conference speakers and fellow attendees. The most enriching aspect of the gathering, though, was the opportunity to connect with other like-minded Asian-American Christians, to feel a sense of oneness with them in a common mission and shared experiences.
I particularly appreciated meeting others who work in the field of urban economic development. It turns out that my pride in being the lone Asian in my circles masked a deep insecurity in me about who I was as an Asian-American working among people of other ethnic upbringings. I cherished the opportunity to intellectually and emotionally explore these perspectives with other like-minded believers. It felt good to learn from others’ experiences: the unique opportunities and challenges of Asians bridging the black-white divide; second-generation Asians pursuing justice in their vocation to the dismay of immigrant parents who worked hard so that their children could become doctors and engineers; and Asian Christians reconciling their Biblical convictions about community development with unspoken cultural tenets inherited from previous generations.
I left the conference more rooted in my Asianness, more able to claim that and not some point of neutrality as the lens through which I see the world and face its challenges. Being a singular Asian among many non-Asians in my urban ministry circles is for me a source of sinful pride sometimes, but also a sad reality I hope will change over time. Like Elijah after his confrontation on Mt. Carmel, I needed God to show me that there are others like me, who come from Asian heritages and who fight for justice in America’s cities without bowing to idols (1 Kings 19:18). God introduced me to some of them, and privileged me with the opportunity to worship amongst them, laugh with them, and learn from them. And I am better for the experience.
I didn’t know what to expect when I first signed up for the L2 Leaders Forum in Chicago. Living and working in a predominantly African-American neighborhood and being married to a Caucasian woman and having mostly Caucasian friends, I hadn’t had many opportunities recently to gather with other Asian-Americans. Quite frankly, while my Asianness influences my worldview on race matters – such as black/white relations in America, living as a minority in this country, and topics unique to Asian-Americans – I engage with all of these issues in a detached, race-neutral sort of way. Not that I am embarrassed of my Asianness, far from it; and yet, I could make a list of adjectives and terms to describe myself, and “Asian-American Christian leader” might not have made the top ten.
And so it was with not a little apprehension that I made my way down from my hotel room to the forum’s first activity. I sort of dreaded not being the only Asian in the room; I ran in so many circles where I was the only Asian face that not having that distinctiveness suddenly made me feel uncomfortably vulnerable and plain. I scanned my brain for other ways I could distinguish myself when my conscience caught up with me and recognized this way of thinking as prideful and terribly self-centered. I said a little prayer and asked God to give me an open and soft heart to receive whatever he had for me at this conference.
God does indeed answer prayers, even from people who are prideful and self-centered, when those prayers involve His Name being glorified and His Kingdom being advanced. I ended up having a great time at the L2 Leaders Forum, and was inspired by the many wise words and interesting ideas that were shared by conference speakers and fellow attendees. The most enriching aspect of the gathering, though, was the opportunity to connect with other like-minded Asian-American Christians, to feel a sense of oneness with them in a common mission and shared experiences.
I particularly appreciated meeting others who work in the field of urban economic development. It turns out that my pride in being the lone Asian in my circles masked a deep insecurity in me about who I was as an Asian-American working among people of other ethnic upbringings. I cherished the opportunity to intellectually and emotionally explore these perspectives with other like-minded believers. It felt good to learn from others’ experiences: the unique opportunities and challenges of Asians bridging the black-white divide; second-generation Asians pursuing justice in their vocation to the dismay of immigrant parents who worked hard so that their children could become doctors and engineers; and Asian Christians reconciling their Biblical convictions about community development with unspoken cultural tenets inherited from previous generations.
I left the conference more rooted in my Asianness, more able to claim that and not some point of neutrality as the lens through which I see the world and face its challenges. Being a singular Asian among many non-Asians in my urban ministry circles is for me a source of sinful pride sometimes, but also a sad reality I hope will change over time. Like Elijah after his confrontation on Mt. Carmel, I needed God to show me that there are others like me, who come from Asian heritages and who fight for justice in America’s cities without bowing to idols (1 Kings 19:18). God introduced me to some of them, and privileged me with the opportunity to worship amongst them, laugh with them, and learn from them. And I am better for the experience.
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