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Doing Asian American Theology: A Contextual Framework for Faith and Practice
The American Society of Missiology Book Award Winner "Asian American theology is about God revealed in Jesus Christ in covenantal relationship with Asian Americans qua Asian Americans. Thus, Asian American theology is about Asian Americans as well, as human covenant partners alongside of God." In doing Asian American theology, Daniel D. Lee focuses on Asian American identity and its relationship to faith and theology, providing a vocabulary and grammar, and laying out a methodology for Asian American theologies in their ethnic, generational, and regional differences. Lee's framework for Asian American theological contextuality proposes an Asian American quadrilateral of the intersection of Asian heritage, migration experience, American culture, and racialization. This methodology incorporates the need for personal integration and communal journey, especially in the work of Asian American ministry. With interdisciplinary insights from interpersonal neurobiology and trauma theory, he offers a process of integration and reconciliation for Asian American theologies in service of Asian American communities of every kind.
- GenresTheology
240 pages, Paperback
Published November 29, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 22, 2023
I’m going to have to read this book again because it’s way too much to absorb in one reading. Reading this was validating AND incredibly challenging. Lee pulls no punches. It’s going to take me a while to process this book.
I highly recommend Asian American Christians read this. But is this a book that non-Asian American Christians can/should read? YES! Here’s why:
1. There’s so much in this book that is applicable for those who aren’t Asian American AND a lot of it is stuff I’ve never heard/read before!
2. It’s good to include in your reading diet books that don’t center you.
3. This is a good book. Good books should be read!
I highly recommend Asian American Christians read this. But is this a book that non-Asian American Christians can/should read? YES! Here’s why:
1. There’s so much in this book that is applicable for those who aren’t Asian American AND a lot of it is stuff I’ve never heard/read before!
2. It’s good to include in your reading diet books that don’t center you.
3. This is a good book. Good books should be read!
May 25, 2023
Summary: A book laying out a framework for doing Asian-American theology considering both the shared and diverse cultural contexts of Asian-American peoples.
For too long we would “do theology” without cultural modifiers. It was assumed that the theology that arose from European and American contexts (at least among the dominant culture) was theology. Only in doing mission did the awareness arise that there was a lot in the theology of European-Americans that was contextual, and out of context in indigenous settings. To truly be embraced in indigenous contexts, the faith had to be translated not only into the language but also the culture of the people.
Daniel D. Lee contends that this concern for context is no less true for Asian Americans who believe, and in this book he attempts to set out the cultural context that frames doing theology as an Asian American. “Neutral” theology really is White theology, and risks the loss of distinctive Asian American cultural identity and the contribution of Asian Americans to the global and national mosaic of the church. Just as Jesus entered the world as a Jew in all the particularities of Jewishness, so the particularities of being Asian American matter.
Before we launch into the framework Lee proposes, we should note his definition of Asian American theology. He writes:
“Asian American theology is about God revealed in Jesus Christ in covenantal relationship with Asian Americans qua Asian Americans. Thus, Asian American theology is about Asian Americans as human covenant partners with God.”
For Lee, particularity matters and can be lost when we are blind to the cultural normativities latent in so-called “neutral theologizing.”
The framework he then proposes is what he calls the “Asian American Quadrilateral.” The four themes he articulates are:
1. Asian heritage. These are the cultural, religious, and philosophical inheritances that inform an intuited sense of “how things are done.” As there are many Asian peoples, this is hardly monolithic and sometimes conflicting. There is a danger of essentializing or giving way to stereotypes (e.g. the “tiger mom”). He develops the use of cultural archetypes such as Confucian filial piety, some consonant with the faith, some distorted by fallenness, some neutral but which may be considered through the eyes of faith.
2. Migration experience. This addresses the immigrant or refugee experience, acculturation and assimilation, intergenerational conflicts and identity formation.
3. American culture. This addresses everything from American cultural and theological heritage to colonialism to the secular and post-modern turn of the culture and what it means to live amid different ways in which “things are done” and how the Asian and American aspects of one’s identity are integrated personally and in congregations.
4. Racialization. This involves understanding the process of racial identity formation, the black/white binary, the particular experience of microaggressions Asian Americans experience, often summed up in the “perpetual foreigner” status.
After devoting a chapter to each theme, Lee offers two concluding chapters where he begins to do some theological formulation around identity and the church. He first discusses fragmented and integrated identities in the Asian American experience and the trauma of self-editing that comes with living bi-culturally. He believes healing comes when mental categories to describe one’s experience, such as the Quadrilateral, are developed, leading to storytelling that constructs a coherent narrative of one’s life, and spiritually formative communities where narratives are shared, affirmed, and offer insight.
Finally, he addresses the idea of the Asian American church, addressing the flaws in various proposals of multi-racial churches, particularly that these often lead to being blind to the structural aspects of racism as well as submerging identities, often for the sake of White normativity. He draws on Rowan William’s idea of “mixed economy” to explore the various layers of diversity that may exist within a community, going beyond race and ethnicity. Drawing on the Quadrilateral, he proposes contextual communities for Asian heritage, transitional communities for migrant communities, missional communities for American culture and liberational communities for racialization. Some will come more to the fore than others at times and they will exist in tension with each other.
The subtitle of this work is important to make sense of what Lee is doing. “A Contextual Framework for Faith and Practice” helps one see that before one engages in the work of theology proper, one must be aware (and self-aware) of the context within which it is being done so that theological reflection both reflects and engages one’s Asian American identity and the Asian and American contexts in which that is lived out. As an onlooker in this enterprise, I look forward to see what is built upon this framework and how it enables Asian American Christians to flourish, the wider church to see Christ more fully, and the wider culture offered a fresh witness to the God who has been revealed in Jesus Christ.
________________________________
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher.
For too long we would “do theology” without cultural modifiers. It was assumed that the theology that arose from European and American contexts (at least among the dominant culture) was theology. Only in doing mission did the awareness arise that there was a lot in the theology of European-Americans that was contextual, and out of context in indigenous settings. To truly be embraced in indigenous contexts, the faith had to be translated not only into the language but also the culture of the people.
Daniel D. Lee contends that this concern for context is no less true for Asian Americans who believe, and in this book he attempts to set out the cultural context that frames doing theology as an Asian American. “Neutral” theology really is White theology, and risks the loss of distinctive Asian American cultural identity and the contribution of Asian Americans to the global and national mosaic of the church. Just as Jesus entered the world as a Jew in all the particularities of Jewishness, so the particularities of being Asian American matter.
Before we launch into the framework Lee proposes, we should note his definition of Asian American theology. He writes:
“Asian American theology is about God revealed in Jesus Christ in covenantal relationship with Asian Americans qua Asian Americans. Thus, Asian American theology is about Asian Americans as human covenant partners with God.”
For Lee, particularity matters and can be lost when we are blind to the cultural normativities latent in so-called “neutral theologizing.”
The framework he then proposes is what he calls the “Asian American Quadrilateral.” The four themes he articulates are:
1. Asian heritage. These are the cultural, religious, and philosophical inheritances that inform an intuited sense of “how things are done.” As there are many Asian peoples, this is hardly monolithic and sometimes conflicting. There is a danger of essentializing or giving way to stereotypes (e.g. the “tiger mom”). He develops the use of cultural archetypes such as Confucian filial piety, some consonant with the faith, some distorted by fallenness, some neutral but which may be considered through the eyes of faith.
2. Migration experience. This addresses the immigrant or refugee experience, acculturation and assimilation, intergenerational conflicts and identity formation.
3. American culture. This addresses everything from American cultural and theological heritage to colonialism to the secular and post-modern turn of the culture and what it means to live amid different ways in which “things are done” and how the Asian and American aspects of one’s identity are integrated personally and in congregations.
4. Racialization. This involves understanding the process of racial identity formation, the black/white binary, the particular experience of microaggressions Asian Americans experience, often summed up in the “perpetual foreigner” status.
After devoting a chapter to each theme, Lee offers two concluding chapters where he begins to do some theological formulation around identity and the church. He first discusses fragmented and integrated identities in the Asian American experience and the trauma of self-editing that comes with living bi-culturally. He believes healing comes when mental categories to describe one’s experience, such as the Quadrilateral, are developed, leading to storytelling that constructs a coherent narrative of one’s life, and spiritually formative communities where narratives are shared, affirmed, and offer insight.
Finally, he addresses the idea of the Asian American church, addressing the flaws in various proposals of multi-racial churches, particularly that these often lead to being blind to the structural aspects of racism as well as submerging identities, often for the sake of White normativity. He draws on Rowan William’s idea of “mixed economy” to explore the various layers of diversity that may exist within a community, going beyond race and ethnicity. Drawing on the Quadrilateral, he proposes contextual communities for Asian heritage, transitional communities for migrant communities, missional communities for American culture and liberational communities for racialization. Some will come more to the fore than others at times and they will exist in tension with each other.
The subtitle of this work is important to make sense of what Lee is doing. “A Contextual Framework for Faith and Practice” helps one see that before one engages in the work of theology proper, one must be aware (and self-aware) of the context within which it is being done so that theological reflection both reflects and engages one’s Asian American identity and the Asian and American contexts in which that is lived out. As an onlooker in this enterprise, I look forward to see what is built upon this framework and how it enables Asian American Christians to flourish, the wider church to see Christ more fully, and the wider culture offered a fresh witness to the God who has been revealed in Jesus Christ.
________________________________
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher.
December 10, 2022
I grew up in a majority white, rural small town in Indiana. When I graduated from seminary, I took a youth pastor position at a primarily Asian-American church that had more Asian-Americans in the church than there was in my entire hometown. Doing Asian American Theology is the book I wish I’d had when I accepted that position. Dr. David D. Lee is the academic dean for the Center for Asian American Theology and Ministry and the assistant professor of theology and Asian American studies at Fuller.
As such, Lee’s experience with Asian American theology and the Asian American church is based in both expertise and experience. He writes about his own struggle with ethnic identity and with wanting to go away from, then feeling called back to, the Asian American church. While a lot of Doing Asian American Theology stays in the realm of methodology without much of a focus on practical implementation, Lee’s experience provides a personal and practical perspective amid the theoretical. My one criticism of the book is that I would have liked to have seen more practical suggestions for developing an Asian-American theology that resists assimilation and honors ethnic heritage and culture. However, as an academic title, I also realize that wasn’t entirely its purpose. Perhaps a follow-up volume emphasizing strategies for implementation could follow this foundational work?
Lee has developed and Doing Asian American Theology works from a protocol called the Asian American Quadrilateral. This protocol highlights four aspects of the Asian American experience: dealing with Asian heritage, the experience of migration and loss, navigating American culture and representation, and societal racialization. Lee makes the argument that these aspects of being Asian American necessitate Asian Americans do theology (and thus approach God) in a distinctly Asian American way. The pushback to this, of course, is that God transcends ethnic boundaries (a key element of the Book of Acts); however, in American theology the approach to God is often distinctly White. Because whiteness has been normalized as the “default” in American culture, this is not often obvious to majority culture audiences. While God does transcend ethnic boundaries, people from different ethnic backgrounds come to God and experience God in different ways (also a key element of the Book of Acts).
The most salient part of the book in my experience was Lee’s discussion of how many Asian American churches struggle with their Asian identity and determining how much of their “Christian culture” is actually *American* Christian culture. Asian Americans have a unique place in America’s migration story and are more likely to feel the need to assimilate into majority culture. I think this is especially true for Asian American Christians, whose cultural experience of Christianity is usually first based on majority-white expressions of Christianity. Doing Asian American Theology encourages Asian Americans to not put aside their Asian-ness or ignore their cultural heritage to worship Jesus.
Another important point of the book is that, even when minority groups are given a voice, it is usually the most privileged and prominent within the group that are heard. Thus, Asian-American theology can run the risk of being Chinese or Korean—the two largest Asian American Christian contexts—but still leave out other Asian minority groups. While no culture is a monolith, Asia in particular has a mass of languages, backgrounds, and cultures and migrant populations in particular vary differently in terms of migratory purpose and socio-economic position.
If you are involved in Asian-American ministry, Doing Asian American Theology is a wonderful resource that might contextualize some of what you are seeing in your church. Asian American Christians must not be afraid of experiencing God as Asian Americans. Lee offers liberation from assimilation and a methodology for making Christianity an integral part of the Asian American experience that speaks to that experience and context.
As such, Lee’s experience with Asian American theology and the Asian American church is based in both expertise and experience. He writes about his own struggle with ethnic identity and with wanting to go away from, then feeling called back to, the Asian American church. While a lot of Doing Asian American Theology stays in the realm of methodology without much of a focus on practical implementation, Lee’s experience provides a personal and practical perspective amid the theoretical. My one criticism of the book is that I would have liked to have seen more practical suggestions for developing an Asian-American theology that resists assimilation and honors ethnic heritage and culture. However, as an academic title, I also realize that wasn’t entirely its purpose. Perhaps a follow-up volume emphasizing strategies for implementation could follow this foundational work?
Lee has developed and Doing Asian American Theology works from a protocol called the Asian American Quadrilateral. This protocol highlights four aspects of the Asian American experience: dealing with Asian heritage, the experience of migration and loss, navigating American culture and representation, and societal racialization. Lee makes the argument that these aspects of being Asian American necessitate Asian Americans do theology (and thus approach God) in a distinctly Asian American way. The pushback to this, of course, is that God transcends ethnic boundaries (a key element of the Book of Acts); however, in American theology the approach to God is often distinctly White. Because whiteness has been normalized as the “default” in American culture, this is not often obvious to majority culture audiences. While God does transcend ethnic boundaries, people from different ethnic backgrounds come to God and experience God in different ways (also a key element of the Book of Acts).
The most salient part of the book in my experience was Lee’s discussion of how many Asian American churches struggle with their Asian identity and determining how much of their “Christian culture” is actually *American* Christian culture. Asian Americans have a unique place in America’s migration story and are more likely to feel the need to assimilate into majority culture. I think this is especially true for Asian American Christians, whose cultural experience of Christianity is usually first based on majority-white expressions of Christianity. Doing Asian American Theology encourages Asian Americans to not put aside their Asian-ness or ignore their cultural heritage to worship Jesus.
Another important point of the book is that, even when minority groups are given a voice, it is usually the most privileged and prominent within the group that are heard. Thus, Asian-American theology can run the risk of being Chinese or Korean—the two largest Asian American Christian contexts—but still leave out other Asian minority groups. While no culture is a monolith, Asia in particular has a mass of languages, backgrounds, and cultures and migrant populations in particular vary differently in terms of migratory purpose and socio-economic position.
If you are involved in Asian-American ministry, Doing Asian American Theology is a wonderful resource that might contextualize some of what you are seeing in your church. Asian American Christians must not be afraid of experiencing God as Asian Americans. Lee offers liberation from assimilation and a methodology for making Christianity an integral part of the Asian American experience that speaks to that experience and context.
May 5, 2023
What does identity have to do with theology? In Doing Asian American Theology, Daniel D. Lee discusses a contextual framework for faith and practice, focusing especially on Asian American identity and its relationship to Christianity.
Lee, who is the academic dean of the Center for Asian American Theology and Ministry at Fuller Theological Seminary, begins the book by stating that he did not always believe his Asian American identity mattered for his faith. While studying in the Reformed tradition, he slowly saw the importance of his own vocation as an Asian American theologian. But what does it even mean to be Asian American?
The Intersection of Asian American Identity
This question actually sets up the beginning of the book, in which Lee shows how Jesus’ identity as a Jew is crucial to our faith. This point caused me to reassess my own views of Jesus, convicting me to preach and teach Christ’s inheritance of the covenants and our inheritance of grace. It’s a rich theological point that will impact my faith moving forward. In addition, Lee’s argument showed that our Asian American identity also impacts our faith.
The main feature of this book is Lee’s Asian American quadrilateral. In this framework, he identifies Asian heritage, migration experience, American culture, and racialization as the intersection of Asian American identity. Understanding and integrating this framework can help Asian American churches and ministries better serve their people and worship God.
Integrate Your Faith
I was most interested to see Lee present a quick theology of cultural representation and why it is important for the Asian American Christian. Cultural representation is a way to honor the image of God and the people around us. But while we want to see ourselves in the culture, we also don’t want to be stereotyped. This reduces and dehumanizes, distorting the image of the glory of God. I found this to be a compelling point to make with those who navigate Asian American media, entertainment, and culture.
Lee ends with a call to integrate the whole self in our ministries, along with warnings for multiethnic churches as well as Asian American churches. This is an academic book that will be an anchor for Christians in Asian American studies. Lee writes that “All Asian American Christians are doing Asian American theology.” This book will help you do it well and in worship.
I received a media copy of Doing Asian American Theology and this is my honest review.
Lee, who is the academic dean of the Center for Asian American Theology and Ministry at Fuller Theological Seminary, begins the book by stating that he did not always believe his Asian American identity mattered for his faith. While studying in the Reformed tradition, he slowly saw the importance of his own vocation as an Asian American theologian. But what does it even mean to be Asian American?
The Intersection of Asian American Identity
This question actually sets up the beginning of the book, in which Lee shows how Jesus’ identity as a Jew is crucial to our faith. This point caused me to reassess my own views of Jesus, convicting me to preach and teach Christ’s inheritance of the covenants and our inheritance of grace. It’s a rich theological point that will impact my faith moving forward. In addition, Lee’s argument showed that our Asian American identity also impacts our faith.
The main feature of this book is Lee’s Asian American quadrilateral. In this framework, he identifies Asian heritage, migration experience, American culture, and racialization as the intersection of Asian American identity. Understanding and integrating this framework can help Asian American churches and ministries better serve their people and worship God.
Integrate Your Faith
I was most interested to see Lee present a quick theology of cultural representation and why it is important for the Asian American Christian. Cultural representation is a way to honor the image of God and the people around us. But while we want to see ourselves in the culture, we also don’t want to be stereotyped. This reduces and dehumanizes, distorting the image of the glory of God. I found this to be a compelling point to make with those who navigate Asian American media, entertainment, and culture.
Lee ends with a call to integrate the whole self in our ministries, along with warnings for multiethnic churches as well as Asian American churches. This is an academic book that will be an anchor for Christians in Asian American studies. Lee writes that “All Asian American Christians are doing Asian American theology.” This book will help you do it well and in worship.
I received a media copy of Doing Asian American Theology and this is my honest review.
June 26, 2023
In this book Dr. Daniel Lee breaks down the experience for Asian American Christians with a tool that he has called the "Asian American Quadrantal" (AAQ). The four themes of the AAQ are Asian heritage, migration experience, American Culture, and racialization. Through these themes, Dr. Lee was able to point out many aspects that I personally was able to relate to and have experienced in my life even though much of what I was able to relate to I was not consciously aware of until after reading this book. That perhaps is the intention of the book. Dr. Lee makes a point that we need to first be educated and aware of ourselves fully in order to fully devout ourselves to God.
Though it may have been outside the scope of his particular book, I would say that the lack of practical solutions to changing the narrative of White normativity in the church was a bit discouraging. While understanding that there is not going to be one simple solution to the problem, I would have liked to have had a chapter speaking on potential solutions. Without it, this book left me feeling hopeless and discouraged with the current state of the American church.
Though there are many arguments in the book that I do not personally agree with, I would still recommend that any Asian American Christian or anyone interested in/working with Asian American Christians should give this a read. It is a great conversation starter for those harder conversations and offers a lot of insight into the influences of our faith. Both explicitly and implicitly.
Though it may have been outside the scope of his particular book, I would say that the lack of practical solutions to changing the narrative of White normativity in the church was a bit discouraging. While understanding that there is not going to be one simple solution to the problem, I would have liked to have had a chapter speaking on potential solutions. Without it, this book left me feeling hopeless and discouraged with the current state of the American church.
Though there are many arguments in the book that I do not personally agree with, I would still recommend that any Asian American Christian or anyone interested in/working with Asian American Christians should give this a read. It is a great conversation starter for those harder conversations and offers a lot of insight into the influences of our faith. Both explicitly and implicitly.
March 4, 2023
The Asian American quadrilateral will prove a useful conversation starter for Asian Americans processing their lives theologically. I would love to see the work of Daniel Lee put in dialogue with that of Jonathan Tran, as I am increasingly convinced of the importance of considering material reality/political economy in our considerations of racialization and discerning faithful ways to move forward in the complex racialized landscape of the U.S. as Asian Americans seeking to follow Jesus.
September 3, 2025
Important but Academic
Found the content insightful and confronting to some of my normative views. As an outsider to the intended audience there was much to learn and perspective to gain.
I did hope the text would be more accessible for non-academics, but many times I felt like I was in a PhD lecture.
Found the content insightful and confronting to some of my normative views. As an outsider to the intended audience there was much to learn and perspective to gain.
I did hope the text would be more accessible for non-academics, but many times I felt like I was in a PhD lecture.
July 11, 2024
Good baseline for understanding the need and purpose.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews