Honoring the Generations: Learning with Asian North American Congregations

by M. Sydney Park (Editor), Soong-Chan Rah (Editor), Al Tizon (Editor)

In this intentionally grounded and richly theological volume, the editors bring together diverse leaders from pulpit and academy alike to explore the opportunities for ministry in an Asian North American Christian community that is increasingly challenged by a generation gap, not so much between age groups but between first-generation immigrants and the second- and third-generations. Contributors include Peter Cha, John Chung, Mitchell Kim, Sam Kim, David Lee, Grace May, Nancy Sugikawa, Gideon Tsang, Tim Seng, Jonathan Wu, Greg Yee, and Peter Yi.

Genres: Church

206 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2012

Reviews

[Rob · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best experiences one can have is discovering a book to be much, much better than you anticipated. I figured Honoring the Generations would be fine, I just didn't know how it would apply to me. I lead an anglo-church that has some Asians, some blacks, and some Hispanics, and is becoming more diverse. But in no way would we be described as an Asian-North American congregation.

So as well written as it is, how could a book designed to create a theological framework for Asian-North American evangelical churches help me as I lead an Euro-North American evangelical church?

In the conclusion, one of the editors, Soong-Chan Rah writes, "The sense of a common calling and purpose coupled with the understanding of the particularities of the ANA community results in a theological inquiry that attempts to derive a sense of direction and a trajectory specific to the ANA community but with application for the entire church" (p. 199). That last phrase, "application for the entire church" hits the bull's eye. What the brilliant Asian-American scholars write fits for all churches that want to faithfully live out the entire Gospel.

What the authors accomplished is summed up by Rah. "A unique expression of ecclesiology emerged that challenges the entire Christian community to express itself fully as the household of God" (p.199). I walk away from the book praying that God will show me and show us how we are to live as "the household of God" at my Euro-American church.

Furthermore, the authors used Ephesians as the starting point for their Biblical framework. When I preach a series about household of God, I also can begin in Ephesians, and I can used the commentary of these tremendous theologians as support for my sermons, specific to my context.

Overall, this book was (for me as a pastor) a thrilling read, and I am grateful to have discovered it.

[Renee Rector · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an enlightening read. Multiculturalism is something I've been interested in for a while, but my knowledge has been focused on the Latino community. This was my first foray into the Asian community. One point that I was really curious about was how grace plays into a culture that is so focused on work performance and proper behavior. It is always great to explore people who are different from you so that you can learn to reflect more clearly about your own experiences.

[jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was an amazing book. Anyone a part of and/or serving Asian American Christian congregations should definitely read!