Faithful generations : race and new Asian American churches / Russell Jeung ; foreword by Robert N. Bellah.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Jeung, Russell, 1962-

Contributor:

American Council of Learned Societies.

Series:

ACLS Humanities E-Book.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Asian Americans--Religion.

Asian Americans.

United States--Religion.

United States.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xiv, 216 p. )

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

New Brunswick, N.J. : Rutgers University Press, 2005.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Religion--both personal faith and institutional tradition--plays a central role in the lives of the 12.5 million Asians in the United States. It provides comfort and meaning, shapes ethical and political beliefs, and influences culture and arts. Faithful Generations details the significance of religion in the construction of Asian American identity. As an institutional base for the movement toward Asian American panethnicity, churches provide a space for theological and political reflection and ethnic reinvention. With rich description and insightful interviews, Russell Jeung uncovers why and how Chinese and Japanese American Christians are building new, pan-Asian organizations. Detailed surveys of over fifty Chinese and Japanese American congregations in the San Francisco Bay area show how symbolic racial identities structure Asian American congregations. Evangelical ministers differ from mainline Christian ministers in their construction of Asian American identity. Mobilizing around these distinct identities, evangelicals and mainline Christians have developed unique pan-Asian styles of worship, ministries, and church activities. Portraits of two churches further illustrate how symbolic racial identities affect congregational life and ministries. The book concludes with a look at Asian American-led multiethnic churches. This engaging study of the shifting relationship between religion and ethnicity is an ideal text for classes in ethnicity, religion, and Asian American studies.

Contents:

Chinese and Japanese churches in the United States

The emergence and institutionalization of Asian American churches

Evangelical constructions of Asian American panethnicity

Mainline Christian constructions of Asian American panethnicity

Asian American panethnicity at Grace Faith Church

Asian American panethnicity at Park Avenue United Methodist Church

Conclusion

Asian American Christians in a multiethnic societ.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references (p. 193-208) and index.

ISBN:

0-8135-5618-X

0-8135-3747-9