Photo by francois
By Debbie Gin & Melanie Mar Chow
As a blog for Asian American women and those interested in leadership, AAWOL is dedicating its next three blog entries to respond to the Asian Americans United letter to the Evangelical Church.
One of its authors wrote a compelling follow-up, expressing the letter’s intentions. Helen Lee’s article noted the following about the group who originally penned the letter, which was offered to many to sign in support.
They took these risks knowing that the potential for being misunderstood and accused of ulterior motives was high. But they did so anyway, believing that the goal of seeing greater unity and harmony in the church was worth the risks. Whether or not you agree with what we were trying to accomplish with our open letter, I hope you can better understand why we did it. We raised our voices not to cause greater division in the church but to promote understanding and healing in the body of Christ. We live in a world that continues to exhibit racial tensions and divisions, both within and outside of the church. But I believe the church has the best answer for bridging those divisions, and that answer is our shared unity and love in Christ.
Our intention in this three-part blog series is to offer different perspectives both on the aftermath of recent incidents as well as on the letter. By writing these posts, we hope that readers will see some of the complexity in the issues: when we refer to “Asian American Christian,” though united by community and letter, we do not mean Asian America-monolithic. We each—both individually and corporately—respond uniquely. So, as each blog posts, we invite you to respond: make your voice heard, even if brief!
Dr. Debbie Gin is Director of AAWOL (Asian American Women On Leadership). She is a Senior Faculty Fellow in Faculty Development at Azusa Pacific University and an Associate Professor in Biblical Studies and Ministry at Haggard Graduate School of Theology. Debbie and her husband live in southern California.
Rev. Melanie Mar Chow serves God through Asian American Christian Fellowship, the campus ministry division of the Japanese Evangelical Missionary Society (JEMS). She has been an ordained American Baptist minister since 2004. A Pacific Northwest native, she currently lives with her husband and daughter in Southern California.
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