The Struggles of Discussing Race In The Asian American Evangelical Church [Racialigious]

May 14th, 2012 by Guest Contributor

While this stereotypical portrayal may have aspects of truth in it, my intention here is not to critique its problematic dimensions. Others, Wayne Au and Benji Chan, Frank Wu, Stacy Lee, have done tremendous work to uncover its myth-like existence as a political and divisive tool.

What troubles me most is how many Asian Americans (not all, but many) buy into this self-perception. In mid-January, with Youtube’s explosion of the “Shit Girls Say” meme, the “Shit Asian Girls Say” counterpart saw little critique in its depiction of Asian American young women as spoiled daughters who benefit off model-minority parents/boyfriends. Perhaps worse is how some respondents confirmed this stereotypical portrayal with responses such as, “one of my friends says that all the time,” or “OMG so true, LMAO.” No one from the Asian American community took the time to sufficiently challenge these insensitive images, while other communities of color were in an uproar about their respective videos, as shown by Latoya Peterson’s blog post. I know this meme is nowhere near overwhelming evidence for my point. However, the video–and Asian Americans’ silent assent to it–could indicate that our society is at the point where viewing Asians as middle class is normal.

The effect of internalizing this middle-class identity is a critical mindset towards other low-income racial minorities. In my own experiences in Asian American evangelical circles, I occasionally hear racialized criticisms towards certain “people:” welfare recipients, day-laborers, and single-mothers, to name a few. The speaker often comments towards these faceless (yet highly racialized) people as if she/he is above them. It’s as if their discipline, responsibility, and middle-class values make them morally superior.

It pains me to know that this community who was once included in those dehumanized categories now perceives itself as better than, just because we think we’ve “made it.” Not even 60 years ago, Asians’ existence in this country was formally marked by fear, hostility, and exclusion. They were ranked as second-class citizens, and in some cases, deemed sub-human. It baffles me that many Asians now hoard their relative privilege when there is a nation of hurt continuing because of the racial bias etched onto America’s consciousness.

Perhaps the study of American racial dynamics offers a narrow, limited path by which to view the world. Not everyone, especially in their faith journeys, will travel through the ism of race as I have. But as I reflect back, it troubles me that I feel I must end with a defense that racial discourse is a legitimate area of study. I expect hesitation–even disagreements–from those who read this post’s title and disregard it as unworthy of attention. But for me, and perhaps for many other Asian Americans, the area of race is where I am most deeply wounded and where I find healing. This is the avenue I learn compassion towards those unlike me, even those who reject me simply because I’m “Asian.” My hope is that evangelicals, especially Asian American evangelicals, will learn the brokenness and tragedy in America’s racial history so that they’ll be challenged to heal their wounds, confront their errors in thinking, and be moved towards racial justice.

See also:

The Epistemology of Race Talk

—

What’s Racialigious? Check these older posts:

Racialigious? [Series Introduction - Racialigious]

Confessions From A Christian [Racialigious]

Off and Running Toward My Own Identity [Racialigious]

The Dead, River Spirits, & a Magic Hat [Racialigious]

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Posted in Racialigious, asian, asian-american, race, religion | 8 comments

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  • Serena

    FUCK YES!  Who are you?  Can we get coffee?  (I’m half joking… and half serious ;) )  I’m Asian-American and an evangelical Christian and I agree wholeheartedly with everything written here–plus, I think I would go even further in my assertions about the racial dynamics in the US and how they play out in the evangelical church.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Cocojams-Jambalayah/100000590546331 Cocojams Jambalayah

    Thank you for writing such an interesting & insightful post.

    I’m not Asian and I’m not an evangelical Christian. But I read Racialicious to learn more about other communities of Color. Yours is the type of post that I look forward to reading. 

    Thanks again!

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Derek-Vandivere/650258206 Derek Vandivere

    Well, you might want to be more specific if you talk about ‘Biblical justice’; which testament you choose makes a pretty big difference (although of course the New Testament also endorses slavery).

    I’m not a Christian, but it still bugs me that it’s been turned from essentially a liberal force up until Reagan to a paleoconservative force. It sure would be nice if those of you who are in the club and disagree with Tony Perkins, Billy Graham,  and Ratzinger spoke up a bit more often.

  • http://bytheirstrangefruit.com StrngeFruit

    Hi Paul and Racialicious-
    This post hits on so many key issues with the Church and how it deals with issues of race! Thank you! With your permission, I’d love to repost it on By Their Strange Fruit ( http://bytheirstrangefruit.com ), which is all about the failures, successes, and lessons learned by the Christian church in regard to race and racism. LMK.

  • eesahmu (paul)

    Thanks, Strangefruit. Feel free to re-post.

    -author (eesahmu)

  • Anonymous

    Indeed, racial discourse is and always will be a legitimate area of study! In this article, you bring out some very key points. Under the second point, Personal Religion aka bootstraps, I’ve always found this interesting that the Asian American is the “model American” for rising above so much and obtaining in the end “The American Dream” while minorities such as African-Americans and Latinos are constantly pulling themselves up by their bootstraps through newly undefined racial caste systems but to no avail for societies sake. On top of that, what really is “The American Dream” if it was initial the formation of a belief that “America is a land of equal opportunity, where all people, regardless of their racial, gender, or economic backgrounds can attain the American Dream by pulling themselves up by their bootstraps.” The real challenging question here becomes, WHAT REALLY IS THE AMERICAN DREAM? Especially, if we are constantly battling equality decades later from the country’s founding date. Furthermore, because of my lack of interest in assimilation, is it wrong that my “American Dream” make look different than yours?

    Moving on–I do like your point on “colorblindness” —although the term itself kills me every time I hear it because I feel it has become an easy way for people to elimanate everyone’s differences.  Christ told us we are different in the fact that he points to telling us that we are all one body with different functions. 1 Corinthians chapter 12 sums up pretty much my thoughts on this one: we are one body with many parts, there should be no “shame, discomfort etc. in expressing religion in our own unique ways according to our ethnicity, culture or background. Jesus explained it best when he said if the foots says because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body it would not for that reason stop being a part of the body. Or if the ear says because I am not an eye I do not belong to the body because its still a part of the body.

    In a nutshell, if the whole body were one way, expressing themselves in one way, functions of the whole body would be clearly missing. Anyway, I digress and hope I made my thoughts clear at some point in this comment. Either way, this was a good blog opportunity for discussion. I would encourage others to continue to read racialicious and other blogs similar such as By Their Strange Fruit,  http://bytheirstrangefruit.blogspot.com/ and enter into discussion about the specified topics because whether we believe it, want to see it or embrace it, racial discourse is a necessary part of our daily lives–especially in the Church! 

    God Bless.
    -Brittany L. Browne

  • http://bytheirstrangefruit.com StrngeFruit

    Thanks!

  • http://bytheirstrangefruit.com StrngeFruit

    Thanks!