PREACHING SKILLS
Asian American Preaching
Matthew D. Kim
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A second prominent theme for some first generation Asian American preachers is the shamanistic concept of blessing. Shamanism originated among Mongolic nations in northeast Asia and in some sections of Siberia. It is a religious faith based on superstition and shamanic ritual.
Engrained into Asian consciousness, the shamanistic ideology of blessing has gradually permeated some of the first generation Asian American church. First generation Asian Christians may be taught that God blesses his children richly with both material and spiritual wealth, in accordance with the concept of blessing in the Old Testament. Interestingly, this focus on blessings in this life corresponds directly with the immigrant mindset of pursuing the American Dream. Eunjoo Mary Kim, who teaches homiletics at Iliff School of Theology, says: "[Shamanistic] preaching gives the listeners the impression that the gospel itself is a present-centered and success-oriented message."7
Second- and multi-generational Asian Americans
While first generation Asian American churches are predominantly homogenous and monocultural, second and multi-generational Asian American congregations are becoming progressively multi-Asian and multi-ethnic.8Â In their quest for cultural sensitivity, many Asian American pastors deliver sermons that emphasize the ethnicity and culture of no particular ethnic group.9 These sermons convey orthodox teaching but lack contextualization for varied Asian American audiences.
The trend among many preachers of multi-Asian and multi-ethnic congregations has been to discourage the promotion of ethnic culture and tradition within church walls. For instance, one Korean American pastor expressed that his church was not a Korean church or an Asian church, but rather a place for everyone regardless of their ethnic-racial background. He proceeded to lay down ground rules for the many Korean Americans in the congregation. First, he banned eating kimchi and other types of Korean food in the church. Second, he refused to make announcements for any Asian events in the community. Third, he prevented his congregants from going to Korea town for lunch.10 Michael Luo observes:
Today, despite [this pastor's] efforts over six years to make people of all races feel welcome, the 250 to 300 worshippers who attend the church's three English services every week are almost all Koreans, with a scattering of other Asians. He has attracted only a handful of whites and blacks.11
By de-emphasizing ethnicity and culture from the pulpit, some Asian American preachers prevent ethnic people from being themselves and are in a sense rejecting the beautiful diversity of God's creative workmanship in human differences. Since every person innately possesses an ethnic and cultural tradition, Asian American preachers should make the most of illustrations that highlight examples from the various ethnicities, cultures, and traditions to which congregants belong.
It is important to contextualize sermons and assist congregants in embracing their ethnicities and cultures. For example, many Asian Americans dislike their physical characteristics and believe God made a mistake when creating Asians. Such ideas should be addressed and corrected through Asian American sermons. It is possible to overemphasize Christian identity to the complete neglect of ethnic and racial identities. Community will never be built in the Asian American church by shying away from our differences but rather by acknowledging them head on and conversing sincerely with those who are unlike us.
Strengths
First generation Asian American preachers skillfully employ biblical narratives that relate to the immigrant and refugee experience. Asian American preachers know how to communicate stories at heart-level. Their hearers respond well to self-disclosure, to hearing personal accounts that represent either triumph or despair experienced by their pastors that reflect upon God's immense goodness and grace.
Asian American preachers in multi-Asian and multi-ethnic settings are effective biblical expositors who know how to explain theological truths in a cogent style. Many can articulate stories in powerful ways.
During my seminary training, I accepted a part-time position as a youth pastor serving second generation Korean Americans in Boston. After six months, I looked into my students' disinterested eyes and had a preacher's moment. I realized my sermons had not been addressing the needs of these Korean American teenagers. My sermons were not designed for my second generation Korean American teenage context.
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