From a Liminal Place: An Asian American Theology

by Sang Hyun Lee

Overview

Drawing on decades of teaching and reflection, Princeton theologian Sang Lee probes what it means for Asian Americans to live as the followers of Christ in the "liminal space" between Asia and America and at the periphery of American society. As one moves away from the societal center, either intentionally or by virtue of marginalization, one often finds oppression and dehumanization. Yet, Lee argues, one can also sometimes find liminality—a creative and edgy space with openness to the new, the emergence of community, and the ability to take a prophetic stance over against the status quo. For Lee, the liminal is key to the authentic calling and future of Asian Americans, other ethnic-racial groups and minorities, persons with mixed identities, and indeed all Christians.

From this insight, Lee unfolds a systematic theology. Searching the Gospels, one discovers that God became incarnate as a liminal and marginalized Galilean. Jesus the Galilean in his life and ministry widened the meaning of liminal creativity and exercised that creativity in embodying the boundary-breaking love of the Father. On the cross, he entered the ultimate space of liminality in which sinful humanity can experience communion with Christ. United in loving communion with God in Christ, Asian American Christians and all other believers are transformed into a new existence in which they are emboldened to struggle for justice and reconciliation. Asian American Christians, like the Galilean followers of Jesus, have the particular vocation to exercise the creative potentials of their liminal predicament and thereby to participate in God's own project of repeating in time and space the beauty of God's inter-Trinitarian communion.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780800696689
Publisher:	1517 Media
Publication date:	09/01/2010
Pages:	216
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Sang Hyun Lee is Kyung Chick Han Professor of Systematic Theology and Director of the Program for Asian American Theology and Ministry, Princeton Theological Seminary.

Table of Contents

Preface ix

Acknowledgments xv

Chapter 1 The Context of Asian American Theology 1

Two Dimensions of the Asian American Experience 1

Liminality and Its Creative Possibilities 5

The Marginalization of Asian Americans 11

The Dual Liminality and Marginalization of Asian American Women 22

The Strangers from a Different Shore 28

Liminality in the Condition of Marginalization 31

Chapter 2 God's Strategic Alliance with the Liminal and Marginalized 35

Galilee as the Place of Jesus' Ministry and Galileans as His First Followers 38

The Liminality of Galilee and Galileans 43

The Marginalization of Galilee and Galileans 47

Chapter 3 God and Liminality 51

God's End in Creation 52

Liminality in God 54

The Incarnation and Liminality 59

Chapter 4 The Way of the Liminal Jesus as the Christ 63

Leaving Home: Jesus' Appropriation of Liminality 63

Jesus' Exercise of the Creative Potentials of His Liminality 68

The Death of Jesus Christ 79

The Resurrection of the Crucified Jesus 83

The Exaltation of Jesus Christ 86

Chapter 5 Redemption in Asian American Context 89

The Meaning of Atonement 89

Believers' Response to and Participation in Atonement 97

Justification of the Marginalized 101

Repentance 104

Chapter 6 Asian American Identity and the Christian Faith 109

Asian American Identity in a Postmodern and Postcolonial Context 109

Working on Asian American Identity 112

Faith and Identity 117

Identity and Narrative 119

Chapter 7 Asian American Church 123

Church as Communitas and Structure 124

Asian American Church as Refuge and Liminal Space 127

The Prophetic Ministry of Asian American Churches 132

Women and the Asian American Church 138

Marks of the Church 141

Chapter 8 The New Liminality and Asian American Discipleship 147

Openness to the New 149

Communitas with Others 151

Resistance and the "Happiness That Forgets Nothing" 154

Chapter 9 Liminality and Reconciliation 161

The Task of Reconciliation 161

The Role of Liminality in Reconciliation 164

Chapter 10 A New Heaven and a New Earth 173

Conclusion 179

Notes 183

Index 197