Reflections of Asian Diaspora: Mapping Theologies and Ministires , edited by Sam George

Asians have been crisscrossing the world for centuries, but with a significant rise in the twenty-first century, they comprise a considerable population in the diaspora today. However, theological reflections from the Asian Christian diaspora have been lagging. Sam George, the director of the Global Diaspora Institute at Wheaton College, attempts to speak into such a theological gap by compiling twelve essays in Reflections of Asian Diaspora. The book chapters can be roughly divided into three, based on their thematic approaches: biblical theological, systematic, and practical-missiological perspectives in engaging with topics from the Asian diaspora.First, the volume begins with two chapters directly dealing with the biblical theology of diaspora. In chapter 1, by discussing select Bible passages, Miyon Chung argues that the Christian “identity and calling are inescapably diasporic” (35). Akining the Christian calling with Israel’s in the Old Testament, Chung notes that Christians are to see their calling toward a social ethic in the diaspora. In chapter 2, Prince Kumar Tamilarasan engages with the concept of divine abandonment (at times a feeling shared by the diaspora Christians) from the book of Ezekiel, arguing that “the God of Israel is ‘present in his absence’” (59).Second, chapters 3 through 6 adopt a systematic theological approach in discussing themes such as national-transnational belongings, mission, and the historical identity formation in the diaspora. While Tereso C. Casino (chapter 3) deals with the theme of changing national identity and disrupted belongingness in diaspora, especially from the Greek biblical notion of panta ta ethne, Daniel D. Lee (chapter 5) approaches the concept of diaspora and its process of identity formation among the diaspora Christians. From the Asian American context, Lee questions the uncritical adoption of Asian American identity formation within the shadows of white normativity and calls for a “deep contextual awareness that is vital for theology” (136). Missiological themes are discussed in chapters 4 and 6. While Sam George (chapter 4) proposes a missiology from the idea of Motus Dei (the move of God), reflective of the movement of people in the diaspora, Narry F. Santos (chapter 6) calls to reconsider the concept of “reverse mission.” Santos argues for “diaspora mission” as a timely missiological approach.Third, in chapters 7 through 11, we find practical and missiological theological reflections from scholar-practitioners providing insights for Christian ministry in the diaspora. While Chandler H. Im (chapter 7) discusses the lessons learned as a former missionary with South Korean Protestant Missionaries, Paul Sungro Lee (chapter 9) discusses the findings from the Missionary Candidate Training (MCT) that was provided for practitioners who were trained as part of the Evangelical Alliance for Preacher Training/Commission (EAPTC). In chapter 10, David Mark Ball proposes a way of thinking of discipleship in the diaspora through the typology of discipling to the diaspora, in the diaspora, by the diaspora, and beyond the diaspora. Furthermore, Andrew Y. Lee’s analysis (chapter 8) can be seen as an example of the complexities involved in discipling in the diaspora, where the Asian churches in America are facing the challenge of how to imagine the future of English ministry in light of “silent exodus” of second-and third-generation Asian Americans from their ethnic churches. At the same time, there continues to be a rising presence of new expats from Asia in the form of international student population. Phil Jones (chapter 11) unpacks the dynamics of engaging with them missionally as part of the International Student Ministry (ISM). Finally, the book ends with a doxological reflection on contextualized worship, where Yosuaf Sadiq discusses the extensive use of Punjabi Psalms among South Asian Punjabi Christians in the diaspora.Like any other edited book, the book is a collection of diverse themes with differing methodological approaches. However, such diversity makes the book a much-needed addition to the growing literature on Asian diaspora Christianity. For George, “the diasporic liminality possesses a creative bent” (5), and these chapters illustrate such reflective theological creativity.However, the discourses remain on an introductory level. Furthermore, as a young scholar in world Christianity, I had a few thematic questions surrounding the omission of specific themes from the collection: How, for instance, have colonialism, Western missionary Christianity in Asia, and the decolonization processes been reflected in the theologizing trends among Asian Christians in the diaspora? How do we make sense of the increased number of Asian refugees in the diaspora, and how are their experiences reflected in the theologies and ministries? Could there be a unique way of theologizing from the experiences of Asian women in the diaspora?Although these questions are unaddressed in the current volume, these can be taken as an opportunity for future research in Asian diaspora Christianity. George is aware of such need and so subtitled the book as “mapping theologies and ministries,” where the word “mapping” is “used intentionally in its present continuous tense” with an open call for scholars to “expand this cartographical attempt to discern the catalytic role diasporas play in reimagining the missionary nature of the Christian faith” (11).