"Plans to Prosper You"

Practical Theological Resourcing of Immigrant Churches for Civic Engagement

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46567/ijt.v3i1.67

Keywords:

practical theology (method), immigrant churches, civic engagement, Asian American Christianity, exile, diaspora, identity, shalom

Abstract

Immigrant churches function as interpretive interstices, where assimilation strategies are adjudicated and clashing cultural norms negotiated. Addressing purported Asian American malaise vis-à-vis civic engagement, I propose a practical theology method that privileges interlocution between a scriptural hermeneutics of diaspora and certain insights from social science. In the case of Asian American Christianity, how might immigrant churches more faithfully seek the "city's" shalom? What resources are available to evangelical migrants—and their children—for helping define identity and sense of belonging in this (new) land? How might immigrant churches better serve their ethnic constituencies within the context of American civic society? Thoughtful appropriation of the mantle of exile on the part of immigrant Christians helps to theologize that space of perpetual foreignness within contemporary American society. Immigrant churches are called to foster exilic interpretive imaginaries, in order to discern divine agency and faithful human response within the very contexts where God has dispersed God's people. One such example of doing practical theology is here offered.

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Author Biography

Christopher The, Fuller Theological Seminary

Christopher The has M.A. in Religion from Azusa Pacific University and M.Div. from Fuller Theological Seminary, and is working toward Ph.D. in Practical Theology at Fuller Theological Seminary. His areas of research interest include pastoral theology, critical theories of race/ethnicity, migration studies, and intergenerational faith transmission within the contexts of Indonesian American churches in Southern California.

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Published

2015-07-30 — Updated on 2015-07-30

How to Cite

The, C. (2015). "Plans to Prosper You": Practical Theological Resourcing of Immigrant Churches for Civic Engagement. Indonesian Journal of Theology, 3(1), 94-127. https://doi.org/10.46567/ijt.v3i1.67