Centering: The Asian American Christian Podcast

9x01 - Language: Asian American Identity and Experience by Centered: Resources for the Asian American Church

In the final episode of Season 8, Dr. Nijay Gupta joins Janette for a passionate conversation about his work making Biblical scholarship accessible and available to those in the Church - the joy of melding spiritual life, academic research, and teaching others - and embracing the messiness of negotiating Asian cultural heritage and Biblical conviction.

This week, Dr. Chloe Sun joins Janette to speak about Song of Songs: why is such an abstract lyrical work included in the Bible? And what can this text, without a single explicit mention of God, reveal about God's seeming "absences"? Dr. Sun is Professor of Old Testament Studies at Logos Evangelical Seminary in Los Angeles.

This week, Dr. Max Lee of North Park Theological Seminary joins Janette, sharing his research into the theology of pleasure; the connections between sexual intimacy and spiritual life; and the ways that Asian American theological convictions should be brought to the Bible

This week, Professor Lisa Cleath of Princeton Theological Seminary joins Janette to discuss her work on social justice and the Bible. How can our imaginations of race and justice inform our readings of the Bible? How should our experiences influence our faith? What does the Bible have to say about multiracial and other Asian American identities?

This week, Dr. Ekaputra Tupamahu, Asst. Prof of New Testament (George Fox University) joins Janette to share about speaking in tongues, inviting discomfort into our churches, and centering theology on the real experiences of new immigrants.

For our first episode of 2023, Centering welcomes Dr. Jung Choi of Duke Divinity School. A scholar-teacher trained in the New Testament and early Christianity, Dr. Choi shares about the Biblical importance of ecumenism, healthy tension within Christianity, and the power dynamics of voice and visibility. *Since recording, Dr. Choi's role at Duke is now Associate Dean for Global and Intercultural Formation and Director of the Asian House of Studies

This week, Dr. Gale Yee, Professor of Biblical Studies emerita (Episcopal Divinity School) and the first Asian American woman president of the Society of Biblical Literature, joins us to share her experiences as a prominent Asian American biblical scholar and the difficult work of rescuing the Hebrew Bible from a narrow-minded normativity. RESOURCES MENTIONED: -https://theology.sewanee.edu/education-for-ministry/ -Course texts: https://theology.sewanee.edu/files/resources/efm-books-handout-2021-2025-2.pdf

This week on Centering, Dr. Roger Nam joins Janette to talk about his journey into biblical scholarship. Dr. Nam is Professor of Hebrew Bible at Emory University, a minister, and explores in-depth the ways that the economic context of ancient Israel can help illuminate and explore the Bible, focusing on Ezra-Nehemiah.

Welcome back to Centering! Dr. Janette Ok hosts this season about biblical scholarship for the Asian American church. In this first episode, Dr. Jordan Ryan talks about his work literally unearthing the context of 1st century Israel/Palestine, its parallels with his experiences of race and marginalization in North America, and global Filipino diaspora.

Please consider supporting Centering with a donation at fuller.edu/giveAAC And stay tuned for Season 8 of Centering launching THIS week - with Professor Janette Ok interviewing other biblical scholars on biblical scholarship for the Asian American church.

Dr. Jeannie Celestial is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist (PhD) and Psychotherapist. This week, she joins Jay and Eleanor to speak about how therapy can speak specifically to FilAm communities. Dr. Celestial's new book Clinical Interventions for Internalized Oppression is out now! You can find her at sweetmangotherapy.com and @jeanniecelestial Dr. Celestial is offering consultation groups for Filipinx/a/o therapists. Please fill out this form, with a free values assessment, if you are interested: tinyurl.com/celestialcentering

This week, Mrs. Lisa Espineli Chinn joins Jay and Eleanor to speak about her wealth of experiences as a Filipina woman leading in ministry. The former National Director of International Student Ministry with InterVarsity USA (2000-2014), she's also been an international student, a campus minister, and co-founder of several ministries in the Philippines and US.

This week, Jay and Eleanor are joined by Dr. Alan Dionson. Pastor Alan not only serves as Senior Pastor at Charisma Life Church, but has conducted extensive research into the cultural specifics of pastoring in Filipino American communities. Tune in for his insights on how to love the FilAm church!

Joining us this week is Father Danny Pilario, a powerful voice of justice throughout the Philippines. A Vincentian priest, scholar, and minister, he has dedicated a lifetime of work to poor and marginalized communities throughout the Philippines, finding and sharing the radical love of Christ in the midst of colonial and institutional struggles. (Content warning: violence, sexual violence)

This week on Centering, scholar and minister Dr. Willie Jennings joins Jay for a conversation about his contributions to liberation and contextual theology. They touch on the spaces where Black and Filipino American Theologies overlap, and the ways we find God's hand at work in our communities.

Centering welcomes Dr. Robyn Magalit Rodriguez, founding director of the Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies at UC Davis, and the first Pinay to serve as chair of UC Davis Asian American Studies. She recounts her journey as a Pinay scholar-activist and shares advice for Filipino Americans navigating academia and activism.

In this episode of Centering, Dr. Alicia del Prado and Dr. Sthefany Alviar join Eleanor and Jay to discuss their research on the ways religious identity shapes mental health and help-seeking in Filipino American Catholics. Tune in for their insights - and discourse on their favorite Filipino dishes!

We're back! This season of Centering features Eleanor Baylon and Gabriel Jay Catanus talking all things Filipino American Christian. In this first episode, our co-hosts cover topics from food and karaoke, to internalized colonial mentality and paying for seminary.

In this season's final episode, Daniel and Alexander talk about the future of America: where will conversations around race go? What will be the issues that continue to arise around race, power, and inequity? And how can the Christian church bear faithful witness amidst it all?