Dialogues in Asian American Theology and Ministry Podcast

By CAAC at PTS
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Religion & Spirituality
  • Updated Biweekly

The Center for Asian American Christianity is a thought leader in the areas of Asian American theology and ministry. We curate a forward-thinking conversation about the issues confronting Asian American Christians and churches. Learn more about the Center for Asian American Christianity at https://caac.ptsem.edu. caacptsem.substack.com

  1. 5d ago

    Ministry Leaders’ Panel | Stan Sonu, Sandhya Oaks, Ben Shin

    This expert panel was recorded on April 10, 2026, as part of the 2026 conference "Our Flourishing, Our Faith: Navigating Rupture and Repair in Asian American Christian Communities," presented by the Center for Asian American Christianity at Princeton Theological Seminary and the Rosemead School of Psychology at Biola University. The panel featured reflections from Stan Sonu, Sandhya Oaks, and Ben Shin, with a conversation centered on grief, lament, hidden ruptures in the church, family rupture and repair, and the possibility of healing within Asian American Christian communities. You can learn more about this conference here: https://ourflourishing.org/.Building on the conference’s plenary sessions, this panel brings together voices from medicine, ministry, spiritual direction, theology, and pastoral practice to reflect on how rupture and repair are experienced across families, churches, and communities. The conversation explores the challenges of witnessing grief, engaging lament, naming hidden wounds, resisting silence, and making space for honest repair. Through personal stories and practical wisdom, the panelists consider how Asian American Christians can move toward healing through patience, curiosity, hospitality, embodied faith, and the hope of Christ. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit caacptsem.substack.com

    47 min

  2. Jun 22

    Enduring and Grieving Unresolved Ruptures | Sangeetha Thomas

    This presentation by Sangeetha Thomas, LPC, titled “Enduring and Grieving Unresolved Ruptures,” was recorded on April 10, 2026. The lecture was part of the 2026 conference “Our Flourishing, Our Faith: Navigating Rupture and Repair in Asian American Christian Communities,” presented by the Center for Asian American Christianity at Princeton Theological Seminary and the Rosemead School of Psychology at Biola University. You can learn more about this conference here: https://ourflourishing.org/. "This plenary will explore how we can grieve ruptures that are left unresolved between persons and endure our experience of separation through faith. Whether by estrangement, emotional cutoff, immigration trauma, abuse, or death, some ruptures may not be repaired in our lifetimes, leaving our hearts with an ever-aching longing for connection. Participants will learn how to navigate this separation through the lens of neuroscience, psychology, and faith and discover rest in the peace and love of Christ."Sangeetha S. Thomas is a Licensed Professional Counselor and the Owner of Nepsis Counseling in Dallas, Texas. She is also the Director of Mental Health Ministries for the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the USA. As Director, she collaborates with an interdisciplinary team of experts in mental health, ministry, and theology to create resources that support the mental health needs of Orthodox Christians across the United States. As a psychotherapist, Sangeetha works with adults of diverse backgrounds who are healing from trauma, exploring multicultural identity and intergenerational trauma as children of immigrants, and learning to integrate their life experiences with their spiritual identity.Time Stamps:00:00 Speaker Introduction01:07 Opening Thanks and Context01:58 West Coast Asian American History05:39 Why History Matters in Trauma06:30 Three Types of Unresolved Rupture08:45 Two Theological Truths11:09 Dual Process Model Explained14:04 Migration Loss and Family Impact18:23 Building a Healthy Grief Narrative20:29 Practical Tools for Healing22:17 Community Responsibility to Grieve23:42 Neuroplasticity and Hope Story26:24 Christ Transforms Our Grief27:56 Lamentation in Psalms and Gethsemane30:01 Saint Mary and Holy Friday Laments33:36 Perfect Love and Reconciliation36:31 Kiss of Peace and Holy Week Silence39:43 Paschal Peace as God’s Gift43:38 Remembering God Through the Waters45:51 Remembrance as Resistance and Love Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit caacptsem.substack.com

    49 min

  3. Jun 11

    A Long Faithfulness Across Generations: Rupture & Repair in Asian American Families | Jessica ChenFeng

    This presentation by Dr. Jessica ChenFeng, PhD, LMFT, titled "A Long Faithfulness Across Generations: Rupture & Repair in Asian American Families," was recorded on April 10, 2026. The lecture was part of the 2026 conference "Our Flourishing, Our Faith: Navigating Rupture and Repair in Asian American Christian Communities," presented by the Center for Asian American Christianity at Princeton Theological Seminary and the Rosemead School of Psychology at Biola University. You can learn more about this conference here: https://ourflourishing.org/. Family rupture in Asian American contexts is shaped by immigration narratives, cultural scripts, and intergenerational silence that can sometimes fuel disconnect and distance. This plenary explores the sources of familial rupture and offers a multi-layered framework for repair that integrates intrapersonal reflection, neurobiological regulation, and relational attunement while honoring generational distinctions and Asian American relational ethics. The conversation will be grounded in the reality that repair is sanctification work—a decades-long journey across seasons of life that finds its sustaining hope not in resolution but in Christ who came to give us fullness of life. Jessica ChenFeng, PhD, LMFT is an associate professor of marriage and family therapy and DMFT program chair at Fuller Theological Seminary, and an associate editor for Family Process journal. She has been a practicing MFT for almost 20 years and consults with academic, healthcare and church organizations to improve the well-being of people within their communities. Her research and clinical work center around social contextual intersections of race, gender, generation, trauma, and spirituality. She is the director of the Asian American Well-being Collaboratory and co-author of Finding Your Voice as a Beginning Marriage and Family Therapist and co-editor of Asian American Identities, Relationships, and Post-Migration Legacies.Time Stamps:00:00 Speaker Introduction01:58 Jessica Opening Reflection02:42 First Client and Calling09:05 A New Moment for the Asian American Church12:12 Presentation Framework12:58 Theological Reflections: Sanctification as a Long Faithfulness16:46 Case Study20:17 Relational Systems Framework27:31 Shame and Therapy Pathways31:51 Common Asian American Family Ruptures34:55 Understanding Rupture39:56 Postures of Repair43:07 The Work of Repair44:59 Repair with Parents, Spouse, and Kids49:44 A Long Faithfulness Closing Photo by Hannah Busing on Unsplash This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit caacptsem.substack.com

    51 min

  4. Jun 9

    When We Stay But Disappear: Hidden Ruptures & the Hope of Church as a Healing Community | Christina Lee Kim

    This presentation by Dr. Christina Lee Kim, PhD, titled “When We Stay But Disappear: Hidden Ruptures & the Hope of Church as a Healing Community,” was recorded on April 10, 2026. The lecture was part of the 2026 conference “Our Flourishing, Our Faith: Navigating Rupture and Repair in Asian American Christian Communities,” presented by the Center for Asian American Christianity at Princeton Theological Seminary and the Rosemead School of Psychology at Biola University. You can learn more about this conference here: https://ourflourishing.org/. This plenary examines subtle and often unseen relational ruptures within church communities - - those marked not by open conflict, but by emotional withdrawal, quiet disengagement, and unspoken disconnection. Within many Asian and Christian cultural contexts, values such as harmony, endurance, respect for authority, and sacrificial service may unintentionally foster the concealment of hurt, discouraging lament, repair, and honest confrontation. This plenary seeks to give insight into how these unacknowledged ruptures affect spiritual vitality and community belonging. It also seeks to offer a hopeful vision for how church communities can be a place of healing, connection, and repair. Christina Lee Kim, PhD, is an associate professor of psychology at Biola University, associate dean in the Rosemead School of Psychology, chair of undergraduate psychology, and a licensed clinical psychologist. Her teaching, research, and professional work focus on cross-cultural and multicultural psychology, mental health and the church, Asian American psychology, and qualitative research methods. In this lecture, Dr. Kim reflects on how hidden ruptures can form within Asian American Christian communities and how the church can become a place of honest naming, repair, reconciliation, and healing.Time Stamps:01:42 Hidden Ruptures Focus06:53 Termites And Tension10:00 Needs Beneath Rupture17:34 Harmony Face And Shame28:56 Why We Stay Silent38:28 Spotting Hidden Signs44:15 Under And Over Responding Photo by Jackson Simmer on Unsplash This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit caacptsem.substack.com

    50 min

  5. May 25

    Nurturing Future Generations

    In this episode, David Chao interviews Mary Anne de la Torre, Executive Pastor overseeing NextGen Ministry at North Jersey Vineyard. Mary Anne discusses leading the Vineyard’s AAPI Association, its joys of connection and next-gen mentorship, and challenges such as assimilation and lack of Asian American historical awareness.00:35 NextGen Pastor Role06:53 Finding the Vineyard12:29 Family and Women Pastors14:39 Leading the AAPI Association29:26 Faith, Healing, and Full Circle35:24 Call to Empower AAPI Women40:05 Closing Thanks Photo by Grab on Unsplash This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit caacptsem.substack.com

    37 min

  6. Apr 29

    A Journey of Faith and Justice

    David Chao hosts Kathy Maskell, lead pastor of East Denver Vineyard, to discuss her journey as a Vietnamese American woman in Vineyard leadership. She describes formative church-planting experiences in Chicago and New Haven, bi-vocational ministry, and her work with the anti-trafficking organization Love146. The conversation explores faith and justice, family tensions around “freedom,” and the growing Asian American Christian ecosystem and identity.00:00 Welcome and Introductions02:46 Refugee Roots and Buddhism07:30 Finding the Vineyard14:28 Justice and Faith Journey26:12 Asian Expectations and Pre Med39:44 Finding Asian American Networks46:41 Theology of Embodiment And JusticeImage generated using DALL·E (OpenAI), 2026. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit caacptsem.substack.com

    59 min
  7. From Angel Island to Today: Faith and Identity

    Apr 21

    From Angel Island to Today: Faith and Identity

    In this episode of the Dialogues Podcast, we sit down with Craig Wong, Executive Director of New College Berkeley, to explore the intersection of faith, identity, and history within the Asian American experience. Craig shares stories from his family’s journey through Angel Island and reflects on how uncovering that history shaped his understanding of the church, immigration, and his own calling. The conversation also delves into Craig’s ministry journey, from Chinese immigrant church contexts to broader, multiethnic communities, and his vision for a more holistic, ecumenical expression of the church today. Together, we reflect on what it means to live out “the whole gospel for all of life” in a complex and changing world. 00:00 Welcome and Introductions01:54 Bay Area Roots and Family Origins06:15 Presbyterians and Angel Island Story24:16 Ecclesiology and Asian Identity Tensions32:08 New College Berkeley Vision and Repentance37:51 Catholicity and Ecumenical Imagination46:41 Closing Reflections and ChargePhoto by Taras Bobrovytsky - Own work, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=90880987 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit caacptsem.substack.com

    41 min

  8. Apr 8

    Neighboring and Identity

    David Chao welcomes Amar Peterman to discuss his first book, Becoming Neighbors: The Common Good Made Local (Eerdmans). Peterman reflects on how his upbringing—adopted from northern India and raised in both a Polish Catholic neighborhood and a white evangelical megachurch—shaped his sense of belonging and sparked deeper questions about race, place, and faith.He shares the personal and theological journey that led to this book, offering a vision for practicing neighbor love in a divided society. Peterman highlights the table as a model for pluralistic community, outlines six practices of neighbor love, and explores the unique, in-between role Asian American Christians can play in public life.01:19 Belonging and Unbelonging18:34 Absence Versus Domination23:26 The Table as Common Good26:02 Potluck Not Melting Pot33:17 Six Practices of Neighbor Love50:49 Asian American Role at the Table54:49 Closing Blessing and Thanks Foto by Annushka Ahuja: https://www.pexels.com/es-es/foto/caminando-madre-familia-padre-8055684/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit caacptsem.substack.com

    56 min
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The Center for Asian American Christianity is a thought leader in the areas of Asian American theology and ministry. We curate a forward-thinking conversation about the issues confronting Asian American Christians and churches. Learn more about the Center for Asian American Christianity at https://caac.ptsem.edu. caacptsem.substack.com

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