Centering: The Asian American Christian Podcast

In the latest episode of Centering: The Asian American Christian Podcast, hosts Yulee Lee and Daniel Lee delve further into the challenging topic of toxic ministry. The conversation highlights the necessity of discernment in ministry, distinguishing between toxic and simply unhealthy environments. They introduce the concept of “spiritual bypassing,” where spiritual language and “Christianese” is used to avoid addressing real issues. Personal stories and examples from the Bible illustrate how authentic spiritual maturity involves embracing and processing one's emotions rather than bypassing them for a facade of spirituality. 00:00 Introduction to Toxic Ministry 00:48 Understanding the Distinction Between Toxic and Dysfunctional Ministries 05:41 The Role of Grace in Enabling Abuse 06:53 Personal Stories of Ministry Abuse 12:11 Spiritual Bypassing vs. Spiritual Maturity 20:07 The Confusion of Discernment 20:19 Daniel's Story on Anger 20:42 The Complexity of Anger in Christianity 22:48 Spiritual Bypassing and Its Dangers 24:01 The Importance of Authenticity in Faith 25:36 The Role of Psalms in Prayer 26:37 Challenges in Ministry and Spiritual Manipulation 28:35 Embracing a Broad Spirituality 30:09 Avoiding Spiritual Bypassing 36:25 The Need for Honest Struggle in Faith 39:05 Concluding Thoughts on Toxic Ministry Devotional Classics by Richard Foster https://www.harpercollins.com/products/devotional-classics-revised-edition-richard-j-foster?variant=32116217479202 Spiritual Bypassing by Robert Masters https://www.northatlanticbooks.com/shop/spiritual-bypassing/ Emotionally Healthy Church, Peter Scazzero Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, Peter Scazzero https://www.harpercollinschristian.com/author/369/peter-scazzero/ KPop Demon Hunters https://www.netflix.com/title/81498621 If you appreciate the work we do at the Asian American Center at Fuller Seminary, please consider supporting us! Your monetary support sustains our vital work and expands Asian American research, leadership development, and pastoral formation for the Church in the year ahead. Donate here: https://fundraise.givesmart.com/form/lhJydg?vid=18eqio

In this episode of Centering: The Asian American Christian Podcast, hosts Yulee Lee and Daniel Lee introduce the season's focus on toxic ministry. They discuss how abuse is often justified in God's name, turning obedience into oppression. The conversation delves into the discernment needed to identify toxic leadership and move towards healing and healthy spiritual leadership. They share personal experiences, discuss the challenges of abusive ministry contexts, and emphasize the importance of theological grounding. Future episodes will feature guest speakers and topics like spiritual gaslighting, authoritarianism, and examples of toxic leadership in various ministry contexts. 00:00 Introduction to the Podcast 00:47 Meet the Hosts: Yulee and Daniel 03:40 The Genesis of the New Season 05:09 Understanding Toxic Ministry 07:25 The Spectrum of Toxic Leadership 12:21 Navigating Toxic Environments 20:22 The Dangers of Religious Claims 20:48 Personal Struggles in Ministry 21:49 Toxic Ministry Environments 24:15 Community and Cultural Challenges 26:26 Theological Reflections on Ministry 34:17 Upcoming Episodes and Final Thoughts Fuller’s Asian American Center - aac.fuller.edu Leading Change and Loving People, Change Management Insights from the Non-Profit Sector by Yulee Lee https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9781003272243/leading-change-loving-people-yulee-lee About Min Chung and CFC https://www.wbez.org/race-class-communities/2021/08/02/a-reckoning-at-covenant-fellowship-church Letters from Rahab Instagram Profile https://www.instagram.com/p/C6Ef9Qku9mr/ If you appreciate the work we do at the Asian American Center at Fuller Seminary, please consider supporting us! Your monetary support sustains our vital work and expands Asian American research, leadership development, and pastoral formation for the Church in the year ahead. Donate here: https://fundraise.givesmart.com/form/lhJydg?vid=18eqio

9x08 - Representation: Empowerment, Healing, and Hope by Centered: Resources for the Asian American Church

9x07 - Coherence: Narratives & Reconciled Identities by Centered: Resources for the Asian American Church

9x06 - Nuances: Pathologies & Ideals by Centered: Resources for the Asian American Church

9x05 - Lenses: Because Not Everything's Cultural by Centered: Resources for the Asian American Church

9x04 - Knowledge: When Personal Experience Isn't Enough by Centered: Resources for the Asian American Church

9x03 - History: Do Asian Americans Have a History? by Centered: Resources for the Asian American Church

9x02 - Panethnicity: What is Asian American? by Centered: Resources for the Asian American Church

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.