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This thesis has been submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for a postgraduate degree (e.g. PhD, MPhil, DClinPsychol) at the University of Edinburgh. Please note the following terms and conditions of use: This work is protected by copyright and other intellectual property rights, which are retained by the thesis author, unless otherwise stated. A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the author. The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the author. When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given. Toward a Chinese American Evangelical Theology: The Promise of Neo-Calvinism Andrew Ong New College This thesis is submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Edinburgh 2019 2 Declaration I, Andrew Ong, declare that this thesis was composed by myself, that the work contained herein is my own except where explicitly stated otherwise in the text, and that this work has not been submitted for any other degree or professional qualification except as specified. Part of this work has been published in: Andrew Ong, “Neo-Calvinism and Ethnic Churches in Multiethnic Contexts” Journal of Reformed Theology 12, no. 1 (2018): 296-320. Signed, June 23, 2019 Andrew Ong 3 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS .............................................................................................................................. 5 ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................................. 8 LAY SUMMARY ....................................................................................................................................... 10 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................................ 14 INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................................... 17 I. Searching for a Chinese American Evangelical Theology ........................................................................... 17 II. Literature Review of Asian American Theologies ....................................................................................... 24 III. Toward a Chinese American Evangelical Theology .................................................................................. 30 CHAPTER ONE - Why Chinese AmericAn ChristiAns Are PredominAntly ConservAtive EvAnGelicAls: The Socio-HistoricAl Context ............................................................................................................................. 37 I. Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 37 II. Chinese American Christianity Today: Abundantly Evangelical ................................................................ 37 III. Explaining “Evangelical” ......................................................................................................................... 41 IV. How Chinese American Christianity Became Distinctly Conservative & Evangelical .............................. 45 IV.A. China’s Political Climate: Contextual Theologies Before & After 1949 .......................................... 46 IV.B. Mid-20th Century U.S. Religious Climate: Primed for Chinese American Evangelicalism ............. 52 IV.C. Chinese Christianity Abroad & the 1965 Immigration & Nationality Act ........................................ 59 V. Summary ...................................................................................................................................................... 71 CHAPTER TWO - Bumps AlonG the WAy: AmericAn EvAnGelicAlism Meets the AsiAn AmericAn Experience .................................................................................................................................................. 73 I. Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 73 II. The Impact of American Evangelicalism ..................................................................................................... 73 II.A. Absolute Authority & Born-Again Rhetoric: Immigrant Identity Construction ................................. 75 II.B. Evangelicals Evangelize More ............................................................................................................ 76 III. An Agreeable Asian American Subculture & Narrative ............................................................................ 80 III.A. The “Model Minority” Narrative ...................................................................................................... 80 III.B. Asian American Experiences: Undergraduate Education .................................................................. 82 III.C. Asian American Experiences: Middle-Class Lifestyle & the Status Quo .......................................... 85 IV. Bumps Along the Way: Prominent Issues, Challenges & Concerns in the Chinese American Church ..... 89 IV.A. Leading & Navigating Multi-Lingual, Multi-Generational, & Multi-Cultural Churches ................. 90 IV.B. Contemplating the Grounds for Ethnic Churches .............................................................................. 92 IV.C. Understanding the Chinese American Church’s Mission .................................................................. 98 IV.D. Fleeing Shame as (Model?) Minorities ........................................................................................... 103 IV.E. Relating to the Cultural Moment ..................................................................................................... 108 V. Summary .................................................................................................................................................... 116 CHAPTER THREE - Chinese AmericAn EvAnGelicAls & the Need for A Constructive ContextuAlized TheoloGy ................................................................................................................................................... 119 I. Introduction ................................................................................................................................................ 119 II. Diagnosing the Theological Defects of Chinese American Evangelicalism .............................................. 120 5 II.A. A Depreciating Disregard for Ethnicity ............................................................................................ 121 II.B. A Disharmonized Dynamic of Individualism & Collectivism .......................................................... 129 II.C. A Dualistic Doctrine of Creation ...................................................................................................... 152 III. The Need for a Constructive, Contextualized Chinese American Evangelical Theology ......................... 164 IV. Summary .................................................................................................................................................. 170 CHAPTER FOUR - The Possibilities of Amos YonG’s PentecostAl TheoloGy for Chinese AmericAn EvAnGelicAls .............................................................................................................................................. 173 I. Introduction ................................................................................................................................................ 173 II. Amos Yong’s Theology: Why & What? ..................................................................................................... 174 II.A. Why Consider Yong’s Theology for Chinese American Evangelicals? ........................................... 174 II.B. What is Yong’s Pent-Evangelical Theology? ................................................................................... 177 II.C. The Future of Evangelical Theology: Yong’s Exploration of Asian American Evangelical Theology .................................................................................................................................................................. 187 III. Applying Yong’s Theology to the Chinese American Evangelical Context .............................................. 192 III.A. Pneumatologically Imagining Ethnicity .......................................................................................... 193 III.B. Pneumatologically Imagining Individualism & Collectivism ......................................................... 198 III.C. Pneumatologically Imagining Creation & Culture .......................................................................... 205 IV. Assessing Yong’s Theology ...................................................................................................................... 221 IV.A. Ethnicity .......................................................................................................................................... 222 IV.B. Individualism & Collectivism ........................................................................................................