Following Jesus Without Dishonoring Your Parents: Asian American Discipleship

Asian Americans - Religion, Asian American families

Go to the right school.Become a doctor or a lawyer.Marry a nice Asian.These are some of the hopes of our Asian parents. Knowing that our parents have sacrificed for us, we want to honor their wishes. But we also want to serve Jesus, and sometimes that can seem to conflict with family expectations. Discovering our Asian identity in the midst of Western culture means learning to bridge these and other conflicting values. We need wise counsel on

our parents' ways of loving us
vocations that show respect for our parents and allow us to serve God
the "model minority" myth and performance pressures
marriage, singleness, and being male and female
racial reconciliation
spirituality and church experiences
unique gifts Asians bring to Western culture

This book, written by a team of Asian American student ministry workers who have been there, can serve as our guide on a difficult journey. The authors represent a variety of perspectives, including the immigrant experience of a Korean man, a third-generation Japanese-American's understanding of his parents' experience in the internment camps during World War II, and a Chinese American woman's struggle to communicate with her parents. Their accounts of humorous, frusrating and heartbreaking personal experiences (as well as stories from other Asian American students and adults) offer support and encouragement. And their ideas for living out the Christian faith between two cultures show us the way to wholeness.