During Gordon’s annual Missions Week (March 18-22), the college welcomed featured speaker Rev. Dr. Soong-Chan Rah from Fuller Theological Seminary. While Missions Week still highlighted international Christian missions with the mission organization fair and Scripture Celebration Chapel, Rah’s addresses focused largely on diversity within the American Church and historical ways American Christians have failed to care for local communities.
The week began with Rah’s chapel talk on March 18. Rah referenced Acts 1:8 in which Jesus tells his followers, “you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Rah said that other cultures say indigenous scripture translations are the greatest product of international missions. However, U.S. culture now devalues scripture by trying to deconstruct it and remove the author’s original intent. This, said Rah, along with adhering to a theology of celebration at the exclusion of Biblical lament, isolates the American Church. Rah argued that before we focus on sending missionaries, we need to be open to being a mission field. In this way, we can learn from Christians in other cultures how to de-construct and mend any brokenness in our own vein of Christianity.
In his March 20 chapel address, Rah pointed out ways the American Church has historically avoided being open to change. Focusing on international missions while overlooking nearby minority communities has kept the American Church from being challenged to change. He noted “white flight,” the migration of whites to the suburbs as immigrants and newly freed African Americans filled major cities during the 20th century. “White flight” meant that churches retained a high rate of segregation because white, suburban churches could ignore inner city issues, said Rah.
However, this segregation is no longer possible. Rah’s CFI speech on March 19 outlined how the United States (and especially the American Church) are inevitably becoming more diverse. While a 1950s view of Christianity saw the typical Christian as white, middle-aged, and male, Christianity is growing rapidly in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Internationally, this means the highest concentration of Christians is shifting to the global South.
Domestically, this means churches are becoming more diverse. Rah cited statistics that, since 2011, the U.S. birth rate was 50% non-white. Some Evangelical communities may adopt the idea that “the more diverse, the less American [or Christian] we will be.” However, said Rah, “immigration does not mean the decline of Christianity. Immigration is saving it,” because many immigrants are Christian. Even if immigration ceased, emphasized Rah, the second and third-generation children of immigrants are leading U.S. Christianity. Between this and the decline of Christianity in white communities, said Rah, “the diversity in the Church will come faster than . . . the diversity in American society.” He referenced an ongoing quiet revival in Boston, where many new churches have significant non-white populations.
Rah continued by distinguishing between Deconstruction, a post-modern invention, versus de-construction, or what he terms reformation. Deconstruction is related to the study of interpretation, whereas de-construction challenges dysfunctional structures and reconstructs healthier ones. This needs to be done in a global context, argued Rah.
Rah defined Big “E” Evangelicalism as structures that are still present. The movement itself was more sociologically driven starting in the 80s. It was based on connections between high profile individuals and white men; a political social movement that now makes many uncomfortable due to its associations with a sense of exclusivity. He distinguished this from Little “e” evangelicalism, which is theological, ecclesial, and has a high view of ethics. Networks are not “bad” by default, as they heavily form the structures of Evangelicalism and led to the founding of influential organizations like Christianity Today, World Vision, Fuller Theological Seminary and even Gordon College. However, there is a need for greater “relational cross pollination” between communities said Rah.
Small “e” evangelicalism should survive. Evangelicalism has more ties to politics due to its transformation into an exclusively white movement, which silenced leaders in the black church and other leaders of color. If we are uncomfortable with the minority voices we hear, questioned Rah, “how do we become many when we shut down these voices?” As demographic changes hit Christian colleges, he asked, “will the money still be there if the identity changes? Are you [donors] willing to do this for students of color?”
When asked how he navigates Evangelical spaces and boardrooms as a person of color Rah noted the need to assimilate to the cultural norms of the institution before pressing for change. This can create a sense of pressure, especially if one is the only person of color in a white space. However, he shared the growing diversity of new leaders in international mission organizations like World Vision, and how boardrooms are slowly beginning to reflect the diversity within congregations.
Several professors and MIO organizations, such as ASIA, also had the opportunity to meet with Rah. Rah himself is third-generation Korean American, and shared valuable insights with the team. Carizza Cayabyab, a representative and leader of ASIA, called Rah a “very personable character.” Their conversations centered around how he was able to build a church that was so multiculturally diverse, saying he emphasized the importance of shared experiences. “A very intimate shared experience like a baby dedication . . . An Asian family giving their child to a black family to dedicate their child. Those interactions of cross-cultural community are what make people so close-knit in a community,” Cayabyab shared.
Additionally, they had conversations about how to successfully unite the Asian community. As Rah noted, the Asian community is particularly unique due to its diversity and the lack of shared spoken language. “We are at a pivotal stage of developing our identity… Sadly, most experiences of the community are through tragedy,” Cayabyab recalled Rah saying, citing events like the rise in AAPI hate during the pandemic.
“Negative experiences really do bond people together but it’s more about getting beyond that,” said Cayabyab. “As a team we recognize this is a large issue and strive for events that don’t have to do with shared experiences. Something that is so simple but so easy to bond over is food,” she laughed.
Rah was last featured in a panel discussion on March 20 facilitated by two student organizations, Dear Neighbor and Community Engagement. Gordon faculty and local non-profit leaders gathered with Rah to discuss the topic “Being Christ’s Witnesses in Samria.” This continued the theme of emphasizing domestic ministry, with the metaphorical “Samaria” presented as the inner city, rural areas, and otherwise marginalized communities of the United States. Panel speakers noted the importance of changing discriminatory narratives as the underlying need to prevent discriminatory systems. They also noted we can avoid political polarization by humbling ourselves. “Is it more important to be right, or to be in relationship?” asked Paul Malkemes, Executive Director of The Boston Project. The key, the speakers concluded, is to desire Jesus more than one desires to win an argument.
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