RG ST 71 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Syncretism, Cultural Identity, Model Minority
Christianity
➔Hegemonic idea that it is a white, European tradition
◆The actual notion of whiteness and race is part of Christianity’s history
◆Christianity becomes a foundational way of viewing the world
◆Dominated American religious church history so we assume American
Christianity to be European
➔58% non-Christians
➔22% Protestant
◆13% Evangelicals (born-again)
◆9% Mainline/historic Protestants
➔19% Roman Catholic
➔1% other Christian traditions
Contextual Christianity: making the symbols, rituals, and practices of Christianity meaningful for
a particular community (Ex: asianized virgin mary)
➔Harnacks’ The “kernel and husk” problem
◆Christianity adapts and changes according to time, culture, region
● There is no true form of Christianity
● Christianity will always survive environmental changes
◆Christianity = kernel (inside of it doesn’t change) that withstands cultures and
institutions
◆Change = husk in the form of languages and institutions
Liberation theology: Vatican II called because Catholic Church realized it was out of touch with
modernity
➔Ex: mass still in latin → people don’t understand
➔Church democratized
◆Priest spoke with back to congregation → priest faced congregation and
worshipped together
➔Affirmed rights of workers and acknowledged the poor
◆Began with idea of God first (people in power could define who God was
because they controlled the means of production and the church) → Vatican II
shifted focus to the poor → the old God focuses on the bureaucratic corrupt
church → new God prioritized the poor
● The Bible told stories about championing the weak and poor
➔Recalibrated Christianity’s interpretation of God calibrating with the poor
◆Churches have a duty to do humanitarian work and help the poor
Nakashima Brock “On Mirrors, Mists and Murmurs”
➔Asian American Christians should think about suffering in terms of Buddhist suffering
◆There are ways to think about God in more ways than the patriarchal Christianity
➔Opened the door for the possibility of other traditions influencing the way Christians think
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Johann Friedrich Blumenbach
➔German scientist who was responsible for the classification scheme that we use today
◆Argument: caucasian was the primordial human race and the others are
degenerate (transformed)
● Rests upon a subjective idea that the people from the Mt. Caucasus were
the most beautiful on the planet
● Scientific perspective: easier for white skins to darken rather than for dark
skins to whiten
○ Supports the idea that whiteness came first
➔1795 “De generis humani varietate nativa” = On the natural variety of mankind
◆Blumenbach established the five race classification
● Caucasian race (white)
● Mongolian race (yellow)
● Malayan race (brown)
● Ethiopian race (black)
● American race (red)
◆Caucasian still kept as the “first” race today
2 Party Protestantism
➔Evangelical (conservative) Asians
◆Exclusive claim on what they see as the correct and true form of the tradition
● Belief in absolute word of the Bible (fundamentalist view)
◆In order to be saved, you must have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ
● Must live a Christian life (attending church and share beliefs through
witnessing)
◆Belief in the rapture in which Jesus will come back to Earth
● Final battle between good and evil
◆Hold non-verifiable beliefs due to the basic assumption that what the Bible says
is true
◆Claims to be the original form of the Christianity practiced in Jesus’ time
◆Being Asian is secondary to religion
● Tended to follow white evangelical style
○ Prayers, churches, hymns
➔Mainline/historic (liberal) Asians
◆The BIble is the inspired word of God
● Certain parts can be taken literally but some can be taken symbolically
● It is written in an open, interpretable sense
◆Originated in the move away from Roman Catholic church’s control over Europe
● Saw abuses of power in Catholicism and wanted to reform it
● Stressed return to the Bible
◆Do believe that the Bible is special, but it isn't the sole inspired word of God
● God gave people a brain → science is a way to understand the world → if
science is something good then it is a sign that they are doing the right
thing
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Hegemonic idea that it is a white, european tradition. The actual notion of whiteness and race is part of christianity"s history. Christianity becomes a foundational way of viewing the world. Dominated american religious church history so we assume american. Contextual christianity: making the symbols, rituals, and practices of christianity meaningful for a particular community (ex: asianized virgin mary) Christianity adapts and changes according to time, culture, region. There is no true form of christianity. Christianity = kernel (inside of it doesn"t change) that withstands cultures and institutions. Change = husk in the form of languages and institutions. Liberation theology: vatican ii called because catholic church realized it was out of touch with modernity. Ex: mass still in latin people don"t understand. Priest spoke with back to congregation priest faced congregation and worshipped together. Affirmed rights of workers and acknowledged the poor. The bible told stories about championing the weak and poor. Recalibrated christianity"s interpretation of god calibrating with the poor.
