In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with Soong-Chan Rah about his experience growing up in a poor, immigrant family and the cultural divides that existed in his neighborhood despite the many commonalities. He also describes the contrasting freedom, care and dignity his family experienced in their local immigrant church. Jay and Soong-Chan discuss whether or not multi-ethnicity should be the goal of every church, and the incredible rewards Soong-Chan found through his intentional pursuit of mentoring from the African-American pastors in his area. Finally, Soong-Chan shares what he learned through his ongoing practice of lament, and the opportunity the church has been afforded by the disruption of COVID to ask God what we have to lament, and what the church might pursue if we renounced exceptionalism, triumphalism and our assumptions of greatness.
Rev. Dr. Soong-Chan Rah is Robert B. Munger Professor of Evangelism at Fuller Theological Seminary and the author of The Next Evangelicalism (IVP Books, 2009); Many Colors (Moody, 2010); Prophetic Lament (IVP Books, 2015); co-author of Forgive Us (Zondervan, 2014); Return to Justice (Brazos, 2016); and Unsettling Truths (IVP Books, 2019).
Soong-Chan received his B.A. from Columbia University; his M.Div. from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary; his Th.M. from Harvard University; his D.Min. from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and his Th.D. from Duke University.
Rah is formerly the founding Senior Pastor of Cambridge Community Fellowship Church (CCFC), a multi-ethnic church living out the values of racial reconciliation and social justice in the urban context. He has previously served on the boards of World Vision, Sojourners and the Christian Community Development Association. He has extensive experience in cross-cultural preaching as well as on numerous college campuses.
Show Notes:
Vineyard USA suggested reading for September
Prophetic Lament by Soong-Chan Rah
https://vineyardusa.org/podcast/
Register for the Vineyard AAPI Association Summit
with special guest speaker Soong-Chan Rah
https://vineyardusa.org/associations/asian-american-pacific-islander-association/
Soong-Chan Rah’s website
http://www.profrah.com
Socials:
Vineyardusa.org
@vineyardusa
