It has become painfully obvious that something must be done to stand in solidarity with African Americans. But how can Asian American Christians, especially leaders, equip themselves and others for sustained actions that can bring about real change, rather than a temporary burst of energy?
Is there a biblical framework or ethic through which we can live our lives so that we make a lasting contribution to racial reconciliation?
Speaking broadly, Asian American Christians often resort to a moral framework that is not fully biblical. Of course, all Christians fall short of truly biblical principles. But Asian American Christians, in particular, live by “virtue ethic” — the chasing of certain values (diligence, honesty, modesty, stability, etc.) that flow out of our Confucian-infused culture and immigration experience/history.
So what should our ethics be based on? I believe we must vigorously teach a biblical covenantal ethic in our churches.
The Uniqueness of Covenantal Ethics
Traditionally, the philosophical field of ethics recognizes the following methodologies:
- Utilitarian: What makes the most number of people happy is good. Cheating is okay if it benefits 100 people but hurts only 1 person.
- Situational: What is right depends on the context or greater good. Cheating in this one instance is okay because it somehow saves human life.
- Deontological: One must take actions that fulfill the universal rules that make up what is right. Cheating is not okay no matter what because the universal rules said so.
- Virtue: More than the action taken, one must demonstrate a certain value/character to be right. Cheating is not okay because it shows undesirable character.
But biblical ethics of any kind is different from all the above in that it hinges on the character of God as the basis of human morality.
Throughout the Bible, we see God in relationships with individuals and the nation of Israel, and these relationships are cemented together with covenants. These covenants are two-way promises that not only bind God and humanity in relationships for mutual good but also direct humans to treat other humans well.
In the Old Testament, we have the covenant between God and Israelites. God promises to be their God, and the Israelites agree to obey the Ten Commandments and the Law. God’s rules describe how the people are to love God, but they also describe in great detail how to live with and love one another. In the New Testament, we see the fulfillment of the New Covenant through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. When Jesus came to earth, He did not come to just reconcile us to God, but also to command us to love one another.
So if covenantal ethics derive morality from various covenants that God makes with His people throughout the Scriptures, then we too should see that we are called to love God as well as actively love those around us. And in the same way God loves His fallen yet prized creation because they are made in His image, we should do the same.
In sum, covenantal ethics ascribe worthiness to others simply because they are created beings in the image of God. It is not earned by any accomplishment achieved or quality possessed. Thus, a covenantal ethic accepts a people group for its unique color and culture, rather than being “colorblind” or setting a list of desired values that humanity is to uniformly follow. Finally, a covenantal ethic sees the entire humanity as an interrelated set of tribes mutually dependent on one another, rather than judging morality based on meeting specific goals. In other words, in this philosophy, your loss is not my gain nor is the pie limited in size.
We can then add this ethic to our philosophical methodologies:
Covenantal: What is right is what edifies a relationship and the agents of that relationship. Cheating is not ok because it hurts the person being cheated and damages the relationship.
The scopes of other ethical methodologies do not extend beyond the judgment call of right and wrong. But because the logic of covenantal ethics is based on relationships, the people involved are called to continue the relationship after the judgment call.
Let’s use the cheating example and suppose a student is caught cheating on his chemistry exam. The professor is hurt by the broken trust, and their relationship is damaged. A covenantal ethic demands that the professor forgive and reach out, and that the student is to humble himself and ask for forgiveness — all for the sake of their relationship, their individual well-being, and their relationships with God both individually and collectively. We see that a wrong has been done, but the relationships stand, and everyone involved is edified. Is this not what our God has done for us?
Covenantal Ethics and Racial Reconciliation
Such covenantal ethic can guide Asian American Christians in how to live out our faith in Jesus, especially regarding racial reconciliation.
First, covenantal ethics push Asian American Christians to go beyond the internal values and external biases that limit us in staying silent and apathetic against injustice. Why is it that we Asian Americans are typically so quiet about everything? The Confucian values of diligence, stability, accomplishment, etc., have driven many of us into a good life in America. But they are also working powerfully to fix our eyes on chasing after the virtues themselves rather than a genuine relationship with our God and His people. Is not the American dream for us to work hard, go to a good school, get a good job and live in the suburbs with two kids and a dog? Add a local church membership if you are a Christian? Do we all not crave wanting to look ‘put together’ for ourselves and families? Mix in the infamous model minority stereotype that has been a self-fulfilling prophecy pitting Asian Americans against other minorities, and we have a group of people who quietly mind their own business, busy striving for financial guarantee and academic prestige. Covenantal ethics teach us to do away with letting specific values determine our own worth, beckoning us instead to pursue meaningful relationships with God and others as the primary purpose of one’s moral life.
Second, covenantal ethics can help bring about sustained actions for racial reconciliation because it focuses on making and deepening relationships among people in God. To be clear, protesting on the streets, raising social media awareness, and giving to relevant organizations can make a real difference. For example, the Civil Rights Movement brought legislative changes that have impacted the lives of millions. We are also beginning to witness small and large policy changes across America currently.
But I believe these action-driven solutions, while necessary, phase out sooner or later and unfortunately fail to change the hearts of men and women in the long-run without being grounded in a healthy framework or mindset spelled out and shared across the board. Policy changes can promote the good in the letter of the law, but cannot make good the law of the heart. Only the Spirit of God can do that.
Imagine if every single one of us Asian American Christians start living daily with the single-minded goal of building loving relationships with those who are different from us — those who are suffering, those Black siblings in Christ, and others — because they are worthy in Him as we are. Now, imagine we do that for the entirety of our lives in our homes, workplaces, schools, and churches we belong to, teaching our children and helping one another to stay on track. Don’t you think we can overcome the sins of racism by the power of the One who overcame all sin? Don’t you think Christians can (and should) lead?
Practical Applications
If you are an Asian American Christian leader, please let me urge you to consider living out covenantal ethics in these ways:
1. Study and teach the promises made by God with His people throughout the Scriptures
God made promises with Adam, Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, the entire Israelites at Mount Sinai, King David, and etc. God sent Jesus His Son to fulfill the Law. Jesus promised the Holy Spirit to the Jews and the Church. The Spirit designated Paul to give the Gentiles the Gospel. Christ revealed to John a vision of new heaven and new earth. These promises show the relational nature of our God and His strong desire to deepen meaningful relationships with His people for eternity. They also have implications to how humanity is to treat one another now.
2. Fight the plagues of perfectionism and accomplishment-driven way of life
Perhaps the tallest hurdle for our people to truly pursue covenantal relationships with others is our conditioning of defining life success as hitting all the marks of academic, financial, marital and parental goals. I see in many Asian Americans, including myself, constant struggle with a deep sense of insecurity coming from not making it to a prestigious university, not becoming a doctor, not driving a Lexus, not getting married, not having children, and so on. This status quo is a trap of virtue-driven morality. We should instead be a people unashamedly chasing after loving relationships with God and in God.
3. Embrace the cultural and social uniqueness of being Asian Americans
Talking about racial injustice can easily lead to a bashing session of our own culture. Let’s be clear in recognizing sin among ourselves, but let us also affirm our God-given cultural heritage. How can we love others when we hate ourselves? Asian Americans are also uniquely positioned in the American society as a people group with significant economic power but little political influence. This observation has led some scholars to replace the model minority label with ‘middleman minority,’ for AAs play a sort of middleman role between the dominant and the oppressed. Can it be that God has placed us to be relational bridge builders?
4. Minister with local racial reconciliation in mind
I’m not saying your church needs to become multiethic/cultural, nor that all churches should major in social justice. However, a local church is well-suited to promote real racial reconciliation at the ground level because of its social nature. People expect relational work from the church. For example, consider spending this summer giving your people opportunities to engage and converse with people from a neighboring African American church in intentionally designed cohorts. Create church-to-church reading groups over relevant resources. Do mutual confession and forgiveness sessions that can lead to friendships. Partner with other churches to serve the neighborhood’s vulnerable together. Hold joint worship/prayer nights that lead to intentionally composed small groups. Exchange pulpits. Keep asking, how does my ministry plan promote relationships among different people groups?
As the protests turn from expressions of pain and anger to desire and demand for social change, I believe the letter of the law and the law of the heart must go together. Through covenantal ethics, the Asian American Church can bring about the latter for the glory of God whose Holy Word defines righteousness as “right relationships” rather than “right morality.” This is the same God who has promised us eternal life and victory in Him. By guiding and supporting practical action with a relationally focused mindset, we can adequately come alongside our African American siblings for sustained difference. We can overcome together.