This year I began moving my reading habits to focus on Asian American authors. Earlier this year, I shared The Best Books I Read in 2022 by Asian American Authors (So Far), and this is the culmination of that list. From children’s books to expositional commentaries, there was a broad range to cover! Overall, I was blessed to see the work that God is doing through books. Here at SOLA Network, we are happy to support Asian American authors and their ministry of words.
For more, check out The Best Christian Books by Asian American Authors in 2022 selected by our SOLA Editorial Board.
Faithful Disobedience: Writings on Church and State from a Chinese House Church Movement
Wang Yi, Edited by Hannah Nation and J. D. Tseng (IVP Academic), November 29, 2022
From the publisher:
In this volume, key writings from the house church have been compiled, translated, and made accessible to English speakers. Featured here is a manifesto by well-known pastor Wang Yi and his church, Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu, to clarify their theological stance on the house church and its relationship to the Chinese government. There are also works by prominent voices such as Jin Tianming, Jin Mingri, and Sun Yi. The editors have provided introductions, notes, and a glossary to give context to each selection.
From my review of Faithful Disobedience:
Edited by Hannah Nation and J. D. Tseng, this book is a precious treasure. The ability to read first-hand accounts of our persecuted brothers and sisters is a modern miracle, and one that we should not take for granted. It is now a historical book that will prove to be prophetic guiding as Jesus draws near.
Related: Learning About The Center for House Church Theology: An Interview with Clara Kim
Shame: Being Known and Loved
Esther Liu (P&R Publishers), October 5, 2022
From the publisher:
Your Savior willingly sacrificed everything—even died—so that shame would not have the final say in your life. Writing as a biblical counselor and fellow struggler, Esther Liu takes you on a thirty-one-day journey to discover lasting comfort. As you explore the depths of God’s grace for you, use this book’s practical action points, reflection questions, and devotional insights to reshape your instinctive responses to God, others, and yourself.
Asian Americans will find much to relate to in this book—from feeling like we need to climb ladders of success to feeling invisible. Liu takes us to the story of Abraham and how God sees his servant Hagar. When we feel small, insignificant, and unnoticed, we can remember that God sees us and we matter.
Related: Writing About Shame: An Interview with “Shame” Author Esther Liu
Emmanuel: An Invitation to Prepare Him Room at Christmas and Always
Ruth Chou Simons (Harvest House Publishers), September 13, 2022
From the publisher:
Christmas Day is not the end of our celebrations, but the beginning! Emmanuel is an invitation to rejoice in the everlasting fellowship and hope God extended to us on the day of His Son’s birth, guiding us to realize that having God with us all year long is Christmas’s most incredible gift.
From the start, I was surprised at how this book tackles real emotions. Worry, loneliness, stress, and jealousy are relatable experiences—and Simons shares how God can shape our hearts in those moments. While the devotional content is at the center of this book, Simons shares select scripture and quotes throughout—framed by her beautiful art.
Related: Telling Her Own Story: An Interview with Ruth Chou Simons
ESV Expository Commentary: Isaiah–Ezekiel
Series edited by Iain M. Duguid, James M. Hamilton Jr., Jay Sklar, Contributions by Jonathan Gibson, Bob Fyall, Jerry Hwang (Crossway), September 6, 2022
From the publisher:
Designed to strengthen the global church with a widely accessible, theologically sound, and pastorally wise resource for understanding and applying the overarching storyline of the Bible, the ESV Expository Commentary features the full text of the ESV Bible passage by passage, with crisp and theologically rich exposition and application.
From my review of ESV Expository Commentary: Isaiah-Ezekiel:
In regards to Jeremiah 29:11, Hwang states that “the larger arc of exile as discipline and restoration as repentance sets the concept of God’s ‘plans for shalom’ in a whole new light.” It is an indictment to prosperity theology, and a challenge to persevere through suffering as God wills to bless his people. This careful engagement with the text is consistent throughout this commentary.
Learning Our Names: Asian American Christians on Identity, Relationships, and Vocation
Sabrina S. Chan, Linson Daniel, E. David de Leon, and La Thao (InterVarsity Press), August 30, 2022
From the publisher:
Asian American Christians need to hear and own our diverse stories beyond the cultural expectations of the model minority or perpetual foreigner. A team from East Asian, Southeast Asian, and South Asian backgrounds explores what it means to learn our names and be seen by God.
From My Review of Learning Our Names:
You can feel the already-not-yet tension in this book. Instead of hiding or ignoring it, we are asked to lean into it. We are encouraged to address it. And we are emboldened to share our names, tell our stories, and share how God is still good. May the name of Jesus be the name above every other name.
Preaching to a Divided Nation: A Seven-Step Model for Promoting Reconciliation and Unity
Matthew D. Kim, Paul A. Hoffman (Baker Academic), August 9, 2022
From the publisher:
This book issues a prophetic call to pastors to use the influence of their pulpits to promote reconciliation and unity in their churches and communities. Two scholar-practitioners who are experts in homiletics and reconciliation present a practical, 7-step model that empowers faithful leaders to bring healing and peace to their fractured churches and world.
From My Review of Preaching to a Divided Nation:
As an Asian American preacher, I was challenged to build deep relationships in a covenant community (live life together with and amongst the congregation) and also cultivate diverse relationships outside of my own Asian American church.
Related: Preaching to People in Pain: An Interview with Dr. Matthew D. Kim
How to Save the World: Disciplemaking Made Simple
Alice Matagora (Tyndale House Publishers), August 9, 2022
From the publisher:
Drawing on cutting-edge research from The Navigators and Barna Group, Alice Matagora invites you to enter Jesus’ plan to save the world wherever you are. She understands your anxieties (because she’s experienced them) and helps you to break down barriers, pointing you to the joy of engaged discipleship: knowing Christ, making him known, and helping others do the same.
From my review of How to Save the World:
What I found most helpful was how Matagora speaks on disciple making across cultures and socioeconomic groups. She calls us to first understand our own cultural lenses, biases, and privileges and then to become students of those we are discipling. Jesus is Lord of all and is sufficient to meet all of our needs.
Analog Christian: Cultivating Contentment, Resilience, and Wisdom in the Digital Age
Jay Y. Kim (InterVarsity Press), July 26, 2022
From the publisher:
As the digital age inclines us to discontentment, fragility, and foolishness, how are followers of Jesus to respond? What is the theological basis for living in creative resistance to the forces of our day? How can Christians cultivate the contentment, resilience, and wisdom to not only survive but to thrive as we navigate the specific challenges of our age?
From my review of Analog Christian:
This book is for those who are weary from the online world. It is a call to come back to God’s Word, allowing it to shape your heart more than social media. It is a summons to spend time with Jesus more than chasing clout and influence. Pastors will find that they don’t have to feel the push and pull of trending topics. Teens don’t have to fall into the comparison trap. Working adults and parents alike don’t have to chase after achievements and approval. Unplug from the digital domain. Plant your soul near streams of living water.
Related: Finding Faithfulness in the Digital Era: An Interview with Jay Y. Kim
Taste and See: All About God’s Goodness
Written by Irene Sun, Illustrated by Hannah Y. Lu (New Growth Press), June 27, 2022
From the publisher:
Irene Sun and illustrator Hannah Y. Lu provide a bird’s eye view of the Bible, using the idea of hunger and feasting to tell the story of redemption in a fresh and memorable way for children and their parents. Children ages 4-7 will learn that everything their hearts hunger for can be found in Jesus—the one whose broken body and shed blood is pictured in the bread and wine we eat together to celebrate Christ’s death and resurrection. Each meal we share until Jesus comes is a time to remember God’s goodness and care for all his children. Families will learn how the whole Bible celebrates God’s love for his hungry people.
From my review of Taste and See:
Parents don’t have to be afraid of teaching theology to their children. A resource page at the back of the book will help give you confidence as you share with your kids. I was encouraged to speak on the marriage supper of the lamb in our Children’s Worship service at my home church!
Related: Sharing Biblical Theology With Kids: An Interview with Irene Sun
Faith in the Wilderness: Words of Exhortation from the Chinese Church
Edited by Hannah Nation and Simon Liu (Kirkdale Press), April 27, 2022
From the publisher:
In Faith in the Wilderness, editors Hannah Nation and Simon Liu pull together the insights of the Chinese Church for the West. These sermonic letters from Chinese Christians pull back the curtain on the pastoral heart and hope behind the house church’s remarkable faithfulness, awakening readers to the reality of the gospel—the ground of our hope—in the midst of darkness. Readers will be convicted, encouraged, and edified by the testimony of these Chinese Christians.
From my review of Faith in the Wilderness:
After reading this book, I am challenged to live a life of greater faith. I am reminded to pray for my brothers and sisters in China who are facing persecution. I found myself wanting to read more of their encouraging words. Their reward is great, and we have a great God. I am encouraged by their testimonies, stirred by their stories, and hope for the day we will walk out of the wilderness of this world. We will see the calm sea of glass. Our faith will become sight.
Related: Learning About The Center for House Church Theology: An Interview with Clara Kim
Even If: Trusting God when Life Disappoints, Overwhelms, or Just Doesn’t Make Sense
Mtichel Lee (Multnomah), Aug 17, 2021
From the publisher:
In Even If, Mitchel Lee reminds us that while God does not promise a pain-free life, he offers something better: his presence in the pain. No matter our circumstances, God is worthy of our worship, and he can meet us even in our greatest difficulties.
I was most moved to see how Lee wrote about regret. “Regret over a golden past is fed by discontentment with our present circumstances compared with where we believe we once were.” When we try to live out our imposter selves, we fail to remember that God is still good to us even now.
Related: Finding Faith in the “Even If”: An Interview with Pastor and Author Mitchel Lee
Defending Shame: Its Formative Power in Paul’s Letters
Te-Li Lau (Baker Academic), April 21, 2020
From the publisher:
Filling a lacuna in Pauline scholarship, Defending Shame shows how Paul uses shame to admonish and to transform the minds of his readers into the mind of Christ. The author examines Paul’s use of shame for moral formation within his Jewish and Greco-Roman context, compares and contrasts Paul’s use of shame with other cultural voices, and offers a corrective understanding for today’s church. The book explores how Paul’s moral psychology of shame can guide believers to live lives that honor not only God but also their calling as children of God. It also includes a foreword from Luke Timothy Johnson.
From my review of Defending Shame:
At over 250 pages, this book is an academic work that demands your attention. Serious students of the Bible will benefit from learning from Lau as he exegetes and explains an important theme in Paul’s writings. Pastors and preachers will be better educated and prepared to speak with sensitivity to those that come from an honor-shame culture with compassion. And as shame is seen both in the church and the world, this book will give a Biblical basis for understanding and employing it with Gospel grace.
Refractions: A Journey of Faith, Art, and Culture
Makoto Fujimura (NavPress), February 15, 2009
From the publisher:
A collection of essays, thoughts, and prayers from award-winning artist Makoto Fujimura, Refractions brings people of all backgrounds together in conversation and meditation on culture, art, and humanity.
From My Review of Refractions:
It was a joy to read about Fujimura’s own Japanese culture, his creative process, and how he views his own art. To see his faith be such an integral part of his work is inspiring. Not only will you come away appreciating art itself, but you will come away focused and more in love with our Creator, who continues to paint his beautiful story of redemption for the world to see.
On My Radar
Neo-Calvinism: A Theological Introduction
N. Gray Sutanto and Cory C. Brock (Lexham Press), January 11, 2023
Humble Confidence: A Model for Interfaith Apologetics
Benno van den Toren and Kang-San Tan (IVP Academic), December 20, 2022
Doing Asian American Theology: A Contextual Framework for Faith and Practice
Daniel D. Lee (IVP Academic), November 29, 2022
The Cross in Context: Reconsidering Biblical Metaphors for Atonement
Jackson W. (IVP Academic), November 22, 2022
Spurgeon the Pastor: Recovering a Biblical and Theological Vision for Ministry
Geoffrey Chang (B&H Books), August 9, 2022
An Explorer’s Guide to John Calvin
Yudha Thianto (IVP Academic), July 12, 2022
For Further Reading
You can find my book reviews on Instagram, my blog, and in our SOLA Network TGIF newsletter. If you enjoyed this roundup, check out our SOLA Network Magazine. We feature our favorite articles from the year and make them available for you to download for free as a beautiful PDF. We have two editions: 2020 and 2021, with our 2022 edition coming soon. You can also view my brief interview with editor Hannah Chao about the making of our magazine and the work we do at SOLA Network.