Happy Lunar New Year! This week we featured The Tension of Lunar New Year for Asian and Asian American Christians by Eddy Wu. I would also like to highlight How Asian Americans Connect With The Parable Of The Prodigal Son by Daniel K. Eng and Why I’m Thankful for the Chinese Immigrant Church by Tom Sugimura.
In case you missed it, we introduced SOLA NETWORK’s inaugural Board of Trustees, re-capped our top 10 articles published last year, and presented SOLA’s Top 5 Trending Articles in 2024.
Keep in touch on X and Instagram. For more, check out my Asian American Worship Leaders Facebook group and TGIF Playlist on Spotify. This newsletter is one of the many ways you can stay connected with SOLA Network. Find us on Facebook, X, and Instagram.
Aaron Lee, Editorial Curator
Enter our giveaway! Thanks to Crown & Covenant for providing, in partnership with @diveindigdeep, SOLA Network, and FCBC Walnut. 1 winner will receive these excellent books!
J.G. Vos’ work on Romans, originally published as a series of articles in the 1950s and 1970s, has been thoughtfully compiled into a single volume by Crown & Covenant. Read my review.
In Household of Faith, Kyle Borg offers a clear and accessible introduction to Presbyterianism. Read my review.
Articles From Around The Web
1. Sara Kyoungah White: How an Old Language Haunts Us
“In our shifting between lingual spaces, we are shaping bricks in the heart of Babylon and squinting at the sky. We are like blind amnesiacs groping for a memory wiped clean. We are like exiles who have been too long f rom home—like an immigrant child snipping away more and more pieces of her first language until only ghosts remain.”
2. Connie Leung Nelson: How the Gospel Answers Shame in College Students
“By coming alongside students relationally, we can show those who struggle with shame that they don’t need to hide when they feel unworthy. Instead, we can point them to the wonderful paradox of the Christian life: being utterly unworthy and undeserving, yet loved and valued, securely accepted by God in Jesus. The mystery of the gospel is the answer for shame. We don’t need to hide because we’re hidden with Christ.”
3. Fenggang Yang: ‘Shrewd as Snakes’?
“While Jesus’ statement may sound contradictory, I’m reminded that wisdom, adaptability, and perseverance are essential in a world that is often hostile to our beliefs, especially for persecuted believers in China today.”
SOLA Network is excited to co-host an inaugural Asian American Youth Workers Training Day with Rooted Ministry. Steve Chang, Hanley Liu, Monica Kim, Clark Fobes, and a handful of other familiar faces will lead workshops and panels with attendees throughout the day. The Conference will take place on March 15, 2025 at Living Hope Community Church in Brea, California from 9AM to 5PM. Learn more.
Books, Podcasts, Music, And More
1. John Piper: How Do I Become Happy in God?
“Sometimes, the story of another Christian’s joy in God serves to kindle our own. Pastor John takes us to a remarkable moment in the life of Hudson Taylor.”
2. 9Marks: On Serving as Missionaries in Japan
“In this episode of Missions Talk, Ryan Robertson interviews Stephen and Alexandra Tipton about their missions work in Japan.”
3. Aaron Lee: Related Works
Book Reviews: Everyday Gospel by Paul David Tripp and Gospel Stories by Andrew Wilson. Listen to our TGIF playlist on Spotify. Join my Asian American Worship Leaders Facebook group.
On Kindle Now! A Letter to the Asian American Church. The collective voices in our book argue that there is underappreciated beauty, diversity, joy, benefit, and place for the Asian American church. Asian American leaders need to joyfully embrace the call to serve the Asian American church, not only for the emerging generation but for the broader church. Find a sample, links to purchase, and a free discussion guide at sola.network/book.
Featured This Week On SOLA Network
1. Aaron Lee: God’s Family: A Book Review of What is a Healthy Church Member?
What is God’s plan of care for his people? In What is a Healthy Church Member? Thabiti M. Anyabwile empowers readers to actively contribute to the vitality of the local church.
2. SOLA Network: SOLA’s Top 5 Trending Articles in 2024
While these pieces were not published last year, their content has found staying power with our readership.
3. SOLA Network: SOLA’s Top 10 Articles Published in 2024
We are thrilled to have gotten in touch with new authors, as well as hear from voices familiar to SOLA.
4. Eddy Wu: The Tension of Lunar New Year for Asian and Asian American Christians
“Asian and Asian American believers must carefully navigate their family dynamics in an attempt to be loving members of their household and also maintain their faithfulness to Christ. But often these Asian and Asian American believers will face these tensions alone as other Christians are either unaware of the holiday or lack understanding of the cultural and family background.”
5. TGIF: Roundup for January 24, 2025
The Greatest Beauty I’ve Ever Seen / Do Not Love the World / Don’t Make Church About You / Biblical Theology Is for Nerds / How a Book Club Taught Me to Live and Die
6. SOLA Network: TGIF Subscription
Get our TGIF installments delivered straight to your inbox for free every Friday. Join today so you never miss out.
General disclaimer: Our link roundups are not endorsements of the positions or lives of the authors. Header image by Ryan Klaus on Unsplash.