Toward Beloving Community
摘要
Written from the perspective of an Asian American United Methodist pastor, this book examines how the church, despite good intentions, often overlooks those who do not fit neatly into white cultural norms or the familiar Black-and-white conversations about race. It draws on the wisdom of theologians such as Dr. David Anderson Hooker, Dr. Wonhee Anne Joh, Dr. Namsoon Kang, Dr. Jung Young Lee, Dr. Sang Hyun Lee, Dr. Michael Moynagh, and Dr. Jonathan Tran, among others, to show how faith in the United States is deeply shaped by culture, colonization, migration, and race. At the heart of the book is a practical framework called Transformative Community Conferencing, which creates space for truth-telling, shared stories, and attentive listening. A case study from Pound Ridge Community Church demonstrates how this model can foster real change, helping congregations move from surface-level gestures of inclusion toward communities of genuine belonging. This is more than critique. It is a call to action. The book challenges the church to embrace depth, humility, and courage, moving beyond the dream of the Beloved Community toward the practice of the Beloving Community: a community continually shaped by love, mutuality, compassion, and transformation.