This is  the season of college admittance letters. A reality I thank God that I don’t have to deal with again. (With teenage angst! For I often fantasize of returning to college. If David Foster Wallace was still alive!)  Recently one of the other Next Gen Bloggers pointed out this article “Confusion Over Anti Asian Discrimination.” The topic of discussion is that the elite institutions are being scrutinized for discriminatory practices in the admittance process.

 For further insight into these practices, check out “The Gatekeepers“.

I really appreciated the Steinberg expose as basically the one thing we can really do to get our kids ready to go to an elite institution is to encourage them to “shine” on their own (start up a charity, write a novel). In the “Gatekeepers” it was exciting to see the mind of the admissions officer as they searched for those few movers and shakers that they wanted to see on their campus. And what I got was that those kids who started their own charities, completed novels, or worked on the next great scientific discoveries were the ones they searched high and low for.  In fact a good buddy of mine attended Brown and he talked about these whiz kids and geniuses.  At the same time there were children of alumni, children of celebrities/rich and famous, the “scholarship” students.  My friend told me of “the gentleman’s “C”". We were talking about someone famous, who I remarked, “surely this person couldn’t have graduated from an Ivy?” And he told me about the gentleman’s C. Definitely elite schools are in “a league of their own.”

I know that I have read inflammatory Xangas by students who didn’t get accepted to their choice college, and jeolously write how they couldn’t believe that their “minority” friend (non-Asian) got into that same school.  I can admit, I was young once too.

I wonder though that we as a society strive too much for fairness. Life is not fair and perhaps a “no” from one school is a sign that God has something better. It’s not fair that Paul Gausol is 7′ and I am not…but perhaps God didn’t intend a pro NBA career for me!  A friend recently told their son – No, as he was accepted to an Ivy, but they as parents felt that their son was not ready to go all the way to the other coast. They wanted him closer to home. They told me, “is 18 some magical number that we can just send our children off on their own?”  I didn’t say anything as I thought of the Amish practice of rumspringa (which I guess I wouldn’t practice now that I am a father).  I wonder if there is something about sending off your child and see if they come back to the fold…

Ok, sorry for the tangents…but I sort of see the dilemna of the elite institution of higher learning. You have alumni that you admit because their children have an example, a network that will  help them succeed. They also want the “cream of the crop” students, and at the same time, yes they want diversity. And to get diversity, unfortunately they discriminate.

 edit–I guess as I use the word discriminate it is not in the most inflammatory usage of the word.

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I only recently understood the concept of “vision”. And in finding a vision for ministry I had a great discussion with a friend who is more philosophically minded. He said that “Chinese churches have an unstated vision/purpose. They are cultural centers where these “refugees” come to get Chinese culture. Is that true of other AA churches?
Evangelism is thus done in a passive way as people are brought in, versus sending people out.

It occurred to me that part of going out involves being friendly to visitors and living with joy at home, church, and work. But that joy must come from  God! Too many though are not living in joy, and thus churches are dying.

Part of that may be due to more programs then true fellowship and true discipleship. One big activity after another. Another person pointed out to me the component parts to the Chinese character for busyness. It is composed of the word death and the “radical” heart. Busyness is literally death to heart. I guess some of our churches have brought into the idea that the more busy you are, the more spiritual.

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Living differently. The last few years I’ve been attending SWBTS and lately the chapel sermons have been centering on living differently, esp. for those called to the ministry. I guess the message has not changed much over the years, but why has it been hitting me so hard lately? Do I act like the world? Do I need to change? I wonder is it all legalism? But I guess in a world where evangelical leaders are found out to be gay, drug taking fiends (hyperbole), well its not your mama’s church leader. Where even the question of homosexuality as a sin is questioned?

Should we be watching certain movies? Or listening to certain kinds of music? Is it ok to smoke? Can we drink a beer if we don’t get drunk? Is it ok to use profanity? Definitely I am convicted that we need to live a different kind of life. (If you have time, about 1 hour, check out this sermon by Paul Washer). The sermon calls on the carpet “American” Christianity…y’know stuff like how our divorce rate is higher than outside the church…

I also wonder where does being AsianAmerican fit into all this? (When being Christian is hard enough.)

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I guess you will have to view the site. www.paradise08.com/.

Basically on Memorial Day weekend a large gathering is planned for the geographic center of the US. That is Paradise, KS. The day is to be a day of worship. Nothing will be sold…

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David’s recent post  made me think about church ministry.  I can’t guess where your church is at. Church plants can be  preoccupied or hampered with small manpower…and it just seems worthwhile to have ministries that confront our society (for the gospel). And David talked about the abuse of women, and in particular, in the Asian American/Asian community. We need to stop the violence. (that’s a great slogan, don’t you think?)

I have been thinking about outreach ministries.  I think that churches outside of the Bible belt have been working hard on presenting the Gospel in new, engaging, and challenging ways. Seems to me that we aren’t as innovative…until I came across a church in Alabama (the pastor was at Chapel a few years ago and had spoke at one of Dr. S. Tsoi’s Youth Camps in Phx).  The church decided not to televise a worship service but to have a hunting show. 

So I thought that my seminary should do a “This Old House” Type show…or that a Chinese church do a cultural broadcast, or cooking show, or martial arts, and of course like that hunting show, present the gospel at the end. 

For a few years I’ve been holding on to an idea about fixing up a Honda to appeal to the “Rice Rocket” crowd.  Then on the news I saw this story about the National Guard detailing cars to promote the guard, why not one of our churches “soup” up a car to present the gospel.  (The news segment was about a soldier who made a tribute car to his fallen comrades, the army saw it and asked the soldier to detail cars to promote the army).  We could “pimp” our church vans!  But seriously I know tons of Asian guys getting all into their rice rockets…can you see it, we can have gospel stickers to place on our windshields.  Jesus written in Kanji…ok, j/k about that…but definitely invision going out, opening up the trunk and sharing with the young men and women.  “Ladies; gents, your cars will rust away one day, just as we do too. Like our cars our souls need preventative maintenance…” 

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