At the intersection of Asian Americans, faith, and generosity

What would a dream team create for a new future reality?

Reading a Book and Finding a Video

I recently discovered this book by Richard Leong, The Legacy Continuum: Building a Multi-Generational Legacy of Radical Generosity and Kingdom Impact and I found it so compelling that I read it in one sitting! The author is Chinse American, and has leveraged his faith, corporate expertise, and life experiences to share his story of how they’re creating a multi-generational legacy of generosity for their family. (There are a few examples Asian American Christian philanthropy, too.)

Inspiring Stickers

A group of Asian American Gen Z students at Biola University came together and launched Generous Generation to inspire the heart of generosity through fundraising campaigns using stickers! As students graduated and the project wound down, GenGen published their playbook as open source so others can learn from their experiences. So generous!

Growing more Generous Asians together

Then, I think to myself, what would it look like to see a whole generation, more Asian American families and churches, who are living out their Christian faith prominently in the areas of generosity and philanthropy?

I know that’s rather counter-cultural, since Asian and Asian American cultures are known to be very modest and private about their giving, generosity, and philanthropy. Humility is a good thing. However, absolute silence also prevents our need for positive role models and healthy influences. We must talk about money, because Jesus talked about money and giving is an essential part of being Godly.

Generosity is the new apologetics. It gets everyone's attention when people see that you live a simple life and can be generous for the good of others. This thought didn’t originate with me, but I did hear it somewhere (oh, it was this, “generosity is the apologetic of our day,” from the Journey of Generosity workbook) and have freely share this idea. And, “Unreciprocated human generosity defies every reasonable naturalistic explanation.”

These three circles form a venn diagram (that’s the fancy mathematical term) and at the intersection where they overlap is the new future that I’m seeking conversational partners to create a new initiatives.

Of course I can’t do it alone. So, I’m putting it out there, speaking it into existence, via this email newsletter and social media. May the Spirit move in our times. I’d love to hear from you if this resonates.

Let’s embark on this faith adventure together.

// DJ CHUANG, Director of Christian Asian Mental Health