Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Cultural Transmission to Cultural Transformation: The Case of Contemporary Chinese Americans in a Faith-Based Community

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Transition and Change in Collectivist Family Life

Part of the book series: AFTA SpringerBriefs in Family Therapy ((BRIEFSFAT))

Abstract

Generation after generation of American-born Chinese (ABC) feels restricted by the rigid ethnic identity boundaries within their faith communities. This may explain why only 29 percent of Asian Americans are actively attending a church. This chapter uses a participant observation perspective that describes American-born Chinese’ involvements in their immediate church context. When challenges of transmitting the cultural heritage to the ABC generation are translated as bringing what is best about the past to create what is promising for the future, the focus is shifted from cultural transmission to cultural transformation so that cultural change is not about invalidating one’s heritage. Instead it is about building and engaging contemporary American-born Chinese with all the complexities their changing world brings. Implications for spirituality and relational health will be integrated into clinical practice for mental health and pastoral professionals.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
eBook
USD 16.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 16.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Alumkal, A. (2003). Asian American Evangelical churches: Race, ethnicity, an assimilation in the second generation. New York: LFB Scholarly Publishing LLC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Augsburger, D. (1986). Pastoral counseling across cultures. Philadelphia, PA: The Westminster Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cha, P., Kang, S., & Lee, H. (2006). Growing Healthy Asian American Churches. Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chen, C. (2006). From filial piety to religious piety: Evangelical christianity reconstructing Taiwanese immigrant families in the United States. The International Migration Review, 40(3), 573–602. doi:10.1111/j.1747-7379.2006.00032.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • ChenFeng, J., Knudson-Martin, C., & Nelson, T. (2015). Intergenerational tension, connectedness and separateness in the lived experience of first and second generation Chinese American Christians. Contemporary Family Therapy. doi:10.1007/s10591-015-9335-9.

    Google Scholar 

  • Friedman, E. (1985). Generation to Generation. New York, NY: The Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ge, G. (1996). Self and other: A Chinese perspective on interpersonal relationships. In W. Gudykunst, S. Ting-Toomey, & T. Nishida (Eds.), Communication in Personal Relationships across Cultures (pp. 81–101). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ge, G. (1998). An analysis of the effects of face and concern for “other” in Chinese communication. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 22, 467–482.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guo, Z. (1995). Chinese Confucian culture and the medical ethical tradition. Journal of Medical Ethics, 21, 239–246.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Hofstede, G. (2001). Culture’s consequences. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hofstede, G. (2005). Culture’s consequences. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hsu, F. L. K. (1981). Americans and Chinese. Honolulu, HI: University of Hawaii Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jeung, R. (2005). Faithful generations: Race and new Asian American churches. London: Rutgers University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kagititcibasi, C. (2007). Family, Self, and Human Development across Cultures. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

    Google Scholar 

  • Knudson-Martin, C. (1994). The female voice: Applications to Bowen’s family systems theory. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 20(1), 35–46.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee, H. (1996). Silent exodus: Can the East Asian church in America reverse the flight of its next generation? Christianity Today, 40, 9.

    Google Scholar 

  • Triandis, H. (1989). The self and social behavior in differing cultural contexts. Psychological Review, 96(3), 506–520.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yang, F. (1999). Chinese Christians in America. Philadelphia, PA: The Pennsylvania State University Press.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ambassador NetWork, Brea, CA, USA

    Peter C. Lim

Authors
  1. Peter C. Lim
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Peter C. Lim .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Marital & Family Therapy and Mental Heal, Bethel Seminary, Bethel University Marital & Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling Programs, San Diego, California, USA

    Karen Mui-Teng Quek

  2. Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois, USA

    Shi-Ruei Sherry Fang

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2017 American Family Therapy Academy (AFTA)

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Lim, P.C. (2017). Cultural Transmission to Cultural Transformation: The Case of Contemporary Chinese Americans in a Faith-Based Community. In: Quek, KT., Fang, SR. (eds) Transition and Change in Collectivist Family Life. AFTA SpringerBriefs in Family Therapy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-50679-1_8

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation