The beatific vision is a doctrine that has been lost in many Protestant circles, but the recapturing of this doctrine is crucial to our understanding of how we live our Christian lives in the present age. Jesus sums it up best: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” – Matthew 5:8. This is the promise for the Christian: We will be able to perceive God visually, face-to-face. It is a promise entrenched deeply in our union with Christ. God made us for Himself and we will be able to behold Him for all eternity. We are not just going home. We’re going home to be with the One our hearts were made for. The Asian-American church uniquely understands this.
How would I begin to describe the Asian-American church? There are churches that would be considered Asian immigrant churches. These are usually mono-ethnic bodies with various degrees of diversity in their linguistic, socio-cultural, and generational norms. Oftentimes, these churches contain a mother-tongue congregation (for those who were born overseas and immigrated to the United States) and an English-speaking congregation, which usually comprises the children of immigrants and those who immigrated to the United States at a young age. Then, there are the Asian-American churches, which are made up of those of East Asian descent (i.e., Chinese, Japanese, Korean) and these are usually second-generation Asians. English is the dominant language in the worship services. It’s important to note that both Asian immigrant churches and Asian-American churches exist in the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) and both contribute vastly to the breadth and depth of God’s kingdom.
I’d like to draw focus towards the Asian-American church since for many of the members, there is oftentimes an identity crisis. “Are we Asian? Or are we American? Shouldn’t we be more diverse? I don’t want my church to look like my parents’ church, but I don’t necessarily want to abandon all that I’ve received from it.” It is in this identity crisis that I believe the beatific vision becomes clearer. For all of its struggles and tensions, the Asian-American church understands that this world is not our home, that “now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.” – 1 Corinthians 13:12.
At this point, I would like to clarify that many of the categories I describe have been colored by my own experiences and cultural upbringing. At the same time, I hope that this highlight of the Asian-American church’s values, specifically towards the beatific vision, will draw us all closer to the God of all creation.
A Faithful Face
The idea of seeing God face-to-face in the eschaton is perhaps frightening for most, but the Bible doesn’t present this phenomenon as something to be afraid of. In fact, it’s the thing we most desire in our lives. The Swiss theologian, Huldrych Zwingli described the beatific vision as a completely satisfied appetite, not overly full and never wanting more: “The good which we shall enjoy is infinite and the infinite cannot be exhausted; therefore no one can become surfeited with it, for it is ever new and yet the same.”
In Asian cultures, beholding someone face-to-face carries with it deep implications. “Face” is something that inherently flows through every relationship and interaction. It is a sociological construct so baked into the fabric of the culture it can be difficult to translate or define. The words that come closest to defining it are, “pride, dignity, prestige,” and “reputation.” To “have face” in Asian culture is to have a good reputation and social standing. Likewise, to “give face” is to give deference or pay homage to someone due to their superior reputation or standing.
In the Asian-American church, the sociology behind “face” explains the heightened respect and honor that is usually given to pastors and church leaders, especially if they are older in age. The honor and submission given to our spiritual leaders is a show of love in response to their hard work and spiritual care (1 Thessalonians 5:12, Hebrews 13:17, 1 Peter 5:1-5), but more than that, it reminds us that these leaders are preparing us to behold God, Himself. However, one of the distinguishing factors of the Asian-American church is that honoring such leaders does not mean distance from them. There is a dynamic tension at work in which church members submit to the authority of the pastors and elders, but are also eating meals together as friends. This reality is a shadow of eternity, in which the beatific vision becomes fully realized in Jesus. He is the faithful face whom we will behold and worship. He is indeed due all of the dignity and prestige (Revelation 4:11). He is also the faithful friend who draws near.
In a world that flip-flops between giving too much deference to our leaders and not submitting to any authority, the Asian-American church teaches us how to embrace the tension by learning how to befriend our leaders and at the same time, become leaders who draw near to those whom we lead.
Purifying Prosperity
The word “prosperity” is often associated with material wealth and money. In Asian cultures, while that is most certainly an aspect of prosperity, it does not tell the whole story. Because of Confucian influence, there is a strong emphasis, with regard to prosperity, on societal harmony, family, and fulfilling one’s roles and responsibilities. To prosper is to grow in deeper connection in the communities in which we participate.
This mentality matters because it helps us to think about the beatific vision, collectively. The Asian-American church, because of the familial culture, emphasizes this truth. Yes, the promise of Scripture is that one day, I, as an individual, will behold Christ in His glory. However, that is not the only promise. I, along with the saints, will behold Christ, communally, as a family.
This is the message that the Westminster Divines sought to communicate in Question 90 of the Larger Catechism (emphasis mine):
Q. 90. What shall be done to the righteous at the day of judgment?
A. At the day of judgment, the righteous, being caught up to Christ in the clouds, shall be set on his right hand, and there openly acknowledged and acquitted, shall join with him in the judging of reprobate angels and men, and shall be received into heaven, where they shall be fully and forever freed from all sin and misery; filled with inconceivable joys, made perfectly holy and happy both in body and soul, in the company of innumerable saints and holy angels, but especially in the immediate vision and fruition of God the Father, of our Lord Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Spirit, to all eternity. And this is the perfect and full communion, which the members of the invisible Church shall enjoy with Christ in glory, at the resurrection and day of judgment.
This reality has radical implications for how we relate to one another in the here and now. What might it look like if our material prosperity was thought of in spiritual terms? What if the things that we thought of as blessings were actually instruments to true blessings, as in giving away our money and our time to create deeper relationships in the church, in our families, to build bridges with the poor and marginalized, to create a society that can see a glimpse of Christ’s glory? John Calvin writes that, indeed, we will be rewarded with true prosperity as we faithfully steward our present prosperity:
“But Paul, who knew that as God enriches the saints with spiritual gifts in this world, he will in like manner adorn them with glory in heaven, hesitates not to say that a special crown is laid up for him in proportion to his labors. Our Savior, also, to commend the dignity of the office which he had conferred on the apostles, reminds them that the fruit of it is laid up in heaven.”
Exilic Endurance
The very essence of the Asian-American church assumes a three-fold identity. Many Asian-American churches were formed as a result of congregants living in the in-between of their parent’s culture and the American culture. This is a unique aspect of our exilic journey as Christians. For those who are immigrants, they understand the reality of being away from one’s home. For the children of immigrants, who make up a large part of the Asian-American church, the question becomes, “What is home? Is it where my parents came from? Or do I seek to make a home here in America? If I do so, am I abandoning my parents’ culture? Where do I fit in?” Every Christian understands the dual citizenship of heaven and earth. We seek the peace and prosperity of our earthly home while anticipating our true, heavenly home that is yet to come. The Asian-American Christian has a unique struggle. How do I seek the peace and prosperity of where I live while simultaneously honoring the culture that makes up part of my identity? Perhaps what grounds the Asian-American Christian is an enduring faith. Dr. Esther Chung-Kim writes:
“Asian American sociologist Anthony Ekholm says that in his ethnography study of second-generation Korean American evangelicals, he observed that many Korean Americans are attracted to evangelicalism’s emphasis on grounding one’s true identity in one’s faith. In particular, this sociologist recognizes that many Asian Americans have the dilemma of having to cope with the paradox of living up to a highly racialized model minority image to be successful on the one hand while at the same time being marginalized for being the minor minority in the first place.
So this paradox makes our racial identity very tricky. So one attractive feature about Asian American evangelicalism is that the focus is more on deemphasizing racial minority status and emphasizing more the primary identity as Christians. So this also explains some of the sociological benefits of joining ethnic-specific churches. Many are turning to not just evangelicalism but also ethnic-specific or Asian American evangelicalism.”
This enduring faith teaches us to honor the ones who have come before us, paving the way for our reception of the gospel, but also to honor the One who came before us, who is also preparing us to eventually meet Him face-to-face.
Atonement’s Asceticism
Because the Asian-American church owes much to the generation that came before it, as well as the Asian immigrant church, the idea that life lived in the present has honorific implications towards the previous generation tends to ring loudly. “My parents came from another country and survived intense hardship. I owe it to them to do well and deny the ‘pleasures’ that others have because that’s how I honor their sacrifice.” This language might seem shocking to our Western, individualistic culture, but the analogy is replete throughout Scripture. Paul’s letters often operate in the indicative-imperative, using words like “sacrifice,” “transformation,” and “conformity.” Because God has saved us, we should live our lives in light of that reality. It wouldn’t be far-fetched to say that self-denial is the sum of the Christian life.
David Mathis writes, “As we see in 1 John 3:2, our seeing God in Christ involves not only object, as we know from physical sight, but also subject and medium. Our seeing him correlates with being like him. Not only might there be obstructions in the field of vision that need to be removed, but also cataracts in our own eyes.”
Therefore, while we anticipate the future reality of being like Him, that process of sanctification begins now, in our self-denial. Michael Allen describes this lifestyle in an attempt to reform our negative associations with “asceticism”: “The lure of self-denial flows from a greater good, a future good that outweighs and outstrips the fleeting and faint allures of this present age.”
“His ethic is neither merely creational nor solely eschatological but relates the two and thus, locates present use amidst past creation and future destiny. As to extent, Calvin repeatedly uses the language of moderation, frugality, and sobriety…self-denial never takes the form of a shoehorn and always involves dispossession of oneself and equally personal dependence upon the prompting of God.”
What the Asian-American church brings to light here is that living a sober, self-denying life not only honors our ancestors and predecessors but gives credibility to the fact that the gospel of Jesus’ atonement truly matters in the Christian life.
Conclusion
There have been plenty of articles written about why the Asian-American church needs to exist. Perhaps the goal is not simply to exist, but to also bless, to make happy, and to point to the One who fulfills our deepest desires. In outlining these distinctives, I hope to show that the Asian-American church can uniquely do this. My prayer is that this leads to further discussion on how the church, in all of its diversity, can grow in glorifying God.
Jeff is the RUF (Reformed University Fellowship) campus minister at Queens College. He has worked in various settings in the chemicals industry, including as a research scientist and a quality control chemist. He graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a B.A. in Chemistry, Stony Brook University with an M.S. in Chemistry, and Reformed Theological Seminary, New York City with an M.A. in Biblical Studies. Jeff lives and dies (mostly dies) with his New York Knicks, Yankees, and Giants. In his free time, he enjoys reading and spending time with his wife and two children.