Dear reader,
When I recently posted the news that I’d completed my MA in Theology and Ministry on Facebook, and briefly mentioned how my dissertation had been another pivotal step on my journey of decolonising my faith, I was met with a flurry of congrats and well-wishes – and also, somewhat unexpectedly, a handful of interest in my ‘decolonising of faith’. What exactly did I mean? Was there some platform – a blog or something – where I was documenting the process, and could they follow along?
I was surprised by this because it’s been quite a personal journey – a passion project of sorts, albeit with life-altering consequences – that I’ve embarked on especially over the past five years, equipped with a persistent fervour that has only heightened year by year (further stoked by a righteous anger towards rising anti-Asian racism).
Not that I was ever hiding the fact that this was what I was doing – those who interact with me in person on a regular basis will have heard me use precisely that phrase of ‘decolonising my faith’ at one point or another – but I guess I had never mentioned it on social media so publicly before (save the occasional Instastory where I share photos of the books I’ve been reading).
And neither was I under the illusion that its repercussions were entirely confined to me, myself and I – it was my faith, my life, sure, but I am active in spheres (live and online) where plenty of others also share my faith, and to an extent my life. And therefore as my thinking progressed, and evolved, and manifested in my speech, behaviour and attitude more and more, it naturally (I’d like to think) rubbed off on others in a way that made them think deeper about the implications on their faith and life. Most specifically when it came to issues of racial justice and an empowering (rather than a neglecting) of ethnic minorities within the western church.
Going back to the Facebook comments: I briefly wondered why the expressed interest. Perhaps they themselves were undergoing or knew people who were undergoing a similar process, perhaps of deconstruction, and were curious to hear from another (hopefully trustworthy) perspective to aid them in their understanding. But I can only speculate.
All that to say, here’s a newsletter, birthed out of the above.
I suspect if you’re reading this, you know me or of me in some form or manner. But on the off chance that you don’t (I don’t know how you stumbled upon this newsletter in its primordial stages but I’d love to know!), let me quickly introduce myself.
My name is Justin Lau, and I was born in Singapore to Singaporean Chinese parents but grew up in Japan since my parents were/are Protestant missionaries. I attended an international American Christian school in Tokyo, before serving in the Singapore army for National Service. I then moved to the UK for university and am still based here after a decade. I have since completed two MAs – one in English Literature, one in Theology and Ministry – and been a worship leader at a charismatic evangelical church. I am also a fiction writer and editor (see my bio for more details).
Oh, and yes, I am a Christian. Not an ex-Christian, but (still) a Christian who believes in and endeavours to follow Jesus day by day for the rest of my life.
I remember seeing a tweet by Ekemini Uwan a couple of years ago that has stuck with me ever since, serving as both encouragement (that I wasn’t journeying alone) and warning:
My intention has never been the latter, it has never been to decolonise myself out of faith. My faith centres me, underpins my life and worldview, is at the heart of everything I think, say and do. I have experienced too much of God’s goodness in exceedingly profound and real ways for me to deny that God exists, or that Jesus was the most important person to walk this planet, or that the Holy Spirit's divine presence lives in me.
But I also recognise that decolonisation is a form of deconstruction. I am not trying to deconstruct God; I am trying to deconstruct my warped and mistaken ideas of God which have been engrained in me since young, especially those intrinsically intertwined with a westernised form of Christianity – the package containing the content if you will – that has proven less and less conducive to my faith and my self/identity the older I get.
But deconstruction, and decolonisation, is not an end in itself. Rather, reconstruction (not recolonisation lol) is an important next step. And that looks like embracing my East Asian culture and heritage more and more, not because it is inherently ‘better’ than western culture but because for so long, for too long, it had been relegated (along with other Majority World cultures) as an outlier, as less important and ‘developed’, as primitive, both in wider western society and in the western church.
The aim, then, is to seek to reconcile my East Asian culture with my thoroughly Christian faith, first by shedding its western skin and then donning new eastern garments that fit more snugly, that allows me to be who I am more sincerely. It needs no saying that I am not perfect, that who I am is still in the process of sanctification (being made more like Jesus daily) that will only come to completion when Jesus returns. But this process of decolonising and reembracing in the here and now is a meagre attempt to step fully into the identity which God has given and gifted me with – in all its beauty, in all its flaws.
Who do I hope will read this? Well, anyone who’s interested, really. Perhaps you’re someone with a westernised Christian upbringing looking for a fellow companion to decolonise with. Perhaps you’re someone with an East Asian (or other Majority World) background but you’re not sure how to integrate your culture with your faith. Perhaps you’re a Christian leader in a western context looking to diversify your thinking and practice. Perhaps you’re not a Christian but you’re curious about whether or not one can have a Christian faith without having to embrace empire (apologies in advance for any use of Christian jargon – I’ll attempt to minimise or elucidate as best as I can).
Regardless of who you are, I’d love for you to join me on this journey. My aim is to post two to three times a month – though it might be more frequent in the future if I have enough subscribers to move towards paid subscriptions – so be sure to subscribe (for free!) to ensure it lands in your inbox. You’ll also be able to access all my past posts on my Substack website.
I’d also love to hear your thoughts so do leave a comment – it could very well burgeon into an enriching discussion.
And final plug: please do share this post or newsletter with anyone who you think might be interested.
Thanks for reading till the end. I hope it’s piqued your interest despite only being an introductory post. I pray that God speaks through my inadequate ramblings for your encouragement and empowerment.
With all my love and blessings,
Justin
Loved this quote: “I am not trying to deconstruct God; I am trying to deconstruct my warped and mistaken ideas of God which have been engrained in me since young, especially those intrinsically intertwined with a westernised form of Christianity – the package containing the content if you will.” Loved how you articulated this.
Hi Justin. I am a random facebook friend from long ago and I am glad you ventured into this topic. I am from the Philippines where we suffered years of colonization from different countries and introduced inaccurate concepts of God and spirituality where we lost our native sprirtuality and cultural expression. Happy to follow your journey and hope you share your thesis someday