This book studies Korean American girls between thirteen and nineteen and their formation with regard to self, gender, and God in the context of Korean American protestant congregational life. It develops a hybrid methodology of de-colonial aims and indigenous research methods, aiming to facilitate transformative life in faith communities.

This book studies Korean American girls between thirteen and nineteen and their formation with regard to self, gender, and God in the context of Korean American protestant congregational life. It develops a hybrid methodology of de-colonial aims and indigenous research methods, aiming to facilitate transformative life in faith communities.

This scholarly examination specifically focuses on Korean-American identity, particularly in regards to Korean-American youth, after 9/11. The text represents an important contribution to Korean-American studies.

Despite the rich body of literature on dealing with the question of boundaries between Koreans and the "outside world" such as other races and ethnicities, and even studies that dissect issues between the first generation Korean immigrants and second generation Korean-Americans, there has been relatively little attention paid to the invisible boundaries existing within one race, one ethnicity: the Korean-Americans. Through an ethnographical and socio-psychological approach, the research provides a snippet of various tensions that are created within the Korean church communities. However, not only does this research focus on mere culture and religious issues, but it also touches upon cultural identity and assimilation within one society, namely the Korean church community, by observing various modes of literacy. The paper shows how literacy is not merely used for communication purposes, but also as a social practice, which forms different identities within one cultural group. This study examines 1.5 and 2nd generation Korean-American young adults within two Korean churches in Pennsylvania, USA within a two year span of observation. In reflecting how boundaries can exist within one culture and religion, this study illuminates the need to blur the distinction or separation of Koreans through the terminologies, "1.5 generation" and "2nd generation, " especially more so within a religious place where we must not merely say that we are brothers and sisters of Christ, but act and feel like one body under one church.

Second-generation Korean Americans, demonstrating an unparalleled entrepreneurial fervor, are establishing new churches with a goal of shaping the future of American Christianity. A Faith of Our Own investigates the development and growth of these houses of worship, a recent and rapidly increasing phenomenon in major cities throughout the United States. Immigration historians have depicted the second-generation as a transitional generation--on the steady march toward the inevitable decline of ethnic identity and allegiance. Sharon Kim suggests an alternative path. By harnessing religion and innovatively creating hybrid religious institutions, second-generation Korean Americans are assertively defining and shaping their own ethnic and religious futures. Rather than assimilating into mainstream American evangelical churches or inheriting the churches of their immigrant parents, second-generation pastors are creating their own hybrid third space--new autonomous churches that are shaped by multiple frames of reference. Including data gathered over ten years at twenty-two churches, A Faith of Our Own is the most comprehensive study of this topic that addresses generational, identity, political, racial, and empowerment issues.

The voices of second-generation Korean Americans echo throughout the pages of this book, which is a sensitive exploration of their struggles with minority, marginality, cultural ambiguity, and negative perceptions. Born in the United States, they are still viewed as foreigners because of their Korean appearance. Raised in American society, they are still tied to the cultural expectations of their Korean immigrant parents. While straddling two cultures, these individuals search for understanding and attempt to rewrite their identity in a new way. Through autobiographical reconstruction and identity transformation, they form a unique identity of their own—a Korean American identity. This book follows a group of second-generation Korean American Christians in the English-speaking ministry of a large suburban Korean church. It examines their conflicts with the conservative Korean-speaking ministry ruling the church and their quest to achieve independence and ultimately become a multicultural church.