U.S.A.
May 2, 2022
THE ASIAN REPORTER n Page 7
Korean-American female pastors push back against patriarchy
By Deepa Bharath
The Associated Press
hen the Rev. Kyunglim Shin Lee
was ordained in 1988, it angered
her in-laws for contravening
long-held
Korean
cultural
values
subordinating women’s roles in society.
Even her husband, a pastor, told her he
understood intellectually “but his heart
couldn’t accept it.”
Those reactions broke Lee’s heart — and
steeled her resolve. Today she is vice
president for international relations at
Wesley
Theological
Seminary
in
Washington, D.C.; has travelled to 60
countries as the seminary’s ambassador;
and once served as interim lead pastor at a
Korean-American church for 11 months.
Along the journey, she visualized herself
as a speeding train.
“People would either have to get in for
the ride, or step out of the way,” she said.
“Once I became convinced that god can use
me, no one or nothing could stop me.”
Lee’s success story is rare in the realm of
Korean-American churches, where women
are seldom seen in the pulpits. In a time
when women make up about 20% of
Protestant pastors in the United States,
Korean-American female pastors still
struggle to gain acceptance in their home
churches and often end up assuming
leadership roles elsewhere.
Women like Lee who have broken
barriers in these spaces remain
pessimistic about the pace of change and
are concerned by the resilience of
patriarchal attitudes even among second-
and third-generation Korean Americans.
More representation on church elder
boards and in the pulpit is needed to
promote equality and provide role models
for younger women considering ministry,
they say, but bringing about such a
cultural shift has proved a formidable
challenge.
Gender equality in Korean-American
churches lags well behind congregations in
South Korea, according to the Rev. Young
Lee Hertig, executive director of Innova-
tive Space for Asian-American Christiani-
ty, which supports Asian-American
women in ministry. There are more female
lead pastors in South Korea, she said,
“because culture changes faster when it is
mainstream.”
“Korean-American churches are the
most patriarchal among Asian-American
W
churches. ... Things should have changed
by now, but they haven’t,” Hertig said.
Male dominance in traditional Korean
society has roots in Confucianism from
centuries ago, when women were subject
to the authority of their husbands and
fathers and in many ways barred from
participating in public life. Many
immigrants from Korea still hold such
notions, and churches especially have been
slow to embrace equality, said Grace
Ji-Sun Kim, a theology professor at the
Earlham School of Religion in Indiana.
“It’s hard for Korean women to be
ministers because they are expected to be
obedient to men,” she said. “It’s difficult for
(Korean) men to listen to a woman who is
preaching because this idea of superiority
is embedded in their psyche.”
The Rev. Janette Ok, an associate
professor specializing in the New
Testament at Fuller Seminary and pastor
at Ekko Church, a nondenominational
congregation in Fullerton, California,
agreed that “representation matters.”
She was fortunate to have a role model
while growing up in the 1980s in Detroit,
where she saw a Korean woman leading
her church’s English-language service
every Sunday — but at the time didn’t
grasp how exceptional that was.
“I watched her give sacraments, give the
benediction. I still have this image of her in
a pastoral robe and stole,” Ok said.
“Without her example, I would’ve never
imagined I could become a pastor.”
That woman was the Rev. Mary Paik.
Now retired and living in Hawai‘i, Paik
said she was only hired as a last resort
because the male applicants’ English
wasn’t good enough. She received a “lot of
strange looks” as an unmarried,
30-year-old female pastor.
Male church elders were patronizing
and treated her like a daughter, while
some of the younger men flirted with her or
refused to acknowledge her. Many of the
older women seemed to find her presence
inconceivable.
“But some younger women were stand-
ing up a little straighter because I was
there,” Paik said. “They felt good about it.”
She has seen some progress. When the
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) started a
group in 1991 for female Korean-American
clergy in the denomination, there were just
18. Today there are 150.
“When I started this, I was alone,” Paik
said. “Now there are other women who talk
to each other, share their struggles with
one another. As long as we do it together,
it’s bearable. And we do it not because it’s
easy or hard, but because it’s a calling.”
But Ok said that while there are more of
them in ministry now, most end up serving
in mainline or multiethnic congregations
rather than Korean-American churches.
“There is this sense that I love my home
church and I don’t want to abandon my
home community,” she said. “But they
don’t affirm me as a leader. It’s
heartbreaking.”
Ok’s own church is largely Asian
American, but not specifically Korean.
Several years ago she served as interim
lead pastor for nine months.
“I was afraid people would leave because
I’m a woman, but they didn’t,” she said.
PATRIARCHY PUSHBACK. The Rev. Kyung-
lim Shin Lee, vice president for international relations
at the Wesley Theological Seminary, poses for a por-
trait on March 10, 2022 in the chapel of the seminary
in Washington. When Lee was ordained in 1988, it an-
gered her in-laws for contravening long-held Korean
cultural values subordinating women’s roles in society.
Even her husband, a pastor, told her he understood
intellectually “but his heart couldn’t accept it.”
(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)
“That was very encouraging. Change
doesn’t happen overnight. You have to
create pathways and pipelines.”
Soo Ji Alvarez is in a similar situation.
After growing up in a conservative Korean
immigrant church in Vancouver, British
Columbia, that had no female pastors,
today she is lead pastor of The Avenue
Church, a multiethnic Free Baptist
congregation in Riverside, California.
The move away from her home church
was not intentional but happened
organically, she said, and she embraces
her pastoral position as a role model.
“It’s a big deal for me (as a woman of
Korean descent) to lead a congregation,”
she said. “I hope I can help pave the way for
others so they know it’s possible. Ministry
should be like any other career — your
ethnicity or gender should not affect your
chances.”
As for the pastors’ male counterparts in
Korean-American churches, Kim, for one,
expressed anger that so many stay silent
on the issue: “They feel like fighting social
justice issues shouldn’t be the church’s
business. But to me it is god’s work. It’s
important, necessary work.”
But Lee, whose ordination was
objectionable to her family, said it pleases
her to see some male pastors welcome
women to the pulpit — as her husband
eventually did.
The Rev. John Park, who leads Numa
Church in Buena Park, California, is one
male pastor who embraces such allyship.
He called on men to consciously work to
empower women, citing scripture in the
words of the Apostle Paul: “There is
neither Jew nor Gentile, slave nor free,
male nor female, for you are all one in
Christ Jesus.”
“The Bible is clear on the issue of
equality,” Park said. “But this is an
internal battle in our community. We’re
fighting our own past.”
Associated Press religion coverage receives
support through The AP’s collaboration with The
Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment
Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Alexander Wang returns to runway after sexual assault claims
By Jonathan Landrum Jr.
AP Entertainment Writer
OS ANGELES — After taking a
break amid sexual assault allega-
tions, fashion designer Alexander
Wang’s comeback to the runway was
greeted with adoration during his highly
anticipated show in Los Angeles.
Some shouted “This is amazing!” and “I
love it!” while others cheered on Wang’s
50-look collection for his “Fortune City”
runway show that celebrated Asian-
American culture in the historic China-
town area.
Wang held his first show since 2019, just
before several people accused him of
sexual assault and drugging male and
transgender models.
Wang initially denied the allegations —
which first came in late 2020 — calling
them “baseless.” Last year, he said in a
statement that he disagreed with some of
the accuser’s details adding he would “set a
better example” as a public figure. A
lawyer for the alleged victims later said
Wang had met the accusers, saying, “We
acknowledge Mr. Wang’s apology and we
are moving forward.”
The accusations tarnished Wang’s
brand, but did not fully cripple it —
L
especially in China. He still dressed
popular figures like Rihanna and Julia Fox
while releasing a recent campaign with
Lucy Liu. His brand is still being carried in
some major retailers.
The evening event had the support of
800 invitees who lined up to enter Wang’s
show, where a red floodlight covered the
Central Plaza area. It was a splashy event
with stars like Kimora Lee Simmons and
Lisa Rinna sitting in the front row while
others such as rappers Gunna and Coi
Leray, actor Harry Hamlin, K-pop singer
CL, and model Behtai Prinsloo-Levine
watched the 15-minute show.
Wang incorporated models with
different ethnic backgrounds and sizes —
including a pregnant Adriana Lima who
received most of the applause for prancing
down the runway with her exposed baby
bump. The models sported a variety of
pieces with shades of indigo and brown,
denim and leather coats, red velour sweat
suit, heavy wools shrunken into bike
“FORTUNE CITY.” Models walk the runway
at fashion designer Alexander Wang’s “Fortune City”
runway show and party celebrating Asian-American
culture, on April 19, 2022, in Los Angeles. (AP
Photo/Chris Pizzello)
shorts, crop tops, and oversized wool coats.
Once the show finished, Wang ran onto
the stage with a big smile, waved at
attendees — who were mostly dressed in
all black — before he darted backstage.
The show closed out with a heavy dose of
red-colored confetti cascading over
everyone, creating a party atmosphere —
especially for those who attended the
Asian night party that featured a market
with local food vendors.
In the market, Wang had cameras
following him the whole time. He had
numerous people who greeted him with
handshakes, hugs, and lauded him for his
work.