Celebrating the Publication of ‘Asian American Religious Cultures’

SAN FRANCISCO — Japanese American churches are the foundation of our community. Over time, the environment of our community changes. How is that reflected in our churches?

A lecture/panel program on the newly published two-volume book “Asian American Religious Cultures” will held on Saturday, Sept. 24, at 1:30 p.m. at the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California (JCCCNC), 1840 Sutter St. in San Francisco Japantown.

The panelists are the editors and authors, who are all associated with the Graduate Theological Union (GTU) in Berkeley. They are: Fumitaka Matsuoka, Robert Gordon Sproul Professor of Theology emeritus, Pacific School of Religion, who spearheaded the project; Edmond Yee, professor emeritus of Asian studies, Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary; Ronald Y. Nakasone, core doctoral faculty, GTU; and Jonathan Lee, associate professor, San Francisco State University.

“Asian American Religious Cultures” highlights the rich spiritual cultures of Asian American and Pacific Islanders. In addition to the overview of the major faith traditions active in the U.S., the encyclopedia features extended essays on “Politics and Religion,” “Gender and Sexuality,” “Islamophobia,” and “Spirituality”; and entries such as “Aloha Spirit,” “Jikeikai,” “Qingming,” “Vesakha,” “vivekananda,” and other faith-inspired organizations, events and personalities. More than 30 entries are directly related to the Japanese American experience.

The program is sponsored by the Japanese American National Library, Japanese American Religious Federation, and JCCCNC.

For further information, contact Karl Matsushita at the Japanese American National Library, (415) 567-5006.