Summary - Chen

Author's theme
Chen, in his book talks about religious themes of salvation and sacred in the context of migration. He describes the economic, political and social contexts of immigration the Middle East class to California and its subsequent religious experiences. The transformation of local American churches into Taiwanese Christian churches indicates the desire of this middle class to develop its beliefs and traditions.

Authors answerChen examines the religious transformation of the Taiwanese to Christianity and Buddhism. His argument is grounded on the main thought that these discussions reinforce a current mode of pluralist faith concerning Taiwanese community, and give necessary foundation for such communities to develop in US. The main reason of conversion was to transform their identity and “get new selves”. Evangelization strategy fulfilled their crave for survival in a society and enabled Christian church to establish meeting points and their desire to know their people better.

 

The question of God and the sense of religion among the Taiwanese community and Buddhist differentiated them from the evangelical Christians. It involved the denial of family and its associated traditions and obligation such as the ancestral worship of ancestors. This neglect of local traditions and the embracing of a new tradition are transformational.
 

Self and identity reconstruction using religious models by questioning the local traditions defining them in old days established their true identity. While Christians distinguish their true and new the identity by answering Christianity call and principle set for them, the Buddhists focus on a change of the self via the abandonment of worldly desires and oneself in as in material success and status.
 

Identity transformation manifests itself differently in women and men. Religious practices are rebellion acts that release the women from discriminating  traditions, and reinstate men's confidence engrossed immigration experience, permitting  them  challenge insecurity, disappointment and adversity in the world. Religious conversation puts considers manifested changes in the person’s unconscious and manifested in his regular traditions.
 

Chen answer is satisfying in that it gives insights on the identity construction and his argument establish a center for understanding the Taiwanese religious and family traditions, meaningful anecdotes, quotations and examples and psychological methodology.