The Rev. Wayne Lee heads a church catering to English-speaking second- and third-generation Chinese Americans situated in Philadelphia’s Chinatown.
With a congregation of 120 evangelical Christians, Lee’s church is part of a larger community that includes two other immigrant congregations, bringing the total to around 500 members who speak either Mandarin or Cantonese.
While those who converse in Mandarin and Cantonese typically maintain conservative political views and have been supportive of former President Donald Trump, Lee observes that his younger audience is generally more progressive.
“We are one community,” he remarked. “However, our diversity makes it challenging to generalize about political beliefs.”
This Philadelphia community is reflective of broader trends within the Asian American Christian demographic nationwide.
Asian American evangelicals represent a diverse and evolving bloc of voters striving to establish their distinct political identity that sets them apart from white Christians.
Both Lee and other community leaders note that, despite maintaining traditionally conservative stances on issues like abortion and LGBTQ+ rights, their perspectives on matters such as immigration and racial justice are more varied and nuanced.
Church leaders within the Asian American community contend that younger generations are increasingly distancing themselves from the unwavering loyalty to the Republican Party seen in their predecessors.
This shift is significant as it positions them as a vital demographic—independent voters in key battleground states who could potentially influence tight national and local elections.
However, engaging this demographic can prove difficult, according to experts.
Although various justice organizations have gained visibility in light of rising anti-Asian hate crimes during the COVID-19 pandemic, political and civic involvement remains relatively limited within many Asian American communities.
Alongside Latinos, Asian Americans are recognized as one of the fastest-growing voting populations in the United States.
Among Asian Americans, Christians form the largest voting group, followed by those without religious affiliations.
A Pew Research Center survey conducted in 2023 revealed that approximately one-third of Asian American adults identify as Christian, and about 18% express a sense of closeness to Christianity through familial connections, indicating that over half of Asian Americans have ties to Christian beliefs.
Only 10% of Asian American adults identify as born-again or evangelical Protestants.
However, this figure may not accurately reflect the views of those who are hesitant to label themselves as “evangelical” due to the term’s association with a political rather than a purely religious identity, according to Jane Hong, a history professor at Occidental College.
“The term ‘evangelicals’ has increasingly become linked with a partisan identity typically associated with white, conservative Christians,” she explained.
Many Asian Americans still hold conservative theological views.
Yet, they often identify as evangelicals in a spiritual context, stemming from their historical ties to U.S. missionaries in their homelands, as noted by Rev. Walter Kim, president of the National Association of Evangelicals.
These individuals resonate with fundamental aspects of evangelicalism, such as adherence to Scripture, a desire for conversion, and belief in Christ’s sacrificial atonement for sins.
“The identity of Asian American Christians is a blend of cultural experiences, historical contexts, and core theological beliefs,” Kim stated.
“Many scholars assert that Korean Americans, regardless of denomination, tend to identify as evangelicals due to the influence of American evangelicalism on Korean Christianity.”
In the diaspora of Asian and South Asian communities, some individuals, even within Catholic and Pentecostal circles, consider themselves evangelical.
Owen Lee, senior pastor of Christ Central Presbyterian Church in Virginia, describes the long-held belief among Asian American Christians that they belonged to white evangelical spaces until the emergence of Donald Trump in 2016.
“Witnessing white evangelicals rallying for Trump was unsettling,” Lee reflected, noting that this prompted many to seek distance from white evangelicalism, aiming to maintain their evangelical beliefs without aligning with the political associations of predominantly white evangelicals.
He observed that white evangelical communities often prioritize single-issue voting, while his congregants hold multifaceted concerns.
As the presidential election draws near, Lee notes that many community members exhibit “political fatigue” and dissatisfaction with both political candidates.
“I sincerely hope that Asian American Christians embrace their civic duties,” he expressed. “We need to care about governance and societal issues.”
Pastor Raymond Chang, who leads the Asian American Christian Collaborative, an organization that emerged to address anti-Asian hate during the pandemic, asserted that both political parties have yet to recognize the significance of this voting bloc.
“We don’t neatly align with either party,” he stated, adding that individuals’ political orientations often reflect their unique transnational histories, familial backgrounds, and life experiences within the U.S.
“We tend to remain quiet about political matters from the pulpit and pews, and while we engage predominantly through voting, that is as far as it goes for many,” he continued.
James Cho, a former seminary teacher with leadership experience in a Chinese American congregation in California, argues that the current moment indicates potential transformation in the Asian American evangelical landscape, even if recent political engagement has waned compared to four years ago.
Cho, who historically identified as a Republican, refrained from voting in 2016 due to a lack of viable candidates.
In 2020, he opted for Joe Biden, and this time, he has expressed intentions to support Kamala Harris, motivated by Trump’s inflammatory remarks about Haitian immigrants.
“As immigrants or children of immigrants, we’ve all encountered feelings of alienation,” he noted, drawing parallels between the stereotypes faced by the Asian community and those directed at other immigrant groups.
He cautioned against the widening rift between younger Asian American evangelicals and their white peers, highlighting how his views on church and state separation shape his beliefs, particularly around the LGBTQ+ discussion.
“While I regard same-sex relationships as contrary to my beliefs, I equally recognize my own shortcomings as a sinner,” Cho asserted.
Navigating the diverse political beliefs within church congregations can be challenging for pastors.
Lee, in Philadelphia’s Chinatown, carefully treads this landscape by refraining from disclosing his personal political preferences, choosing instead to engage relatives to gain insight into their political views.
In a recent conversation with an elder family member, he inquired about the implications of voting for Trump on immigration complexities.
The relative replied, stating that opposing Trump was tantamount to rejecting divine principles, showcasing the generational divide and differing perspectives on faith and politics.
The evolution of Asian American churches can also be traced back to their historical roots, according to Jerry Park, a sociology professor at Baylor University.
In churches formed by immigrants, the conflation of ethnic culture with religious practice has been evident.
As these congregations become more familiar with white evangelical teachings, they increasingly perceived that as the genuine manifestation of Christianity.
“Patriarchal views inherent in Confucianism have been reinterpreted within these churches, aligning them with white evangelical rhetoric to justify the subordination of women,” Park explained.
To effectively engage Asian American Christians, it is crucial for politicians and political parties to recognize that this group is not homogenous, according to Walter Kim.
“There exists a wide spectrum of political and social concerns,” he emphasized.
This variability offers both political parties a chance to step back from partisan discourse and foster a better understanding of how to collectively address complex issues within the community for broader unity.