Episodes
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Translating Truth: Chinese Canadian Christians, Indigenous Wisdom, and Reconciliation
In this powerful conclusion to our two-part interview with Esther Leung Kong, we tackle the systemic silences surrounding Canadian history and the ongoing journey of Truth and Reconciliation. Daniel dives deep with Esther into the history behind the 2008 government apology to residential school...
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Beyond the Pew: Head Taxes, Hand Drums, and Cross-Cultural Grace
What do you get when you cross Chinese Canadian Christianity with Indigenous history? An unforgettable episode of the Pearl Dive Podcast! Esther Leung-Kong — an author, worship leader, “unconventional social worker,” and seminary graduate based in Vancouver, BC — shares her journey of moving from...
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Ancestors x the Prophetic Spirit Breathed on Dry Bones
Welcome back for the second half of our deep dive with Ben Lau! If you thought part one was deep, prepare to get your spiritual socks knocked off. We kick things off with a provocative reading of Ben’s second parable, “Converting the Chinese Heathen.” It’s a story that challenges the “either-or”...
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Pearl Divers & Salmon Runs: Reimagining the Chinese Canadian Faith Story
Welcome to Season 3 of the Pearl Dive! We resume our series on Chinese Canadian Christianity with Daniel Mok. Grab your snorkels, folks, because we’re going deep! In this episode, Daniel sits down with Ben Lau, a student of Thanatology (the study of death and grief) and a former campus minister…
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Pearl Dive Live - Pilgrimage & Faith
Welcome to this episode of Pearl Dive Live with Tim Tseng, Elise Hatsuko and Fiel Sahir! Today we discuss pilgrimage and how it has impacted our lives with Jesus. Each of the people on this fireside chat have had faith come alive through learning the stories of Japanese Americans incarcerated...
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11. Navigating the Diaspora: The Future of Burmese American Christianity
Welcome to episode 11 of our series discussing the history of Burmese American Christianity (Pearl Dive episode 230)! This series is part of Fuller AACHI’s Burma Diaspora Christianity Project led by Dr. Joseph Cheah and Dr. David Moe. In the culminating episode of our Burma Diaspora Christianity...
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10. The Parish Within the Parish
Welcome to episode 10 of our series discussing the history of Burmese American Christianity (Pearl Dive episode 229)! This series is part of Fuller AACHI’s Burma Diaspora Christianity Project led by Dr. Joseph Cheah and Dr. David Moe. Welcome to episode 10 of The Pearl Dive (Pearl Dive episode…
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09. Beyond the Pulpit: Serving a Multi-Ethnic Diaspora Through Friendship and Mohinga Soup
Welcome to episode 9 of our series discussing the history of Burmese American Christianity (Pearl Dive episode 228)! This series is part of Fuller AACHI’s Burma Diaspora Christianity Project led by Dr. Joseph Cheah and Dr. David Moe. In this captivating episode of The Pearl Dive, Dr. David Moe…
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08. From Mali Island to the Crossroads of America: Faith, Resilience, and the Burmese Diaspora
Welcome to episode 8 of our series discussing the history of Burmese American Christianity (Pearl Dive episode 227)! This series is part of Fuller AACHI’s Burma Diaspora Christianity Project led by Dr. Joseph Cheah and Dr. David Moe. In this powerful episode of The Pearl Dive, host Tim Tseng sits...
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07. Faith Under Fire
Welcome to episode 7 of our series discussing the history of Burmese American Christianity (Pearl Dive episode 226)! This series is part of Fuller AACHI’s Burma Diaspora Christianity Project led by Dr. Joseph Cheah and Dr. David Moe. In this episode, we dive into the powerful and multi-layered...
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06. Beyond the Golden Pagoda
Welcome to episode 6 of our series discussing the history of Burmese American Christianity (Pearl Dive episode 225)! This series is part of Fuller AACHI’s Burma Diaspora Christianity Project led by Dr. Joseph Cheah and Dr. David Moe. What happens when a deep-rooted faith travels thousands of…
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05. Waves of Resilience
Welcome to episode 5 of our series discussing the history of Burmese American Christianity (Pearl Dive episode 224)! This series is part of Fuller AACHI’s Burma Diaspora Christianity Project led by Dr. Joseph Cheah and Dr. David Moe. In this episode, project leaders Dr. Joseph Cheah and Dr. David...
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04. The Cross and the Crown: Adoniram Judson’s Legacy in Myanmar
Welcome to episode 4 of our series discussing the history of Burmese American Christianity (Pearl Dive episode 223)! This series is part of Fuller AACHI’s Burma Diaspora Christianity Project led by Dr. Joseph Cheah and Dr. David Moe. In this episode, David Moe joins the podcast to delve into the...
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03. Faith in the Golden Land
Welcome to episode 3 of our series discussing the history of Burmese Christianity (Pearl Dive episode 222)! This series is part of Fuller AACHI’s Burma Diaspora Christianity Project led by Dr. Joseph Cheah and Dr. David Moe. This episode explores the transformative history of Catholic missions in...
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02. Where Spirits Meet the Cross
Welcome to episode two of our series discussing the history of Burmese Christianity (Pearl Dive episode 221)! This series is part of Fuller’s Burma Diaspora Christianity Project led by Dr. Joseph Cheah and Dr. David Moe. Before the cross or the pagoda ever touched the soil of Burma, the land was...
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01. Christianity in the Land of Pagodas
Welcome to episode one of our series discussing the history of Burmese Christianity!This Pearl Dive episode, part of Fuller’s Burma Diaspora Christianity Project led by Dr. Joseph Cheah and Dr. David Moe, explores the intertwined histories of Catholic and Protestant missions in Burma/Myanmar…
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Pearl Dive Live - First Jam
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit fulleraachi.substack.com
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Part 2: Softball, Theology, and the “Johns” ⚾
In this high-energy conclusion to our interview with Dr. Scott Wall, we trade the library for the diamond! Did you know the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) is home to the largest private softball league in the region, born entirely out of Chinese Christian congregations? Scott breaks down how a league...
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Part 1: Deep Dive into GTA Christianity 🌊
Pearl Dive: The Toronto Deep Dive 🌊 In this episode of Pearl Dive, host Daniel sits down with Dr. Scott Wall, a sociologist and pastor, to uncover the “unaccounted for” history of Chinese Canadian Christians in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). Moving beyond the textbooks, Scott shares his journey...
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Faith Behind the Fence: Teaching Kids About History and Hope
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit fulleraachi.substack.com
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Part 2: Cracking the Code: Chinese Church DNA, Mickey Mouse Model, and the Silent Exodus
In this gripping second half of our deep dive, Daniel and Rev. Dr. Matthew Todd peel back the curtain on the “DNA” of the Chinese Canadian church. If you’ve ever wondered why some churches feel like a “parent’s basement” while others operate like a “duplex,” this is the episode for you. Dr. Todd...
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Part 1: Anabaptists in the 604: The Chinese Canadian MB Story
Ever wondered how a 16th-century Russian renewal movement ended up thriving in the dim sum hubs of Metro Vancouver? In this episode of The Pearl Dive, our host Daniel plunges into the fascinating history of Chinese Canadian Mennonite Brethren (MB) churches with the “Jacques Cousteau of...
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Engineering Pastors and the "Find Yourself" Degree
Did you know the fastest way to become a Chinese Christian pastor is actually to get an engineering degree? Apparently, the "Engineer-to-Pastor Pipeline" is a real thing, and this week on Pearl Dive, Dr. Justin Tse is here to explain why. Host Daniel Mok (in his brave debut as a podcaster!) chats...
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Dive Bar. Hot Takes with Daniel Mok
In this episode of the Pearl Dive podcast, Tim Tseng and Daniel Mach, a Chinese Canadian pastor and seminarian from Calgary, Alberta, talk about Chinese Canadian Christian history. They discuss the unique aspects of Chinese Canadian cuisine, particularly the dish ginger beef, and explored the...
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"Didn't God Make Us All?"
In this episode of the Pearl Dive, Tim Tseng sits down with author and educator Marie Chan to discuss her children's book Mamie Takes a Stand: The True Story of Mamie Tape, A Chinese American Girl's Fight for School Rights. They explore the remarkable legal history of Tape v. Hurley (1885), the...
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Dive Bar: Rev. Norman Fong remembers the late Rev. Jesse Jackson
The Rev. Jessie Jackson passed away last night. Tim Tseng talks to Rev. Norman Fong, the unofficial pastor of San Francisco’s Chinatown about how Jackson helped ignite the Asian American movement for Justice for Vincent Chin. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other...
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Dive Bar: Memory, racial formation and Korean American Christianity with Alex Jun
The Dive Bar is open! In this episode, Tim Tseng speaks with Alex Jun on his very first week at Fuller’s Asian American Center (June 2026) to reflect on Korean American Christian history, immigration, memory, and racial formation. He also talks about the ways his faith has shaped and has been...
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Dive Bar: A Bridge to Martin Luther King, Jr.
In this episode of the Dive Bar, Tim Tseng and historian David Lai discusses the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and its relevance to Asian American Christians. The conversation, recorded shortly before MLK Day 2026, explores how King’s faith-driven activism can bridge gaps within immigrant...
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Becoming Community
The fifth and final episode of Pilgrimage: Manzanar, Memory, and Meaning gathers pastors, students, and public voices to reflect on the practice and purpose of pilgrimage. Host Elise Kaneshiro speaks with Rev. Michele Turek, Dr. Jemar Tisby, and Charlie Sponsel about what it means to become...
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EBCLA Centennial
Episode 4 marks the centennial of Evergreen Baptist Church of Los Angeles (EBCLA), a community whose story has been shaped by Japanese American mass incarceration and whose witness continues through their sponsorship and active participation in the annual Manzanar pilgrimage. Just a couple of…
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Dive Bar: 50 Years of Vietnamese Christianity in the U.S.
We trust that you have found the Pilgrimage: Manzanar, Memory, and Meaning podcast series featuring Elise Kaneshiro to be engaging and informative. During the interim between episodes, I would like to present a Dive Bar conversation held with Rev. Dr. Kiem Le on May 30, 2025. Dr. Kim Le, a...
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Inheritance
The third episode of Pilgrimage: Manzanar, Memory, and Meaning explores the theme of inheritance—what is passed down through memory, culture, and faith. Host Elise Kaneshiro speaks with Dr. Johnny Ramírez-Johnson, Dr. Alex Jun, and Myles Haruki-Nelson, who each participated in the 2025 Manzanar...
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Dive Bar. Joe Cheah and the Burmese American Christian Project.
We continue the Dive Bar, a series that is part of the Pearl Dive podcast. In the Dive Bar we talk to folks inside AACHI and the Fuller Asian American Center orbit about all kinds of things: what we’re working on, what we’re interested in. We hope you’ll like these conversations. So grab a drink…
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Return
The second episode of Pilgrimage: Manzanar, Memory, and Meaning invites listeners into a conversation on embodiment, hospitality, and faith. Host Elise Kaneshiro speaks with Krystin Bruan, Creative Producer at Fuller Theological Seminary’s Asian American Center, reflecting on the 2025 Manzanar...
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Witness
The opening episode of Pilgrimage: Manzanar, Memory, and Meaning centers on holding story and sorrow, reflecting on the power of public truth-telling across generations and faith traditions. Host Elise Kaneshiro speaks with Mr. Bill Watanabe, camp survivor and community leader (Little Tokyo...
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Dive Bar. Elgin Lee Quan's Passion for Chinese Christian Elders
The Dive Bar is open! We talk to folks inside AACHI and Fuller’s Asian American Center about what we're working on, what we're interested in…all kinds of stuff! So we hope you'll like these conversations, which are part of the Pro Dive podcast. So get a drink of your choice and join us! In…
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Dive Bar. David Moe and the Burmese American Christian Project
Today we're starting the Dive Bar, a new series that is part of the Pearl Dive podcast. We'll talk to folks inside AACHI and the Fuller Asian American Center orbit about all kinds of things: what we're working on, what we're interested in. We hope you'll like these conversations. So get a drink…
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Robert Chao Romero on Non-Innocent Histories of Christianity
In part two of our conversation with Robert Chao Romero, Fiel Sahir talks to Robert about his academic journey and reflections on non-innocent histories of Christianity that includes the Brown Church, Asian American Christianity and other marginalized Christian communities. He also discusses the...
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An Asian Latino and his Chinese Evangelist Grandparents (1/2)
In this episode of the Pearl Dive podcast, Fiel Sahir talks to Robert Chao Romero about the Chinese side of his family heritage. His grandfather, Calvin Chao, was one of the four famous Chinese evangelists who led the revival of diasporic Chinese Christianity in the mid-twentieth century. Robert...
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A Funny Thing Happened Along the Way to the Global South
The center of Christianity has shifted from the West to the Global South. There is more interest in World Christianity today than ever before. But have minoritized Christians in the U.S. been leap frogged (as Bishop Roy Sano once confided to me) in the process? Dr. Soojin Chung, Director of the...
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Uncles who demanded Liberation
How does the way you think or talk about faith help you respond to racism? How does the way you read the Bible address social injustice? Where I grew up, “uncles” with powerful faith kept raising these questions in bible studies and Sunday School. I believe these “eccentric uncles” were always in...
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Faith on Edge: Taiwanese Christianity in North America
Could Taiwan become the Ukraine of Asia? How are Taiwanese Christians in North America responding to the geo-political uncertainties of Taiwan’s relationship to China? The May 15, 2022 mass shooting at the Irvine Taiwanese Presbyterian Church in Laguna Woods, California was, in part, a reflection...
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Trailblazer for Unity: Louis Lee and MESA (Part 2)
We live in an era of platform building and social influencers. Having a fan base is not the same as creating unity. What does one of the most important trailblazers promoting Asian American evangelical unity in the 1990s and 2000s say about what it takes to build unity? In the second part of this...
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Trailblazer for Unity: Louis Lee and MESA (Part 1)
How many times have you heard that Asian American identity is not a thing. Some think that it's a label that's imposed on very different peoples. Others, especially immigrants, think that it refers only to the American-born or acculturated. And yet to embrace Asian American identity means…
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When Protestants had Empathy. A Conversation with Randi Walker (2/2)
Can we restore the Golden Rule to the American public conscience? It will probably take a renewed grass root movement of people who are stubbornly faithful to Jesus’ command to love the neighbor. In today’s Deep Dive episode, Tim Tseng and Randi Walker continue last week’s conversation about...
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When Protestants had Empathy: A Conversation with Randi Walker (1/2)
Most American Christians voted for the current administration and Congress, despite their potentially negative impact on people of color, the poor, and other vulnerable communities (not to mention a constitutional crisis). In his book, The End of Empathy: Why White Protestants Stopped Loving…
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Leon Siu declares Hawaiian Independence (2/2)
Here is part two of the Pearl Cast with H.E. Leon Siu, Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Hawaiian Kingdom. In this part of our interview we discuss the ethics of visiting Hawai’i, how Mr. Siu got involved with the Hawaiian Independence movement, and his work with other Pacific Island Nations....
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Leon Siu declares Hawaiian Independence (1/2)
Welcome to the inaugural episode of Pearl Dive, a podcast from Fuller Seminary’s Asian American Church History Institute (AACHI). If you have ever wondered about how your ethnic heritage meets faith or about the history of Hawaii, this episode is for you. In the first two episodes of Pearl Dive,...
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Trailer. Pearl Dive Podcast is coming!
Hey friends! I’m Tim Tseng and I’m the director of the Asian American Christian History Institute at Fuller Theological Seminary’s Asian American Center. It’s the day before Lunar New Year 2025 and I have an exciting announcement to make. We will launch the Pearl Dive Podcast next week. The Pearl...
About this show
The Pearl Dive pod will feature interviews with people who offer historically-rooted insight, wisdom and inspiration from Asian American, Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Christian communities.
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