Larry Lin, Author at REFORMED MARGINS

How the Model Minority Myth Numbs Us from Trauma

March 24, 2021March 24, 2021 Larry Lin 1 Comment

When the shootings in Atlanta happened, there was a part of me that didn’t want to see it as a race issue. I wanted to see it as a misogyny issue, or a church purity culture issue, or a gun violence issue (and all of which, by the way, are very relevant), but I didn’t want to see it as a race issue. I didn’t want to use the race card, so to speak. Because if I did, then I would have to admit that there is a systemic pattern of discrimination against Asian Americans, and I would put myself in a position of asking for help, and this would run against the model minority myth.

Church & Ministry

COVID-19 and the Two Americas

December 3, 2020December 2, 2020 Larry Lin 5 Comments church, COVID-19, inequality, Jesus, Martin Luther King Jr., pandemic, rehab, segregation, the poor, two Americas

I believe that one of the largest effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on America is the unintended marginalization of the poor and the working class. And unfortunately, many people in America are completely ignorant and unaware. The poor are simply not on their radars.

Church & Ministry Ethics & Politics

Church Unity Without Political Silence

November 5, 2020May 12, 2022 Larry Lin 0 Comments church, church and state, church unity, discipleship, Division, empathy, political silence, politics, presidential election

What if there was a way to achieve church unity without political silence? What if there was a way to prioritize the church family, but all the while giving a platform to people to engage in serious political conversations? What if politics doesn’t have to be left outside the church doors, but rather, it can be welcomed into the church, not for the sake of division, not for the sake of usurping the gospel, but for the sake of dialogue, understanding, and empathy?

Current Events

Asian American Complicity in Racism

May 28, 2020May 27, 2020 Larry Lin 70 Comments Asian American, Baltimore, black, discrimination, George Floyd, james, Martin Luther King Jr., model minority, racism, Trayvon Martin

We Asian Americans might not say it out loud, but many of us have internalized a racist, reductionist history. We believe that the way to success is to work hard, and we pride ourselves in having done just that. We came to this country with nothing, speaking a foreign language, and we worked hard, saved money, and we achieved the American dream. And so when we look at the status of African Americans, we dismissively assume that they didn’t work as hard as we did, and we just conclude that only they are to blame.

Church & Ministry Current Events

How Church Leaders Should Respond to COVID-19

March 12, 2020March 12, 2020 Larry Lin 0 Comments Center for Disease Control, coronavirus, fear, health, isolation, Jesus, livestream, love

Yesterday, the World Health Organization finally classified the novel coronavirus as a pandemic. As COVID-19 continues to spread, many people

Spiritual Growth

The Burdens of the Self, the Church, and Everyone Else

February 20, 2020February 20, 2020 Larry Lin 0 Comments 1 peter, boundaries, burden, burnout, charity, everyone, Frodo, Galatians, help, Jesus, Matthew, pastor, rest, selfishness, sins, The Return of the King

There’s a fascinating conversation between the hobbits Sam and Frodo in J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Return of the King.

Culture & Identity

The War Over Laws and the War Over Hearts

January 31, 2020January 30, 2020 Larry Lin 1 Comment change, Civil Rights, desegregation, government, hearts, history, Isaiah, Israel, Jeremiah, Jesus, Martin Luther King Jr., New Covenant, Old Covenant, Psalm, William Wilberforce

I am afraid that many Christians today are trying too hard to make Christianity the law of the land without concern for the hearts of the people.

Theology & Scripture

The Irony of the Magi

December 26, 2019December 26, 2019 Larry Lin 2 Comments church, Gentiles, Jesus, king, magi, magic, Matthew, missions

The great irony of the Christmas story is that those who seemed to be the least likely to embrace Jesus do, and those who seemed to be the most likely to embrace Jesus do not.

Personal Testimonies

Like Father, Like Son

October 10, 2019June 15, 2022 Larry Lin 5 Comments abraham, absence, Asian American, china, Communism, Cornelius Plantinga, creation, Cultural Revolution, faithfulness, father, generational sin, genesis, God, grace, grandfather, Hong Kong, immigration, Isaac, jacob, Jesus, marriage, sin, son, work

Two years ago, I became a father myself. The pregnancy process was marked by joy and excitement, but underlying it all were deeply embedded fears. What if I become like my dad? What if I follow in the footsteps of my dad, just like he followed in the footsteps of his dad?

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