David Leong
My name is David Leong and this is my personal blog. It has no real cohesive theme unless you happen to see some commonality in my weekly rants and raves reflecting the random mess in my head, which fluctuates from activism and urbanism to faith and family. I’ve been told by numerous people that my blog is “too serious” or “too political” or “too arrogant” or “not nice enough” or “not Christian enough” or not whatever enough. And while I still don’t have a real response to those complaints, I can give this advice: relax, it’s just a blog.
I started blogging in 2004, and when I began, I honestly just thought it could be a good tool for archiving my thoughts in the process of writing a masters thesis in theology. But along the way, I got distracted, lost my train of thought, and picked up a small audience, all of which changed things, at least a little bit. I do still maintain that I blog primarily for myself, and I think of it often as preaching mini-sermons to my own conscience, but I also know that sharing these words and thoughts with others has become part of the process as well.
If there is a set of convictions that guides or frames most of my writing, it’s probably something along the lines of this:
- We (myself included) rarely pause to consider the larger cultural implications of the simple choices we make everyday, and that’s a shame.
- In many ways, the world is really screwed up, so we should be doing things to make it better and not worse.
- The Christian tradition (broadly speaking) has been effectively marginalized in the West for its inability to engage in constructive cultural critique, and we should try to understand the significance of that problem.
- The redemptive work of cultivating justice, peacemaking, and love of neighbor in our communities, cities, and world is not simply a task for Christians; it is a fundamental responsibility for all of us.
- Life is too short and too important to waste time and resources on the empty pursuits of consumerism and narcissism, which generally tend to preoccupy our void of imagination and our lack of creativity in embodying alternative narratives.
Vocationally, I’m a professor at Seattle Pacific University and I direct the Global and Urban Ministry minor in the School of Theology. My Ph.D. is in Intercultural Studies from Fuller Theological Seminary, and my research interests are in urban missiology, cultural exegesis, and contextual theology. In my dreams, I’m a community-minded scholar-practitioner and family man, but in reality I’m just trying to live life faithfully with depth and meaning as I move towards attempting to, as Gandhi said so aptly, “be the change I want to see in the world.”
* Lastly, it’s probably important to put one of those ubiquitous disclaimers that states this very clearly: whatever is written here does not officially represent the views of my employer, school, church, wife, kids, family, community, or anyone else for that matter– just in case you were wondering.
Great to find another David who blogs on the things that I care about so much as well. Consider yourself en”rolled”. Looking forward to read more and get into some great discussions…
Posted by David Park | October 23, 2006, 11:30 amthanks, dave- likewise.
Posted by david | November 3, 2006, 1:16 amI have just added you to my Network Friends list, I read your blogger blog before, and I look forward to catching up with you now you’ve moved over to WordPress All the best with your PhD.
Posted by zhijian | July 23, 2007, 9:16 amJust happened across your blog by using the “next” link on WordPress. Interesting stuff. The thing about blogs is you read one or two posts and you have only a snapshot of the blooger’s view point. I suppose I am of the conservative, fundementalist, republican strain of Christianity, though not exclusively so and open to being challenged in any area, trying to continue to learn, not angry at those who come at their faith from a different angle, always seeking to discover more deeply what it means to faithfully follow Jesus. So I’ll keep stopping by to read up if that’s OK. Good luck on the Phd. That is quite and undertaking. Hope all goes well.
Posted by prolepticlife | January 17, 2008, 3:37 pmprolepticlife, please do. one of things i’m trying to do is not simply represent the opposite- the “exclusively liberal democrat enlightened elitist” version of things either. thanks for stopping by.
Posted by david | January 17, 2008, 4:31 pmI found your blog via the Regent page. I see you’re working on a PhD from Fuller. I am in the NW and wanting to enter a PhD program. How are you accomplishing that while in the NW, if you don’t mind?
Posted by DanielD | February 18, 2008, 7:29 pmit’s a little complicated. i’ll send you the details in an email.
Posted by david | February 19, 2008, 10:02 amThanks!
Posted by Daniel Davis | February 23, 2008, 1:13 pmHi, came across your blog from wordpress dashboard. They had your little entry there. May I add you to my site? I’m a fellow NW, and your church is some what similiar to Mars Hill, the one I attend. If we lived further south I’d check out Quest (came across the site several years ago when I was church hunting), but it’s just too far to tow two little kids to.
Oh, speaking of kids; congrats with your baby boy! He’s adorable!^^
Posted by Girlgirl | April 17, 2008, 9:25 pmExcellent work! Keep it up. I look forward to reading more of your posts.
Posted by Rukshan Fernando | July 29, 2008, 9:51 pmHello David – I’m writing from the Centre for Sustainable Energy. I’d like to be able to use a photo that appears on your site of a Somali family. We are starting a project here in Bristol, UK working with Somali families (see http://www.cse.org.uk/projects/view/1122) and haven’t (yet) got any photos. Yours would make an excellent stand-in. By the way, I have a son, Jonah, who was born in Amsterdam and so is sometimes ‘Jonas’. Look forward to hearing from you. Very best wishes, Tim
Posted by Tim Weisselberg | November 17, 2009, 9:10 amHello David, I am doing some research for a new class,and was looking up “gentrification with justice.” In so doing, came upon your blog, so thought I would say hi. I am reading Wayne Gordon’s chapter on gentrification in “Heart of the Community” and (again) finding that issues are so different for us on the PacRim. Buying properties is just prohibitive on our coast, the city does not own 1,000 abandoned properties in our city, or in yours.
BTW, I am going to ASM this year, doing a paper on urban spirituality.
Posted by jude | April 2, 2011, 11:39 amGood to hear from you, Jude. Yes, the “justice” in gentrification around here seems much harder to come by.
Sadly, I will be missing ASM this year, but I hope it goes well!
Posted by david | April 15, 2011, 10:56 am