Writing the Story of South Asian American Christianity

This post orginally appeared on CENTERING + Asian American Christian substack on February 26, 2026. Republished with permission.

The Ongoing Question of Identity

Throughout my 10 years of ministry with second- and third-generation South Asian American students, the theme of wrestling with identity—stirring within me and the students I was serving—was one that endured. One might think that the dramatic increase in South Asian representation across industries in the United States would help quiet that nagging question around belonging. And yet, for many students, that question still persisted. Rather than experiencing their identity as one integrated whole, they often held their South Asian and American self as a set of fragmented parts.

Being a Christian further complicates this question of identity. For a racial heritage predominantly associated with Hinduism and Islam, South Asian American Christians sit at the intersection of minoritization and privilege. In South Asia, Christians are the minority religion, but in the United States, Christians are part of the dominant culture. Outside of the United States, the racial label “South Asian” carries little meaning, with community self-identification more often shaped by regional, linguistic, religious, and caste associations.

South Asian Americans hold these complexities; at times it may feel like a gift—a tapestry of contexts woven together into a beautiful story of self. At other times, the code-switching can feel taxing, revealing the emotional labor required to hold multiple worlds at once.

The Tension of Liminality

What does it mean to be a South Asian American Christian?

I came to seminary with a desire to explore this question. I observed the rub of liminality among college students and young adults—there was some resistance to returning to the immigrant church in and after college because of the cultural differences between immigrant generations. The cultural preservation of the older generations underscored the differences between those who immigrated and their children who were born and raised in America. The alternative—namely, predominantly white evangelical churches—felt more accessible in terms of worship, teaching, and programming, but it limited a sense of being fully known by the community, particularly when diversity was not celebrated or nurtured.

Young adults can feel like they have to choose between connectedness to their South Asian community or growing in their faith. The perceived choice signals just how fractured the experience of belonging can be.

Let’s Write the Story

There is a way forward beyond the false dualism of cultural preservation or assimilation. When we embrace the hybridity of our experience, we discover it is not a problem to be solved but a site of generativity—one where God is already at work.

I have been formed and shaped by generations of Indian Christians who modeled devotion to a holy God. Indian hospitality embodies the generous welcome of Christ. The American Church introduced me to a God who is intimate and relational and widened my perspective to recognize God’s redemptive activity in the world and my place within it.

We need more leaders, ministers, therapists, theologians, and artists who lean into the intersectionality of their identities as South Asian and American and Christian. Embracing intersectionality invites a journey of integration—one that requires honest reckoning with racial realities, discerns both beauty and brokenness in our heritage, and resists chasing belonging at the cost of our humanity. As we slow down and attend to where God is forming us, we may find that the Holy Spirit is already expanding our imagination for what could be.

We do not have to choose between worlds. As we lean into the particularity of our stories, we bear witness to the nature of God’s kin-dom. We get to write the story of the South Asian American Church.

Caroline Lancaster

Caroline Lancaster is a South Asian American faith leader and writer with over a decade of campus ministry experience. Her writing explores formation, identity, and leadership, with attentiveness to the South Asian American Christian experience.