Rev. Dr. Soong-Chan Rah is the Milton B. Engebretson Professor of Church Growth and Evangelism at North Park Theological Seminary and the author of The Next Evangelicalism: Freeing the Church from Western Cultural Captivity (IVP Books, 2009) and Many Colors: Cultural Intelligence for a Changing Church (Moody, 2010). Read more from him at www.profrah.com.

Soong-Chan is formerly the founding senior pastor of the Cambridge Community Fellowship Church (CCFC)—a multiethnic, urban ministry-focused church committed to living out the values of racial reconciliation and social justice in the urban context. Soong-Chan has previously been part of a church planting team in the Washington, D.C. area, worked for a number of years with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship in Boston (specifically at MIT), and mobilized CCFC to plant two additional churches. He currently serves on the boards of World Vision, Sojourners, the Christian Community Development Association (CCDA), and the Catalyst Leadership Center.

He has extensive experience in cross-cultural preaching, especially on numerous college campuses. Soong-Chan was a plenary speaker at several conferences and gatherings: the 2003 Urbana Student Missions Conference, 2005 Summer Institute for Asian American Ministry and Theology, 2006 Congress on Urban Ministry, the 2007 Evangelical Covenant Church Midwinter Conference, 2007 Urban Youth Workers Institute Conference, 2008 CCDA National Conference, 2009 Cornerstone Festival, 2010 Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (GCTS) National Preaching Conference, and 2011 Disciples of Christ General Assembly.

Soong-Chan received his bachelor’s in political science and history/sociology from Columbia University; his Master of Divinity degree from GCTS; his Master of Theology degree from Harvard University; and his Doctor of Ministry degree from GCTS. He’s currently in the doctor of theology program at Duke University.

Soong-Chan and his wife Sue, who teaches special education, live with their two children Annah and Elijah in Chicago.

Posts By This Author

Tremendous Act of Repentance by Zondervan

by Soong-Chan Rah 11-20-2009
Zondervan Statement Regarding Concerns Voiced About Deadly Viper: Character Assassins from Moe Girkins, President and CEO:

Hello and thanks for your patience.

The Deadly Viper Conversation Moves from Authors to Publisher

by Soong-Chan Rah 11-09-2009
Last Friday, a group of Asian-American leaders (Kathy Khang, IVCF / Eugene Cho, Quest Church / Ken Fong, Evergreen Baptist Church and I) were on a conference call with three executives of Zondervan

Deadly Viper: Personal Apologies and Power Structures

by Soong-Chan Rah 11-06-2009
Without trying to be too presumptuous about the resolution of an ongoing story, I'm doing some personal reflection on the last few days.

The Deadly Viper Conversation: 'We're sorry. We didn't know. We want to learn. How do we do that?'

by Soong-Chan Rah 11-05-2009
Wednesday afternoon I was part of a conversation with the authors of Deadly Viper (and Chris Huertz) and a number of Asian-American leaders.

How Deadly Viper Character Assassins Undermines its Message with Co-opted Culture

by Soong-Chan Rah 11-04-2009
An open letter to Zondervan and to Mike Foster and Jud Wilhite, authors of Deadly Viper Character Assassin: A Kung Fu Survival Guide for Life and Leadership.

Christianity Today and Cultural Captivity

by Soong-Chan Rah 11-02-2009
Last month's Christianity Today featured an article on the state of evangelicalism by

The Church-State Debate: Biblical Insiders and Outsiders

by Soong-Chan Rah 10-15-2009
A frequently asked question these days relates to the role of the church in civic society.

A Father to the Fatherless

by Soong-Chan Rah 06-19-2009
Father's Day has always been a bittersweet holiday for me. For most of my life, my father was absent, having abandoned our family when I was in elementary school.

The End of Christianity?

by Soong-Chan Rah 05-22-2009
Last month, in an issue of Newsweek, Jon Meacham describes what he perceives to be "The End of Christian America." Meacham asserts that "Ch

An Inclusive Vision of the Church

by Soong-Chan Rah 04-01-2009
Excerpt from The Next Evangelicalism: Freeing the Church from Western Cultural Captivity.

Hope Replaces Cynicism: Reflections on the Inauguration

by Soong-Chan Rah 01-23-2009
Generations are often defined by tragedy and crisis. Cultural milestones are often measured by a traumatic event that is shared by a generation. Remember Pearl Harbor?

I Am Barack Obama

by Soong-Chan Rah 11-05-2008
Whenever John McCain and Sarah Palin would ask: "Who is Barack Obama?" I would cringe. The implication to me was pretty clear. Obama is an outsider. Obama is not your typical American.

The Idolatry of Security (Part 2)

by Soong-Chan Rah 10-01-2008

[Continued from part 1] More reflections from the North Park Theological Seminary's Scripture Symposium on "The Idolatry of Security."

The Idolatry of Security (Part 1)

by Soong-Chan Rah 09-29-2008

In Defense of Community Organizing

by Soong-Chan Rah 09-09-2008
Sarah Palin appeared poised and confident in her speech on Wednesday evening.