Sojourners Board Member

Soong-Chan Rah joined Fuller Theological Seminary’s faculty in 2021 as the Robert Boyd Munger professor of evangelism. Prior to his appointment at Fuller, Rah served as the Milton B. Engebretson professor of church growth and evangelism at North Park Theological Seminary.

He holds a doctorate in theology from Duke Divinity School, with a primary field of study in theology and ethics and a secondary field of study in American evangelical history. He also holds a master of divinity and a doctorate of ministry with a concentration in urban ministry leadership, from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, as well as a master’s in theology from Harvard University, with a thesis on the immigrant church.

Rah has authored or coauthored over a half dozen, and many award-winning, books including The Next Evangelicalism: Freeing the Church from Western Cultural Captivity , Many Colors: Cultural Intelligence for a Changing Church, Prophetic Lament: A Call for Justice in Troubled Times , Return to Justice: Six Movements that Reignited Our Contemporary Evangelical Conscience , Unsettling Truths: The Ongoing, Dehumanizing Legacy of the Doctrine of Discovery , and Forgive Us: Confessions of a Compromised Faith.

He is an ordained pastor in the Evangelical Covenant Church, and a member of the Academy for Evangelism in Theological Education, American Academy of Religion, and American Society of Missiology. He has spoken widely on the topics of the witness of the church, cross-cultural ministry, and social justice at academic conferences, seminaries, Christian colleges, local churches, denominational gatherings, and ministry conferences on both the domestic and global level.

Posts By This Author

Some Final Reflections on Deadly Viper and Zondervan

by Soong-Chan Rah 11-20-2009
Mike Foster, Jud Wilhite, and Zondervan acted in a decisive manner yesterday. Zondervan issued a statement that boldly declared their intention to pull the book off the shelves.

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.