Redeeming a Faceless Generation

Here's a little blurb I wrote the other day about how the Jabbawockeez serve as somewhat of a prophetic parable of what God wants to do in the Asian American community and beyond by raising up a nameless, faceless generation. All glory to God!

The past week I have been thinking about a possible concept we could run with in planning for a workshop at ASU this spring. As I was thinking through this process, I really wanted to find a way we could use this workshop as an opportunity to share the gospel with the campus. As I was thinking about ideas for the concept, my mind began thinking about creative forms of art and media that we could use to engage the campus especially the Asian American community and share the gospel with them through these creative means. As I was pondering on these things, my mind began to think about the concept of the “Faceless Generation.” I began to think about how God was raising up a “Faceless Generation” of young people around the world who would be faithful witnesses in proclaiming the gospel to the ends of the earth. I pondered on the idea that our generation would not be defined by one evangelist like Billy Graham, D.L. Moody, Charles Finney, or any other great evangelist. Instead, I was reminded of how God is going to race up an entire generation who is not concerned about individual accolades or success, but rather a faceless generation consumed by a passion to know Christ and to make Him known. Even recently, I began to think in terms of what this would look like for the Asian community and seeing the way in which God is raising up a faceless army in East Asia to bring the gospel back to Jerusalem. No one will know who these fearless messengers are, but collectively, they represent the faceless generation who is radically pursuing the cause of Christ to fulfill the Great Commandment and the Great Commission!

As I was thinking about this emerging “Faceless Generation,” I then began to think about the ways in which Asian Americans are often “faceless” in a negative context. Asian Americans are often amongst the most highly educated and qualified individuals in applying for work; however, if you look at the top sectors of the corporate world in America today, you will have to search hard to find an Asian American face. If you begin to take notice of any sphere of society, you will begin to realize that there is lack of Asian American presence in light of their credentials and experience. You see this in the ways in which Asian Americans are deemed as the “model minority.” The “model minority” myth is the assertion that Asians are the model minority group for the ways they have overcome adversity and achieved the “American Dream.” However, this myth fails to take into account the large diversity of what the term Asian American comes to embody. Statistics fail to show the diverse populations of Asian immigrant groups who are living below the poverty level, struggling to assimilate as refugees from war-torn nations, or struggling to culturally adapt to a society that values individualism over family and community. History books fail to tell their stories. Statistics only give a false-sense of hope and a misperception of their experiences. For every successful Asian American business man, there are countless others who are impoverished, lacking resources, and trying to make ends meet. The point here is that just like any other minority group such as Native Americans, African Americans, and Latino Americans, likewise, Asian Americans have unheard stories and experiences that tell a story of pain and brokenness. They have been overlooked and disregarded in our American society. In other words, they have been “faceless.”

As I continued to think about these issues, I realized that God wants to redeem the negative aspects of the Asian American community being “faceless” in order to raise up an entire generation who passionately seeks Him whole-heartedly without concern for individual success. While I was pondering on this idea, I feel like God gave me a clear picture of what this redemptive process will look like. In thinking about a faceless generation of Asian Americans, the dance group called Jabbawockeez came to mind. At that point, everything began to come together. The Jabbawockeez are a dance crew that appeared on the first season of MTV’s America’s Best Dance Crew. What got my attention is that this dance crew was made up of primarily Asian Americans, and they ended up winning the hearts of America and winning the overall competition.

What is amazing about the Jabbawockeez is that each member of their crew wears a mask when they perform. They each wear white masks for the sake of taking attention off the individuals and allowing the audience to focus on the overall quality and precision of their dance moves. In an article in Asian Week, one of the members stated that “the idea of the mask is to remove all ethnic and social barriers when [they] perform.” In reference to the masks, another member mentioned that “those who watch us will see us for the dance moves and the style we put out there.” In essence, when the Jabbawockeez perform, they are “faceless.” It then occurred to me that the Jabbawockeez are a clear picture of what God wants to do within the Asian American community and not only that, but an entire generation of young people as a whole. What God was speaking to me was that He values the sense of community and commitment to family that the Asian heritage values. In the midst of an individualistic society, God wants to honor an Asian American community who has held on to these values.

But what is even more beautiful is the way in which God was showing me that the Jabbawockeez represents what he wants to do in the body of Christ as a whole. He is showing us that when the body of Christ begins to understand their unique roles and embrace their unique identities as a body rather than as merely individuals, they will capture the hearts of a generation and win them for Christ. When the foot begins to operate as a foot and the hand as the hand, we will see the beauty and the harmony of what God created the church to be. It’s crazy to think of the parallels because the Jabawockeez represent a revolutionary dance style that reflects unique precision and creativity that is amplified by their unified choreography. Likewise, God is showing us what He wants to do with the body of Christ. What is mind-boggling to me is the ways I feel God wants to use the Asian American community to help paint this picture for American society as a whole. As I see what God is doing in empowering the Asian American community, which is evidenced through what He is doing in Epic Movement, I am overwhelmed by what this could look like as others begin to catch on to this vision. It is already beginning to happen in the ways we see our Epic community consisting of not only Asian Americans, but Latinos, Native Americans, and Caucasians as well. Looking once again to the unique and shocking similar parallels to the Jabbawockeez, we see their unique diversity. The article in Asian Week states that, “masks aside, the crew embraces their ethnic backgrounds (seven members are Asian American, including Filipino American, Korean American and Vietnamese American; one is African American and two are Mexican American.” So even here, we see the diversity that is represented which reminds me of the racial reconciliation that God wants to do in the midst of our communities as well.

Here's a video of the Jabbawockeez in action. Check out this article in Asian Week as well if you have time. It's good stuff: Behind the Masks.