Asia Journal ’26 - #1:

I’m in Southern Asia for the third leg of my research on Worship. The travel between Walla Walla and Punjab, India, was the longest I’ve ever taken. I left home at 3:30am on Sunday morning; had an 11-hour layover in Seattle; a 9-hour trip on Finnair to Helsinki; a 4-hour layover there; another 9-hour trip to Delhi, India; then a 90-minutes flight from there to Amristar; and finally a 2-hour drive to the SDA Headquarters in Jalandhar, Punjab. For those who followed my journals and Facebook posts, will remember that the summer of 2023 saw me in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore. Then in 2024 it was Indonesia and Malaysia. This year I’m in India (Punjab and West Bengal) for two weeks and Bangladesh for one week. I’m already having a great time and learning so much from my host here in

the Punjab (Shrikant Shendikay, the Southern Asian Division of SDA Global Mission Assistant Director, and William Bhatti, the Executive Secretary, for the North India Section of SDA). On the way to the fabulous campus (School, Hospital, Church Headquarters, etc.) we stopped by a wonderful Haveli restaurant for lunch and toured the many Punjab cultural exhibits. These all led into exciting conversations on culture and worship. Of course, I had to have mangoes as part of the cultural experience.

For you who missed it, here I repeat the explanation of my endeavor:  If you are acquainted with my book on worship (“Diverse Worship: African American, Caribbean and Hispanic Perspectives“ (InterVarsity Press), you would know my contention that true Biblical/Christian worship should be wholistic, and not just a cerebral experience. Looking at those 3 cultures, I demonstrate that conclusion by especially investigating cultures whose roots are in the global south, and indigenous (like the Bible, which in reality comes out of North African culture). I have a strong inkling that this would be true in Asia. And my trips 2023 and 2024 began to confirm the same. Hopefully, my research pilgrimage in these next 3 weeks will bring further confirmation. The methodology will be the same as the research for "Diverse Worship" -- in situ indigenous Christian worship services, interviews, and other incarnational experiences.

I ended this first day with a lovely Indian meal with the North India Section President and his family along with Pastor Shendikay.