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Cindy Wang Brandt

Cindy Wang Brandt writes from Taiwan. Her blog is part of the CCblogs network.

children on playground
Critical Essay

Teaching children about racism

Anyone who cries “it’s not fair!” is old enough to learn about racial inequality.
hand holding cross necklace
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Am I still a Christian?

In the messy web of identity and associations, I’m weary of arguing about beliefs, practices, and labels.
CCblogs Network

Should our children submit or subvert?

We want to raise social justice warriors—kids who champion equality and care for the vulnerable, and who subvert the power systems in our world by embodying the prophetic ways of Jesus. We want to activate their imagination, and to hope they'll do better than we did. Whether we admit it or not, we want our children to reflect the values close to our hearts. I know it’s tricky business imposing our own dreams on little autonomous human beings, but if I’m honest, I want my deepest convictions to become theirs. I want to partner with them in paving the ways of peace and righteousness.
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Learning ignorance

My daughter is in seventh grade, next year she will be in eighth. She tells me this means she will be the King of Middle School....
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When God changed with me

“I can feel your love in this place,” the chorus blasts at full volume, skillfully performed by the worship band on stage. I felt nothing. 
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Five reasons the senior crowd is the it crowd

One significant difference between Eastern and Western perspectives is how we treat the elderly. Although modern society is eroding some of our Chinese traditional values, in general, there is still more respect and honor for the elderly than our Western counterparts. I hope this is an instance where the global church in the North can allow other cultures to speak prophetically into its faith community. 
CCblogs Network

You don’t need to tell me you don’t agree

This happens often. Before someone quotes or highlights or refers to another person’s remarks, they preface it with, “I don’t agree with everything but …” then proceed to say something that they liked. I hear it in conversation with others, I see it on social media, and I read it in books. In fact, the sentiment has been systematized into a legal disclaimer: “the words and opinions expressed here are their own, and do not represent an endorsement.” When I was editing a chapter of my book, I noticed I had employed the same tactic.
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We don’t need sameness to connect

I have never had the privilege of a faith community catered to my cultural background. Although born to a Taiwanese family, I was exposed to a Western education (at age 10); far too young to relate to local Taiwanese children. And yet with my dark hair and yellow skin, love for barbecued squid on a stick, and fluency in two Chinese languages, I was certainly a foreigner to American ways.
CCblogs Network

Blow God’s freakin’ mind

One of my favorite lines in the musical The Book of Mormon is from the song “You and Me (But Mostly Me).” The main characters, Elder Cunningham and Elder Price, talk about their upcoming mission. Elder Price sings, “Something I’ve foreseen, Now that I’m 19, I’ll do something incredible, That blows God’s freaking mind!” I crack up every time I hear it, its full intended effect sending me into a fit of giggles. For me, it’s funny in a self-deprecating way, because I was Elder Price at 19.
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What I learned living cross culturally as a Christian

I have lived cross-culturally almost my entire life....

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Peace, peace. But for whom?

When I was living in China, taxis were a convenient and cheap mode of transportation. One time, our taxi driver got into a small fender bender....
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My cause is better than your cause

A while back, a blog post speaking into the pain of miscarriage was making its rounds on the Internet. Having never miscarried (that I know of), or grieved the death of any child, I asked my friend who lost her two-month-old son whether she felt highlighting the pain of miscarriage diminishes the story of her own tragedy. She replied, “It is not very helpful to compare pain.” But how often do we do just that? 
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How I kissed evangelism goodbye

I went to the mecca of evangelicalism for college....
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Self-doubt, vulnerability, lessons from writing

I feel like I have been running a sprint. Ever since I committed to writing this past year, I have searched high and low for nooks and crannies of my life to find space in which to fit this endeavor. Between my part-time job feeding the Brandt Clan, I left myself little margin as every spare moment went into stringing words together on my trusty Mac. I chased this passion until it wore me down a little, encroached on my family life more than a little, and consumed most of my mind.

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