ken fong

The two Kens celebrate the news that Ken F has rediscovered his high school sweetheart. On a recent episode of Asian America the Ken Fong Podcast, Fong shared his budding affection for Doreen with his audience. Kemp shares in the celebration and happiness as Ken and Doreen begin their sweet courtship.  As we approach the holiday season, Fong asks Kemp to read his most recent Substack essay, The Baby and the Bathwater. They reflect on the version of Christmas they experienced in their formative years. It centered on an apologetic that made their faith primary - with an assumption of superiority. Kemp shares an interview (Jamin Coller) on his podcast where he learned about a Pastor-Dad who rejected his adult son (and his family) because he expressed his doubts as he entered into a phase of "deconstruction." All too often, a literalist, toxic, fundamentalist religion tragically alienates family members. Kemp shares what he has learned from Joseph Campbell and Carl Jung about religious symbol, myth and archetype. While the arrival of a child for some can be burdensome on many levels, for the Two Kens, the arrival of children and grandchildren evokes the same wonder, promise, and joy we witness in the Christmas scene we call The Nativity. SHOW NOTES

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In my Christian tradition, we were taught that we are all created in the imago Dei, the image of God. According to our scriptures, that idea entered human consciousness from the very beginning, when God played the role of Creator. He (our English translation of the Bible uses the male pronoun) created ex nihilo, out of nothing. If we are made in that image, then we were made to create, too.

Ken Kemp and Ken Fong have journeyed through the unwelcome loss of Sharon (Snoopy) Fong, culminating in a beautiful memorial service this month. As Kemp contemplated the Two Kens conversations leading up to the memorial, he thought about the creative energy that sustained his friend Ken Fong. It was a white-knuckle roller coaster ride up and down, high and low - from using every means at their disposal to kill the cancer and preserve Snoopy's life; to bargaining, to grieving, to hoping, to despairing, and finally to letting go. Kemp shares his deep gratitude for what he learned along with the Fongs this summer. Kemp shares that Ken Fong's creativity has carried him through as he passed the "valley of the shadow" along with his beloved life-long partner, Snoopy. 

Creativity has high therapeutic value in getting us through grief, hardship and loss. In this episode of the Two Kens, Kemp and Fong recount the planning and execution of a truly remarkable memorial service bringing to light an extraordinary life well lived through music, story, photographs, and homily. If you were able to attend the service in person or online, you will want to hear this back story of thoughtful preparation from the church where Fong had been lead pastor for some four decades and on to the waters of the Pacific Ocean between the two Hawaiian islands where Snoopy's "cremains" were joined as one to the wind and sea.

Ken Fong's Facebook Page | Sharon's Life Story |  Ken's Hawaiian Farewell

After a courageous, tireless battle, Sharon "Snoopy" Fong left us on July 1, 2023. This Two Kens episode is the twenty-seventh time Ken Fong and Ken Kemp have come together for a podcast conversation - this time, it's a somber, solemn occasion.  It's a moment of reflection - filled with both grief and gratitude. Today's title comes from C.S. Lewis, the British literary critic, and scholar who was also known as an Anglican theologian. His writings have influenced many generations of faith seekers, including ours. Professor Lewis was known as a committed bachelor, but he married later in life. When Joy Grisham began corresponding with the stuffy Oxford don, he was smitten - "surprised by joy (Joy)" as he put it. As their romance blossomed, Joy Grisham was unexpectedly diagnosed with a cancer that took her life, all too soon. Lewis' shared his written reflections. His honesty and candor stunned many of his Christian readers because he openly expressed tidal waves of doubt, even anger that his "good" God could possibly have allowed this tragic, premature end to his beautiful awakening to married love. He wrote "A Grief Observed," which it was. 

Ken Fong lines up with C.S. Lewis in his willingness to share the journey openly - a journey filled with laughter and tears. The two Kens come together for a personal reflection on life and love - and the extraordinary woman who came into Ken Fong's life more than forty years ago: Sharon Snoopy Fong. Have a hanky handy.

CaringBridge: https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/sharonsnoopyfong

Memorial Service: Saturday, August 12, 2023, at 10 AM at Evergreen Baptist Church of Los Angeles - 1255 Rosemead Boulevard, Rosemead, California

Ken and Betsey reconvene for another summer Beach Talk. They begin by relaying the news that their friend and podcast colleague, Ken Fong, just this week bid farewell to his life-long partner, Snoopy, after a protracted and heart-rending battle with cancer. Betsey shares something of her own loss a few years back. A regular Twitter user with over a thousand followers, Betsey gives her thoughts on the recent challenge from META (Zuckerberg's Facebook) with a new competing platform called Threads. It puts two giant media platforms on a collision course, leaving Elon Musk falling well short of his intentions after allocating a significant percentage of his staggering wealth on the line. They review the SCOTUS decisions last month as a cautionary tale of what is yet to come. The stage version of "The Who's Tommy Musical" got Betsey rocking and reminiscing and the early days when the music of The Who captured her imagination.

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Ken Kemp and Betsey Newenhuyse celebrate 100 Episodes of their regular podcast series "Beach Talk." The first Beach Talk aired August 26, 2020, began as an "experiment," but has run for over two years. It's been a near-weekly conversation around headline events from the Democratic Convention through the election, the insurrection, impeachments, mass shootings, political jockeying, reading books, religious and spiritual commentary, calling out villains, and celebrating heroes. To celebrate this milestone, they welcome two cherished friends who are also fans of Beach Talk - Ken Fong (host of Asian American the Ken Fong Podcast and the Two Kens series co-host with Ken Kemp) and Darcy McKenzie (see podcast interview with Ken). SHOW NOTES.

Ken Kemp (the Beached White Male) joins Ken Fong (Asian American - the Ken Fong Podcast) in the wake of yet another horrific hate crime in Buffalo, New York. The shooter, Payton Gendron, left a long manifesto that centered on "replacement theory," a basic tenet of white supremacy. For the shooter, it justified his crime. This tragic event begs the question: what are the stories we tell ourselves? Our stories often enable us to dismiss the truths that we prefer to ignore or worse, deny. Tucker Carlson, the Fox News host of the most popular cable "news" program on cable television, regularly promotes the theory. The two Kens unpack the history and meaning of the theory, sourced in the literature of white supremacy. They discuss a recent lengthy, in-depth article published in The Atlantic, "How Politics Poisoned the Evangelical Church." Pastors across America are caught between the warring factions of the culture wars. Some, like Greg Lock of the Global Vision Church in Tennessee, have sold out to the conspiracy theories and racial animus of the far right. The two Kens agree: replacement theory must be called out and rejected. Diversity is good. It enriches our lives and contributes to our flourishing. 

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Ken Fong (Asian America, the Ken Fong Podcast) and Ken Kemp explore the immensely popular Christianity Today podcast series, The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill. There are 12 episodes and nearly 15 hours of highly produced exploration to unpack. It's the story of the collapse of the megachurch in the Pacific Northwest led by Mark Driscoll. The two Kens discuss how narcissistic leaders and toxic masculinity can lead to big ratings, big voting blocks and full pews, and massive, costly calamity. Eager followers and enablers contribute to the popularity and power of these leaders both in religion and politics. The parallels between the fallen pastor and the disgraced former president are hard to miss.

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Ken Fong has just returned from Alaska and his photo tour. The two Kens discuss the Netflix Film, Pray Away, the story of the rise and fall of Exodus International. Ken Fong has had discussions and interviews with some of the cast members and producers including Alan Chambers and Julies Rogers. They review Ken Kemp's interview with Andy Wells, author of "Tried to be Straight." They discuss the upcoming documentary 1946 that exposes the decisions of the translation committee of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible. Nadia Bolz-Weber has a powerful and insightful interview with Josh Harris who recanted his best-selling book which became must-reading in the purity culture. Ken Fong ends with the challenge to be courageous enough to take risks.
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The Two Kens are back and as two former pastors, kick around the notion of "Biblical Authority" that dominates much of the discussion today around gender, hierarchy, racism, LGBTQ+, religious certainty and even Christian nationalism. To start, they talk about Ken Fong's incredible shots of the Milky Way over Joshua Tree National Monument, past midnight. One of Fong's many hobbies is astrophotography. They swap stories from their days as pastors - including pre-marital counseling. Ken Fong shares the moving account of his participation in a tragic memorial service just a few weeks ago in the aftermath of a lamentable suicide. They agree, there are deep spiritual lessons for us all under that night sky.

Asian America: the Ken Fong Podcast

Live Event - We're Talkin' 2021! Podcasters Brad Onishi (Straight White American Jesus), Ken Fong (Asian America - The Ken Fong Podcast) and Ken Kemp (The Beached White Male) join forces on Wednesday, February 10, 2021. A good group gathered to join is for a conversation about the New Year that brought serious crises: an insurrection, the denial of an election result, a failed presidency, an historic inauguration, and a pandemic in full bloom. They talk about their experience as pastors and podcasters, Christian Nationalism, deconstruction, the Super Bowl, racism and whiteness, Trumpism and conservatism. Live questions from the group added a timely dimension to the conversation. Check out our SHOW NOTES for much more, and a link to view a video recording of the live event.

Recorded December 28, 2020, there's a special surprise as the Two Ken's (Ken Kemp and Ken Fong) collaborate on the final podcast of the year. The two podcasters reflect on the depth and meaning some of their favorite interviews in 2020, with special focus on Life Coach Nancy Seng and then the recent Disney+ release: the movie SOUL. They review two of their unique emphases over year - racial reconciliation and LBGTQ rights - and the ways in which their evangelical church has been both complicit and pernicious. Ken Kemp ends this podcast with a benediction For Those Who Have Far to Travel. For details and links, SEE SHOW NOTES.

Ken welcomes fellow podcaster Ken Fong, host of the Asian America Podcast. They launch what will become a periodic series called The Two Kens as they reflect on current events, and a common journey. In this episode, they talk about Ken Fong's artistic skill as a professional photographer; then on to the Presidential transition and the final havoc the current POTUS wreaks on protocol, convention, and his efforts to subvert a smooth transfer of power. We review an article that explores the lamentable way in which one half of America resolutely supports his contrived grievances. Kemp introduces a soon to be released little book, with foreword by Ken Fong, in which he talks about Kemp's former profession.