Hwa Yung grew up in Penang and studied science at the University of Tasmania, a BD and Master of Theology at the University of London, and a PhD in missiology at Asbury Theological Seminary in the United States.
[1] Internationally, he has served as chair of the council of trustees for the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies and was part of the international board of the Lausanne Movement, including its leadership team at the Cape Town 2010 Congress.
[2] Hwa's most important work was his published PhD dissertation, entitled Mangoes or Bananas (1997).
[3] He describes most Asian evangelical and liberal theologies are more akin to bananas than mangoes, as they may appear to be yellow on the outside but remain white (Western or European) on the inside.
[4] He identifies four criteria by which Asian theologies should be assessed: (1) addressing diverse Asian sociopolitical situations, (2) empowering evangelistic and pastoral tasks, (3) facilitating inculturation, and (4) faithfulness to the Christian tradition.