Melissa Wei-Tsing Inouye was a scholar and historian who explored the intersection of religion and culture in Greater China, global Mormonism, and 20th-century Chinese Christianity. She received her PhD in East Asian languages and civilizations from Harvard University in 2011. Her major work, China and the True Jesus: Charisma and Organization in a Chinese Christian Church (Oxford University Press, 2019), provides a comprehensive history of the True Jesus Church and charismatic Christian movements in modern China.
In addition to her academic research, Inouye was a prolific writer and essayist known for her candid reflections on faith, motherhood, and the global church. Her memoir, Crossings: A Bald Asian American Latter-day Saint Woman Scholar's Ventures through Life, Death, Cancer, and Motherhood (2019), and her subsequent book, Sacred Struggle: Seeking Christ on the Path of Most Resistance (2023), examined the role of suffering and community within the Latter-day Saint experience. She was also a founding member of the Global Mormon Studies research network and served on the advisory board of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship.
Inouye passed away on April 23, 2024, at the age of 44, following a seven-year battle with colon cancer. She is remembered for her work bridging Chinese history, global religious movements, and transhumanist ideals, as well as for her commitment to fostering a more inclusive and globally-aware religious community.
