November 2009 Newsletter
An Update from Ed

Navigating Racial Sensitivity
The limits of a writer's perspective...
Over the past month a significant controversy emerged in the Christian camp regarding a book about leading with integrity that used a martial arts metaphor and design concept to communicate its ideas. A number of Christians said the book and its accompanying promotional videos were offensive to Asian culture.

After a few false starts, the leading voices in the matter communicated over a series of phone calls and have been working on setting things straight. I wrote a blog post about Christianity and racial sensitivity after a friend asked for my perspective, but I'd like to talk about the broader issue of racial sensitivity in our writing and the limits of our perspectives as writers. 

We Will Reinforce Stereotypes on Our Own

In Coffeehouse Theology I wrote a fictional story where characters from MTV's The Real World mixed with The Andy Griffith Show.  In my first draft I created a female character who broke into tears at the drop of a hat.

I only intended to create some drama, but it took my wife to point out my insensitive gender stereotyping. Through writing that short piece I learned that writers will unknowingly reinforce stereotypes on our own.

We Need a Diverse Network of Readers and Writers 

As my wife illustrated, writers need to discuss their work with a diverse network of readers and writers. As a Christian theologian I've learned that my field is typically dominated by white, North American males. The more I talk to my Asian and African American friends, the more I realize how serious a problem this can be. 

Whether seeking out help in developing an idea or reading through a chapter of a book,  a limited network places limits on our work. 

The Solutions We Propose May Not Work

It's admirable when someone in the majority tries to correct past wrongs or to reorient misperceptions, but even when seeking reconciliation there is a danger that the proposed solutions may not help. 

And even when we ask those we've offended for their help in righting wrongs, we are still placing them in a difficult and potentially vulnerable position. As we seek to communicate our ideas with sensitivity to others, we will need to commit to listening and to giving others the benefit of a doubt when they express concerns about our writing.

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