There is another conference call set up for 9 a.m. CST Friday, November 6, with Zondervan execs. Eugene Cho, Soong-Chan Rah and I will represent.
What does Zondervan need to know/understand? What are the cultural and spiritual issues that need to be addressed in a profit-driven system?
Please discuss.
And previously scheduled was my trip to get fingerprinted. I got my study guide for the citizenship exam. I learned that I only have to study the questions with an “*” because I’ve been a legal alien resident for more than 20 years.
And I have to take an English test.
Stop laughing.
haha. I’ll soon be in the process of citizenship too; but I think I’ll have to study all of those questions…yikes…
after some good conversation with some folks around me, I realized that the biggest qualm I have against this whole issue is not that they were intentionally or unintentionally offending; one could say the authors (and perhaps even Zondervan, but I doubt it) were on the culturally ignorant side, aka, they just didn’t know. This is a good thing because there’s always room to learn! And we as brothers and sisters in Christ are the best people to teach and admonish one another.
The real impact I see this book (and its compliments) could have is its further influence on those that are not yet culturally sensitive. The people that haven’t been around Asians in their life are the ones that randomly ask you, “do you know kung fu?” and the ones that yell “ching chong ching chong” as you drive by (that happened this August!). You can’t really blame them, because they got their idea of an Asian from kung fu movies and such.
For those that have not been around Asian folks growing up, if they were to pick up this book, their idea of “what an Asian looks and acts like” would be consequently influenced (or further influenced) by the contents of this book. I could see this as potentially furthering cultural ignorance, even though not intentionally. I don’t want to see a Christian book having the possibility of encouraging thought like that.
I also wonder what reaction it would spark from a nonbeliever who is Asian. Would they not really care and move on, or would they take offense? If they do take offense, what stain would come upon their view of Christians?
These are just my thoughts, but hope it helps! Boy, I’d love to listen in on this conversation. Good luck! 🙂
You said “that I learned that I only have to study the questions with an ‘*’ because I’ve been a legal alien resident for more than 20 years.”
That only applies if you have been an LPR for 20 years AND are over 65 years old.