Recent controversy surrounding the book, Deadly Viper, in which two white authors used Asian themes and culture as a design and marketing tool for their book (which has enraged some within the Asian community), began a conversation with my friend, Dan Hyun, who is Asian American. We spoke on racism as Dan shared with me issues which, in my words, white people don’t think about – because we don’t have to. After our conversation I asked Dan to be a guest on this blog and write a post on the subject of racism.  He graciously agreed. 

Pour yourself a cup of coffee and listen to Dan’s words…and if you’re white, think about a few things you typically don’t have to think about:

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I have to preface first by saying that my thoughts are in no way representative of even a majority of Asians.  And when Joel asked me to share, I should have probably thought a little more before saying “yes” – more because it’s difficult to encapsulate the “Asian experience” within a single blog post.  So I’m not even going to attempt that but instead will share one particular thought.  Depending on the interest, perhaps this can lead to a series of posts from various perspectives or maybe it will even lead me to finally start my own blog!

Something I’ve noticed recently – particularly in light of some heated conversations about Asian issues on the blogosphere – is that some Anglos (I think that’s the polite term for “white people”) take offense to these types of conversation.  Perhaps it’s a sense of implied racism which for many is the worst charge that can be made against another person and is often met with a “I don’t have a racist bone in my body” or “I have so many friends who are  ___ (fill in your minority of choice) so it’s not even an issue for me.”  Or some Christians take offense that any discussion among fellow believers would tread into these areas of liberal, PC thought and distract from the “True Gospel”.  One thing I’d want to say then is for those in the majority culture to not take these conversations as a personal attack but rather an opportunity to listen.

Growing up as an Asian American (in my case, Korean), the world of influence I observed didn’t reflect my world.  There is something deeply impacting about a kid in his developmental years never seeing a character on T.V. or in advertisements looking like his own image – well, other than the Martial artist, bookish nerd or other similar stereotype.  Without realizing it consciously, one develops issues of self worth and value and I’ve had to wrestle with those aspects of identity in my journey as a follower of Jesus.

The cool thing, though, is that we live in a world now where you see all sorts of diversity represented around us.  Of course, there is still progress to be made but for as much as Postmodernism and Political Correctness come under attack, we’ve witnessed some positive growth in these areas of culture.   This might sound strange to some of you but it’s kind of exhilarating to watch a movie or TV show where there’s a character being romantic or tough and is played by an Asian male but who could legitimately be played by someone of any ethnicity.  And I celebrate that my baby girl is growing up in a world where her cartoons are filled with people who don’t all look different than what she sees in the mirror.

One thing though: As much progress has been made in the “secular world”, you often don’t see as much of this cultural impact reflected in the Christian world.  Honestly, there came a point a while back when I just didn’t want to attend another ministry conference with the “best” Christian leaders because the majority of the folks on stage all looked kind of the same . . . and not like me.  And though I valued my seminary education, same thing.  Interestingly, some of the same issues of value and worth surfaced because when you see that most of the folks being touted as the best don’t look like you, you just get a little tired of it. (And I’m clearly aware of our Gospel identity as Christians and that all this shouldn’t matter but just being honest.)

I’ve had some Anglos ask me why folks of a common ethnicity or race seem to congregate together - whether friends on a college campus or members of a church fellowship group – especially when they are “American” in every way from language to sense of humor.  This is not the only or even the main reason but sometimes you don’t always want to have to be the outsider looking in or the one who is having to adapt to your surroundings.  And it’s not even that you’re not made to feel welcome – most groups or conferences would like to boast a diverse participation and will make some efforts toward this.  But will these groups extend this diversity into their positions of leadership, authority, and influence?  Maybe that’s the reason that some ethnic groups have their own church leadership conferences . . .

So many more thoughts to share but this is already too long for a blog.  And I hope this all doesn’t sound like the rants of that angry Asian guy but really hope these can be areas of application for the Gospel I love.

(Dan is the pastor of The Village Church in Baltimore)