Is LifeWay’s ‘Rickshaw Rally’ culturally sensitive to Asians?

Is LifeWay’s ‘Rickshaw Rally’ culturally sensitive to Asians?

What's the debate about?

Point: ‘We have listened carefully to every concern and responded with some changes’

Counterpoint: Materials ‘will alienate the very people we hope to reach with the Gospel’

Southern Baptists are closed-minded, bigoted, and provincial—or so Robert Parham of the Baptist Center for Ethics would have us believe. In his critique of "Far out Far East Rickshaw Rally," LifeWay’s Vacation Bible School materials for this summer, Parham says that "racism has metastasized in Southern Baptist life." Of course, there are closed-minded, bigoted, and provincial Southern Baptists, but by no means are all Southern Baptists like that.

And that’s the problem with stereotypes. They are developed when we don’t take the time or are unwilling to make fair judgments about people or groups. Stereotypes may be created innocently, but they often lead to discrimination and even persecution.

In my view, "Rickshaw Rally" contains stereotypes of Asians. For instance, you won’t find rickshaws in Japan except in the tourist areas. Not only is the rickshaw an outmoded form of transportation, but it is a symbol of a class system. For many, the image of the rickshaw is the symbol of colonialist exploitation.

Other images include kimonos, chopsticks, and paper lanterns. These seem innocent enough, until one considers that contemporary Japan is a very well educated, and in many ways, highly Westernized society. Computer chips, high-speed trains, and biotech industries are more accurate pictures of today’s Japan. Since this is true, the VBS materials trivialize Japanese culture and risk being seen, at best, as disconnected from the country of focus and, at worst, culturally insensitive.

Consider the suggestions volunteered by readers of the LifeWay Web site: one person suggests that VBS leaders rent inflatable sumo wrestling outfits so kids can wrestle as part of their summer experience. Another suggests that little girls dress as geishas. While these are not suggestions from LifeWay, they are the kind of suggestions evoked by the images on the Web site. These ideas traffic in profound cultural misunderstandings.

The apostle Paul reminds us to avoid all appearances of evil (1 Thessalonians 5:22). Because of our history, Southern Baptists should especially heed this warning when it comes to dealing with race and ethnicity. We cannot afford to falter again. I was part of the drafting of the painful but necessary 1995 SBC resolution lamenting our racist past. While I am sure that the writers at LifeWay have the very best of intensions, "Rickshaw Rally" is less than helpful.

One of my fears is that "Rickshaw Rally" will alienate the very people we hope to reach with the Gospel of Christ. There are about 12.5 million Asians and Pacific Islanders in America. Most are second and third generation Chinese and Japanese. Many early Asian immigrants were treated badly in this country. Some of their parents spent time in American detainee camps during World War II. Other Asians came from Vietnam, Laotia, Thailand, and Cambodia and other countries. Sadly, Asians are often treated as a single, homogenous group, but there are important and sensitive differences between the various cultures. Again, "Rickshaw Rally" offers little to help Southern Baptists avoid cultural stereotypes.

Another worry is that Southern Baptist children who live in areas where there are few Asians, will be unable to separate the "hype" from the reality. Many images are only used as vehicles to create interest and sell product. There’s little true educational value in the images. Consider the theme song of the opening worship rally, "Far out Far East Rickshaw Rally." First, no one uses the expression "far out" anymore. That’s just kitsch. One stanza includes the phrase, "wax on, wax off." Parents will know this comes from the movie "Karate Kid." Most of the children never will have seen the movie—and, arguably, should not.

I refuse to believe that the leadership and writers at LifeWay are racists. The people I know at LifeWay are men and women who love God and want to see others come to faith in the living Christ, but that that doesn't mean they might not have blind spots. We must avoid cultural stereotypes. They are unhelpful, naïve, and can lead to distrust and discrimination.

How do we identify cultural stereotypes? One way is to ask the people most affected by the images. Our brothers and sisters in the Baptist Convention of New England, where there are many Asians, passed a resolution criticizing "Rickshaw Rally." Their observations should guide our thinking. A number of Internet sites either condemn or parody "Rickshaw Rally." The material has even come to the attention of the national news media. This should be fair warning.

So, what is a Southern Baptist to do? First, learn from this example. Since the material is already being distributed, LifeWay should apologize and avoid using people groups as vehicles for promoting products. Second, Southern Baptist churches should seriously consider using other material this year in their Vacation Bible Schools. Finally, we should get to know our Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Cambodian neighbors. Only by respecting them as persons and understanding their cultures can we reach them with the news that "red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in His sight."

 

---

Mitchell is Consultant on biomedical and life issues for the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission and associate professor of bioethics & contemporary culture at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School north of Chicago.