The head of the Southern Baptist Convention’s publishing arm apologized for a 10-year-old Asian-themed vacation Bible school curriculum critics said promoted racial stereotypes.<\/p>\n
\u201cTen years ago, LifeWay’s Vacation Bible School material used racial stereotypes that offended many in the Asian-American community,\u201d LifeWay Christian Resources President Thom Rainer said in a video presentation to about 1,000 multiethnic church leaders at the Mosaix conference in Long Beach, Calif.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wasn’t part of LifeWay then, but I am now, and I’ve recently learned that decade-old offense is still a point of hurt for some,\u201d Rainer said in a video apology played at the conference.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources, I want to apologize. I am sincerely sorry stereotypes were used in our materials, and I apologize for the pain they caused.\u201d<\/p>\n
LifeWay said the 2004 VBS theme of \u201cFar Out Rickshaw Rally\u2014Racing Towards the Son\u201d was intended to introduce children to Jesus using Asian culture as a theme, but instead \u201cbecame a lesson in cross-cultural miscommunication.\u201d<\/p>\n
Poor representation of Asian culture<\/p>\n
Critics, including the Baptist Convention of New England, said focusing on the rickshaw was insensitive and a poor representation of Asian culture.<\/p>\n
The VBS package came in a tin shaped like a Chinese-food take-out box, and the chorus to its theme song alluded to a scene in the 1984 movie The Karate Kid.<\/p>\n
Teaching tips included building props like oversized chopsticks out of wood, borrowing Geisha or Samurai costumes from a community theatre or renting blow-up Sumo wrestler costumes for children to wrestle each other in.<\/p>\n
At the time, LifeWay officials defended the material, saying that for every complaint the company received numerous compliments and those objecting were either overly sensitive or had a hidden agenda.<\/p>\n
Resurfaced rrecently<\/p>\n
The matter resurfaced recently, when more than 80 Asian-American Christians signed an open letter chastising evangelicals for \u201crepeated and offensive racial stereotyping\u201d of Asians, citing examples including Purpose Driven Life author Rick Warren’s recent use of a photo depicting a Red Guard during China’s Cultural Revolution on Facebook.<\/p>\n
Asian-American leaders hearing the apology welcomed it as a step toward healing.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am so thankful for LifeWay, in their words this morning, in a public setting, to say we were wrong,\u201d said Soong-Chan Rah, a professor of church growth and evangelism at North Park Theological Seminary in Chicago who created a \u201cReconsidering Rickshaw Rally\u201d protest website in 2003.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am so thankful, because now the healing can begin, and the reconciliation we have not been able to have can begin.\u201d<\/p>\n
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