In case you hadn’t heard, Zondervan made a major announcement yesterday regarding the Deadly Viper Character Assassins book that was the source of so much anger and controversy recently. Effective immediately, Zondervan undertook the courageous step of permanently removing all the books from stores and discontinuing all related curriculum and products. Quite a bold gesture, and a remarkable example of repentance. Hopefully, the pain and high emotion of the past few weeks can now give way to true healing and reconciliation. This is a wonderful start, but it will not be easy.
The Deadly Viper website and blog were shut down today shortly after Zondervan’s announcement. This is the message that now greets its visitors.
A search for the words “Deadly Viper” on Twitter brings a variety of revealing Tweets. Very common are messages like this one: “Irritated about the whole Deadly Viper thing. irritated. really? ya had to shut them down?” And this one: “The Deadly Viper issue makes my stomach turn. I need to think about something else because I’m getting ticked off.”
There likely will be some backlash against Zondervan’s decision and against the movement of folks, led by our very brave sisters and brothers in the Asian American community, who took a firm stand against the negative stereotypes connected with the DV book and promo video. Many will view this whole episode as the epitome of political correctness and as an unfair attack on two devoted Christian brothers. We need to show patience and grace to those who don’t understand the point of this outcome.
This has especially been a difficult time for Mike Foster and Jud Wilhite, the authors of Deadly Viper. They need our prayers and compassion.
And finally, we need to remember our Asian and Asian American brothers and sisters who have been at the forefront of this conflict. I think of Soong-Chan Rah, Kathy Khang, Eugene Cho, and Ken Fong in particular, but there have been many others who have led the way through their blog posts and comments, Tweets, Facebook updates, and letters of complaint to Zondervan. These women and men have felt the strain and sadness of this epic event.
Though I supported the protest from the beginning, I admittedly was a bit concerned about the overwhelming force of the initial admonishment of the authors. I always felt that Zondervan should be the target of the strongest protest. But blog posts like this one from my dear friend Helen Lee and this one from Soong-Chan helped me understand why the Asian community needed to act so decisively. They were tired of this mess. I needed to be tired of it, too.
Thank God for this good conclusion. I think He makes His church better through conflicts like this one. Let’s pray that it becomes the start of something greater—something profoundly redemptive.
Reconciliation Blog 
I, too, was astounded by Zondervan’s decision, but hadn’t yet caught wind that this would unsettle a different demographic (though I should have seen it coming…) Thanks for the reminder to be charitable and fully of mercy in all circumstances, especially when they go ‘our way’.
Good words.
As an Asian-American myself, whenever I saw the ads at various conferences and such over the years, I had always quietly wondered about the marketing approach for this otherwise great ministry.
Very impressed with Zondervan.
I agree with everything you said. The next steps will not be easy and almost more important as good people work to help an organization like Zondervan change. The question is how. I blogged about some of the ways I think would help, but as a white person I really don’t know that much. I can speak to the whole issue of gender and was sad to see it wasn’t listed in the conversation, knowing that is a bigger mountain many do not want to climb.
Apologies! Just saw that you have already been there!
Melody–I can tell you that the gender issues have definitely come up in discussions that I have had with other Asian American leaders, but as our initial issues were with the marketing of the book and not the content (as many of us had not actually seen the inside of the book), we did not know that we might have subsequent issues with the content. When we became more aware of the other issues, such as the gender-related issues, we decided that it would overcomplicate an already complicated situation to bring up those concerns in a discussion that was already heated about race. However, I think the conversation can and should continue–Kathy Khang blogged about the gender issue yesterday and you can find it here (http://morethanservingtea.wordpress.com/2009/11/18/the-unseen-privileges/).
Thanks for this post, Edward. Have enjoyed finding your blog through this.
Melody, as another white woman, I get where you’re coming from, but I think we’re unusually positioned to stand up and say that this issue is not really about “white” people, but about racial insensitivity in general. I understand that the folks in the DV community are angry right now, but the immaturity of how many of them have expressed themselves is, to me, a cause for concern. If I were Judd and Mike, I’d be asking questions about *that* right now.
The issue about gender was also very obvious to me in the way the DV online community was packaged, but in this instance I could see where race was the issue to be tackled at this moment.
Where is your blog located? I’d like to read your thoughts on this.
My blog is: http://logicandimagination.wordpress.com/tag/zondervan/
Seems like another example of a postmodern adjustment to to the western church – in paticular the consideration of the “other” but I can’t help wondering where the line exists between justice and pettiness.
Phat post, great looking website, added it to my favorites.
[…] as some new discussions in a similar vein). Some interesting insights from Bo Lim, Rudy C, and Ed G. I hope folks will move beyond the immediate topic to engage in a larger discussion on race, […]
Ironically, it would have been better for Mike Foster and Jud Wilhite if they had been objectified in the Deadly Viper controversy, but it appears they were mistakenly made the subject of the discussion.
If I understand all this correctly (and for the record, I am an ancillary vested person in this story, click here to read my own post re: all this), they touched a very sensitive nerve that (not only) the Asian American community has experienced in a “white captivity” culture—one that they have been grappling to put words to.
The tragedy is that rather than making the subject a conversation around cultivating sensitivity to humanizing all people regardless of race, culture or ethnicity, the tone and the target of these wounds were aimed at two guys who were actually contributing to a conversation towards integrity, character and the affirmation of human dignity for all persons.
I am a huge fan of Prof Rah and think his message needs to get out further to provoke a more grounded sense of our Christian identity as it relates to the shifting (actually, shifted) demographic in the mosaic of who actually makes up our Christian majority. But I am also a huge fan of what the Deadly Viper project was advocating for, not only in its content, but how the message of integrity, character and grace was embodied in the lives of Mike and Jud. It is sad how two important messages collided and the fallout that has been an unintended consequence of this collision.
Let’s hope that everyone who made hurtful or accusatory statements about Mike and Jud, reconsider the content and tone of those unfair allegations. Much of the content I’ve read in the comment sections on blogs regarding all this has been unhelpful assumptions. These assumptions have only aggravated a sensitive conversation that needs to be played out. However, this important conversation should be held around more harmful eruptions of cultural insensitivity (i.e. the “Rickshaw Rally”) that somehow are left immune to the controversy Deadly Vipers unintentionally invited.
Let’s also remember that Mike and Jud should not be the targets of this dialogue. If people want to pick fights here, there are plenty of other legitimate instances of racial insensitivity that are more important and appropriate instances that can be focused on.
A positive outcome from all this would be an overwhelming level of support for Mike and Jud as the move away from the packaging of Deadly Vipers to their People of a Second Chance movement. A platform they have created for others that now needs to be extended to them, especially by those who have been so accusatory in the ways they’ve dismantled an important voice of renewal for our shared humanity.
The essence of how I hope all this comes across speaks to the crucial need to humanize all people—the Asian American community and Mike and Jud. I think there’s a way that Prof Rah’s (and other’s) concerns can be, and need to be validated, but not at the expense of Mike and Jud—otherwise, the same thing that Deadly Vipers has been accused of will be done to them by those who are most concerned.
Overall, I believe this has been a sad eruption of anger around an important issue that seems to have been misdirected at two guys who have given themselves to a much-needed message of hope. I think resistance to “white captivity,” or the imposition of any dominant consciousness of our Christian expression needs to be fought against, but not at the expense of the reputation and content of men whose message resonates with this struggle from a different perspective.
*If you’d like to discuss this or comment on these thoughts please leave them here (http://www.chrisheuertz.com/post/257436160/further-reflections-on-the-deadly-viper-controvery)*
Merci beaucoup pour cette aide je vais tester ça et voir se que ça donne.
I am glad to hear that Zondervan pulled Jud’s “Deadly Viper” book. I have attended Central Christian Church in Las Vegas (Jud Wilhite’s church) on numerous occassions over the past 4 years. I have found that Church also makes fun of other ethnic groups, the Latinos and Italians, in their videos. During one of the Christmas videos (before Deadly Viper came out), they even portrayed Italians tieing up one of their family members, duck taping his mouth, and throwing him the truck of a car. They were portraying them as mafia. I tried to address the issue with the powers that be at Central. All I got was a backlashing from them, or a “go away” attitude from them. All they did was started laughing, I don’t think God is laughing!
During the services, Jud tries to sell Christianity as a product instead of a deep personal relationship with God, our creator.
They play secular music at Central which in no way worships God. They are worshipping themselves for being able to play the songs (such as I Want To Hold Your Hand, Rocking Around the Christmas Tree, and Don’t Stop Believing – trying to reinact the TV show “Glee”). I truly believe that those songs do not belong in a church. They are just showing that Central is part of this world and not part of God’s Kingdom. It is very rarely that you hear Jesus’ name mentioned during the service.
Needless to say, I no longer associate myself with Central. After attending there, it’s hard to believe that there is a God who loves and cares for you.