I'm thinking aloud here, rather than criticizing a particular event. We're all guilty, and all need to change. But following a link on another blog to this EC conference and its 3 white male key speakers made me wonder: is it about time we tried positive discrimination?
For those unfamiliar with the idea, it's something the Labour and Tory parties have both tried in an attempt to achieve a representative balance of MPs. ie more women, more ethnic minorities.
It's something I've talked to a lot of people about at Greenbelt at their 'brainstorming' days for new speakers etc, and the various arguments always come up: people should be there on merit, there just aren't the women/ethnic minorities out there who want to speak, men are just more forthright and enjoy the form more...
Trouble is, we're left with an unchanging white male situation. And I just don't think that's good enough. The arguments pro positive discrimination seem strong: if you have such a policy for a while then the people will be raised up and discovered - which has certainly proved the case in parliament - and there has been such tacit discrimination pro-men for such a long time that proper action needs to be taken to redress this.
So... should people be deliberately, voluntarily making sure that for each big EC event there is a proper, representative balance? After all... wasn't this meant to be about new forms of Church?
Technorati Tags: Emerging Church, Justice, Discrimination
Oh, and me spelllinnz sux.
Posted by: DAMNFLANDRZ | January 29, 2006 at 03:04 PM
I said it before and I'll say it again... let the "non-christians" lead our churches.
Posted by: DAMNFLANDRZ | January 29, 2006 at 03:09 PM
Carnival's, not conferences. I like the sound of that. In a way, that's what I love about Greenbelt... It's a carnival really, and although there are seminars and speakers, people don't really get away with conference style crap there. It forces people to be more real, to be more participatory, to think more inclusively.
And you're speeling does suck.
Posted by: Kester | January 29, 2006 at 09:58 PM
Flandrz, I could just hug you!
Your comments always make me chuckle- and there is more to you than a (cheap) laugh.
God bless you.
Dana
Posted by: Dana Ames | January 29, 2006 at 10:48 PM
Have come to this rather late so it could be that the conversation is all over, everyone has gone home and there's only the cleaner left to talk to. But anyhow - I feel that nothing has changed in the last 20 years from the days when I used to do a certain easter teaching event. It's the same issue just in a different arena, but, as people have said, you'd hope and expect that emerging church and places like Greenbelt would be different.
I used to think that a directory of women speakers would be useful. It could be web-based and could be something that you could point people to when they asked 'but where are the women who speak?' what do other people think? As Christy points out, it's easy to see the flaws in conferences and maybe we should just leave the guys to it.
Posted by: Jenny | February 06, 2006 at 12:08 PM
Really glad you've contributed Jenny....Guess I'm the cleaner round here, so happy to chip back in!
It's depressing you feel nothing has changed recently. In some ways I see you as being in a unique position to comment on that, and if you think it's just 'the same issue in a different arena' that's not good.
One worry in trying to address the issue is that any attempts to 'positively discriminate' might lead to female speakers feeling 'token', rather than fully there on merit... what do you think?
I'm more convinced now about the problem of form. Conferences, blogs, sermons... I'm worried that they are somehow forms that appeal to the male psyche and play to desires for organisation and power. Just a look at my 'blogs' links here causes me concern... 2 out of 12 is hardly a good count. So have there been *any* improvements you've noted in Emerging circles? Or are you just going to leave us to it? God forbid... we've screwed up enough times already.
Posted by: Kester | February 06, 2006 at 02:17 PM
Firstly, I don't think simply changing up conference line ups will be very helpful. Although it could be a great start.
Secondly, a part of what needs to happen is intentional practices that help create a culture ready for more diversity. There has been little narration why gender and ethnic diversity matters. Just as we narrate modernity, epistemology, consumerism, and all the other -isms and -ologies in this conversation we need to begin to have more intentional theology and praxis as to why this even matters.
Why should aesthetics matter? why should power relations matter? What is the history? How is this connected to the bad habits of modernity? How is this connected to Christendom or Constantinian Christianity? How are our current practices and theolgizings complicit in the continued racialization of American Christianity?
We talk about living simply in consumeristic/materialistic culture. We talk about epistemological humility in the midst of Christian theologies that worship at the altar of absolute certainty regards knowing the mind of God. We talk about embodying the Christian tradition as opposed to simply holding to dis-embodied abstract beliefs. Just as we narrate and conversate over these particular issues we need to do the same regarding gender and ethnic diversity.
pax,
Ant
Posted by: Anthony | March 21, 2006 at 10:46 PM
Excellent thoughts.
Interesting rejoiner to the debate in here in Prospect.
Posted by: Kester | March 22, 2006 at 06:56 PM
I was struck this week by the impact of a simple advert that, coupled with the film it was preceeding, has brought about quite a bit of contraversy and talk with my mates, here and particularly in the USA.
====================================
http://www.controlarms.org/teleshop/
====================================
^^^ There's the Ad ^^^
And the film was Lord of War. I just thought it was good to see two mediums - Amnesty International and Hollywood - complimenting one another in such a powerful way (I'm sure AI gained prestige and LoW increased in sales)...
It just struck me as a possible alternative to conferences... mass appeal thru movies coupled with awareness and action available thru related groups.
I also just wanted to post that great link!!!
Posted by: DAMNFLANDRZ | March 26, 2006 at 09:51 AM