"Charitable Writing" (Richard Hughes Gibson and James Edward Beitler III)

TITLE: Charitable Writing: Cultivating Virtue Through Our Words
AUTHOR: Richard Hughes Gibson and James Edward Beitler III
PUBLISHER: Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2020, (248 pages).

We have been told that love is the greatest. The Bible says so. Our culture also asserts that. We all believe so. We are taught to love our neighbour. We all want love but the truth is, love is often more easily said than done. This applies equally to the field of writing. Authors Richard Gibson and James Beitler helps us understand what it means to apply the expression of love in our writings, via charitable writing. Being a Christian is not just about speaking or living out the good news in public. It is also in how we write and express our love in writing. It is also a way of spiritual formation. It is discipleship. It is using our writing to paint the art of love. The central theme of this book is that "charitable writers listen humbly, argue lovingly, and keep the time of writing hopefully." Without going into the details of how to write or not to write, the focus is on the "big picture," to imagine, to relate, to respond, and how to express our neighbourliness in our writing. In other words, we write not for the sake of writing but for the purpose of showing we care and we love. These can be done through applying "spiritual threshold concepts," which are concepts to help integrate academic disciplines, including the discipline of writing. They engage the wisdom of ancient as well as modern writers to help us along. Through imitation, we learn from the practitioners in the past. Through practice, we apply the process over and over again to solidify the habit. This dual rhythm of imitation and practice are incorporated into the three key parts of the book. I appreciate how the authors remind us once again that writing is not only social and spiritual, it is also communal. The best way to integrate all of these is to begin with humility. Using art and images to supplement this manual about writing charitably, the authors show us the significance of our humble words. It begins with "humble listening." This is most appropriate because charity begins with humility. Being charitable needs to begin with us receiving charity from others. We are reminded that while most writers would write alone, there are wise companions that we can tap upon. Nicolas Frances calls writing a social activity. We cite others. We build upon the works of others. There is also the spiritual component to it when writers pray before writing. 

In Part Two, Gibson and Beitler teach us about responding to what we hear or read. Recognizing the importance of this and how to develop "loving argument" in our writings, this part of the book is the longest. The authors allocate six chapters to help us formulate and develop this critical aspect of writing. They remind us of the double command. Loving God must be reflected in our love to fellow humans; and our love for fellow humans cannot be divorced from God's love. With this "law of charitable writing," we learn about crafting arguments that move away from "war languages" toward the dance metaphor as well as an invitation to a conversation. Both are great alternatives to the typical confrontations we see daily on social media or competing news networks. Going back to the great love chapter in 1 Corinthians 13, the authors expound on the meaning of agape as a way of life. From here, the authors gives us the banquet metaphor that invites one to join in the feasting. This helps us see writing beyond solo efforts and to make space at the table.

Part Three reminds us about learning to pace ourselves appropriately. Slow writing enables us to humanize our words instead of rushing something off hastily to press. Whether it is prewriting, drafting, or rewriting, we learn that crafting good words need time. At the same time, we need to beware of our tendencies to either procrastinate or to be perfectionists. They conclude with a chapter on writing as a liturgy. 

My Thoughts

This book is targeted at the writing audience. Both authors are professors of English at Wheaton, so it is natural that their immediate concerns are students of writing. By clarifying upfront that this book is not about the technical aspects of writing but the principles of charitable writing, we get a better sense of where this book is heading. There are several ways to benefit from this book. The first is the reminder about having humility as a starting point. This is hugely important because all charity needs to begin with a recognition that we don't exist for our own sake. We exist because God first created us, blessed us, and called us to a particular purpose. Writing may not necessarily be everyone's core calling, but it is definitely a common expression of love. This is of paramount importance in an age of hasty texts and rapid tweets, both of which could ignite controversies and noisy debates. Humility helps keeps any quick tempers down. It also keeps us grounded to know that we are not always right and others are not necessarily wrong. Secondly, the authors rightfully spend more time developing the principles of arguments. We do not write opposing views like some kneejerk reactions to opinions that differ from ours. If people are different, we need to learn to appreciate the diversity of opinions that expand on particular meanings. We should not straitjacket any alternative pointers as necessarily against us. Words are important. Don't use counter-arguments or pushbacks strategies in our response. Use invitation to expand on the meaning or an encouragement to join in a conversation. Our first response often sets the tone for the rest of the dialogue. This leads me to the third point: leave room for alternative perspectives. This means we avoid making dogmatic statements that force people to choose between black or white. Like the proverbial blind men touching the different parts of an elephant, we need to humbly accept that in any topic, there is likely more than two opinions. The spectrum of opinions are much bigger than two colours. The way forward in charitable writing is to learn from both the past as well as the present. Like the authors, there is much we could learn from the ancients like the desert fathers, the medieval folks, and the spiritual masters. Writing is about discipleship. Writing well brings credibility and honour to both student and teacher. Listening humbly enables the Holy Spirit to work within our hearts. Writing slowly keeps us in step with our humanness. Writing charitably gives glory to God. 

Thanks to Gibson and Beitler, these three principles of humility, loving argumentation, and keeping time hopefully could be distributed to many more writers and budding writers to be. For anyone curious about what it means to write, read this book. For anyone interested in writing, purchase this book. For anyone passionate about writing, buy a second copy to give away.

Richard Hughes Gibson (PhD, University of Virginia) is associate professor of English at Wheaton College. He is the author of Forgiveness in Victorian Literature: Grammar, Narrative, and Community. With designer Jeremy Botts, he codirects Manibus Press, an occasional publisher of artists' books.

James Edward Beitler III (PhD, University of Michigan) is associate professor of English at Wheaton College, where he is the director of First-Year Writing and also coordinates the Writing Fellows Program.

Rating: 5 stars of 5.

conrade

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This book has been provided courtesy of InterVarsity Press and NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.