📧 “feedback” (cont’d)

If reworking it so that evangelicals are not represented will satisfy editorial concerns let me know (we could probably work around naming or quoting them), but that won't address the editorial interest in self-criticism which is more concerning to me. As earlier drafts made clear, I am deliberately and overtly speaking from the social location of military experience, a marginalized community that stigmatizes its own for speaking up or asking for help while civilian society emphasizes soldiers' mental and/or moral untrustworthiness. The references I made about "trading [my] humanity for college money" and feeling "guilt by military association" are as far as I am willing to go in that direction. To ask for more feels like self-sabotage and to expect it from me feels callous. 

I don't want this to come off like I am directing my comments at you [redacted], I realize you are one editor of many that have to confirm or deny submissions. The time and attention you put into this is deeply appreciated and, in my decade of experience as a published author, have been unparalleled and for that I thank you. But the collective response disclosed in your feedback comes off as biased in precisely the way I wish to confront. No critique of my actual interpretation was offered, but somehow it needs to be validated by the same flawed theological system that treats soldiers and veterans the way it does. I am willing to work within that system to a degree, but it is my considered belief that I have been self-critical enough, every veteran has. I think civilians in the Church have failed to be sufficiently self-critical, a point to which my essay tries to gently allude. 

Let me know if the wider editorial team feels like we can work together to make it palatable to your readers without dehumanizing my community. I changed the permissions on the Google Doc for now, in the event their answer is no and I need to look elsewhere (in which case I am happy to credit you for the time and effort you put into it). 

@ 1102 from The Christian Century

True enough. I hear what you are saying. A lot of your work is based in polemic and very little of mine is--so I am probably not a great guide for you in this. But absolutely no need whatsoever to acknowledge my role going forward. If it was helpful to you, great. It's fun for me, and it's my job. I was curious to see if we could make something work.