"Charitable Writing" by Richard Gibson and James Beitler III. A Review

 

Charitable Writing: Cultivating Virtue through Our Words

Richard Hughes Gibson and James Edward Beitler III

IVP Academic

ivpress.com

ISBN: 9780830854837; December 2020; $22.00

 

I’m a writer. I have published two books and have a third wandering dejectedly and despondently through the ego crushing wilderness of publisher-hunting at the present. But I also write blog posts that include articles, book reviews, and prayers. I pen a weekly letter to my congregation, I type out emails and replies, and I toil over full sermon manuscripts for two sermons a week. I’m a writer. Therefore, my interest was grabbed when I saw a new book surface, “Charitable Writing: Cultivating Virtue through Our Words”. This 248-page softback was compiled by Richard Hughes Gibson and James Edward Beitler III, both of whom are associate professors of English at Wheaton College. It is written primarily with college composition and writing courses in mind (it even has a nice piece in the appendix for teaching the contents of the book). But it is sincerely useful for all writers outside of academia, those putting together business proposals, research articles, blogs, sermon manuscripts, pastoral letters, books, essays, or whatever. And the gentle approach the authors take make this easily accessible for teens to centenarians.

 

With a forward written by Anne Ruggles Gere, and an afterword by Alan Jacobs, the book artfully takes essayists through the principles of writing charitably. Though the book is a writing guide, it’s not about comma placements, which voice to use, ways to bring about a concluding statement, paragraph length, run-on sentences, and the like. Instead, it is concerned with “how we conceive of and, in turn, practice writing” while making an argument “that our spiritual commitments can and should provide bearings for our academic and professional work” (1). For the authors, this means that “writing is inescapably bound up with spiritual formation” (9). I found this aim hugely helpful. And especially as Gibson and Beitler point toward one overarching virtue for writing, which is charity founded on humility. In fact, charitable writing “is writing that seeks to fulfill the Lord’s “double commandment” to love God and our neighbor” (11). And that is the whole book in a nutshell. Each chapter circles back round to this point, page after page, subject after subject, discussion after discussion!

 

“Charitable Writing” includes delving deeply into what charity is; as well as humble listening; rightly-ordered arguing; “slow writing”; and positioning one’s composition as a work of learning, but also a work of prayer (165). The authors use “meditations” on sacred art works (replicated in the chapters) as a way of furthering most subjects and moving the conversation from place to place. The picturesque approach didn’t resonate with me so much, maybe because I’m an artistic troglodyte, but it did keep things progressing at a good pace.

 

I found almost every subject rich and rewarding. The discussions that were primarily geared toward academia whizzed past me, but even some of those thoughts were useful. Of all the themes I was benefited by here are two. First, the idea that writing is spiritual formation; it is fostering virtue. And the virtue that we want cultivated most is charity – love of God and neighbor. Coupled with charity comes humility, and the importance of writing with humility. I loved their thought, echoing James 4:8a, that states, draw “near to God, charitable writer, and he will draw near to you” (167). In fact, following Augustine, the approach of turning our works into acts of learning and moments of prayer, was beautiful.

 

The other topic I found valuable, even more so in our present outrage culture, was how to develop rightly-ordered arguments. Gibson and Beitler lay out the importance of our debate metaphors (which usually circle around war) and give numerous examples of alternative ones that can bring the temperature of an argument down from charred to a golden, tasty crust (my attempt at another metaphor, yes?). Once the authors show the importance of changing our metaphors, they then give hefty reasons to argue charitably, mapping out the way to accomplish this feat. One aspect is to create the steel-man argument. Instead of mischaracterizing an opponent’s position, we put their case in the best light, clearheadedly restating our interlocutor’s view before we give our own response. We listen to hear, rather than listen to respond. Further, using a feast as the backdrop, we write in a way that clearly shows that we are a gracious host at the table, but also a good guest. This whole topic covers three chapters (105-136) and was corrective, perceptive, and indispensable. It made me reflect on how often my thesis advisor had to tone me down while I was working on my doctorate. He would often correct my jargon and reasoning, stating the importance of drawing readers into the discussion instead of throwing them out on their ear. This meant I had to return, re-think, and re-write for hours. Honestly, being a charitable writer is not for sissies!

 

“Charitable Writing” is just too good to let pass by. Are you a blog-writer? Get the book. Social Media mogul? Get the book. Researcher or journalist? Get the book. Sermon manuscript author? Get the book. Taking a college class on composition? Get the book. And whoever else I may have missed, just get the book, pour over it, pray, and pen-away! As you can tell, I’m sold on it, and highly recommend the work to you.

 

My gratefulness to IVP Academic. I asked for a copy of the book to review, and they ungrudgingly and unhesitatingly sent the one used for this evaluation. Further, they didn’t make any demands on me, nor hold me hostage, nor demand my bank account numbers. Ergo, this assessment is freely made and freely given.