Note: This post has been updated as of April 21, 2023.
The time has come for me to change my pseudonym. Times and circumstances have changed.
While some of my publications previously note my ethnicity and my being white was visible to those who’ve attended the US and international academic or church events I’ve spoken at in person, I’ve learned that a significant number of people were not aware of it because of my long-term use of a hybrid pseudonym as a pen name.
That confusion is not good for any of us, or for the church’s shared mission. With the passing of time since my return to the United States, the security of the church communities among whom I previously worked in China is less of a risk. Accordingly, the original purpose of the pseudonym has outlived its usefulness.
So effective in March 2023, I will no longer use my former pseudonym and academic pen name of “Jackson Wu” but rather my legal name, Brad Vaughn.
I apologize that I’ve been too slow in changing my pseudonym. I’m sorry.
I’ve desired to encourage the publication of authors from the global church, especially Asians and Asian Americans. I don’t want people to confuse me for them. I certainly do not wish to divert eyes from their books when people are specifically looking for Asian and Asian American writers.
I am working with all my publishers to change all statements of my name, wherever possible, to Brad Vaughn. I beg pardon for the confusion and appearance of disrespect that I have caused.
What Now?
For the time being, I don’t live in East Asia. Reentry has brought a lot of reverse culture shock. In many respects, America is a foreign country to me and my family. Living that long overseas, immersed as we were in the culture changes a person. So, I must approach this new season as if I moved anywhere else. I need to contextualize.
I plan to be at ETS in November this year and invite any brothers and sisters to connect with me so I can listen, or to reach out for conversation in other ways.
For those who may be interested, here’s a little additional background information:
The Origins of the Pseudonym
For nearly two decades, my family and I served in China, a tight security environment where the government has persecuted Christians for generations. My primary security concern was for those with whom we ministered.
The Chinese government aggressively works to counter the Chinese house church. Serving with an underground seminary, I worked with top city and network leaders, communicating only in Mandarin. The Chinese government labored especially hard to find and suppress such work and routinely errs in thinking that American missionaries work for the US government. So, they are especially keen on identifying American missionaries, which then compromises the work of our Chinese partners.
For their security, I used several names depending on the context. My Chinese partners know how this cat-and-mouse game works with the Chinese government. Having more names makes it more difficult to track a person. I chose one of them as a pen name (“Jackson Wu”). While my Mainland Chinese brothers and sisters appreciated my taking a Chinese name (regarding it as a way of honoring their culture), I understand that the Asian-American context is different, and I must adapt accordingly.
When I began using Jackson Wu for publishing purposes, I had no idea I would have a writing career, a blog, or speak in various settings around the world. Since I worked as a professor in an underground seminary, using a pseudonym was essential. That is no longer the case.
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