Return to the M.B.Herald Vol. 36, No. 15 Home Page
If you are a church leader and your church or agency plans to spend $100 or more on advertising this year, spend $6.99 and buy this book first. If you are not, read the book anyway. This book is not just for press people or even for church leaders. In fact, it is probably most needed by those who have no interest in the media. It is not very technical; it simply gives good advice on how to communicate with the society around us--and that is important information for people entrusted with sharing the good news of Jesus Christ.
Longhurst begins by explaining how the media work, what goes on inside the heads of secular editors and reporters. He rightly points out that the media are not necessarily hostile to the church but explains why they often appear that way. I think he slightly overestimates the objectivity of reporters, but on the whole his explanation is detailed, accurate and helpful.
Longhurst then explains how the church or agency can send its message out through the communications channels that have been set up by society. He addresses issues such as how to write and send a press release so that it will be read, how to write letters to the editor and op/ed pieces, how to be interviewed by a reporter, and how to respond when the news from your agency is bad (such as a pastor being charged with sexual abuse).
Longhurst works as an information officer for Mennonite Central Committee Canada and knows what he is talking about. MCC is one of the most successful Christian agencies at getting its message communicated through the media.
The book is full of astute comments such as:
* "The communication efforts of many non-profit groups are like the proverbial hunter who fired his gun in the air in the hope that a duck would occasionally fly into a bullet."
* "When confronted with a crisis, never assume that you can keep the crisis or problem a secret."
* "If the media call, tell the truth. . . . As one reporter has said, if the church can't tell the truth about itself, who can you trust it to tell the truth about?"
* "The fact that the media takes note of the failings of religious leaders indicates that society still holds high standards for people who occupy leadership positions in religious groups."
* "All the good media relations in the world can't compensate for poor performance."
If you really can't afford the time or money to buy and read Making the News, get yourself a copy of Good News Bad News: How to get along with the Media by Michael Jenkinson. The latter is a 12-page booklet produced by the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. It says many of the same things, but is not nearly as thorough.
Jim Coggins
This very readable paperback provides an overview of Anabaptist/Mennonite history in the context of the birth and growth of the Christian church. The material is divided into five sections, each comprising three chapters. Skillfully inserted at the end of each section is a brief focus essay inviting readers to reflect on particular issues in the story being told. The contents are copiously illustrated with maps, sidebars and photographs, although the quality of the illustrations will likely not impress the intended audience. A helpful index and suggestions for further reading commend this volume as a useful teaching aid.
As an historical overview with a strong narrative appeal, the book succeeds admirably. The first section deals with the birth of the church and its development up to the Reformation. From this foundation, the authors focus on the emergence of Anabaptism, dealing with both the Swiss and South German streams and the subsequent Russian Mennonite experience. The final section assesses the worldwide impact of anabaptist mission and service. The high cost of bearing faithful Christian witness frequently surfaces in the material.
This publication represents the cooperative efforts of several North American Mennonite groups and is written by four authors who bring extensive research and teaching credentials to the task. The writing style is popular. Churches and high schools which include Mennonite history in their curriculum are strongly encouraged to consider this book as a basic text. All libraries carrying Mennonite materials should include this book in their collection.
David Giesbrecht is Library Director at Columbia Bible College in Abbotsford, B.C.
Authentic Living is a very readable and inspiring commentary on the book of James in the Luminaire series by Herb Kopp. The volume carries a far greater weight in content than the 127 pages would suggest. Kopp has combined the art of scholarship with pastoral insight to make this commentary a valuable asset to the entire Christian community.
There is a good background introduction to James and then a description of the five-fold procedure of the book. In the procedure, the two sections that are most valuable are "The Text Explained" and "Application, Teaching/Preaching Points". The explanation of the text deals directly with its meaning and then is applied in a very practical way.
The final "Personal Response" questions stimulate the reader to apply James to current life situations. One often studies a particular text in isolation from the rest of the book but this volume will not allow you to do so. Throughout the book, the reader is constantly reminded of the content that has preceded to that point. The review is not dull since it continually stimulates one's understanding of the current section in light of the whole letter.
Throughout, attention is given to the definition of words, releasing the dynamic meaning of the text.
In terms of criticism, the use of words like penchant, (p. 32), diptych, (p. 42), grandiloqent (p. 60) could be substituted with other, more well known words, but there are very few of these. "Bombastic" to describe James' preaching is a favourite of the author and he has James "shouting" at his audience from time to time when others might indicate that James becomes very intense. One might agree with some statements like "in God's sight all sin is equal" (p. 121) or "trials . . . should not be interpreted as coming from God" (p. 120) when, in fact page 27 seems to differentiate between tests and temptation, the former being circumstances and the latter designed to cause us to sin, although they are related (p. 2, 27) and the author indicates that tests do come from God (p. 26).
Another helpful addition would be to give the page of the documentation so the readers can check the primary sources for themselves.
I would highly recommend this volume not, only because it is slim but also because it is a very thorough, readable, meaning-packed exposition of James that brings together the meaning of the text with everyday practical living.
This book releases the dynamic message of James into the twentieth century. It is a text that can be used for personal devotional Bible study, by Sunday school or Bible study groups, by pastors for sermon preparation and by Bible institute and Bible college teachers in their class preparations.
David Bergen is a Bible school teacher and pastor living in Winkler, Man.
"Any Christian's relationship with God is largely unfulfilled potential," says Tim Stafford in his new book, Knowing the Face of God. With this guiding premise, Stafford, senior writer for Christianity Today, launches into an exploration of how to take the concept of "personal relationship with Jesus" from the realm of overused cliche to the domain of experienced reality. "I want to reclaim the sese that God's personality fills the earth . . . but we are so busy looking at techniques that we fail to look up and see Him." In an attempt to address this spiritual life-draining tendency, Stafford tracks the means we have of knowing persons and suggests these will often resemble the ways we know God. The first 16 chapters of the book highlight knowing God through the ordinary opportunitites of daily Christian life (e.g. conversations, meals, work and stories).
The second half of the book addresses the atypical nature of the Christian's relationship with God, the incarnation, the role of the Holy Spirit, and the expectation of the parousia are addressed, although certainly not exhaustively. By the end of the book the reader is given the hope that while God cannot be seen now, we can know and love Him while living with the confident hope of seeing Him face to face at the return of Christ.
The reader who expects to discover much new material in Stafford's book will be disappointed, for frequently while reading one reflects on the familiarity of the material. However, for the reader (and for a tradition which has at times de-emphasized the experiential nature of our faith) there is the invitation to pursue with "clearer eyes and greater excitement" the glorious privilege of being a child of God. A taste of the reality of God's "personalness" will increase our appetite for more.
Cal Bergen is pastor of Fort Garry MB Church in Winnipeg.
Return to the M.B.Herald Vol. 36, No. 15 Home Page