|
| Christian news worldwide |
 Home |
 Archives |
 Subscriptions |
 Adverts |
 Find a church |
 About us |
 Contact us |
 Site Map |
 PrintableVersion Books in the bloodstreamCarol Grugeon speaks to authors Roger, Dot and Emma CarswellThis autumn sees the publication of four books from the Carswell family, and all have the underlying aim of spreading the message of the gospel in differing ways. Emma Carswell, marketing executive of Paternoster Publishing, would like to see a new approach to evangelism in literature. Working with authors around the world, Emma encourages them to write creatively for unbelievers, as well as persuading Christians to use books as a central tool in evangelism. 'People are very innovative and imaginative in different methods of evangelism, but when it comes to books they tend to be less creative. I would love to see a wider range of evangelistic books that approach the gospel from different angles, and are written for people of varied backgrounds and spiritual stages', said Emma. Her own book, Love in a Box, is written with this vision in mind. Love in a Box tells the story of the Operation Christmas Child charity campaign which has brought hope and practical help to thousands of children around the world in the form of gifts wrapped in a shoe box. The project began over a decade ago in the small Welsh border town of Wrexham, after Dave Cooke saw images of Romanian orphans, victims of the Ceausecu regime, on his television screen and felt compelled to do something. RefugeesEmma's involvement with the charity began six years later, when she joined a relief mission to Armenia to complete research work for a university dissertation: 'The plight of the refugees living in awful conditions struck me very powerfully. My grandmother had been a refugee 80 years earlier, and I realised for the first time how terrible it must have been. It was moving to watch the recipients of the shoeboxes and see how the small effort involved in filling a shoe box with presents makes a huge difference in the lives of children who have nothing.' Love in a Box is to be promoted in both the mainstream and Christian booktrade, with a donation from each book sold going to help suffering children. As Operation Christmas Child is adopted as this year's GMTV Christmas charity, Emma is hopeful it will move people into action. Dad's shoesEmma follows in the footsteps of her father, evangelist and author Roger Carswell, who also publishes his eighth book, Areopagus, this month. Aimed particularly at the student market, it is an exposition of Acts 17 which applies Paul's teaching in a contemporary context. Roger explained: 'I am convinced that Paul's message to the Areopagus in Athens is the relevant prototype for what we are called to do in society and this book is born out of a commitment to the Bible and its relevance today. It is a comparison of up-to-date illustrations with the situation in Greece in 50 AD. The Greeks had outward success, but they still asked the same questions that we all do.' Based on the debate which was the focus of the Areopagus, the book also features quotations from students of different beliefs. 'I think young people are the ones most open to trusting Christ, but because they are unaware of Bible teaching and basic Christian beliefs there is a great need. We are living in a society where there is so much bad news, but I want people to understand what the gospel message is - and that it is good news.' Other people's livesNot to be outdone, wife and mother-of-four, Dot Carswell, makes her writing debut under the pen-name, D.J. Carswell. Real Lives is a colourful collection of real life stories of ordinary men and women. 'I wanted to produce a book I could give to anyone regardless of faith or social status. Everyone has a story to tell and people are interested in other people's lives - you just need to look at the success of programmes like Big Brother. One criterion was that the stories all had to be people who are still living, and the last chapter is about Jesus Christ, who, of course, is alive today.' Dot has also worked with Jo Pollard to ghost-write another biographical work. Journey to Murder tells the story of a Christian couple who took aid and Christian literature to families behind the Iron Curtain over three decades. On their last trip in 1997, they were attacked. Jo was seriously injured and her husband Mike killed. When interviewed from her hospital bed, however, she was able to forgive the killers. This message of forgiveness was broadcast throughout the world media. Baroness Caroline Cox writes in the Foreword: 'When I started flicking through the pages of this book, I was completely hooked'. The authors' prayer is that all four books will be used to reach others for Christ. Dot said: 'I hope they will be passed on and used as evangelistic tools. I think we've all felt we had a message to communicate in different ways and I hope that comes through. Writing a book is such a colossal task, you wouldn't do it unless you felt you had something important to say!'. Areopagus: exploring issues of reality, choice & faith Real Lives. £5.99 Love in a Box: the inspiring story of Dave Cooke & Operation Christmas Child Journey to Murder: road to forgiveness. All published by Paternoster Press.Carol Grugeon© Evangelicals Now - October 2001 |
|
