Mission Reading (Issue 25 – August 08)

Editor: Tim Davy

Our local library recently held a campaign to get kids into reading called, ‘On a reading mission’. Though not a campaign as such this edition of Encounters could be said to be ‘On a mission reading mission’. In the spirit of last August’s favourably received issue on summer reading, this issue will feature several articles aimed to inspire and inform your reading.

The four articles are distinct, yet complementary. For Article 1 we canvassed a variety of mission-minded people for their book recommendations of the last 12 months. It’s always an interesting exercise to browse other people’s bookshelves!

Article 2 is an interview with Pieter Kwant, a man at the forefront of books and mission. Pieter is International Programme Director for Langham Literature and also runs the publishing and agency company, Piquant. Be informed and encouraged by what he has to say about some of the exciting and strategic projects going on around the world.

We change tack again in Article 3 with Richard Johnson’s paper, ‘Fictional Mission’. Why should we bother reading fictional accounts of missionaries? In his fascinating and persuasive article Richard contends that mission-related fiction can teach us many things that the more ‘historical’ genres (such as missionary biographies) cannot. He also highlights his top five mission fiction reads and sets out a bibliography for those interested in pursuing the genre further.

Finally, in Article 4 we highlight ‘The Top 25 Business as Mission Books’. This list was compiled by the excellent Business as Mission Network website; my thanks to them for kindly allowing Encounters to reproduce it here.

Whatever you are doing over the summer, may you be refreshed and encouraged.

Tim

Article 1:  Mission Reading Recommedations.
(Various; Compiled by Tim Davy, 3032 words) PDF -:- Abstract and Discussion
Article 2:  On Publishing from Everywhere to Everywhere: An interview with Pieter Kwant.
(Interview by Tim Davy, 1874 words) PDF -:- Abstract and Discussion
Article 3:  Fictional Mission: An introduction to and bibliography for missionaries in fiction.
(Richard Johnson, 3295 words) PDF -:- Abstract and Discussion
Article 4:  The Top 25 Business as Mission Books.
(Originally compiled by the Business as Mission Network, 619 words) PDF -:- Abstract and Discussion

And finally, a single PDF of the whole issue. Ideal for using offline or to make printing easier.

Issue 25:  Single Document Version (in full).
(File size: 231 KB)