Reviews and Endorsements
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[Book Foreword]
- For as long as I have known Nathan Brown he has been playing with words. He not only likes the sounds of words and strings them together in a very effective fashion; he likes to coin words.
Like controphy. He introduced that creation in his article (not a column), "The Art of Grace?" that we published in Adventist Review a couple of years back.
"Controphy," he wrote, "-probably derived by the conjunction of conversational dystrophy-is the name given (by me, as a very amateur sociologist) to the tendency of conversations to degenerate in quality and subject matter; sometimes by huge leaps from the sublime to the ridiculous, sometimes by gradual and almost imperceptible steps down from the point of departure."
Then there is relevation, "the act of making relevant or demonstrating relevance." And here Nathan Brown is no longer playing with words. He is deadly serious as he takes up the task of translating Christian faith into today's idiom.
That's a tough assignment. More and more we live in a society where faith has died out, or is viewed as a quaint relic, or makes no difference to the way a person lives and works, loves and plays. More and more people are biblical illiterates; they lack the vocabulary that has tied people in the West together for 2000 years.
Worse, they don't see the need for faith; they've already made their heaven on this earth. Jesus foresaw our day: "When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?" He said (Luke 18:8, NIV).
The Christian church badly needs men and women-especially young men and women-who will take up the tough assignment. To succeed in it, they need to be alert and informed as well as passionate believers. And they must be able to present the case for faith persuasively and attractively.
In Nathan Brown, Seventh-day Adventists have such a person. These essays, most of which originally appeared as columns in Adventist Review, now collected together for this book, make an important contribution, not only to the Adventist Church, but to Christian thought in general.
I have high regard for Nathan-as a person, as a Christian, as a writer. I applaud his efforts. May he go from strength to strength as he continues to give his best thinking and best writing to "relevating" the Christian faith.
- William G Johnsson - Editor - Adventist Review - Silver Spring, Maryland, USA - October 2006
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[ Bookshelf Review ]
- Relevation isn't just another Adventist book written by an Adventist for Adventists about Adventist stuff. Rather, Relevation - a collection of Nathan Brown's contributions to Adventist Review and Record - asks real questions about Adventism encouraging church members and non-members alike to consider the big picture.
The word "relevation: the act of making relevant or demonstrating relevance"-a word coined by Brown when beginning his monthly column for Adventist Review-reflects a keen thinker, ready to ask the tough questions and seek to formulate responses to the big questions facing Christianity today, while constantly seeking relevance. Brown doesn't shy away from being honest and open about who he is and what he believes, and Relevation is an open testament to his own journey.
Thought-provoking and fresh, Brown suggests that if we stop, step back and take a look, we could get a new perspective of our church, ourselves and Jesus.
Wherever our life experiences might take us and whatever other aspects of faith, fun or philosophy might catch our attention, we must ever return to the story of Jesus. . . . We must keep telling the old story of Jesus, hearing again and again the music of the gospel. But at the same time we also need to be prepared to see Him in new ways."
Brown is not afraid to say things like they are and he speaks for many when he writes, "There is a growing element of young adults stepping back from the church, not because they don't believe in the church and its mission but because-from their perspective-the church doesn't seem to believe in the church and its mission. They do not give up on the church, the church in reality gives up on them." Many of his articles have sparked debate and given voice to church members who may feel disenfranchised, particularly around the topic of young people. Others have received scathing words of criticism, but Brown's humble attitude is "if everybody agreed, there would be no progress."
From The Da Vinci Code to session meetings, mowing church lawns to angry letters, headline news to the great music debate, Relevation touches on a myriad of issues that make Christianity, and more specifically Adventism, unique and special. But Brown doesn't provide nice, succinct little answers. Instead, he gets us thinking by encouraging readers to consider what is beyond the norm and to be real in their worship, their relationships, their church and especially with Jesus.
Brown could be the voice of this generation, not just of young people but of those dissatisfied with where our church is today and desperate to make a difference. Not only does Brown discuss issues, but he dares to dream: "Imagine if our church realised that a concern for social justice and humanitarian action are not optional extras to our Christianity, but that reaching out now to HIV/AIDS sufferers and future victims of this pandemic is at the heart of what Jesus and the gospel is about."
Relevation is timely and speaks to the heart. Brown hasn't given up on church, but he urges the church he loves to be centred on the God he loves. Relevation is about being relevant in our Christian walk every day; working and reworking words, creating new words and ideas, Brown challenges us to think big in how we respond to the big issues of our world and to seek God-"Ultimately, the quest for God finds its end in the person, life, teachings, death and resurrection of a poor Jewish preacher in the first century . . . that must be a continuing challenge to our understanding of God and spirituality." - Julene Duerksen-Kapao
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[Endorsement]
- "Insightful, challenging, unnerving, focused, stimulating. Nathan unswervingly calls his readers to focus on Jesus Christ and to make Him the centre of their Adventist identity."-Lee Gallaher, editor, Life.info, UK
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[Endorsement]
- "Nathan Brown continues to be a powerful and engaging voice of a new generation. Even when I don't agree, I love reading him because of the depth of thought and clarity of his expressions."-Clifford Goldstein, columnist, Adventist Review
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[Endorsement]
- "This book will delight you, inspire you, challenge you and even provoke you."-Dr Barry Oliver, general secretary, South Pacific Division of Seventh-day Adventists
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[Endorsement]
- "Not content with religion as just a nod toward certain beliefs, Nathan Brown champions a Christianity that has vital and compassionate things to say not only about personal behaviour, but also about social issues."-Gary Krause, director of Adventist Mission, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists