WE HAVE been discussing the need of putting evangelism into the sale of our trade books by making them available to the general public through the regular sales media. Now, I see someone has an other question. Yes, brother?
"Won't this that you are urging hurt the Bible Houses or the literature evangelists?"
Some of our publishing leaders feel it would help, not hurt. A longtime leader of literature evangelists, for years secretary of the publishing department of a North American union conference, recently ex pressed his concern to me. The program that we are carrying on at present, he said, is "peanuts. Our literature evangelists are only reaching a tiny fraction of the people. We must find additional means of accomplishing the Lord's work more quickly."
The same concern is shared by our rising generation. How often I have had to face the embarrassing question, "Why are Seventh-day Adventist books not sold to the public?" On a recent visit to one of our college campuses, two students whom I had never met before stopped me and asked this question. The best I could answer was, "Some of us are working on it."
As for the Book and Bible Houses, I believe the great majority of their managers would welcome any plan to give the Ad vent message to more people. The Bible House men are loyal Seventh-day Adventists who love Christian books. Why would they oppose a greater book ministry among the unsaved?
Now, please note some of the advantages to selling our trade books to non-Adventists: (1) We need not go to our own church members and plead for offerings to finance this program. The books are actually bought and paid for by the non-Adventist buyer. (2) Books sold by this method represent sales in addition to those to our own people, thus making possible larger printing runs and helping to keep costs and prices in line. (3) When a per son buys a book by choice, he is more likely to value it and read it. When he receives it free, he may have his guard up, and treat the book as religious propaganda in which he is not interested. (4) We can reach an audience almost untouched by the literature evangelist. There would be little overlapping. Books sold through direct mail, advertisements in magazines and newspapers, and bookstores, can enter high-rise apartments and luxury homes. They can reach the rich and the educated, not merely the hewers of wood and drawers of water. (5) We will improve the quality of what we publish, because as we enter a more competitive market, we will need to produce a top-notch product. And capable Adventist writers now indifferent about writing for Adventist publishers because of our restricted distribution will come alive and do their best. (At present SDA's number only 1/540 of the population of North America.)
In other words, I propose that we put evangelism back into our entire trade-book program, as it was in the early days with our publications. There is a tendency when our publishing loses its evangelistic urgency to put out almost anything that will sell. Thus we pour forth streams of books on trivial subjects. We need to remind our selves that God did not raise up the Advent Movement to publish books on squirrels, raccoons, skunks, owls, and polar bears.
Surely it is time that we as a denomination bring our trade-book program hastily out of the dungeon, lift up its head, give it a shave and change of raiment, put a gold chain about its neck, and make it ride in Pharaoh's chariot into the public consciousness.
What do our non-Adventist friends say about our books on those infrequent occasions when we allow them to get their hands on one?
Eternity Magazine spoke thus of Wonders of Creation by Harold W. Clark: "A beautifully designed and produced science primer that will fascinate adults as well as science-minded kids. It adopts the strong creationist view of the Seventh-day Adventists who published it. Like the Moody Institute of Science films, it causes you to reflect on the goodness and greatness of God. A worth-while addition to any home library."
Christianity Today described the same book as "essays that show the marvels and mysteries of a creation viewed as the handiwork of God. With fine photography. Delightful and informative reading."
About Mind If I Smoke? by Harold Shryock, the Baptist Standard said, "The author is professor of anatomy at Loma Linda University. In sixteen chapters he deals with such matters as the effect of smoking on brain power, physical endurance, length of life, heart disease, lung cancer, and the newborn child. . . . Every doctor, minister, and library should have it."
On Baptism Through the Centuries, by Henry F. Brown, Church History had this to say: "Archaeology . . . has confirmed faith for many in the validity of particular Christian beliefs. This book is in a very real sense another contribution to this body of literature. The author has traced the history of the rite of baptism from pre-Christian times through the early centuries of the Christian church, drawing freely upon literary and archaeological data. . . .
"The conclusions drawn in the book indicate a strong support of believers' baptism by immersion."
On Breakthrough: A Public Relations Guide for Your Church, by Howard Weeks, Christianity Today says, "Although directed primarily to Seventh-day Adventists, his principles have wide applicability. The book is highly readable, down to earth, and packed full of illustrations and practical suggestions.
"The fact that the book is a product of Seventh-day Adventists is in itself a commendable feature. . . . [Weeks] has given us the most thorough and practical guide to church public relations available."
The tragedy is, that after these non-Adventist friends of ours say such nice things about our books, we don't make the books available where many can buy them. There are always a few persistent souls so deter mined to have an Adventist book that they will hear of it somehow and order one directly or through their own book stores. So our little candle does flicker along, but hardly enough to lighten the whole earth with the glory of God. The experiments I refer to above have been small, sporadic affairs, not systematic, thorough, authorized programs. But most of the attempts have been successful enough to prove people will buy SDA books. Now we need competent, professional advertising to expand and follow through with the small efforts already be gun.
I wish all of us would read three chapters in Life Sketches: "Broader Plans," "Into All the World," and "Circulating the Printed Page." I can't quote all this wonderful material here, but here are examples:
" 'The press is a powerful means to move the minds and hearts of the people. The men of this world seize the press, and make the most of every opportunity to get poisonous literature before the people. If men, under the influence of the spirit of the world and of Satan, are earnest to circulate books, tracts, and papers of a corrupting nature, we should be more earnest to get reading matter of an elevating and saving character before the people. . . . Tracts, papers, and books, as the case demands, should be circulated in all the cities and villages in the land.' " Page 217.
Here's another: " 'There has been too great fear of venturing. True faith is not presumption, but it ventures much. Precious light and powerful truth need to be brought out in publications without delay.'" -Page 218.
On page 208 she tells of an angel messenger who came into a council and said, " 'You are entertaining too limited ideas of the work for this time. You are trying to plan the work so that you can embrace it in your arms. You must take broader views. Your light must not be put under a bushel or under a bed, but on a candle stick, that it may give light to all that are in the house. Your house is the world.' " Pages 208, 209.
"I deeply feel the necessity of our making more thorough and earnest efforts to bring the truth before the world. In the last vision given me, I was shown that we were not doing one twentieth part of the work we should for the salvation of souls. We labor for them indifferently, as though it was not a question of very great importance whether they received or rejected the truth. . . . We hold too much at a distance those who do not believe the truth." Page 211.
"I have been shown that the press is powerful for good or evil. This agency can reach and influence the public mind as no other means can. The press, controlled by men who are sanctified to God, can be a power indeed for good in bringing men to the knowledge of the truth. . . . The pen, dipped in the fountain of pure truth, can send the beams of light to dark corners of the earth, which will reflect its rays back, adding new power, and giving in creased light to be scattered everywhere." Page 214.
Now, if you are still with me, you will have observed that I am not neutral on this subject. I am a partisan. I believe Adventist books should be sold in large numbers to the public by every means possible, not just the few ways we have used for many years.
I have written this article by request of the editor of THE MINISTRY. But the editor is a fair-minded man, who will consider arguments on both sides. If some of you oppose the above proposals, by all means "bring forth your strong reasons" and write a rebuttal.
Until I read such a rebuttal and it must be an exceeding great, notable one with at least four heads and ten horns I shall continue to ask---
Shall we continue being satisfied with the "status quo"? Or shall we launch out into the deep, as fishers of all sorts and conditions of men?
Why, brethren, is the Seventh-day Adventist Church, in the year 1970, content with an invisible press?
