Adventist Book Centre (ABC) managers and staff from across the South Pacific celebrated the launch of Living Covenant, a new book from Signs Publishing and Adventist Record, at their ABC Seminar at Camp Howqua, near Mansfield, Victoria, from February 27 to March 4.
Adventist Record readers will have noticed the “Living Covenant” series in the magazine over the past 18 months. Like the previous Living 28 and Living Kingdom collections, this new book compiles the recent series of articles into a single volume, with added questions for personal reflection or use in small groups, youth groups and classrooms.
Written by 30 young and diverse authors from across the South Pacific and illustrated by Maryellen Hacko, Living Covenant focuses on characters of the Old Testament and their promise-keeping God.
“I’ve always been fascinated by the characters and stories of the Old Testament,” says Adventist Record editor Jarrod Stackelroth. “The stories found there form a rich tapestry of meaning that showcases the best and worst of the human condition and how we relate to God. And perhaps most importantly, how God relates to us.”
Mr Stackelroth acknowledges differing attitudes among Christians to the characters and stories of the Old Testament. While some people fail to delve deeper into these stories than the simplified versions they were told as children, others are troubled by their apparent brutality and still others dismiss Old Testament stories as irrelevant following the earthly ministry of Jesus.
“We do ourselves a disservice if we ignore the Old Testament,” says Mr Stackelroth. “Jesus Himself said He had come to fulfil what was written about Him in the First Testament. Revelation, the book so significant to Adventists, can only be understood by first grappling with Daniel and countless other Old Testament references. And the gospel writers and Paul all used Old Testament references and stories to explain and imbue new meaning into their burgeoning Christian experience. That is why we chose to explore the characters of the Old Testament, the promise-keeping God that entered into covenant with them and what we can learn to inform our own practices of faith and living well.”
ABC representatives explored these themes on the Sabbath afternoon of their program. Modelling how the book can be used, small groups read a chapter of the book together, participated in an interactive activity and discussed the reflection questions, sharing personal stories of what it means to live faithfully and to have a faithful God.
The ABC seminar also included presentations from Dr Michael Campbell, author, historian and director of Archives, Statistics and Research for the North American Division, and Dale Galusha, Pacific Press Publishing Association president, along with presentations of new books from Signs Publishing, Pacific Press and Stanborough Press. It included representatives from Adventist bookshops in Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and the Pacific.
Reflecting on the launch of Living Covenant, Signs Publishing Book Editor Nathan Brown commented, “It has been great to be able to work with the Adventist Record team on this series of books. I appreciate what Jarrod has done to invite and encourage new and younger writers to share their faith and contribute to the wider church in this way.”
Living Covenant is available now from Adventist bookshops in Australia and New Zealand and online.
