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Crest Books has announced the latest release of the national book publishing plan: He Who Laughed First, Delighting in a Holy God, by Colonel Phil Needham.
Needham, Western territorial chief secretary, questions why there are so many sour-faced saints when the Christian life is meant to be joyful. In his book he explores the secret of this enduring joy, a joy that is not found by following some list of prescriptions, but by letting God make us holy, by letting him free us to become who we are in Christ: saints. He Who Laughed First expands Tertullian’s suggestion that the Christian saint is, by definition, hilarious–so overtaken and injected with joy that he is delightful to be with and infectious with holy hilarity.
To order a copy, contact the Western Territory Supplies and Purchasing Dept., 2780 Lomita Blvd., Torrance, CA 90505-5215 phone: 1-800-937-8896
The latest edition in the series of official history of the international Salvation Army is scheduled for release in June, and will be formally launched at the International Congress in Atlanta.
Volume 8, covering the period 1977 to 1994, was written by Colonel Henry Gariepy (R), former national editor-in-chief and literary secretary for the USA, who committed four years to extensive research and writing.
A CD-ROM, inserted in the book’s back cover, enables users to access the full volume on a computer, and to use its navigational aids for word search, copying and viewing its 13 video clips of historic highlights.
Other features in this 382-page volume include more than 100 photos, 600-entry index, and several thousand page references. Deftly woven into the chronology of events are interpretive data such as the identifying of more than 30 Megatrends that emerged and reshaped the movement during this 18-year period. Profiles of Salvationist heroes and heroines enliven the text, along with the dramatic recommencements in former Communist countries of Eastern and Central Europe, and the return to Russia. Major sections are devoted to the paradigm shifts that emerged in the Army’s missionary program and its health services. The record also deals straightforwardly with issues that impacted the Army during this period.
The book and CD can be ordered through the Western Territorial Supplies and Purchasing Department in late June.