At the Social Witness booth in the exhibit hall of Big Tent in Indianapolis, Presbyterians are coming by to weigh in on naming the new Church & Society Internet journal set to debut in September. “The younger generation wants to do outreach with integrity” says Christian Iosso, coordinator of the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy (ACSWP).
“In short, they want justice and Jesus together.”
Iosso expects the new journal about justice and Jesus to be an open source of Christian conversation for the next generation, in both the church and world. Patrick Heery, a recent graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary, has been hired as new managing editor.
“We want the church to help us create this new justice journal,” says Heery. “What better way to start than with the name?”
Name suggestions can be sent to the ACSWP through this link. Some that have come in via the Web include a John the Baptist image, Ax to the Root, and simply Justice Matters.
What’s in a name? Consider this. When it started in 1908, Church and Society’s name was The Amethyst.
“The story is the Greeks believed this gem helped cure addictions like unending thirst,” Iosso said, hence that first name spoke to the temperance movement in the church.
Ensuing names were Moral Welfare and Social Progress. Church & Society was in print until 2006.
What is a name that will ring true in cyberspace? Quoting Matthew 23:23, Iosso said, “We want to lift up ― and ‘not neglect the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy and faith.’ When the church takes a stand on these principles, social ministry is encouraged, which is our hope for this new (and re-newed!) journal.”
Paul Seebeck is a communications associate working in the Evangelism and Church Growth Ministries area. He is doing general assignment reporting at Big Tent for PNS.
