Caring for Words in a Culture of Lies
Marilyn Chandler McEntyre (Eerdmans)
These were recent “Stone Lectures” at Princeton Theological Seminary (famous for being in the heritage of Abraham Kuyper) asking what it means to be stewards of words, to care about using language well, to resist spin and hype and prosaic or boring use of words, written or spoken. This is great reading for anyone, of course, but particularly inspiring for those who create advertising, doing marketing, or draft public relations documents. Beautiful and challenging and wise.

Authentic Communication: Christian Speech Engaging Culture
Tim Muehlhoff & Todd V. Lewis (IVP Academic)
Part of the rigorous “Christian Worldview Integration Series,” these are two thoughtful communications specialists asking fundamental questions about the human capacity to communicate and how that can reform how we think about culture, business, media, publicity, human relations and the like.

Changing Signs of Truth: A Christian Introduction to the Semiotics of Communication
Crystal L. Downing (IVP Academics)
Semiotics may be seen as an arcane sub-category of philosophy, although, in the hands of this lively Christian thinker, it becomes clear that this is urgent foundational stuff for anyone in media work, marketing or communications. Hold on, as Dr. Downing guides us into provocative considerations of the meanings of signs and symbols in our postmodern age.

Conscious Marketing: How to Create an Awesome Business with a New Approach to Marketing
Carolyn Tate (Wiley)
This significant new work shows how the marketing industry is broken, and how consumers seems to be skeptical of the manipulating forces of social media and aggressive advertising. This makes a careful case (not necessarily from a Christian perspective) that a paradigm shift can helps us enhance human flourishing as we are “conscious” about what is wrong with marketing, what customers really most need, and how to market with integrity. Intriguing, with an actionable plan to shift from conventional to slower, more “conscious” marketing. The author founded The Slow School of Business (Australia) which, she says, is dedicated to helping companies build purpose-driven businesses that make the world a better place.

* These reviews are from a friend of Trinity, Byron Borger. Visit Hearts and Minds Books.