Issues Writing That Matters

Issues Writing That Matters
Friday, October 28, 2016 by Bill Watkins

Americans are divided over a host of issues, including immigration, terrorism and security, race, religious liberty, government control vs. civil liberties, free speech vs. political correctness, gun rights vs. gun control, abortion, euthanasia, different conceptions of marriage and family, American history, and intelligent design vs. naturalistic evolution.

Within the American church, Christians are also divided over the social issues already mentioned as well as over divorce and remarriage, LGBT individuals and couples, the role of women in the church, the nature of God, competing religions, the nature and purpose of human beings, the nature of truth and ethics, ecumenism and further church divisions, and the growing social marginalization of Christians.

Today’s issues are many, complex, and certainly divisive. They also provide unique opportunities for Christian writers to speak into them in a way that demonstrates the relevance of Jesus Christ, his church, and Christian teaching and practice.

The problem is that just a handful of Christian writers know how to speak to today’s issues so that even those individuals who disagree with them take them seriously and are even sometimes influenced by them. Issues writing isn’t for everyone, but if you have that as an interest, you need to learn how to write about issues in ways that will be beneficial and effective, in ways that can and will lead to positive change.

I have learned how to do this, and I want to show you how you can too in my class, Issues Writing that Matters.

Along with writing my own articles, reviews, and books on a wide variety of issues, I have helped numerous writers address issues found inside and outside the church. Among these writers are social commentators Mike Huckabee (also the former governor of Arkansas) and William Bennett (also the former U.S. Secretary of Education); speakers and apologists Josh McDowell and Norman L. Geisler; counselors Leslie Vernick, Paula Rinehart, and Pam Vredevelt; philosophers J. P. Moreland, Dallas Willard, and Gary Habermas; and attorneys Jay Alan Sekulow and Keith A. Fournier.

Christian writers can influence church and culture through their writings. I will show you how.

What are some issues you would like to write about but need help doing so for maximum effect? Leave a comment!

Bill Watkins is the president of Literary Solutions and the senior editor at BroadStreet Publishing Group. A long-time writer, editor, mentor, consultant, teacher, and speaker, Bill is the author of seven books, twenty-five study guides, and about 180 other pieces of writing. He is a Gold Medallion Award winner, and his book The New Absolutes was rated among the “Best of the Best” for 1995–1999 by the Conservative Book Club. He is married and has seven adult children and six grandchildren. He enjoys reading, movies, deep conversations, dating his wife, playing with his grandkids, and teaching every chance he gets.