Students and faculty came out to Calvary Chapel Thursday night for the official book release of Timothy Muehlhoff’s “Authentic Communication.” The event, sponsored by Biola’s apologetics department, was a one-night seminar complete with mini lectures and a panel for question and answer time. The panel consisted of well-known members of the Biola community including J.P. Moreland, Rick Langer, Jonathan Lunde, Paul Spears, Craig Hazen, Dorothy Calley, Todd Lewis, and Muehlhoff.
Muehlhoff is an associate professor of communication at Biola, author, and marriage conference speaker and co-authored the book with professor Todd Lewis.
Book is latest addition to Moreland’s series
“Authentic Communication” is the fourth of nine books in the series, “Christian Worldview Integration,” edited by J.P. Moreland and Francis Beckwith and published by InterVarsity Press.
“Four years ago, God told me he wanted me to edit and publish this series,” said Moreland. “This book is a fulfillment of God’s promise to me.”
The entire series, intended first as junior- and senior-level college textbooks, is a call to integrate biblical principles with various academic fields to impact the world for Christ and His Kingdom.
“If you want to respond faithfully to postmodern messages in ways that demonstrate your commitment to biblical truths and respect for others, then this book will serve you and those around you well,” said Robert Woods Jr. in the first pages of “Authentic Communication. “This book is a reminder that Scripture treats words, and our use of them, very seriously.”
“Authentic Communication” highlights the apostle Paul’s use of persuasion in his epistles, and the counter-intuitive response of Christians to persecution. Muehlhoff and Lewis explore both understanding and applying the components of communication to the Christian life.
Book written for college students
Muehlhoff and Lewis acknowledge college students as their audience in the second line of the preface: “Life’s short and we’re all busy. If you’re a college student, you’re really busy.”
Yet, integration, integrity, and authenticity must remain central for Biola students.
“We must show our Scriptures not to be in conflict with whatever [our critics] can demonstrate about the nature of things from reliable sources,” said Augustine regarding the importance of integration.
Author’s other works
Muehlhoff’s other works include the “The God Conversation: Using Stories and Illustrations to Explain your Faith,” co-authored with JP Moreland, and the not yet released “Marriage Forecasting: Changing the Climate of your Relationship One Conversation at a Time.”
He has also written articles in various online and printed journals, centered on the themes of marriage, family and communication.
