Author Feature & Interview Steve Bell

Steve Bell is an internationally recognised communicator, speaker, writer and consultant. He has forty years’ experience in cross-cultural issues in more than 120 countries. Steve’s passion is to facilitate effective interaction between Christians and Muslims.

Steve, why did you decide to write Mountains Move? Because the negative narrative about all minorities seems to have increased again in Western society.

What is the significance of this title? The invisible barriers between groups within Western society are every bit as effective as a geographical mountain range, which can divide nations from one another.

Who have you written this book for? Primarily for all concerned and fair-minded people, whether part of a faith community or not. It is also aimed at Christian leaders, organisations, and places of training, to help ‘the church’ become savvy about the effects of history on our assumptions today, how society works today, and where the PC social landmines are buried.

Why did you choose the particular ‘mountains’ to look at? I chose the seven issues as seminal to all current issues swirling around in society at the moment. The chosen order of the mountains is intentionally presented to show chronological order and the sequential link, e.g. the ‘colonial’ era led to ‘hegemony’, which led to an ‘ethnic pecking order’. Against the backdrop of these mountains comes the more recent and contemporary issues which are stirring the pot; namely the influence of ‘political correctness’ (and woke cancel-culture), a resurgence in ‘strident social discourse’ (over issues such as race, gender and immigration), then the threat of ‘dangerous religion’ and the apparent crisis in organised religion in the house of Islam in particular.

What was the most challenging element of writing the book? The conveying of such a broad spread of issues, which people often assume are not linked, and how to show simply and briefly what they are. Also, because I have talked about the divergent views about Muslims/Islam, and whether Christians can in fact balance ‘grace’ and ‘truth’ in their interaction with Muslims, I had to work hard to try to help both ends of the spectrum to keep reading.

Have you learnt anything new while writing this book? My biggest takeaway is perhaps how ‘western’ and culturally restricted we are in our worldview and theological assumptions. Also, how amazing it is that God is doing what He is, amidst such a minefield both politically and theologically.

What do you hope readers will most get out of reading this book? Inspiration that the Lord of history is indeed at work in a turbulent and messy world.

Want to know more? Read the full interview on our blog!

NEW

Mountains Move: Achieving Social Cohesion in a Multi-Cultural Society Society is made up of various cultural groups trying to live together. We aim for social cohesion, but how do we do this as society becomes increasingly complex, aided and abetted by political correctness? Steve Bell peels back the complex layers of our multi-cultural society to reveal the inner workings of our national life. Using the metaphor of a mountain range, he identifies the major obstacles to meaningful and mutually respectful interaction between Christians and Muslims and encourages intelligent Christian engagement with western culture. It seems mountains can move, but only when grace and truth are involved in all spheres of society, as fair-minded people of all faiths and none, learn to model the necessary attitude and actions.

Pb | 240 pgs | AUTHENTIC MEDIA REF 4726 RRP £12.99 Aslan £10.99