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-====== Why Publishing? ======
-===== Introduction =====
-Why should we publish? The short answer is because God has told us to, and this work will be successful!
-> Human power did not establish the work of God, neither can human power destroy it. To those who carry forward His work in face of difficulty and opposition, God will give the constant guidance and guardianship of His holy angels. His work on earth will never cease.... PM 197.1
-But what about in this modern, digital age of radio, television, Internet, and social media? Isn't printing outdated?
-===== Considerations that Plead for the Establishment of Publishing Centers in Missionary Fields =====
-Let us start by reading from the book //Publishing Ministry// page 196:
-> At various points in missionary lands publishing houses must be established. To give character to the work, to be centers of effort and influence, to attract the attention of the people, to develop the talents and capabilities of the believers, to unify the new churches, and to second the efforts of the workers, giving them facilities for more ready communication with the churches and more rapid dissemination of the message—all these and many other considerations plead for the establishment of publishing centers in missionary fields. PM 196.2
-Now, let us break this paragraph down and analyze it point by point.
-==== To give character to the work... ====
-  * When a publishing center is established close to a community, that community tends to feel more ownership of the publishing center, and it seems more relevant to them than if it was a publishing center in a distant country.
-  * Establishing a local publishing center encourages production of material that is adapted to the culture and needs of the local population.
-  * A publishing center allows a community to access materials and information where otherwise these materials would not be available.
-==== ...to be centers of effort and influence... ====
-  * Availability of printed materials on health, education, and other Bible study topics significantly helps the efforts of the church members.
-  * Printed material also boosts the influence of the church members. Literature can go where the preacher cannot go. Literature allows the receiver to study the message of truth rather than to quickly forget what was said. When the receiver can confirm for himself the message of truth in the Bible, it encourages trust of the member.
-==== ...to attract the attention of the people... ====
-  * Anywhere I have been so far in Africa, literature attracts attention. There is so little literature available to the population that when it is available, people may in some cases literally fight over it to get a copy.
-  * A simple illustration on the cover of a tract or a catchy title relative to a current issue is often enough to grab somebody's attention and lead them to read the tract.
-  * As I hand out tracts to people, they often stop right where they are to see what it says. One motorbike driver stopped his motorbike in the middle of the road and remained motionless until he finished reading the tract. Then he carefully folded it, put it in his pocket, and drove away. I once saw a man walking a  distance of 18km between villages; as he walked, he was reading a copy of The Great Controversy.
-==== ...to develop the talents and capabilities of the believers... ====
-  * Church members can get involved in various aspects of publishing including writing, editing, graphic design, printing, and distribution. As they use their talents for the Lord in His work, He will bless them.
-  * As their talents grow, the believers' capabilities grow and they become more useful in the work.
-==== ...to unify the new churches... ====
-  * When we are busy doing a work for the Lord, our minds are focused on Him and not on picking at each others' faults. As members work together for the Lord, they grow closer to the Lord and to each other.
-  * New members should be given a work to do. One of the activities they can do is to get involved in publishing.
-==== ...to second the efforts of the workers, giving them facilities for more ready communication with the   * churches and more rapid dissemination of the message... ====
-  * Every pioneer worker should have access to plenty of publications for distribution.
-  * Publishing and distributing a magazine of testimonies, stories, counsel, and enriching Bible studies would encourage members and give them opportunities to train themselves for better service to God.
-===== Other Considerations =====
-==== Strengthen the church ====
-===== Resistant to Electronic Restrictions =====
-God has blessed mankind with amazing intelligence to create technology that is truly amazing. Technology such as radio, television, Internet, and social media may all be used effectively in God's work at times and in certain places.
-But this is not the case everywhere. Man often attempts to restrict our God-given freedom of speech. What is easy to post, is also easy to remove at the flip of a switch. At times, the Internet itself may be shut down entirely for various reasons, effectively blocking all access.
-==== Digital Formats are Vulnerable ====
-=== Censorship and content filtering ===
-Many countries restrict religious materials on the Internet. They may require certain Internet service providers to block access to certain sites or topics. Some websites are not accessible from certain countries.
-Another technique commonly used is filtering content so that certain words or pages do not show up in search engine results.
-=== Social Media ===
-A social media platform can simply classify your post as hate speech or otherwise an "unapproved" category, and they can block your post or shut down your account. According to some policies, many Bible verses classify as "hate speech" or "extremest" ideology.
-=== Hacking and cyberattacks ===
-Enemies of the truth can launch cyberattacks to cripple or hobble a website that is presenting truths.
-=== Dependent on Electricity ===
-Your phone is a great place to read Spirit of Prophecy books... until the Internet shuts down. If you are lucky enough to have downloaded the books offline, you're set for a while. Until you drop your phone and the screen cracks. Or until a disaster comes and shuts off the electricity. Now you can't charge or turn on your device.
-==== Paper Formats Can't be Censored ====
-Once a book is printed, it can't be censored, or content filtered. Social media has no access to classify it as hate speech and tear out the page it doesn't like. It is impossible to hack through the network. A book or tract is readable without electricity and doesn't need to be charged.