自从1849年复临信徒出版工作开始以来，我们已发行了亿万册书刊杂志。这些书刊大部分是由文字布道士和有传道心志的平信徒送到愿意接受的人家中。
在写此文时，已有几乎二万文字布道士在世界各地服务，但这个数字远不能满足需要。上帝呼召让充满信息的书刊杂志，象秋天的落叶那样散布各地。当教友们与文字布道士一起传扬福音时，这项任务就将完成。
怀爱伦说：“我们出版社发行的书刊，要预备一班人迎接上帝。这些书刊在世界各地所作的工作，正如古时施洗约翰为犹太国所作的工作一样。那时上帝的先知宣传惊人的警告信息，使世人从世俗的迷梦中惊醒。上帝藉着他呼唤背道的以色列人悔改。他所传扬的真理，揭露了当时的谬论。他的教训把真理表现为永远可靠的，与当时虚妄的理论截然相反。约翰的信息是：‘天国近了，你们应当悔改’(太3：2)。这同样的信息也要藉着我们出版社所发行的书刊传给今日的世界。……
“‘那另一位有大权柄的天使从天降下’(启18:1)，使地因他的荣耀发光，他的工作大部分要由我们的出版社来完成。”——《教会证言》卷七139，140页
在发出以上勉言的那一年(1902年)，出了一本73页的袖珍小册子《书报员手册》，编集怀爱伦关于书刊销售工作的勉言，提供给文字布道士。该书内容是在作者指导下，从《证言》及其他来源辑集而成。1920年该书扩版定名为《文字布道士》。
随着怀爱伦庞大著作更加全面的索引编制成功，就有可能对这本手册的内容进行扩大和补充。目前扩大版的文字布道士手册于1953年出版，定名为《书报员工作》，计176页。这本书眉目清楚，使用方便。可是正如其书名所示，该书几乎仅限于书报员工作方面勉言。
同时，怀爱伦对于作家的勉言编集为《给作者和编辑的勉言》，于1939年出版。
可是上述两本书没有涉及出版工作的若干重要方面，其中包括出版社的建立，经营，管理等。而这本《文字布道论》则包括这方面的内容，以及有关整个出版工作的勉言。
怀爱伦著作托管委员会和全球总会出版部从众多怀爱伦已出版和未出版的著作中搜集了材料编成本书。所选的材料清楚地显示了上天对于教会这一重要工作的计划。我们祈愿《论出版工作》成为一切蒙召用文字宣扬救恩佳音之人有用的指南。
怀爱伦著作托管委员会
1983年1月1日
于美国首都华盛顿
SINCE THE BEGINNING OF ADVENTIST PUBLISHING WORK IN 1849, BILLIONS OF COPIES OF OUR BOOKS AND MAGAZINES HAVE BEEN DISTRIBUTED. FOR THE MOST PART THESE PUBLICATIONS HAVE BEEN PLACED IN THE HOMES OF JUDGMENT-BOUND MEN AND WOMEN BY LITERATURE EVANGELISTS AND MISSIONARY-MINDED LAY PERSONS.[1]
AT THIS WRITING NEARLY TWENTY THOUSAND COLPORTEURS ARE IN SERVICE THROUGHOUT THE WORLD, BUT THIS NUMBER IS FAR FROM ADEQUATE TO MEET THE NEED. GOD CALLS FOR MESSAGE-FILLED BOOKS, MAGAZINES, AND TRACTS TO BE SCATTERED EVERYWHERE LIKE THE LEAVES OF AUTUMN. AS CHURCH MEMBERS UNITE WITH LITERATURE EVANGELISTS IN SPREADING THE GOOD NEWS, THE TASK WILL BE ACCOMPLISHED.[2]
ELLEN WHITE DECLARED:"THE PUBLICATIONS SENT FORTH FROM OUR PRINTING HOUSES ARE TO PREPARE A PEOPLE TO MEET GOD. THROUGHOUT THE WORLD THEY ARE TO DO THE SAME WORK THAT WAS DONE BY JOHN THE BAPTIST FOR THE JEWISH NATION. BY STARTLING MESSAGES OF WARNING, GOD'S PROPHET AWAKENED MEN FROM WORLDLY DREAMING. THROUGH HIM GOD CALLED BACKSLIDING ISRAEL TO REPENTANCE. BY HIS PRESENTATION OF TRUTH HE EXPOSED POPULAR DELUSIONS. IN CONTRAST WITH THE FALSE THEORIES OF HIS TIME, TRUTH IN HIS TEACHING STOOD FORTH AS AN ETERNAL CERTAINTY. "REPENT YE: FOR THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS AT HAND," WAS JOHN'S MESSAGE. MATTHEW 3:2. THIS SAME MESSAGE, THROUGH THE PUBLICATIONS FROM OUR PRINTING HOUSES, IS TO BE GIVEN TO THE WORLD TODAY. . . .[3]
IN A LARGE DEGREE THROUGH OUR PUBLISHING IS TO BE ACCOMPLISHED THE WORK OF THAT OTHER ANGEL [OF REVELATION 18] WHO COMES DOWN FROM HEAVEN WITH GREAT POWER AND WHO LIGHTENS THE EARTH WITH HIS GLORY.--7T 139, 140.[4]
IN THE YEAR IN WHICH THESE ADMONITIONS WERE GIVEN (1902), A POCKET-SIZED BOOK OF SEVENTY-THREE PAGES, MANUAL FOR CANVASSERS, PROVIDED LITERATURE EVANGELISTS WITH ELLEN WHITE'S COUNSELS CONCERNING BOOK DISTRIBUTION. IT WAS MADE UP OF MATERIALS DRAWN TOGETHER, UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE AUTHOR, FROM THE TESTIMONIES AND OTHER SOURCES. IN 1920 THIS LITTLE BOOK WAS ENLARGED AND ISSUED AS COLPORTEUR EVANGELIST.[5]
WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF MORE COMPREHENSIVE INDEXES TO THE VOLUMINOUS WRITINGS OF ELLEN WHITE, IT BECAME POSSIBLE TO EXPAND AND ENRICH THIS MANUAL. THE PRESENT ENLARGED GUIDE TO LITERATURE EVANGELISTS WAS PUBLISHED IN 1953 UNDER THE TITLE COLPORTEUR MINISTRY, A WORK OF 176 PAGES. WITH SUBJECT MATTER CONVENIENTLY ARRANGED IN TOPICAL ORDER, IT SERVES WELL, BUT AS THE NAME IMPLIES, ITS COUNSELS ARE CONFINED ALMOST ENTIRELY TO THE WORK OF THE COLPORTEUR.[6]
MEANWHILE, ELLEN WHITE'S COUNSELS TO AUTHORS WERE DRAWN TOGETHER AND PUBLISHED UNDER THE TITLE COUNSELS TO WRITERS AND EDITORS. INITIALLY ISSUED IN 1939 IN A LIMITED EDITION, THIS VOLUME BECAME AVAILABLE GENERALLY AS A STANDARD E. G. WHITE BOOK IN 1946.[7]
BUT SEVERAL AREAS OF VITAL CONCERN TO THE PUBLISHING MINISTRY WERE NOT TREATED IN EITHER OF THESE TWO SPECIALIZED VOLUMES. ONE SUCH MATTER WAS THE ESTABLISHMENT, OPERATION, AND MANAGEMENT OF PUBLISHING HOUSES. THE PRESENT VOLUME COVERS THIS AREA AND ALSO INCLUDES COUNSELS ON THE PUBLISHING WORK AS A WHOLE.[8]
THE WHITE ESTATE STAFF HAS BEEN JOINED BY THE PERSONNEL OF THE GENERAL CONFERENCE PUBLISHING DEPARTMENT IN A WIDE SEARCH IN ALL E. G. WHITE SOURCES, PUBLISHED AND UNPUBLISHED, FOR MATERIALS TO DEVELOP THE PRESENT VOLUME. THE COUNSELS SELECTED LAY OUT QUITE CLEARLY HEAVEN'S DESIGN FOR THIS VITAL ARM OF THE CHURCH. THAT THE PUBLISHING MINISTRY MAY BE A USEFUL GUIDE TO ALL WHO ARE CALLED TO PROCLAIM THE GLAD TIDINGS OF SALVATION THROUGH THE PRINTED PAGE IS THE SINCERE WISH OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE ELLEN G. WHITE ESTATE WASHINGTON, D. C. JANUARY 1, 1983[9]
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