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	July 2003
		RetroFuture - Rediscovering our roots, recharting our routes Review from Institute of Contemporary Christian Leadership (ICCL) St Hilary's, Kew
			RetroFuture - Rediscovering our roots, recharting our routes. by Gerard Kelly. 237 pages ISBN: 0-8308-2264-X Themes - Cultural critique; Current issues; Gospel and culture. RetroFuture is an excellent and very hip contemporary cultural analysis. 'Old certainties are being replaced by a tangle of choices and mind-numbing chaos. The future overtakes every area of our lives with intense social change. Technology is leading us into cyberspace. Electronic media threaten to turn books into historical artefacts. Post-modernism is eroding the basic idea of truth. The political world oscillates between imperialism and tribalism. Spiritual hunger is growing &endash; but new generations reject Christian answers in favour of alternative spiritualities. RetroFuture explores the bewildering complexity of life today and the responses it demands from us. How do we gain a foothold in this new cultural landscape? Where can we find the personal and social resources to outfit our journey into the future? How can we take with us the very best of past experience? Culture demands that we re-route. Survival demands that we re-root. No intelligent Christian leader can avoid these issues. And for those who want to understand how the new generations are receiving &endash; or rejecting &endash; the gospel, this book is essential reading. Vibrant and engaging, Gerard Kelly proves himself an insightful observer of post-modern culture and a compelling guide who dares to step forward to embrace the new and emerging opportunities for Christian life and witness'. The 5 'posts' Dr Alison Morgan of Holy Trinity Church, Leicester in the UK, says the book is an 'excellent, mind-boggling introduction to where culture is going &endash;a sketch of a hi-tech future and its implications with a plethora of references and quotes. Easy to read, too.' She has summarised the content of Gerard Kelly's book and particularly what he significantly describes as the five 'posts' of generation X (post-industrial technology; post-literate communications; the post-modern worldview; the post-imperial world order and post-Christian spirituality). Gerard Kelly seminars in Hobart and Launceston 'Retrofuture' - get a grip on the future without losing your hold on the past Make the most of the opportunity to hear an outstanding communicator and 'mission practitioner' on Monday July 28 at Tabor College, Hobart. & Tuesday July 29 at Church of Christ, Launceston. These seminars will be of great interest to all who want to minister effectively in a time of transition. See details in this issue.