Reviewed by Sam Akpe
This book has six chapters, arranged across 82 pages— from the title page to the index page. Aside from copious citations from relevant articles and chapters of the Holy Bible, the reference page has less than ten cited authorities. The book itself is uncommonly entitled:
Christian Relations.
There is something unconventional about the subject of this book: Christian relations. It sounds not just new, but unusual, unheard-of—a coinage with no verifiable roots in scholarly history. If Christianity were a product or an industry, perhaps,
this would be a logical concept. The
eccentricity is heightened the more by the deliberate use of relations, not relationship.
Across the world, the term public relations, is an established phrase that defines and explains certain deliberate efforts by people versed in communication business to create mutually benefitting networks between institutions and their various publics. Within corporate organisations, public relations is a managerial function.
While public relations, as a discipline, has a lot to do with inter-relationship and image creation, management, and sustenance, industrial relations, which is another specialised area of corporate relationships, is about the connection between employers of labour and the labourers or employees.
A thin line separates the two concepts: in public relations, the focus is principally on the connection between an organisation and its various publics, while industrial relations is about the rapport between employers and employees and covers issues of wage determination, operational conditions and such other factors that ensure harmony in a workplace.
Christian relations is a new branch of study that may be generating interests but expectedly lacking in straight academic or hands-on definition. Since I got a copy of this book out of curiosity, I have tried to figure out either a hypothetical, hands-on, or conventional meaning of the concept. I am yet to reach an acceptable conclusion.
The truth however is that what a professor of communication cannot explain in simple understandable terms hardly exist. Nkereuwen Udoakah is a journalist of the old breed. Decades ago, he left the newsroom for the classroom. With a chain of scholastic degrees from Ghana and Britain, he rose to become a professor—and has produced several other professors.
With specialty in political communication and media studies, Professor Udoakah has been a visiting scholar to the University of Sheffield in the UK, and was in 2005 nominated by the World Press Institute for training in Transparency Reporting at the University of Minnesota Journalism Centre. He is the author of Christian Relations, plus other brain-turning books and research articles on journalism.
It does not require any extraordinary sense to observe that none of Professor Udoakah’s academic laurels qualifies him to dabble into spiritual matters, except that beyond formal scholarly exploit, he is a spiritually regenerated person. The professor is reputed as the pioneer minister of the Church of Christ Community at the University of Uyo.
He traces the history of Christian relations to the time when Jesus Christ was physically present on earth, regretting that despite its importance, the subject is yet to earn any recognition as an academic discipline.
Udoakah describes his book as a spiritually-inspired academic journey into God’s mind for a peaceful coexistence by humanity.
The book, Christian Relations is basically about how Christians should develop, sustain, demonstrate, and serve as public conscience with the expected possibility of setting the tone for moral decency in the society. The book underlines the necessity for every practitioner of Christianity to demonstrate rudimentary principled character towards one another.
It lays bare the need for Christians to create a deliberate, enduring, bible-based attitude that is morally and spiritually right. The author sees Christian relations as being more of a lifestyle that puts morality and ethics above all else—a lifestyle that would make even those who have never studied the Bible to appreciate the doctrines of Christianity.
Expectedly, the book cites communication as the major tool of Christian relations. This goes beyond talking. It embodies symbols, codes, and languages. Beyond symbols which could be metaphorical, codes comprise verbal and non-verbal signals. The author states authoritatively that non-verbal codes which include the way Christians dress, their body movements, use of time, among others, communicate beliefs extensively.
Christian relations as a concept emphasises behaviours or body language that portrays or add value to the Christian doctrines in line with societal expectations.
Either in verbal or non-verbal message transmission, it demands the willingness to explain God’s word, repeat advice, and encourage people.
From the analysis of issues and conclusions drawn, Christian relations as a behavioural concept, draws its inputs from both public relations and industrial relations principles. It emphasises Christ-like attitudes in dealings both with the external and internal publics of the church.
The concept therefore is an inter-section between public and industrial relations.
For instance, the book discusses the expectations of the external publics which comprise different layers of believers but principally the unbelievers. In his opinion, the author sees Christian relations as divinely-guided public relations policy that must be conducted in a manner that causes the unbelievers to yearn for things of the kingdom.
As an industrial relations belief, the book presents Christian relations as a leadership and communication attitude that does not seek to rule, but to lead. It believes that every church leader should first see himself as a steward who is positioned to attend to the people, and not a ruler who demands complete loyalty and subordination without consideration for the Christlike attitude of stewardship which the scripture promotes.
The book goes beyond Christian virtues of morality and ethics in depicting Christ-like thoughts to focus on specific purposes, limitations and the power of public communications in the preaching of the gospel. From the differences between speaking and writing to the ethics of public speaking, the author discusses how messages should be presented to the different publics and what constitutes good speaking.
He discusses interpersonal communication as a tool in Christian relations and how it can be effectively utilised
—especially in a one-one evangelism programme, then focusses on the use of modern or the new media in effective evangelism, and how Christians can choose who to work with for maximum result.
From all indications, Professor Udoakah is trying to introduce and push a new specialised communication idea into the academic market to make-up for the gaps he must have observed among his fellow preachers of the gospel. The book seeks to answer the question of not just how the church or Christians should communicate the gospel to the people, but how the preachers must conduct themselves.
In a society that is over sensitive on religious matters, this theory, no matter its beauty and originality, comes with the possibility of a still birth. Perhaps, if the focus had covered what every other religionist should do to impart godly attitudes to the people, instead of focussing exclusively on Christianity, there would have been hope for its application as a discipline and field of study.
However, there is still some anticipation! Teachers of Christian religion in our universities might find the concept appealing and worth their attention. That again, would depend on a lot of factors. On the whole, this is a book for every Christian, especially those involved in evangelism.
Published in 2025 by the University of Uyo Printing Press, Christian Relations draws its inspiration from the Holy Bible. It brings to memory the mannerisms that made Christianity of the early days to stand out, win converts and cause King Aggripa to confess to Apostle Paul in Acts 26:28: “you almost persuaded me to become a Christian.”
