These young writers come from Perth, Alice Springs, Hobart, Melbourne, Sydney, Central Coast, Newcastle, Tweed Heads, Gold Coast, Brisbane, Sunshine Coast and Mackay to name most centres.
Mark Tronson explains to these young writers, from top young scientists, to medical practitioners, bank managers, home makers, school teachers, school chaplains, missionaries, professionals and others; that "Comment writing" is not the same as preaching.
The editing process for these comment articles is three fold. The very first article is sent to an editor who works on them and details why the original wording or logic or philosophy or history or English needs additional work.
These "notes" for a two page original article can be very extensive running into pages with references, detailed opinions and even suggested rewritten sections. The singular purpose of this initial major edit is to provide these young writers a deeper understanding on what they are trying to achieve. Sometimes its rough going for the young writer to read where their "long-worked-over" original wording was misleading, inaccurate or that ignorance reigned supreme.
For further articles, either Mark Tronson or in-house journalism graduate Rosie Timmins edits their articles to ensure they read well, that they breach no copyright, they defame no one and importantly, their logic and philosophy is not wayward. Sometimes even their theology needs a little help along. In this case, they may be sent to one of Mark's colleagues for extra analysis or opinion.
Each young writer writes one article per month on their own chosen subject. Comment writing is not the place for knee-jerk emotional responses, and each writer develops their own methodology to ensure they present careful and thoughtful analysis of complex and often difficult social and intellectual issues.
From time to time the initial editor or Mark Tronson himself has rejected an article in their original form and has worked hard to re-write in such a way that it displays both the original intent with logic. Nothing puts a reader more off than silly nonsensical and amateurish presentations.
Recently he sent a Comment article to all his young writers by Dr Brian Rosner who is a New Testament scholar and a Fellow of the Centre for Public Christianity who wrote the following column in the Sydney Morning Herald.
In it Dr Rosner sets forth an argument in favour of the idea that belief in God gives students an advantage over another writer's opposite view. The primary purpose in sending them this article was to illustrate how this Christian academic put a case together to argue his point.
It is interesting to note that Peter FitzSimons (to whom Rosner was replying) felt a need to answer Rosner's argument with another well-reasoned case taking the opposite view.
Allowing the young writers to read how people with different views can express themselves in good "Plain English", and can be polite to each other (playing the 'ball' and not the 'man') can only help them in enhancing their own burgeoning craft.
Mark Tronson hopes that analysis of this type of argument will make an interesting discussion and perhaps debate at the next annual mini-conference, where these young people can get together to share their passion and experiences in writing about how Christianity influences and affects their everyday lives.
A compilation of their articles can be read on the PSI web site
The Christian Today Australia web site can be viewed here which hosts one young Comment writer each week day.