Researchers exploring the life鈥檚 work of long-time Surrey resident, author and retired journalist Lloyd Mackey will be fond of this new addition to Trinity Western University鈥檚 digital archives.
The 91原创-based Christian liberal arts university held a celebration of the 83-year-old鈥檚 body of work on March 16 on campus to launch the 鈥� a term referring to a complete collection of works from a single author.
Mackey began his journalism career as a reporter then editor of the Chilliwack Progress and was also the founding editor of BC Christian News.
鈥淚t was basically my Ottawa Watch writing that went on over 15 years in Ottawa that triggered it,鈥� Mackey said of the online archive containing several hundred weekly columns he penned from 1998 to 2013 as a member of the Canadian Parliamentary Press Gallery, of which he remains an honorary member.
鈥淚t feels like it鈥檚 possible for a lot of the stuff that I wrote during that period of time to be able to be useful long after I鈥檓 gone,鈥� he said of the online fonds.
鈥淔rom 1998 to 2005 the stuff that I wrote was formed into a book that never got too much publicity but it was called 鈥楳ore Faithful than We Think: Stories and Insights on Canadian Leaders Doing Politics Christianly,鈥� that was basically when the Liberals were in power and then the rest of the writing, starting in 2005-06, it took place when the Conservatives were in power. There鈥檚 stuff in there that, while I sort of grew somewhat known for writing about Harper, a lot of my writing was about the impact of faith in other parties, particularly the Liberals as well as the Conservatives.鈥�
Mackey lives in a Whalley with his wife Edna, in the city鈥檚 centre. 鈥淲e look out, and we鈥檙e in a low-rise, and we look out and watch the SkyTrain skip by and we can see the Civic Hotel, at least the building the Civic Hotel鈥檚 in.鈥�
Mackey is also an author of numerous books including These Evangelical Churches of Ours (Wood Lake Books, 1994), Like Father, Like Son: Ernest Manning and Preston Manning (ECW, 1997), More Faithful than We Think: Stories and Insights on Canadian Leaders Doing Politics Christianly (BayRidge Books, 2005), The Pilgrimage of Stephen Harper / Stephen Harper: The Case for Collaborative Governance (ECW, 2005/2006), and Church in Surrey & White Rock: The Untold Story (SWR Publishing Company, 2018).
He鈥檚 also founding editor and director of the Online Encyclopedia of Canadian Christian Leaders, described in a TWU press release as 鈥渁n outgrowth of his Doctor of Ministry (DMin) studies, completed in 2015 through Tyndale University College and Seminary,鈥� served as senior editorial advisor for Faith in Canada 150 and also taught journalism part-time at TWU, which also has locations in Ottawa, Richmond-Lansdowne and Richmond-Minoru.
鈥淭here are many types of journalism. Some journalists are provocateurs,鈥� Mackey said at his fonds launch, 鈥渂ringing strong argumentation to their story-telling. I respect them, while at the same time filtering their exaggerations or partisanship 鈥� and cringing a bit at their zeal to pick a fight. Others are advocates for certain positions. I respect them, too, but in my own coverage, not to leave the impression that my perspective and God鈥檚 are identical.鈥�
Mackey was a reporter with the Progress from 1967-72 and then served as its editor from 1975 to 1980, after working with the Columbian and then the United Church Observer between 1972 and 1975.
tom.zytaruk@surreynowleader.com
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