by Shawn Stebner

   SteelRoots, originally a thirty minute television show, is now launching its own extreme sports magazine. Their slogan, "Revealing the Truth To Today's Generation", may sound vague to people just picking up the newly printed edition, but after a short reading of the first article, the Christian subtext is obvious.

   Aside from the Christian skaters, surfers, and snowboarders, the plot of SteelRoots is just like any other skateboarding magazine: follow a group of shaggy haired kids in their mid-twenties in a forty-five foot tour bus and photograph them pulling tricks. The content of the articles and interviews are simple and direct. It allows readers of all ages to enjoy the various extreme sports and receive a Godly message at the same time.

   Still photographs of tricks and advertisments abound. Each written portion of the magazine is surrounded by photographs, followed by several full page advertisments. This setup serves to create a much more visual experience. For this reason, teenagers looking for a quick read to pass the time will be interested. With this in mind, presenting SteelRoots to young people would be one way of opening the door for further ministry.

   With seventy million viewers every week on their already popular TV show, now is a good time to launch a magazine focused on extreme sports. The main subscribers will most likely be Church youth groups and young skateboarders, but SteelRoots has the potential to grow out into the secular realm. With a little more time for this growth, SteelRoots will hopefully make extreme sports a strong evangelistic tool.