Series: Blogs

March 24, 2015

Mark A. Taylor

Bookin” It

By Mark A. Taylor I remember a conversation 30 years or more ago about book publishing by writers in the Christian church and church of Christ. “Evangelical publishers won”t publish books by Christian church writers,” a Standard Publishing salesman said. “And if Standard Publishing publishes books by Christian church writers, Christian bookstores won”t sell them.” I don”t know if that was true then, but I can promise you it”s not true today. Last year we published essays about book writing by Mark Atteberry, Arron Chambers, Dave Ferguson, Anne Milam, Daniel Overdorf, and Jamie Snyder. Each of them is a leader among Restoration Movement churches.

March 18, 2015

Christian Standard

The Church”s Original Hymnbook

By Jim Tune There is an energy about the Psalms. I love the raw honesty that spills out everywhere as David and others confess their inadequacies, cry out for mercy, or plead for justice to fall viciously on their enemies. The Psalms have a voice of their own. Perhaps that is why the book of Psalms touches me in a way that some others in the Bible do not. A friend once suggested the opposite of Psalms is Romans. I get that. In that rather formal letter, Paul meticulously lays out the foundations of the faith by following a specific

March 17, 2015

Mark A. Taylor

Most to Jesus I Surrender

By Mark A. Taylor Is anybody still using the slogan “Not equal giving, but equal sacrifice”? It used to be standard verbiage in stewardship campaigns raising money to underwrite a budget or build a new auditorium. If the expression is no longer used, I”m not disappointed. Although the phrase does touch the Bible”s principle of proportional giving, I”m a little suspicious of that word sacrifice. After I”ve given a tithe and more, I still can pay for food, clothes, cars, the mortgage, and a vacation. How much would I have to give before the gift would qualify as sacrifice? Perhaps

March 11, 2015

Christian Standard

Let”s Meet for Dinner

By Jim Tune Let”s meet for dinner. I”d be willing to host. Jesus himself said, “The Son of Man came eating and drinking” (Luke 7:34). Eating and drinking a lot. New Testament scholar Robert Karris says, “In Luke”s Gospel, Jesus is either going to a meal, at a meal, or coming from a meal.” Interesting. What is the Son of Man doing when he comes to earth? The Jews expected him to come with a vengeance, defeating God”s enemies and vindicating his people. Instead he shares a meal. Meals are a powerful expression of welcome and friendship in every culture.

March 10, 2015

Mark A. Taylor

Ideas for Easter””or Anytime

By Mark A. Taylor At our annual contributing editor January retreat, someone asked, “Why do churches always make such a big thing of Christmas?” She was reflecting on the fact that Christian Standard almost always puts “Christmas” on a December cover, but sometimes we hardly mention Easter at all. Maybe we”re giving in to the culture on this. For many people, Christmas preparations begin in the summer, and we see Christmas everywhere by the end of October. Christmas concerts, Christmas parties, Christmas gift-buying””they fill the month of December. Indeed, sometimes by Christmas Day, we”re too tired to celebrate. Churches follow

March 4, 2015

Christian Standard

Life Starts Now

By Jim Tune Most people live their whole lives on either side of now. In her memoir, Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert writes about a friend who, whenever she sees a beautiful place, exclaims in a near panic, “It”s so beautiful here! I want to come back here someday!” Gilbert writes, “It takes all of my persuasive powers to try to convince her that she is already here.” Often we”re so trapped in thoughts of the future or the past that we forget to experience, let alone enjoy, what”s happening right now. Most negative thoughts concern one”s past. Most anxious

March 3, 2015

Mark A. Taylor

Something Special

By Mark A. Taylor It happened again, this time on the campus of Lincoln Christian University on a cold Friday night a couple of weeks ago. Mark Mittelberg, a best-selling author, widely traveled speaker, and well-known Christian apologist, was speaking to leaders about LCU”s initiative “Room for Doubt.” But before he talked about the materials he”s helping to develop for this ministry, he paused to speak about the movement of churches that will promote and use them. Mittelberg is something of a celebrity in general Evangelical churches; his résumé includes stints on staff at Willow Creek Community Church outside Chicago and

February 25, 2015

Christian Standard

A Little More Substance, Please!

By Jim Tune We cannot cry over a story we don”t know. That much I”m sure of. Events in Ferguson, Missouri, the Eric Garner tragedy in New York City, and other controversial stories divide and confuse. I often wish I had more of the facts behind these tragedies. Something tells me I would respond more appropriately if I knew the people””the victims, the police officers, the circumstances. Even then, as a white male and beneficiary of a host of advantages since birth, there are gaps in my experience that cannot be easily closed. Empathy is in short supply in the

February 24, 2015

Mark A. Taylor

A Voice at the Table

By Mark A. Taylor New York publishing executive Joanne Lipman wrote last year about the subtle barriers and “benevolent sexism” she”s experienced in an industry that says it”s open to women leaders. After reading her article, “Women at Work: a Guide for Men,” I couldn”t help but wonder: Do women working in my world, i.e. local churches and parachurch ministries, also feel stymied by the men who dominate their workplaces? I wrote several women church leaders to get an answer, and I reported last week all of them answered “yes.” Since then, I have heard from a couple more women

February 18, 2015

Christian Standard

Rejoice Already!

By Jim Tune For most of us, our joy and contentment in life is highly dependent on our circumstances. This has been true of me more often than I would like to admit. I have let my fearful and petulant demands keep me from enjoying the only world God has ever made, and the one life I have to live. You probably know these reassuring words spoken by Julian of Norwich, “All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.” What many of us don”t know is their context. Born in 14th-century

February 17, 2015

Mark A. Taylor

Your Church: a Boys Club?

By Mark A. Taylor Many, many years ago I bumped into the president of a parachurch ministry who was considering a woman for an executive role with his organization. “You know,” he said to me, as if he couldn”t quite believe the statement he was about to make. “She”s really sharp.” She would be the first woman to serve (with distinction, I might add) with such authority at his institution. That incident reminds me of a Christian college teacher who wrote on a student”s paper, “You write really well for a woman.” Admittedly, both these incidents occurred decades ago. But

February 11, 2015

Christian Standard

A Matter of Love

By Jim Tune I love the local church. At times I”ve been one of its harshest critics, but these days I”m coming to peace with “church.” The church can be an easy target, and it”s tempting sometimes to just blast away. It”s harder””and a lot more character forming””to live in it day after day, bearing with one another and serving faithfully (and sometimes thanklessly). The disgruntled “church stinks” crowd needs to be careful lest their disillusionment becomes an idol that defines their identity. Some have said, “The church is kind of like sausage””it”s better just to enjoy the thing and

February 10, 2015

Mark A. Taylor

Something to Talk About!

By Mark A. Taylor If anybody should be talking about sex these days, it”s the church! That was our thought as we planned this month”s long string of posts. But frankly, sometimes I wondered if we were doing the right thing. After all, aren”t we a little tired of hearing about sex? We”ve become numb to sexual innuendo on television and at the movies. We”re weary with each week”s new “coming out” story on the news, and many of us have regrettably resigned ourselves to the growing acceptance of gay marriage. We watch sexual infidelity ruin families and damage local

February 4, 2015

Christian Standard

For Such a Time

By Jim Tune “I wish I had never seen the Ring! Why did it come to me? Why was I chosen?” laments Frodo, after discovering the power of the mysterious inheritance that has come into his possession. In response, Gandalf offers a sober appraisal: “Such questions cannot be answered. You may be sure that it was not for any merit that others do not possess. But you have been chosen, and you must therefore use such strength and heart and wits as you have.” In challenging Queen Esther to act on behalf of the Jews, Mordecai offers similar counsel. He

February 3, 2015

Mark A. Taylor

Something Extra, Something Useful!

By Mark A. Taylor Have you listened to our monthly online interview program, Beyond the Standard? If not, you”re missing another storehouse of information and help, free from the offices of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. Each month we offer a new interview, and almost every episode is archived for you to hear and share whenever it would help. Almost two years of these hour-long programs are available. Just go to www.blogtalkradio.com/standardpublishing. First you”ll see an announcement of upcoming broadcasts. For example, later this month we”ll be interviewing noted expert Dr. Mark Laaser for a program titled “Solving Compulsive Sexual Behaviors.” Listen live,

February 1, 2015

Mark A. Taylor

Ideas for Easter””or Anytime

By Mark A. Taylor At our annual contributing editor January retreat, someone asked, “Why do churches always make such a big thing of Christmas?” She was reflecting on the fact that CHRISTIAN STANDARD almost always puts “Christmas” on a December cover, but sometimes we hardly mention Easter at all. Maybe we”re giving in to the culture on this.  For many people, Christmas preparations begin in the summer, and we see Christmas everywhere by the end of October. Christmas concerts, Christmas parties, Christmas gift-buying””they fill the month of December. Indeed, sometimes by Christmas Day, we”re too tired to celebrate. Churches follow

January 28, 2015

Christian Standard

An Inconvenient Truth?

By Jim Tune I”ve heard the axiom “Love everyone, but move with the movers!” shared by speakers at leadership conferences. There”s truth in this counsel. I”ve had to encourage people to find another church when they became obtusely stuck on some element of vision or direction. At some point, I”ve had to weigh the value of giving disproportionate amounts of energy to people who refuse to change or compromise. So yeah, there”s some wisdom in moving with the movers. That said, I”m not entirely comfortable with this approach. Sometimes in order to truly love someone like Jesus did, you just

January 27, 2015

Mark A. Taylor

It”s Not Just a Woman”s Issue

By Mark A. Taylor It”s time to broaden our discussion about women”s roles in the church. And before you click to the next article, let me assure you I”m not interested here in debating whether to ordain a woman staff member, add a woman to the preaching team, or name a woman as deacon (or elder). You”ve likely already decided about those questions, and I”m not going to change your mind with 600 more words. Instead, I think we need to back up and look at a bigger picture. While debating and discussing specifics like those above, maybe we”ve been

January 21, 2015

Christian Standard

The Ultimate Question

By Jim Tune When life delivers pain or confusion, our first response is often to look at God and shout, “Why is this happening?” This is what we are really asking, “Why did you let this happen?” Sooner or later we will all end up sitting in a hospital waiting room, funeral home, or lawyer”s office, asking ourselves, “Is God still in all of this?” When shaken by tragedy, we do well to ask ourselves if we can still believe in a God who lets bad things happen. I”ve had a few personal bouts of what Philip Yancey calls “disappointment

January 20, 2015

Mark A. Taylor

After Selma

By Mark A. Taylor About 100 people were at the 7:05 p.m. showing of Selma in the theater where my wife and I sat last Saturday night. Of that number, we were two of about 10 white folks in the house. Everyone else was African-American. This was something different from the typical weekend movies crowd. Whole families were there. And senior citizens; I saw at least two on walkers labor to their seats on the handicapped row. It would be much more than two hours of entertainment for them. We were about to see a depiction of history these folks

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