Articles for tag: Standard Publishing

December 9, 2019

Mark A. Taylor

Reflections on CCU’s Final Chapel Service

By Mark A. Taylor Thursday morning, at the last chapel service of Cincinnati Christian University, I remembered Cincinnati Bible Seminary chapel services at the old church building in Price Hill 50 years ago when I was a student. Inside, the stone walls and wooden pillars would reverberate with chatter as we gathered twice each week. Then E. Wayne Berry would take his place and the room would fall silent as he called us to worship with a melody played on the room’s majestic pipe organ. Then we would stand to sing. And, oh how we sang! Our voices raised a

November 2, 2019

Christian Standard

Growing Up with Standard Publishing

A brief history (and the continuing legacy) of this innovative and influential publisher’s true-to-the-Bible children’s ministry resources By Margie Redford “I grew up on Standard Publishing.” Thousands of adults today could make this claim—including me! My home church, First Christian Church in Columbiana, Ohio, was a strong advocate for teaching biblical truths and sound doctrine. The leaders turned to The Standard Publishing Company for both their children’s Sunday school and Vacation Bible School materials. Thanks to my mother’s careful saving of important documents, I still have numerous certificates of promotion printed by Standard Publishing. They form a spiritual timeline of

September 26, 2019

Christian Standard

Absurd and Mundane Ads from Oct. 1, 1904

When people see copies of Christian Standard from 90-plus years ago, they invariably comment on the advertising. There are a number of ads for patent medicines—such as Dr. Shoop’s Restorative (page 25)—typically alongside ads for such brands as Ivory Soap and Royal Baking Powder, and occasionally Coca-Cola and Oldsmobile. This issue from 115 years ago (Oct. 1, 1904) is fairly typical, though with very few products recognizable today. There were more than 50 ads in the issue, some of them rather small . . . no larger than a classified ad (though typically with bolder type). Several mention the World’s

September 24, 2019

Christian Standard

Former Standard Publishing Employees Meet for Reunion

On Friday, September 20, about 70 former employees of Standard Publishing and their spouses met to renew friendships and share memories, recalling the years they served together in Christian publishing. The gathering—organized by Sheryl Overstreet, Joann Van Meter, and Elaina Meyers—was held in the Community Room at the Christian Village at Mt. Healthy in Cincinnati, Ohio. The site was selected because of its proximity to the former Standard Publishing plant on Hamilton Avenue in Mt. Healthy. Standard Publishing, in fact, donated the property upon which the village was built in the early 1960s. “What a great evening!” one attendee wrote.

September 19, 2019

Christian Standard

The True Test of Faith

We go back 70 years to Sept. 24, 1949, for today’s feature. In that issue, it was “announced that Dean E. Walker, head of the department of church history of the School of Religion of Butler University of Indianapolis, Ind., has accepted a call to the presidency of Milligan College.” Walker’s start date was Feb. 1, 1950, and he served until retirement in 1968. The presidential announcement serves as a lead-in to our main focus: an article (part of a series) called “The True Test of Faith” written by Dean Walker’s father, W. R. Walker. We also will include a

August 8, 2019

Christian Standard

W. R. Walker: “The Counselor’s Question Box”

In last week’s column we acquainted readers with W. R. Walker by sharing a 1963 article about him published a few weeks after his death. Walker preached for almost two decades in churches in northeast Ohio and, later, for 28 years (1920-48) at Indianola Church of Christ in Columbus, Ohio. In between, from approximately 1914 to 1920, he taught at Christian colleges. Walker also was part of Standard Publishing for about 40 years. In addition to serving as president from the 1920s until 1955, Walker was listed as “editorial counselor” within the pages of Christian Standard from 1945 until his

July 18, 2019

Christian Standard

Bob Wetzel ‘Found a Home in the Christian Church’

As a “Reflections” writer in 1999, C. Robert Wetzel wrote four columns, all of them somewhat personal. This column was the most autobiographical. Wetzel was serving as president of Emmanuel School of Religion in Johnson City, Tenn., at the time he wrote this. He served in that capacity from 1994 to 2009. For the past decade, he has served as chancellor of the school (now called Emmanuel Christian Seminary at Milligan College.) Here’s some biographical info about Wetzel that isn’t revealed in this column: Wetzel received a BA from Midwest Christian College (now Ozark Christian College), an MS from Fort

May 22, 2019

Christian Standard

Taking the First Bite Out of Biblical Illiteracy

By Jim Eichenberger A lot has changed in the past 100 years, but biblical illiteracy is still a problem. And at the heart of this problem, in many instances, is society’s lack of respect for the Bible’s authority. Today the challenge to biblical authority comes as radical individualism—what the Bible says to me. How God speaks to my heart. But 100-plus years ago, the challenge came from an academic elite that questioned not only the Bible but also anything supernatural. Today the Bible can mean anything depending upon the reader. Back then the Bible meant nothing because it was seen

April 4, 2019

Christian Standard

Effective Preaching

Cecil J. “C. J.” Sharp wrote hundreds of articles that appeared in Christian Standard through the years. The first appeared in 1912, while he was still minister with First Christian Church in Hammond, Ind., which he served from about 1903 through 1929. Prior to that, he was a high school principal. He joined Standard Publishing—former parent company of Christian Standard—in January 1930 as head of the Teacher Training Department. He retired in 1951. At the time of his death in 1953, his New Training for Service had sold more than 250,000 copies. Sharp’s version of that book dates to 1934,

February 25, 2019

Jerry Harris

Our Move to Not-for-Profit

By Jerry Harris It happened quietly in 2018. The owner of Christian Standard and The Lookout took on not-for-profit status for the first time ever. For about 150 years, the magazines were guided by Standard Publishing, which did business like most of the working world . . . as a for-profit. The company encouraged churches to buy and pass out their magazines for free and to purchase their books and other helps for teaching. That system endured for years, even as the business was bought and sold four times. Then, in early 2017, a church-centric organization purchased the magazines, and

February 21, 2019

Christian Standard

Let’s Help the Disabled

On Jan. 29, 1984, Sam E. Stone provided an answer to a question he had asked readers more than two years earlier: “Just what is the church doing to meet some of the enormous needs disabled people are facing?” The answer came in the form of a front-page story in Christian Standard entitled, “Ministry to the Handicapped Begins.” That article—as you’ll read—details the start of the Christian Foundation for the Handicapped, which continues to thrive, but under a new name, Ability Ministry. (Read more about Ability Ministry—including an important part of its origin story that Sam doesn’t share here—in an

January 24, 2019

Christian Standard

Orrin Root and ‘Sound the Battle Cry!’

I was thinking about Orrin Root the other day. He comes to mind quite often. Mr. Root was retired when I met him in 1998, but he still was writing The Lookout’s weekly Sunday school lesson commentary, as he had done since 1949. When Mr. Root died in 2003, he was several months ahead on his lesson writing. Oh, and he was 98. I always thought he wrote like a young man, only with much wisdom. Mr. Root came to work at Standard Publishing (former parent company of this magazine) in 1945, when he was 40 years old. He became

January 10, 2019

Christian Standard

J. W. McGarvey’s Reminiscences of Thomas Campbell

– Jan. 9, 1909 – Among the crucial earliest triggers of the Restoration Movement, I typically think of two: The Cane Ridge Revival led by Barton W. Stone (1801) and the Declaration and Address penned by Thomas Campbell (1809). In January 1909, Christian Standard began a year-long series under this banner headline: “CENTENNIAL SPECIAL FOR JANUARY” with the subhead, “After One Hundred Years—A Century of Progress in America’s Greatest Christian Union Movement.” A number of articles in the issue carried that theme forward. In a moment, I will zero in on what probably is the most personable of them (“Reminiscences

January 3, 2019

Christian Standard

Henrietta Heron — ‘The Friendly Counselor’

— Jan. 7, 1939 — I recognized the name Henrietta Heron, but knew next to nothing about her until I stumbled upon the column we feature today. Research revealed that she worked at Standard Publishing (parent company of this magazine until recent years) before serving as president of the World Wide Baraca Philathea Union from 1928 until 1933, and then as general counselor of the organization after that. According to Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary’s website, “Baraca Philathea was an ecumenical movement designed to facilitate adult evangelism through Bible study. A million strong during the early twentieth century, it tried to bridge

November 4, 2018

Michael C. Mack

Paper Christians

By Michael C. Mack The cafeteria in my old workplace was a microcosm of the world. When I worked at Standard Publishing in the early 1990s, the seven-acre building was divided distinctly into two parts: the front housed the editorial, management, and sales departments, and the back was the printing plant. As you might suspect, the editors in this Christian publishing company were active in their faith; many were teachers, preachers, and elders in their local churches. There was no spiritual requirement to work in the back. The cafeteria was situated in the middle of the building. My first day

October 7, 2018

Michael C. Mack

You Do You

By Michael C. Mack   You do you. When managing editor Jim Nieman asked what I’ve learned over the last year and a half as Christian Standard editor, this is the first thing that came to mind. You do you. It’s a common catchphrase in today’s culture that means “Just be yourself.” (It can also be used as a sarcastic response to someone who is doing something simply because they want to. Pastor Jeremy: “My new 10-week sermon series is titled, ‘Spiritual Lessons from Paddington 2.’” Elder Frank: “You do you, pal.” Or . . . Student: “I’m having Declaration

September 20, 2018

Christian Standard

‘Who Are the Christian Churches and Churches of Christ?’

CS Archive from September 25, 1988 _ _ _ On September 25, 1988, Christian Standard published an item that had been prepared for the Encyclopedia of American Religions titled, “Who Are the Christian Churches and Churches of Christ?” The writer was Edwin V. Hayden, who served as editor of Christian Standard from 1957 to 1977. As one might expect, the article is a straightforward introduction to our churches—part history and part snapshot in time. As you read it, I believe you’ll appreciate both the clarity of the writing the clarity of the vision for our churches. Some also will note

September 19, 2018

Jerry Harris

Raiders of the (Almost) Lost Artifacts

History preserved at new Christian Standard Media Library in Quincy, Illinois By Jerry Harris I lacked only a fedora and bullwhip as I channeled Indiana Jones during the excavation of a deep, dark storage-facility locker in a suburb of Cincinnati. Three others joined this expedition: Mike Mack, Shawn McMullen, and Jim Nieman. And no, we didn’t discover the Ark of the Covenant or the Holy Grail that day. In fact, upon first glance, the room seemed filled only with stacks of boxes on pallets, along with totes and other various objects, some wrapped in paper. But we soon began to

August 30, 2018

Christian Standard

Publishing Committee Insights

We selected the second—and shorter—editorial from p. 3 of the September 3, 1978, issue to share today. “Fifteen Gifted Men,” written by Sam E. Stone during his first year as editor, describes the arrangement for editorial oversight that was in place during the 50 or so years Standex International owned Standard Publishing, the former parent company of Christian Standard and The Lookout. To set the stage: The first edition of Christian Standard was published in April 1866, with Isaac Errett serving as editor. Standard Publishing “grew up around it”—it’s often been said—and was incorporated in 1872. Additional publications were created,

August 16, 2018

Christian Standard

The Restoration Movement: Its Vitality, Quirks, and Needs in the 21st Century

Editor’s Note: Starting today, every Thursday we will post an article about the Restoration Movement from our Christian Standard archives. While some will be more recent stories, many others will be excerpts from older issues, going back to 1866, that are currently not available on the web. It’s “Throwback Thursday” . . . Christian Standard-style!   Today we go back to December 2006 to an article by LeRoy Lawson, which started as a presentation in the Publishing Committee’s 50th annual meeting in October that year. The Publishing Committee provided editorial oversight to Standard Publishing (the longtime owners of Christian Standard)

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