Articles for tag: Standard Publishing

A Birthday Worth Celebrating

By Mark A. Taylor We had a party in the CHRISTIAN STANDARD office last week, and we took some pictures to share with visitors to our website. The occasion, as all our Facebook friends have already seen, was the 150th anniversary of CHRISTIAN STANDARD”s first issue, April 7, 1866. Peter Esposito, president of Christian Standard Media (formerly Standard Publishing) brought bagels and a birthday cake, and the whole office enjoyed the refreshments from a table displaying our framed copy of that very first edition. While each of our staff members has been helping produce CHRISTIAN STANDARD for several years, our

April 8, 2016

Holy Spirit Theology & Bible

WHAT’S NEXT?: Remember the Spirit

We asked several Christian leaders,Â “What should churches served byÂ CHRISTIAN STANDARD strive to be orÂ do or look like in the next decades?” ____ By Mandy Smith We in the Christian churches have the Cane Ridge Revival in our history, but we”re not comfortable with the Holy Spirit. We”ve seen so many abuses of the Spirit that it”s easy to throw the baby out with the bathwater. So what would it look like to rediscover a scriptural approach to the Spirit”s work in our lives? I”m still learning this, but let me share two ways I”m stepping into it: 1. Guidance “But

April 2, 2016

Rick Cherok

Restoration Movement History

150 Years of Christian Standard

A 150-year history of CHRISTIAN STANDARD—from its 1866 founding to its role in evangelism, theological controversy, and conservative cooperation—showing how the magazine shaped the Stone-Campbell Movement.

February 2, 2016

Our Continuing Ministry

By Mark A. Taylor CHRISTIAN STANDARD’sÂ contributing editors are a diverse group of men and women from across the country who serve from a variety of backgrounds and perspectives. They do not all see everything the same way, but all of them are leading significant ministry among the Christian churches and churches of Christ as they express a deep commitment to Jesus as Lord. Readers will regularly see most of them named as authors of articles and columns in the magazine. But that”s not the only way they contribute. Even more significant is the input they offer about writers and

January 22, 2016

Book Reviews Reviews

Evangelical Warning, Improbable Convert, Uncommon Ministry

By LeRoy Lawson The Great Evangelical Recession: 6 Factors That WillÂ Crash the American Church . . . and How to Prepare John S. Dickerson Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2013 Good God, Lousy World, and Me: The Improbable JourneyÂ of a Human Rights Activist from Unbelief to Faith Holly Burkhalter New York: Convergent Books, 2013 The Insanity of God: A True Story of Faith Resurrected Nik Ripken Nashville: B&H Publishing, 2013 John Dickerson”s The Great Evangelical Recession is depressing reading. Being told the truth isn”t always an “upper.” This book tells the truth. At least it tells the truth as things stand

January 12, 2016

Worship Worship & Prayer

Should Musicians Plan Our Worship Services?

By Mark A. Taylor Here”s why a church should recruit excellent musicians to lead worship: The people we”re serving as well as those we hope to reach are hearing professionally produced music everywhere they go. Many of them love music, and they listen to “their music” in their car, at the gym, when they walk, and sometimes at work. But even nonmusical people encounter music every day. Music creates the emotion and signals the mood in everything from Star Wars to sitcoms. The most memorable TV and radio ads include music. (I heard an interview the other day with a

December 17, 2015

Book Reviews Reviews

Pursuing Unity, Revisiting Assumptions, Winning with Winsomeness

By LeRoy Lawson Disunity in Christ: Uncovering the HiddenÂ Forces That Keep Us Apart Christena Cleveland Downers Grove: IVP Books/Intervarsity Press, 2013 Jesus Feminist: An Invitation to RevisitÂ the Bible”s View of Women Sarah Bessey New York: Howard Books, 2013 The Best Kept Secret of Christian Mission:Â Promoting the Gospel with More Than Our Lips John Dickson Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2013 Hearing Her Voice: A Biblical InvitationÂ for Women to Preach (Revised Edition) John Dickson Grand Rapids: Zondervan 2012, 2014 I like introducing people to authors I”ve just met. Recently I read three books that made me want to become better

December 15, 2015

The End of an Era

By Mark A. Taylor “Do you still have a job?” The text came to my phone Friday evening from a friend cross-country who had just read the news about David C. Cook”s purchase of Standard Publishing assets. I assured him I”m still working at CHRISTIAN STANDARD, even though most of Standard”s product lines went with the sale. David C. Cook, an evangelical publisher with almost as many years of service as Standard Publishing, has acquired Standard”s complete line of Standard Lesson Commentary products as well as our Heartshaper Sunday school curriculum and related teaching resources for children. The purchase effectively

October 17, 2015

Church Leadership

Gut Check

By Eddie Lowen Pixar”s movie Inside Out is clever. It”s about an 11-year-old girl whose family moves from Minnesota to San Francisco. The genius of the film is its vivid and humorous portrayal of the memories, thoughts, and emotions that compete to control the girl”s behavior. If I had to select one word to capture all three of those elements””memory, thought, and emotion””I”d choose the word instinct. How good are your instincts? Let me guess: pretty good. As you read my question, you thought, I trust my gut. My instincts are above average. That”s the problem. Everyone thinks his or

June 26, 2015

Worship Worship & Prayer

Three Ways to Sing a Common Song

By Mandy Smith For many Christians, singing hymns in a group is still a meaningful experience. An a cappella version of “Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow” can induce goose bumps, especially when those harmonies chime in on the “A-men.” While we don”t usually dissect the meaning of this practice, there are reasons why singing as a group is powerful. The simple act of singing old songs about God to God with each other reinforces three things that are central to our faith: We are devoted to God through Christ, We are devoted to him together, and We are

June 23, 2015

Miscellaneous

Decide by Walking Around

By Mark A. Taylor Here”s another reason the North American Christian Convention is such a productive gathering. At the NACC we do a lot of walking! And, according to a new study by researchers at Stanford University, that”s good! A summary from Stanford News puts it this way: “Creative thinking improves while a person is walking and shortly thereafter.” That means we can generate a MOUNTAIN of creativity at the NACC. Granted, the Cincinnati convention center and downtown are more compact than what we”ve found in some cities. But even at its best, the convention requires blocks of walking between

June 19, 2015

Christian Living

Ordinary Sacredness

By Mandy Smith We know Jesus instituted the Lord”s Supper during the Passover feast, which Jews have celebrated for generations. Passover is an annual festival remembering God”s salvation of his people from slavery in Egypt. Like all celebrations of annual holidays, it takes much preparation and is a turning point of the calendar. So, as good Jews, Jesus and his disciples prepared and celebrated this feast together. But Jesus knew this Passover would be different from all he”d celebrated before, because he knew his death was imminent. The food is a central part of the Passover feast, but so are

June 12, 2015

Communion & Lord's Supper Theology & Bible

Communion, Our Constant

By Mandy Smith The old Sunday school song goes, “Since Jesus came within and cleansed my soul from sin, I”m inright, outright, upright, downright happy all the time.” But very few Christians could honestly say they feel happy all the time. While we may retain an undisturbed, deep joy, it”s normal for any Christian to have moments of spiritual high and spiritual low, to feel close to God and far from God at various times, to have times of great faith and times of great doubt. One helpful practice that allows us to survive the darker times is to overlook

March 24, 2015

Miscellaneous

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,Â Arron Chambers,Â Dave Ferguson,Â Anne Milam,Â Daniel Overdorf, and Jamie Snyder. Each of them is a leader among Restoration Movement churches.

February 3, 2015

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

Church & Ministry Small Groups

Church Leadership

Gagology and the Gospel

By Eddie Lowen Not long ago, Drew Dyck read this inspirational quote from Oprah Winfrey on the java jacket of his Starbucks coffee cup: “The only courage you ever need is the courage to live the life you want.” The Leadership Journal editor instinctively analyzed this Oprahism. It”s exactly what you”d expect from Oprah. Or Joel Osteen. Having an eye for theological truth””more simply known as truth“”Dyck realized what was intended as inspiration was actually a giant dose of what I call gagology. He was so troubled by the misleading potential of Oprah”s message that he literally crossed-out the word

November 28, 2014

Michael C. Mack

Top 10 Things Members of My Group Did While I Was in the Hospital

By Michael C. Mack 10. Went on a camping trip together while I was stuck in the hospital room! 9. Visited me several times but didn”t overstay my need for rest. 8. Brought me tulips. 7. Prayed with me. 6. Prayed for me. 5. Gave me a foot massage in the emergency room. 4. Prayed for other people in the hospital while visiting me. 3. Watched our four kids so my wife could visit me. 2. Fixed and brought meals to the house each day for my wife and kids. 1. Loved and encouraged me. Michael Mack is the author

October 26, 2014

Church & Ministry Teaching

Books for Bible Students: Bible Teachers CAN Be Better Teachers

By Teresa Welch Whether you are a seasoned teacher or just starting to host a small group, I recommend the following resources for help with guiding students toward maturity in Christ (see Colossians 1:28): Heart-Deep Teaching by Gary Newton (B&H Academic, 2012) is a resource for teachers concerned about the lack of biblical knowledge and understanding among adults. Newton trains teachers about the process of learning so they can engage students to discover and obey God”s Word. His book is filled with practical ideas for preparing the heart of the teacher, designing deeper learning experiences, and structuring Bible lessons. Effective

October 18, 2014