Articles for tag: Standard Publishing

July 17, 2012

Christian Standard

Why Are Christians SO Intolerant?

From the new book by David Faust Natalie started attending the church I led in New York. A quiet, pleasant person, she seemed to appreciate the biblical teaching and friendly atmosphere she found in our church. After some time, she dropped by my office one day. She said, “I like this church very much, but from listening to the messages each week, I get the impression that you think it”s necessary to believe in Jesus Christ in order to go to Heaven. That sounds awfully intolerant to me.” “We do believe it”s necessary to trust and obey Jesus,” I replied,

July 11, 2012

Christian Standard

It’s All About the Connections

By Mark A. Taylor When the North American Christian Convention advertises itself as “the connecting place,” it’s not false advertising! Just try getting through the halls quickly from one event to another. Inevitably you’ll be stopped by people you know, friends from former ministries, or old college classmates. And if you’re not stopped, you may be doing the stopping as you see a favorite college professor, the guest preacher who visited your church, or the workshop leader who gave your church a new vision for ministry. Happy chatter is the norm in the hallways, around the exhibits, in the elevators,

July 9, 2012

Christian Standard

Christian Standard Is Becoming a Monthly!

Nation’s longest-running Protestant weekly magazine strengthens mission, moves to monthly format CINCINNATI ““ July 6, 2012 — After 146 years, Christian Standard magazine, believed to be the nation”s oldest Protestant weekly in continuous publication, will move to a monthly schedule starting in September 2012. The Christian Standard has been continuously published since its first weekly issue rolled off printing presses on April 7, 1866.  It has produced issues every single week for 146 years, except for two weeks in 1937 when a flood put its presses underwater. Most of the time when a publication announces a change, it shuts down

June 24, 2012

Christian Standard

What Would Bubba Do?

By Eddie Lowen I”m on the Bubba Bandwagon. This year”s Masters golf tournament concluded on Easter Sunday when a professional golfer named Bubba Watson hit an ultraremarkable winning shot from a grove of pine trees. “Bubba” is a surprising name for a Masters champion, but it”s better than being named “Boo.” Boo Weekley is a fellow pro who, ironically, hails from the same small Florida town as Bubba. Bubba and Boo””they sound like characters from the History Channel reality show Swamp People. But they have become to professional golf what the Blue Collar guys are to comedy. Trust me, their

May 31, 2012

Michael C. Mack

Eight Vital Characteristics of a Life-Changing Small Group Leader

By Michael C. Mack One of the fundamental differences between healthy and unhealthy small groups is the spiritual vitality of the leaders. Healthy leaders have a soft heart that God can use to accomplish his will. While imperfect, they are highly committed first to God, and then to the group. Healthy leaders have the following attributes:   Healthy small group leaders have been transformed. One of your main functions as a small group leader is to build an environment where spiritual transformation is experienced. This happens best when you have first experienced transformation yourself. What happened to Peter and the other

May 21, 2012

Christian Standard

Pursuing God, the Cure for Narcissism

By LeRoy Lawson The Pastor: A Memoir Eugene H. Peterson New York: HarperCollins E-books The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement Jean M. Twenge and W. Keith Campbell New York: Free Press, 2009 13 Things that Don”t Make Sense: The Most Baffling Scientific Mysteries of Our Time Michael Brooks New York: Vintage Books, 2009 Eugene Peterson was feeding his fellow Christians long before he published The Message, his paraphrase of the Bible in contemporary English, but that amazing tour de force raised our gratitude even higher. His insights into church and ministry have refreshed many a weary minister,

May 14, 2012

Christian Standard

Obituaries from 2011

ALPHABETICAL LISTING OF OBITUARIES Connie Lynn Bolinger, 58, of Nashville, TN, died May 22, 2011, after an extended illness. She was born Feb. 12, 1953, in Gary, IN, the daughter of Elwood and Bonnie (Starks) Bolinger. She grew up in the First Christian Church of Hessville, Hammond, IN. A graduate of Morton High School in Hammond, she attended Indiana University and Saint Brieuc in Brittany, France. After moving to Nashville, TN, in 1990 she became staff assistant at First Christian Church, later Aspen Grove Christian Church, of Franklin, TN, a position she held for 21 years. She was a gifted

April 19, 2012

Christian Standard

The Unwanted Gift

By Eddie Lowen Am I a bad father? On Christmas morning, I felt like one. My son decided his gift to me would be more than the usual gift card. He settled on a name-brand protective case for my name-brand smart phone. He was pleased with his thoughtfulness and generosity. I was pleased with the selflessness and gratitude he displayed. There”s just one problem: I don”t want it. More precisely, I don”t want to use it. Why? First, it”s designed to clip to my belt. Social science has irrefutably shown that a belt-clipped phone case increases a person”s dork factor

February 21, 2012

Christian Standard

‘Promise Island’ VBS Earns Top Honors

  Standard Publishing again received top honors for best Vacation Bible School in the nation for its 2012 curriculum, “Adventures on Promise Island.” Lynda Freeman, editor of the popular blog “About the Children”s Department,” chose “Adventures” as her top pick. “This VBS has solid Bible content and a strong focus on living what you learn by serving others,” she writes. “Combine this with a fun island setting and great music from Yancy [and] you have a VBS which will impact and change lives!” “Adventures on Promise Island” uses the fun of surf, sand, and island adventure to introduce God”s lifesaving

February 5, 2012

Christian Standard

Meeting and Meaning at the Lord’s Supper

By Lee Magness   Gathering is central to our identity. Worship is central to our gathering. And breaking bread is central to our worship.   Luke describes how, “On the first day of the week we came together to break bread” with the early Christians of Troas (Acts 20:7). So many centuries later, their practice is still instructive. The Lord’s people gathered for the Lord’s worship on the Lord’s Day to share the Lord’s Supper.   The church may gather for any number of reasons—for service, for prayer, for study. But there is no better reason for Christians to gather

January 18, 2012

Christian Standard

Not Just Another Leadership Book

By Mark A. Taylor Late last year in this space I encouraged leaders not to dote on leadership books or lists of leadership skills and techniques. “The leader should look first to God and then deep within himself before he bothers with anyone else”s list of how-to”s,” I wrote. So here we are recommending a book about leadership, and I”m compelled to insist that I”m in no way being inconsistent. This is true because the writers in this new book, Nonprofit Leadership in a For-Profit World, seem to agree that preparation for leadership begins deep within the heart and soul

January 17, 2012

Christian Standard

Cultivating Cultures that Help People Flourish

By Steve Hayner How does a leader shape a culture? Is this even possible? Doesn”t culture just happen as a result of the individual attitudes and activities that each person brings into the community? My strong observation and premise is that leaders can””and do””shape culture. I say that from my experience in various organizations over the years, as well as from the Scriptures. For instance, Joshua”s example of unswerving faith moved the people to stand with him on the day he issued his “choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve” challenge””and they maintained that “culture” for a long time after Joshua

January 15, 2012

Christian Standard

Nurturing Your Organization”s Culture

By Steve Hayner Research shows that no single force has greater impact on the character and quality (in essence, the culture) of an organization than the person who assumes the primary leadership role of that organization. Two popular witticisms pointedly illustrate this influence: “No stream rises higher than its source” and “Fish rot from the head first.” This week, with excerpts from a new book available from Standard Publishing, we give every leader the chance to consider, “Do people in my spheres of influence blossom or wither””do they flourish or flounder? How am I creating a culture that nurtures relationships

December 12, 2011

Christian Standard

Your Journey with the Word

By Kelly Carr Have you ever thought about how amazing it is to have daily access to the Word of God””a privilege unknown for centuries? We can have the Bible on our bookshelf, our e-book reader, our car stereo, MP3 player, computer, tablet, and our phone””all at the same time! If you”re looking for a new plan to jump-start your Bible-reading habit, this article is for you. We”ve compiled a variety of Bible reading plans, including some recommendations by Christian Standard readers. Whether you”re just beginning to read on a regular basis or you have read the Bible daily for

December 4, 2011

Christian Standard

Interview with Beth Guckenberger

A mission trip to Mexico in 1996 helped change the lives of Beth and Todd Guckenberger. As Beth tells the story, “We were painting a wall from blue to green and I said, “˜Didn”t we paint this from green to blue last year?”” After that, the Guckenbergers sought out more compelling opportunities of service, and were moved with compassion for the abandoned children of Monterrey, Mexico. One year later, they moved to Monterrey. This was the initial step in founding the international arm of Back2Back Ministries, which provides orphan care in Africa, India, and Latin America. Through this experience, Beth

October 30, 2011

Christian Standard

You Must Read This . . . Beyond a Job Description

By Teresa Welch The Pastor: A Memoir Eugene H. Peterson New York: HarperOne, 2011 For those of you who have read Eugene Peterson”s other works, you will anticipate his memoir to be a collection of well- crafted stories about this author/professor/pastor who has already shared so much through his writings. What he provides in his newest work, The Pastor: A Memoir, exceeds those expectations. Interwoven into Peterson”s memories about his childhood, vocational discernment and formation, planting a new congregation, and responding to the needs of his community are words of exhortation and hope for the church and for those who

October 30, 2011

Christian Standard

Good Writers, Universal Truth

By Mark A. Taylor  What makes a good writer? American novelist William Faulkner in 1950 gave his answer to the question. Faulkner accepted the Nobel Prize in literature in 1950, a time when the world lived with a growing fear of nuclear holocaust. “There are no longer problems of the spirit,” he said then. “There is only the question: When will I be blown up?” He encouraged the young writers of his day to forget “anything but the old verities and truths of the heart, the old universal truths lacking which any story is ephemeral and doomed””love and honor and

October 25, 2011

Christian Standard

You Must Read This . . . A Priceless Discovery

By Mark Atteberry Moments with the Savior: A Devotional Life of Christ By Ken Gire Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1998  Every summer my wife and I attend the International Christian Retail Show. We love it because we get to rub shoulders with many of our favorite authors and because we never come home with fewer than 60 or 70 brand-new, just-released books. It”s like Christmas in July. But it isn”t quite as great as it might sound. It always turns out that at least half the books we ship home aren”t worth the paper they”re printed on. For some, the problem

October 19, 2011

Christian Standard

Bringing the Word to Life for Nearly 60 Years

By Jonathan Underwood Standard Publishing”s logo includes a worthy phrase, “Bringing the Word to Life.” It describes in a nutshell the mission of Standard Publishing from the beginning, when Isaac Errett was selected in 1865 to be editor of a new periodical intended to raise the standard for “the restoration of New Testament Christianity, its doctrine, its ordinances, and its fruits.” Errett and his partners were convinced the Bible spoke to the needs of the day. Like their predecessors in the Restoration Movement, they believed understanding the Bible”s message would eliminate sectarianism in the church. Standard Publishing has produced many

September 25, 2011

Christian Standard

What a Wonderful Convention!

By Darrel Rowland A blur of scenes from the 2011 North American Christian Convention in Cincinnati . . . “¢ A pair of preachers, leaders of churches totaling about 30,000 in weekly attendance, breaking down in tears at 1 a.m. in their hotel””then taking pizza to the homeless . . . “¢ Two women riding one step apart on the escalator cackling when they realize they had worn identical blouses that day . . . “¢ Noisy protestors””including one toting a sign saying “Your Pastor Is a Liar”””occupying all four corners of the intersection just outside the main entrance to the

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