Wednesday, June 28, 2006
News Tidbits
Howdy again, BGs, it’s me, back from the family reunion. ’Twas nice to lie back and let sister #3 write a couple of posts for me. Sandy (Perfect Sister) is staying an extra day in Kentucky and driving back to Michigan tomorrow. I woke up this morning at Mom’s, where PS and I shared a room, and said, “Tonight ya won’t have me to kick around anymore.”
Lots of things happening here that I want to keep you updated on. ICRS is coming, and there will be news from that. Also, I came back to find a new Christian Retailing with some information I want to tell you about. And Tony Hines is going on a blour (blog tour) for his debut novel Waking Lazarus (published by Bethany). I’ll be telling you about that tomorrow.
Quick note for today. Have you heard the new name for Warner Faith? It’s now called FaithWords.
As you probably know, Warner is now part of the Hachette Book group, the third largest book publisher in the world. Hence the need to change the name for its Christian imprint, Warner Faith. The other, sort of religiously-minded imprint called Center Street will continue under that name. In a two-spread ad in Christian Retailing, the Hachette imprints of FaithWords and Center Street promise to continue delivering the same kinds of books and authors it has in the past. FaithWords best-selling authors include T.D. Jakes, Joyce Meyer, Joel Osteen, Karen Kingsbury and others.
Here’s another snippet I found interesting. According to Christian Retailing, Thomas Nelson is launching a “pop-culture and entertainment-oriented imprint” for 18- to 35-year-olds called Naked Ink. The name was chosen, according to Acquisitions Editor Rebekah Whitlock, because “naked [is] a word that [is] synonymous with things like authenticity and transparency and vulnerability.”
The first book in this imprint is The Hot Mom’s Handbook, by Jessica Denay, which released April 11. Contributors to the book range from entertainer Kathi Lee Gifford to Diana Lang, “a spiritual counselor who teaches yoga and meditation and does astrological readings.” The article adds that “The Hot Moms’ Club—which Denay founded with two others in 2005—also promotes the use of astrology through its online magazine.” Nelson is “promoting the book as appealing to mothers of all ages and from all walks of life who believe motherhood is first and foremost about rediscovering who you are as a woman.”
According to Thomas Nelson’s Web site, the company’s goal from its beginning has been “to honor God and serve people.”
Your thoughts, BGs?
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25 comments:
I've heard about this book, but in title only. I guess I qualify to read the book because I've been sweating here in Southern France. I am hot! :-)
But it's disturbing that an imprint of a "Christian" house is producing a book that has elements of astrology in it. I know this is a business and all, but if a company says they want to honor God and serve people, wouldn't they be careful about creating books that did NOT honor God? Sounds like they're concentrating more on the latter half of their motto: serve people.
I can imagine the pub board. "Hmm, moms like to be hot. Yes. They're tired of frumpy-ness. Let's give them what they want. Oh, and, stats say moms read their horoscopes. Great! We'll throw in some of that too. It's sure to sell!"
Egads!
I, too, have a problem with the book and its content, especially considering Thomas Nelson's stated goal. Where's the honoring God in astrology?
Eegads is right, Gina!
Astrology is off limits to Christians. (Why participate in that when we have the supernatural throught the Holy Spirit?)
But didn't Thomas Nelson publish the book defending (and almost glorifying) John and Patsy Ramsey?
For the money (why else)?
I think I read somewhere, "The love of money is the root of all evil."
Lord, clean us all up!
I agree that you can't honor God and promote astrology. It's so sad to see this happen. My first thought, just like relevantgirl's, is that they're focusing on serving people.
The desire to be relevant is never an excuse for apostasy. This is not honoring to God, who strictly forbids such practices. And it isn't serving people, either - it's serving their own pockets.
Another one bites the dust...sigh...looks like the prayer warriors need to rally.
But doesn't Revelation say something about this kind of thing happening in the "final days"? Can't think of the exact quote right now...
How disappointing...guess I will be looking at the publishing house of any new books I buy and make double sure NOT to purchase anything Thomas Nelson puts out...
Can we Christian readers start a boycott?
Blessings all,
Lynette
What concerns me is the thought that other, smaller Christian publishers might feel the pressure to "open their minds" in a similar way. Keeping up with the Joneses and all that.
That is so strange, but it is a business. I'm not saying I agree, I'm just saying that in every business is a bottom line, Christian or otherwise. It's sad to see the bottom line in a company claiming to be Christian lowered in this way.
Honor God with astrology? I don't think so. His word is pretty clear on that.
The dark side of compromise. How can anyone think it is okay to compromise where the Lord is concerned? He's made it clear how he feels about astrology, so why even dare permit what he considers evil? I find this sad, not surprising in light of where we are, but sad nonetheless.
Disturbing. How many new and or confused Christians will somehow think that dabbling in the occult is okay. TN publishes BIBLES. This is dangerous stuff. Triple "Egads!"
I'm very disappointed in Thomas Nelson pub. If you open your mind up to tiny things it will eventually lead to bigger things.
There are no gray areas with the Word. No where does the Lord teach on compromising His Holy Word.
Very sad and very scary to see what this leads Thomas/Nelson on down the road.
We are called to "walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in ALL respect,(not just some)bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;" Col1:9b-10
We are called to "gird our minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fixing our hope completely on the grace to be brought to us at the revelation of Jesus Christ. And as obedient children, we are not to be conformed to the former lusts which were ours in our ignorance, but like the Holy One who called us, we are to be holy oursevles and also in ALL our behavior; because it is written, "You shall be Holy, for I am Holy" 1Peter1:13-16
I guess I got carried away.
Hmm. Why is it that phrases like "God and mammon", and "light and darkness", and "serving two masters" are coming to mind now...? (Man, I'd love to see 'em try to justify this.)
Egad is right! I am supposed to be working on my WIP, but I must respond to this starling news. Is Thomas Nelson who also publishes the NKJV I beleive trying to tell the people of a whole what their itching ears want to hear??? They need to read that Bible they print and take heed. I won't quote what others have already printed here as far as references go, but this stinks all the way to heaven's door.
Pam
Wow. I am really troubled to hear Nelson would do this. (Is there any chance the article is mistaken?)
Yes, good question, Chris. I sure don't want to spread any info that's false. I have checked the Hot Mom's Club Web site. They do have a page on astrology.
Amazon lets you "look inside this book" at the table of contents. From the few pages you can read, it doesn't look like the book deals with anything Christian at all--just sort of making yourself feel good while you're a mother. Neither could I see anything in the book that actually mentions astrology. But, of course, so little of the book can be viewed, so I don't know this for certain. However, there is no doubt that the book is tied to the club, which honors astrology. That connection itself is enough to concern me.
Am I concerned? Yes. Surprised? No.
Once secular companies started buying up Christian houses, you had to figure the bottom line would rule out any mission statement.
As long as the Christian imprints do well, you can figure they will operate unimpinged. But what if sales start to slip? Or what if something lucrative comes along outside the mission statement but apparently targeting the same religious market?
I don't know that boycotting Thomas Nelson will do anything but encourage them to broaden their base.
I do think we should ignore this book. Ignore, not boycott (any pub is good pub). The only way to send the message to Thomas Nelson that this is a mistake is by letting the book die a natural death, unmentioned, unread, undenounced.
Becky
You had me until you got to the astrology....egads, is right.
Nelson is really putting a bad taste on their name!
I understand it's business, but this smacks of trusting man more than God. Just as we as individuals have to make choices everyday to trust God for the future, for our provision and success, a business based on these beliefs, promoting these beliefs, should function in similar manner, or they are simply hypocritical.
Needless to say, I'm very disappointed.
Is it possible this issue was a more of something the author chose to do rather than being a content policy decision on the part of TN?
If not, why do we tolerate the marketing of astrology to women? It can be proven that astrology has no scientific backing. It is curious that I rarely see horoscope-astrology stuff marketed to men. I wonder if there is not a type of sexism at work culturally; that it is ok to market feel-good bogus science to women since men see them as irrational and sensate. Scientific ignorance and irrational emotionalism are the attitudes put upon women, and their social-holistic predisposition inclines them to not question and evaluate what they perceive to be valid. All feel-good psudo-health psudo-science stands on this: If it feels beneficial and the subject believes it to be true, then they receive the benefits. Benefits caused not by astrology, new-age, eastern medicine, or the magnets they rub on themselves, but by believing they are better (self mind control) and placebo effect (autonomic wishing). Men are just as capable of these mistakes, but belief in astrology is minimized it seems by cultural stereotypes for men that guide men toward science and away from emotionalism (and of course male stereotypes foster their own sorts of errors).
Grady Houger
I'll echo the "egads" remark. What a shocker this is! But, when the umbrella absorption occurred bringing TN under the Hachette Book Group, I had my doubts. Despite assurances to the contrary, it was bound to happen. Just sorry to see it happened so soon.
And this is TN publishing this and not Hachette? VERY surprised! And VERY disappointed.
Strange fire on the altar.
Brandilyn said,
>> "The love of money is the root of all evil."
>>Lord, clean us all up!
Amen. Like promoting to little children what God clearly calls an abomination in Deuteronomy--wizardry. Well, it gets them to reading so it must be okay. I think porn could do that, is that okay? What are people thinking?
Tuning in late, here, if you didn't notice! LOL
Astrology gets markted on websites because its a painless sneaky way of getting someone to give you their birthdate for demographic research purposes.
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