Into the Fire

I understand rules. I accept rules. Rules are necessary. Good rules are fairly easy to obey most of the time. Ridiculous rules are often broken.

I understand standards. I appreciate standards. Especially Biblical standards. Standards are necessary. High standards are not easily obeyed but are valuable to obey. Low standards are easy to achieve.

Please understand when I express the following thoughts that it is out of some frustration, some confusion, and some lack of understanding that I do so.

I do not understand a low visibility walk with Jesus, under the radar, next to invisible. Not in this country. In Iran it’s a different story, or China. I do not understand the desire to disguise the gospel by only declaring to Christians—and only certain Christians at that—that you are one. Otherwise they wouldn’t know.

I do understand qualifications. For certain jobs, sports, classes, positions. Lots of things require qualifications. Rightfully so. Who wants a podiatrist operating on their brain? What happens when the qualifications are less defined and those making selections for different openings erect less obvious qualifications such as beauty, status, sex appeal? A lot of “qualified” people get overlooked or set aside without really knowing why. No one is going to tell them either.

I understand and uphold the subjectivity of owning and running a business. It’s your name and your money at risk if that business fails. You should be allowed to operate your business as you see fit and hire who you desire to work for you and represent you. However, if you are a Christian who owns and operates a business, you have an additional qualification, perhaps even a burden at times, to keep that business at the top of the integrity heap. You will be scrutinized and examined above other like businesses because you are willing to “qualify” your business with a Christian label, and some of that investigation will come from your own “side”—maybe to make sure you are who you say you are and that you intend to uphold what should be an honorable label complete with the noble standards attached to that label.

Having said all that, what can be said for the business of Christian publishing? Many excellent people of God are employed at every level including those who are being published. As far as authors go, there are all kinds of stories from humorous to heartwarming leading up to the door for publication being opened to them. People who work in this business have been called by God to their different stations in the field of writing and producing books. So, what’s the problem? Or is there one?

Well . . . I wouldn’t know. I only know what I read, what I discern, and from that, what resonates in my spirit. And for those of you who’ve read my recent posts, you know I think there are grounds for improvement BECAUSE of what I’ve gleaned from reading the comments of professionals. No surprise. Big businesses are always fluctuating in growth management. Some things get ignored, and some things that might not should’ve been accepted in the first place have become hard to corral since they’ve taken off. Other practices have been accepted by some while making others uncomfortable for reasons of ethics or morality. Making changes is only advisable when adjusted to fit the profit margin. And let’s face it: that profit margin is what makes businesses stay in business. Or so it would seem.

There are simply some things that have to be different with Christian businesses. Yes, they must make a profit to stay in business. But, ultimately, the Christian business owners are like the servants whose master’s property has been entrusted to them (Matt. 25:14-30). In order to truly “succeed” they must do right with what the Master has given them to manage. It requires faithfulness to the principles of godly conduct, wise stewardship, and treating others as you desire to be treated—as an equal at all levels. And when an imbalance is created in these principles that God sets up for us, we have the situation recorded in Luke 16:8-15. “What is highly valued among men is detestable in God’s sight.” Wow. Gut check.

We all know perfection does not exist on this earth any longer. It did in Eden, and once again when Jesus walked in our midst. It’s a struggle for most of us to adhere to the still small voice of the Holy Spirit urging us to do the right thing in a situation where we want to annihilate someone who has treated us with evil. And it’s fairly safe to say that for most of us our failures will go unseen by everyone except our small circle of family and/or friends. Hopefully.

Christian publishing has become a big business of its own. Growing ever bigger. There are a lot of dollars tied up in pushing those books out, gaining momentum in different venues, establishing its own line of “celebrities”, and making sure it all looks just right to the superficial glances of the world. Storming to new levels of trendy “post modern, relevant” commentary in the non-fiction as well as fiction offerings, beginning to strain toward more subtlety in the “message” of the gospel in both, and advancing those authors who are easily recognizable has become a focal point for some houses.

Is this wrong? Only if the reason for the label has become secondary to the focus of the business. It’s not for me to say. I only have to answer to the Lord for what I have and haven’t done in obedience to Him. Thank God.

So, to wrap up this very long post, I will say this: I’m outside the box of Christian publishing right now with books that currently don’t fit in to the general, although various, requirements due to their low-key style, their longer lengths as a rule, and that I have no platform. I am confused by the requirements and the various demands for queries vs. proposals vs. the first 5 pages vs. the first 20 pages vs. the first 50 pages vs. the word counts vs. the subjectivity of whoever reads, intercepts, evaluates, and judges the massive amounts of literature sent to them. I apologize that some of it makes no logical sense to me.

If I stopped after the first 50 pages of some of the books I’ve read because my heart wasn’t beating out of my chest, I would’ve missed some good stories. But then I’m a reader. And readers stick with a book just so they don’t miss something of value even if it starts a little slow by today’s standards. I acknowledge that’s just me.

I would be remiss if I did not add that the majority, but not all, of people in the world of Christian publishing that I have communicated with have been cordial, some very open and helpful, some tremendously generous. Others . . . well, one would never know they were Christians.

This is more of an observation, confessional—moreso than a criticism. I’m on the outside looking in, and, as you know, unless you’re an insider, your observations have no merit.

Father, I want to present my difficulties with grace. I know you will bring correction if I’ve overstepped your boundaries, and I need that. You know my weaknesses, my faults, my areas for rebuke. I will continue to ask, to pray: make me more like you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.