Here is another news article that I found regarding the Grand Theft Hypocrisy of the gaming industry. It turns out that Rockstar has decided to manufacture an M rating of the game after all and hopefully it will be in stores soon.
Take that Hillary!
'Explicit game' to be modified
22/07/2005 11:56 - (SA)
Related Articles
'Explicit game' for adults only
Hillary Clinton slams game
San Francisco - The maker of the cult video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas said on Thursday it had stopped production of the game after a ratings board ruled its sexy content meant it should be sold only to adults.
The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) slapped an adults-only label on the game because a software modification called Hot Coffee, available on the Internet, allowed players to view graphic levels of sex, violence and drug use, the board said.
Making a more suitable game
"Rockstar Games has ceased manufacturing of the current version of the title and will begin working on a version of the game with enhanced security to prevent the Hot Coffee modifications," the firm stated on the website of its subsidiary, Take-Two Interactive.
"Rockstar Games will be providing adults-only labels for retailers who wish to continue to sell the current version of the title," the New York City-based software maker added.
Grand Theft Auto features graphic designs that allow users to play the parts of street gang characters carrying out robberies, car hi-jackings, shootings and other nefarious deeds to earn points.
It sold a whopping 5.1 million units last year, making it the top selling video game in the $10bn a year United States games market.
Its new adults-only rating will significantly limit its sales to the lucrative youth market.
Controversial scenes to be deleted
Rockstar has told the board the controversial scenes were never intended for game users and it will delete the coding from the programming, said ESRB president Patricia Vance.
Rockstar said the modified game will be crafted to regain the "M", mature content, rating the board stripped it of this week.
"If they do intend to sell the product as an 'M' product, they must delete the content from the disk and assure us there is nothing left a hacker could access," said Vance.
The "mod", or modification, that unlocked sex scenes in Grand Theft Auto software showed the risk gamers take when writing around or encoding unwanted programming instead of deleting it, according to Vance.
"This is software, not like a film where your edits are left on the cutting room floor," Vance said. "Leaving things on a disk you don't intend for game play is risky."
The ESRB "has no reason to suspect" that Rockstar left the nasty secret scenes on the disks as a treat for savvy players, Vance said.
"There is no incentive for a publisher to hide content from the ESRB," Vance said. "Because, we will find it."
In the recent case, Vance pointed out, the scenes in Grand Theft Auto became a controversial issue after a hacker posted the access key on the Internet.
Rockstar will offer a free software patch for parents or others who want to block the unauthorised game scenes from being accessed.
The company predicted interrupting production of the Grand Theft Auto game and modifying the software will cost the company millions of dollars.
http://www.news24.com/News24/Technology/News/0,,2-13-1443_1741761,00.html
Friday, July 22, 2005
Thursday, July 21, 2005
GRAND THEFT HYPOCRISY
I remember the very first time I saw the game Grand Theft Auto. I was living in the dorm at Tyndale and a friend of mine had the PC version of it. I played it and the sequel. When Grand Theft Auto 3 came out not long after that, I bought a PS2 just for this game. GTA3 and GTA: Vice City were, by far, the best games on the market. GTA: San Andreas was, however, a step above, both in the ingenuity of the game and the raunchiness. I finally decided that this would be my last GTA game. I could not, as a Christian, play this game anymore, not to mention that I knew that if I ever had kids, I could never play it in front of them.
I was, however, surprised today when the rating was changed from M to AO. It effected me indirectly as I work in retail and we received urgent news from headquarters to pull the game. Despite the rumors, Target (the store I work for) did not voluntarily pull the game. The makers of the software asked each retailer to pull the game. Not only has the game been pulled, but it will no longer be made.
The hypocrisy of this really strikes me. The fine line between M and AO is indeed very fine. Check out his list of M and AO games I found online and you tell me if GTA crossed the line.
"The Guy Game," ($30, PC, PlayStation 2, Xbox). This quiz-show format game involves scantily clad female spring breakers on the beaches of South Padre Island, Texas. The goal involves testing your brain power against a series of half-nude female partygoers, who'll strip down and flash their breasts if you can successfully predict if they'll correctly answer questions. The game is rated "M" for crude humor, nudity, strong language, strong sexual content and alcohol.
"Playboy: The Mansion," ($40, PC, PS2 and Xbox). A computerized Hugh Hefner strolls around in his red smoking jacket, half-naked women latched to his arms. As Hef, your goal is to schmooze, party, flirt - and then some - as you become a national icon. The ESRB gave it an "M" for nudity, strong sexual content and use of alcohol.
"Postal 2," ($20, PC). This game from the creative minds at Running With Scissors aims for shock value but earned an "M" rating for blood and gore, intense violence, mature humor, sexual themes, strong language and use of drugs and alcohol. You control a disgruntled postal worker and lead him on unabashedly ultraviolent killing sprees involving hapless civilians in an Arizona town.
"Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude Uncut and Uncensored," ($30, Vivendi Universal Games). You are Larry Lovage, controlled in a quest to score with the ladies at a local community college. As charmingly innocent as it may sounds, this special cut of the game earned an "AO" rating for mature humor, nudity, strong language, strong sexual content and use of alcohol."
http://www.forbes.com/business/commerce/feeds/ap/2005/07/21/ap2151733.html
Did GTASA really cross the line here? Or was it hypocrites like Senator Hillary Clinton who blew this out of proportion so she can snag some headlines for her 2008 presidential run?
This is indeed Grand Theft Hypocrisy.
Dave M.
I remember the very first time I saw the game Grand Theft Auto. I was living in the dorm at Tyndale and a friend of mine had the PC version of it. I played it and the sequel. When Grand Theft Auto 3 came out not long after that, I bought a PS2 just for this game. GTA3 and GTA: Vice City were, by far, the best games on the market. GTA: San Andreas was, however, a step above, both in the ingenuity of the game and the raunchiness. I finally decided that this would be my last GTA game. I could not, as a Christian, play this game anymore, not to mention that I knew that if I ever had kids, I could never play it in front of them.
I was, however, surprised today when the rating was changed from M to AO. It effected me indirectly as I work in retail and we received urgent news from headquarters to pull the game. Despite the rumors, Target (the store I work for) did not voluntarily pull the game. The makers of the software asked each retailer to pull the game. Not only has the game been pulled, but it will no longer be made.
The hypocrisy of this really strikes me. The fine line between M and AO is indeed very fine. Check out his list of M and AO games I found online and you tell me if GTA crossed the line.
"The Guy Game," ($30, PC, PlayStation 2, Xbox). This quiz-show format game involves scantily clad female spring breakers on the beaches of South Padre Island, Texas. The goal involves testing your brain power against a series of half-nude female partygoers, who'll strip down and flash their breasts if you can successfully predict if they'll correctly answer questions. The game is rated "M" for crude humor, nudity, strong language, strong sexual content and alcohol.
"Playboy: The Mansion," ($40, PC, PS2 and Xbox). A computerized Hugh Hefner strolls around in his red smoking jacket, half-naked women latched to his arms. As Hef, your goal is to schmooze, party, flirt - and then some - as you become a national icon. The ESRB gave it an "M" for nudity, strong sexual content and use of alcohol.
"Postal 2," ($20, PC). This game from the creative minds at Running With Scissors aims for shock value but earned an "M" rating for blood and gore, intense violence, mature humor, sexual themes, strong language and use of drugs and alcohol. You control a disgruntled postal worker and lead him on unabashedly ultraviolent killing sprees involving hapless civilians in an Arizona town.
"Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude Uncut and Uncensored," ($30, Vivendi Universal Games). You are Larry Lovage, controlled in a quest to score with the ladies at a local community college. As charmingly innocent as it may sounds, this special cut of the game earned an "AO" rating for mature humor, nudity, strong language, strong sexual content and use of alcohol."
http://www.forbes.com/business/commerce/feeds/ap/2005/07/21/ap2151733.html
Did GTASA really cross the line here? Or was it hypocrites like Senator Hillary Clinton who blew this out of proportion so she can snag some headlines for her 2008 presidential run?
This is indeed Grand Theft Hypocrisy.
Dave M.
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
Most of you know that on March 12, 2005, my wife and I were involved in a very serious car accident. According to witnesses, I entered an intersection and our Honda Civic was side-swiped by a Dodge Durango doing no less than 50 mph. You can view the results on my blog at:
http://davemcdowell.blogspot.com/2005_03_01_davemcdowell_archive.html
(After clicking, scroll down for the pictures.)
I suffered a fractured ankle and some minor injuries to my knee. My wife suffered some deep bruising. Believe it or not, both of us, even four months after the accident, are still sore. The morning after the accident, once the shock wore off, I began to feel a great amount of guilt. I was waking up at night dreaming about the accident. After trying to return to work a week later, I decided (or should I say my body decided) that I did indeed need more time off than I thought. The doctor ordered me out of work for what was to be a total of six weeks. When all you have is a walking cast on your right foot and you do not have a vehicle, you spend a lot of time alone and at home. The initial guilt wore off. It took some time, but I came to the conclusion that I could not have really controlled what happened. I do not remember why I entered the intersection; I simply remembered the moment of impact. But there were still some nagging questions for me. And many of them were very basic and important questions. The biggest question was, “What if?” If I had died that day on Telegraph Road, what would I have to show for it? I was ashamed to say that my life’s accomplishments had been very small. Most of the first few months of 2005 were spent complaining about my job, complaining about the circumstances of life, and complaining that I felt like I could do nothing about it. I was feeling like I had nothing under my control and the accident only reaffirmed that. I was not enjoying life. I would go to work, come home, sleep, and go to work.
What happened in the next few weeks was that God slowly showed me the importance of life. It is something that I have believed for some time, but now really feel like I possess. Life really is short. God did not give it to us to be wasted and he most certainly did not give it to us to walk around like a curmudgeon and complain all the time. Life is here to be enjoyed. God grants it to us and it is indeed precious.
As God began to open up my heart, I responded by simply letting go of some fear and anxiety and literally and figuratively stepping back up to the mic. Although I immensely enjoyed it, I had given up singing karaoke a few months back for many reasons. I loved to go out and sing and I was told that I am quite good. I guess at the time I believed that other things were more important, so when I quit karaoke, I quit going out, stayed home, and sulked on my couch fretting about how bad my life is. My wife and I were actually on our way to sing karaoke when the accident occurred. I had sunk so low that I ran back to the only thing that I knew that I could control…my voice. What I learned after the accident is that I am never in control. Control is an illusion. God is sovereign…all the time.
After God worked on me for awhile, the time came when I wanted to go out again; I wanted to sing again. I had worked all the mental stuff out in my head and it was time to unleash some pent up emotion. But this time, when I stood up in front of that mic, I knew whose my voice was and let it scream. “I feel angry, I feel helpless,” I sang. “Wanna change the world. I feel violent, I feel alone. Don’t try to change my mind.” All these were emotions that I felt before and after the accident. But I was also quick to sing the chorus: “One, oh one. The only Way is one.” The truth is that I am still a bit angry. I admit it. Things have happened recently and I resist the urge to shout at the sky. I still feel helpless, but in that good way where my trust lies with my Creator rather than myself. I will always want to change the world, but the violence is gone and I know I’m not alone.
So where does this leave me four months later? My love for music has grown and I’ve discovered and rediscovered my love for it. I’ve always been quite eclectic in my taste, but I find myself a sucker for blues guitar. I am singing karaoke as much as I can lately and enjoying it immensely. I actually had someone approach me for studio time last time I sang. It probably will not happen, but it did make me feel quite good. Instead of life looking like an endless parade of challenges, life now looks like an endless parade of possibilities. The taste of optimism is indeed sweet on my tongue.
I received an incredible letter today. It read, “We are pleased to inform you that your file is now complete and that you are officially admitted to Ashland Theological Seminary to pursue the Master of Divinity degree…You will encounter many opportunities and challenges in your studies here at Ashland. We trust that you will grow in many ways—academically, professionally, and spiritually.” I must confess that I did a little jump in the post office (despite my sore ankle) when I read the letter. God has indeed been so good. I can’t wait! In the next few months, Kandice and I will be moving to Ohio.
One of my favorite movies is Dead Poets Society. At the beginning of the meetings, a Henry David Thoreau poem was read which has always inspired me. He says, “I went into the woods because I wanted to live deliberately. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life...to put to rout all that was not life; and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.” To look back at my life and think that it may have been for waste and that it had not been lived would indeed be a travesty. I am pressing on to greater things.
Living Deliberately For Him,
Dave McDowell
http://davemcdowell.blogspot.com/2005_03_01_davemcdowell_archive.html
(After clicking, scroll down for the pictures.)
I suffered a fractured ankle and some minor injuries to my knee. My wife suffered some deep bruising. Believe it or not, both of us, even four months after the accident, are still sore. The morning after the accident, once the shock wore off, I began to feel a great amount of guilt. I was waking up at night dreaming about the accident. After trying to return to work a week later, I decided (or should I say my body decided) that I did indeed need more time off than I thought. The doctor ordered me out of work for what was to be a total of six weeks. When all you have is a walking cast on your right foot and you do not have a vehicle, you spend a lot of time alone and at home. The initial guilt wore off. It took some time, but I came to the conclusion that I could not have really controlled what happened. I do not remember why I entered the intersection; I simply remembered the moment of impact. But there were still some nagging questions for me. And many of them were very basic and important questions. The biggest question was, “What if?” If I had died that day on Telegraph Road, what would I have to show for it? I was ashamed to say that my life’s accomplishments had been very small. Most of the first few months of 2005 were spent complaining about my job, complaining about the circumstances of life, and complaining that I felt like I could do nothing about it. I was feeling like I had nothing under my control and the accident only reaffirmed that. I was not enjoying life. I would go to work, come home, sleep, and go to work.
What happened in the next few weeks was that God slowly showed me the importance of life. It is something that I have believed for some time, but now really feel like I possess. Life really is short. God did not give it to us to be wasted and he most certainly did not give it to us to walk around like a curmudgeon and complain all the time. Life is here to be enjoyed. God grants it to us and it is indeed precious.
As God began to open up my heart, I responded by simply letting go of some fear and anxiety and literally and figuratively stepping back up to the mic. Although I immensely enjoyed it, I had given up singing karaoke a few months back for many reasons. I loved to go out and sing and I was told that I am quite good. I guess at the time I believed that other things were more important, so when I quit karaoke, I quit going out, stayed home, and sulked on my couch fretting about how bad my life is. My wife and I were actually on our way to sing karaoke when the accident occurred. I had sunk so low that I ran back to the only thing that I knew that I could control…my voice. What I learned after the accident is that I am never in control. Control is an illusion. God is sovereign…all the time.
After God worked on me for awhile, the time came when I wanted to go out again; I wanted to sing again. I had worked all the mental stuff out in my head and it was time to unleash some pent up emotion. But this time, when I stood up in front of that mic, I knew whose my voice was and let it scream. “I feel angry, I feel helpless,” I sang. “Wanna change the world. I feel violent, I feel alone. Don’t try to change my mind.” All these were emotions that I felt before and after the accident. But I was also quick to sing the chorus: “One, oh one. The only Way is one.” The truth is that I am still a bit angry. I admit it. Things have happened recently and I resist the urge to shout at the sky. I still feel helpless, but in that good way where my trust lies with my Creator rather than myself. I will always want to change the world, but the violence is gone and I know I’m not alone.
So where does this leave me four months later? My love for music has grown and I’ve discovered and rediscovered my love for it. I’ve always been quite eclectic in my taste, but I find myself a sucker for blues guitar. I am singing karaoke as much as I can lately and enjoying it immensely. I actually had someone approach me for studio time last time I sang. It probably will not happen, but it did make me feel quite good. Instead of life looking like an endless parade of challenges, life now looks like an endless parade of possibilities. The taste of optimism is indeed sweet on my tongue.
I received an incredible letter today. It read, “We are pleased to inform you that your file is now complete and that you are officially admitted to Ashland Theological Seminary to pursue the Master of Divinity degree…You will encounter many opportunities and challenges in your studies here at Ashland. We trust that you will grow in many ways—academically, professionally, and spiritually.” I must confess that I did a little jump in the post office (despite my sore ankle) when I read the letter. God has indeed been so good. I can’t wait! In the next few months, Kandice and I will be moving to Ohio.
One of my favorite movies is Dead Poets Society. At the beginning of the meetings, a Henry David Thoreau poem was read which has always inspired me. He says, “I went into the woods because I wanted to live deliberately. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life...to put to rout all that was not life; and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.” To look back at my life and think that it may have been for waste and that it had not been lived would indeed be a travesty. I am pressing on to greater things.
Living Deliberately For Him,
Dave McDowell
Tyndale founder Kenneth Taylor dies; created The Living Bible
By staff reporter
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WHEATON, ILL. — Kenneth Taylor, founder of Tyndale House Publishers, one of the nation’s largest Christian publishing companies, and creator of The Living Bible translation, died June 10 in his Wheaton home. He was 88.
A service was held June 15 at Edman Memorial Chapel on the campus of Wheaton College, where he earned his undergraduate degree.
Taylor was president of Tyndale House Publishers until 1984, when he turned over the reins to his son, Mark. He continued to serve as chairman of the board from 1984 until his death. Tyndale is one of the nation’s largest publishing companies, producing the best-selling “Left Behind” series. In addition to establishing the company, Taylor also wrote numerous children’s books.
His signature product was The Living Bible, a paraphrase of Scripture that was embraced by Billy Graham, and became the nation’s best-selling book for three years. More than 40 million copies have been sold worldwide with portions or entire Bibles available in more than 100 languages.
“Making Scripture accessible for all people was my father’s passion,” Mark Taylor said in a news release. “Many, many people have told him, ‘I became a Christian when I read The Living Bible,’ or ‘My first Bible was the green padded Living Bible.’ Even at 88 years old, his enthusiasm and fervor for his work never waned.”
Each year Tyndale’s 260 employees produce 250 new products. Its beginnings, however, were modest.
Determined to have his 10 children understand the Bible, Taylor created the paraphrased edition saying that the King James Version of the Bible—the most commonly used translation at the time—was too difficult for his young children to understand.
The project emerged when Taylor began rewording specific King James passages into simple, conversational language that children could comprehend. He finished his paraphrase of the New Testament epistles, which he called “Living Letters” in 1962, but no one was interested in publishing his work.
Taylor and his wife, Margaret, decided to self-publish 2,000 copies of “Living Letters.”
Taylor named his fledgling company Tyndale House Publishers after William Tyndale, the 16th century reformer who was burned at the stake for translating the Bible into English. In its early days, Tyndale House was literally a kitchen-table operation. The older daughters typed Taylor’s manuscripts, Margaret typed invoices and mailing labels, and the younger children stuffed envelopes and packed books ordered by bookstores.
Graham sparks interest
As Taylor continued to paraphrase the rest of the Scriptures, orders for “Living Letters” trickled in. But when evangelist Billy Graham began to use Taylor’s work as a premium for his television broadcasts, demand for the books began in earnest.
In 1967, Tyndale published the Living New Testament, and in 1971 released the complete Living Bible. It became the best-selling book in the United States for the next three years, after which Publisher’s Weekly decided not to allow Bibles to compete with “regular books” for a spot on the best-seller list.
From the first published copy of The Living Bible, Taylor and his wife committed to deposit all profits from the Bible into a charitable trust, with all of its royalties donated to Tyndale House Foundation. The foundation, which continues to promote Taylor’s vision of making the Bible accessible and available to everyone, supports mission projects around the world.
Taylor was born on May 8, 1917, in Portland, Ore., to George and Charlotte Huff Taylor. Due in large part to his pastor father and godly mother, Taylor developed a solid faith in Christ and a deep respect for the Bible at a very young age. He graduated from Wheaton College in 1938, attended Dallas Theological Seminary for three years, and graduated from Northern Baptist Seminary in 1944.
Taylor, who spent 65 years in the publishing industry, began his career as editor of HIS magazine and later served as director of Moody Press in Chicago. He was the author of many children’s books, including “The Bible in Pictures for Little Eyes” and “My First Bible in Pictures.”
In addition to his wife, Taylor is survived by 10 children, 28 grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren.
By staff reporter
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WHEATON, ILL. — Kenneth Taylor, founder of Tyndale House Publishers, one of the nation’s largest Christian publishing companies, and creator of The Living Bible translation, died June 10 in his Wheaton home. He was 88.
A service was held June 15 at Edman Memorial Chapel on the campus of Wheaton College, where he earned his undergraduate degree.
Taylor was president of Tyndale House Publishers until 1984, when he turned over the reins to his son, Mark. He continued to serve as chairman of the board from 1984 until his death. Tyndale is one of the nation’s largest publishing companies, producing the best-selling “Left Behind” series. In addition to establishing the company, Taylor also wrote numerous children’s books.
His signature product was The Living Bible, a paraphrase of Scripture that was embraced by Billy Graham, and became the nation’s best-selling book for three years. More than 40 million copies have been sold worldwide with portions or entire Bibles available in more than 100 languages.
“Making Scripture accessible for all people was my father’s passion,” Mark Taylor said in a news release. “Many, many people have told him, ‘I became a Christian when I read The Living Bible,’ or ‘My first Bible was the green padded Living Bible.’ Even at 88 years old, his enthusiasm and fervor for his work never waned.”
Each year Tyndale’s 260 employees produce 250 new products. Its beginnings, however, were modest.
Determined to have his 10 children understand the Bible, Taylor created the paraphrased edition saying that the King James Version of the Bible—the most commonly used translation at the time—was too difficult for his young children to understand.
The project emerged when Taylor began rewording specific King James passages into simple, conversational language that children could comprehend. He finished his paraphrase of the New Testament epistles, which he called “Living Letters” in 1962, but no one was interested in publishing his work.
Taylor and his wife, Margaret, decided to self-publish 2,000 copies of “Living Letters.”
Taylor named his fledgling company Tyndale House Publishers after William Tyndale, the 16th century reformer who was burned at the stake for translating the Bible into English. In its early days, Tyndale House was literally a kitchen-table operation. The older daughters typed Taylor’s manuscripts, Margaret typed invoices and mailing labels, and the younger children stuffed envelopes and packed books ordered by bookstores.
Graham sparks interest
As Taylor continued to paraphrase the rest of the Scriptures, orders for “Living Letters” trickled in. But when evangelist Billy Graham began to use Taylor’s work as a premium for his television broadcasts, demand for the books began in earnest.
In 1967, Tyndale published the Living New Testament, and in 1971 released the complete Living Bible. It became the best-selling book in the United States for the next three years, after which Publisher’s Weekly decided not to allow Bibles to compete with “regular books” for a spot on the best-seller list.
From the first published copy of The Living Bible, Taylor and his wife committed to deposit all profits from the Bible into a charitable trust, with all of its royalties donated to Tyndale House Foundation. The foundation, which continues to promote Taylor’s vision of making the Bible accessible and available to everyone, supports mission projects around the world.
Taylor was born on May 8, 1917, in Portland, Ore., to George and Charlotte Huff Taylor. Due in large part to his pastor father and godly mother, Taylor developed a solid faith in Christ and a deep respect for the Bible at a very young age. He graduated from Wheaton College in 1938, attended Dallas Theological Seminary for three years, and graduated from Northern Baptist Seminary in 1944.
Taylor, who spent 65 years in the publishing industry, began his career as editor of HIS magazine and later served as director of Moody Press in Chicago. He was the author of many children’s books, including “The Bible in Pictures for Little Eyes” and “My First Bible in Pictures.”
In addition to his wife, Taylor is survived by 10 children, 28 grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren.
Tyndale founder Kenneth Taylor dies; created The Living Bible
By staff reporter
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WHEATON, ILL. — Kenneth Taylor, founder of Tyndale House Publishers, one of the nation’s largest Christian publishing companies, and creator of The Living Bible translation, died June 10 in his Wheaton home. He was 88.
A service was held June 15 at Edman Memorial Chapel on the campus of Wheaton College, where he earned his undergraduate degree.
Taylor was president of Tyndale House Publishers until 1984, when he turned over the reins to his son, Mark. He continued to serve as chairman of the board from 1984 until his death. Tyndale is one of the nation’s largest publishing companies, producing the best-selling “Left Behind” series. In addition to establishing the company, Taylor also wrote numerous children’s books.
His signature product was The Living Bible, a paraphrase of Scripture that was embraced by Billy Graham, and became the nation’s best-selling book for three years. More than 40 million copies have been sold worldwide with portions or entire Bibles available in more than 100 languages.
“Making Scripture accessible for all people was my father’s passion,” Mark Taylor said in a news release. “Many, many people have told him, ‘I became a Christian when I read The Living Bible,’ or ‘My first Bible was the green padded Living Bible.’ Even at 88 years old, his enthusiasm and fervor for his work never waned.”
Each year Tyndale’s 260 employees produce 250 new products. Its beginnings, however, were modest.
Determined to have his 10 children understand the Bible, Taylor created the paraphrased edition saying that the King James Version of the Bible—the most commonly used translation at the time—was too difficult for his young children to understand.
The project emerged when Taylor began rewording specific King James passages into simple, conversational language that children could comprehend. He finished his paraphrase of the New Testament epistles, which he called “Living Letters” in 1962, but no one was interested in publishing his work.
Taylor and his wife, Margaret, decided to self-publish 2,000 copies of “Living Letters.”
Taylor named his fledgling company Tyndale House Publishers after William Tyndale, the 16th century reformer who was burned at the stake for translating the Bible into English. In its early days, Tyndale House was literally a kitchen-table operation. The older daughters typed Taylor’s manuscripts, Margaret typed invoices and mailing labels, and the younger children stuffed envelopes and packed books ordered by bookstores.
Graham sparks interest
As Taylor continued to paraphrase the rest of the Scriptures, orders for “Living Letters” trickled in. But when evangelist Billy Graham began to use Taylor’s work as a premium for his television broadcasts, demand for the books began in earnest.
In 1967, Tyndale published the Living New Testament, and in 1971 released the complete Living Bible. It became the best-selling book in the United States for the next three years, after which Publisher’s Weekly decided not to allow Bibles to compete with “regular books” for a spot on the best-seller list.
From the first published copy of The Living Bible, Taylor and his wife committed to deposit all profits from the Bible into a charitable trust, with all of its royalties donated to Tyndale House Foundation. The foundation, which continues to promote Taylor’s vision of making the Bible accessible and available to everyone, supports mission projects around the world.
Taylor was born on May 8, 1917, in Portland, Ore., to George and Charlotte Huff Taylor. Due in large part to his pastor father and godly mother, Taylor developed a solid faith in Christ and a deep respect for the Bible at a very young age. He graduated from Wheaton College in 1938, attended Dallas Theological Seminary for three years, and graduated from Northern Baptist Seminary in 1944.
Taylor, who spent 65 years in the publishing industry, began his career as editor of HIS magazine and later served as director of Moody Press in Chicago. He was the author of many children’s books, including “The Bible in Pictures for Little Eyes” and “My First Bible in Pictures.”
In addition to his wife, Taylor is survived by 10 children, 28 grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren.
By staff reporter
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WHEATON, ILL. — Kenneth Taylor, founder of Tyndale House Publishers, one of the nation’s largest Christian publishing companies, and creator of The Living Bible translation, died June 10 in his Wheaton home. He was 88.
A service was held June 15 at Edman Memorial Chapel on the campus of Wheaton College, where he earned his undergraduate degree.
Taylor was president of Tyndale House Publishers until 1984, when he turned over the reins to his son, Mark. He continued to serve as chairman of the board from 1984 until his death. Tyndale is one of the nation’s largest publishing companies, producing the best-selling “Left Behind” series. In addition to establishing the company, Taylor also wrote numerous children’s books.
His signature product was The Living Bible, a paraphrase of Scripture that was embraced by Billy Graham, and became the nation’s best-selling book for three years. More than 40 million copies have been sold worldwide with portions or entire Bibles available in more than 100 languages.
“Making Scripture accessible for all people was my father’s passion,” Mark Taylor said in a news release. “Many, many people have told him, ‘I became a Christian when I read The Living Bible,’ or ‘My first Bible was the green padded Living Bible.’ Even at 88 years old, his enthusiasm and fervor for his work never waned.”
Each year Tyndale’s 260 employees produce 250 new products. Its beginnings, however, were modest.
Determined to have his 10 children understand the Bible, Taylor created the paraphrased edition saying that the King James Version of the Bible—the most commonly used translation at the time—was too difficult for his young children to understand.
The project emerged when Taylor began rewording specific King James passages into simple, conversational language that children could comprehend. He finished his paraphrase of the New Testament epistles, which he called “Living Letters” in 1962, but no one was interested in publishing his work.
Taylor and his wife, Margaret, decided to self-publish 2,000 copies of “Living Letters.”
Taylor named his fledgling company Tyndale House Publishers after William Tyndale, the 16th century reformer who was burned at the stake for translating the Bible into English. In its early days, Tyndale House was literally a kitchen-table operation. The older daughters typed Taylor’s manuscripts, Margaret typed invoices and mailing labels, and the younger children stuffed envelopes and packed books ordered by bookstores.
Graham sparks interest
As Taylor continued to paraphrase the rest of the Scriptures, orders for “Living Letters” trickled in. But when evangelist Billy Graham began to use Taylor’s work as a premium for his television broadcasts, demand for the books began in earnest.
In 1967, Tyndale published the Living New Testament, and in 1971 released the complete Living Bible. It became the best-selling book in the United States for the next three years, after which Publisher’s Weekly decided not to allow Bibles to compete with “regular books” for a spot on the best-seller list.
From the first published copy of The Living Bible, Taylor and his wife committed to deposit all profits from the Bible into a charitable trust, with all of its royalties donated to Tyndale House Foundation. The foundation, which continues to promote Taylor’s vision of making the Bible accessible and available to everyone, supports mission projects around the world.
Taylor was born on May 8, 1917, in Portland, Ore., to George and Charlotte Huff Taylor. Due in large part to his pastor father and godly mother, Taylor developed a solid faith in Christ and a deep respect for the Bible at a very young age. He graduated from Wheaton College in 1938, attended Dallas Theological Seminary for three years, and graduated from Northern Baptist Seminary in 1944.
Taylor, who spent 65 years in the publishing industry, began his career as editor of HIS magazine and later served as director of Moody Press in Chicago. He was the author of many children’s books, including “The Bible in Pictures for Little Eyes” and “My First Bible in Pictures.”
In addition to his wife, Taylor is survived by 10 children, 28 grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren.
Wednesday, July 06, 2005
Jesus at G8
Christian advocacy for Africa gains notice at top meetings.
by Tony Carnes in Edinburgh, Scotland | posted 07/06/2005 09:30 a.m.
Slogans, celebrities, politicians, and Christian activists are grabbing headlines globally this week in anticipation of the international Group of 8 meetings in Scotland.
The potent mix includes the heads of eight leading industrialized nations along with Live 8's Bob Geldof, U2's Bono, Jars of Clay, Kanye West, Rick Warren, Pat Robertson, and evangelical churchgoers.
Normally, the G8 summit elicits about as much evangelical interest as moss growing on trees. But this year evangelicals are joining the ranks of activists at the annual gathering, held this year in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Their shared goal is to change government policies that will save lives in Africa. A broad coalition of religious and political leaders has endorsed:
Doubling financial aid sent to the world's poorest countries.
Debt cancellation for the poorest nations.
Reform of trade laws so poor nations are not shut out of global markets.
Activists hope all these steps will result in new growth in African economies and that in turn will translate into fewer deaths from malaria, HIV/AIDS, and starvation.
ONE, the campaign "to make poverty history," has become the focal point of advocacy for the G8 meetings and includes leading evangelical groups, such as World Vision, Bread for the World, and World Concern.
ONE campaign leader Geldof helped organize the July 2 mega-rock concert series Live 8 to raise public awareness and sway the leaders of the G8 countries to make these policy reforms. Geldof in 1985 organized the historic Live Aid concert that raised funds to fight famine in Africa.
Geldof told CT that Africa's poverty and misery is "the great moral sorrow of our time." Many G8 leaders favor debt cancellation and significant increases in aid, but fewer leaders support reform of trade laws because it may result in job losses within their own nations.
In planning for the concerts this past weekend, Geldof realized something that many of his secular European colleagues fail to recognize: The solutions to Africa's needs will only come about if evangelicals are brought into the fray.
"In the U.S. evangelicals are a huge force for change," he told CT. He said in Africa the roles of evangelical Christians, Roman Catholics, and Muslims have become the fundamental facts of life. "People fail to understand how important a role religion takes in Africa."
Geldof's partner in the Live 8 concerts is mega-rock star Bono, U2's charismatic leader who has acknowledged Christian beliefs. Bono has worked through his organization DATA (Debt, AIDS, Trade, Africa) to partner with Christian relief and development groups.
In Philadelphia, the Live 8 concert featured evangelical Christian artists like Jars of Clay—fresh from an appearance with evangelist Billy Graham in New York City, along with headliners Kanye West and Destiny's Child.
The Bono Effect
Shayne Moore, a member of the Wheaton Bible Church in Wheaton, Illinois, says she has come to Edinburgh because her heart was broken by Bono's descriptions of African suffering. (For example, every day, 6,300 Africans die of AIDS, more than 1,200 of them children.)
"Bono came to Wheaton College in December 2002," Moore said. "By the time I left the concert, I had changed."
At Wheaton, Bono issued his challenge, "If the church doesn't respond, who will?"
The change inside of Moore was a deep transformation. She moved from being the classic suburban mom who happily shops for family bargains at Target into a person with global concern. She now considers herself a faith-oriented activist and has come to Edinburgh with other evangelicals linked with the ONE Campaign. They will be networking, organizing, and strategizing how to change government policy and push for local church involvement.
Like many of the evangelicals here in Edinburgh, Moore came with a new compassion for Africans. She and her husband even helped sponsor an entire Zambian village through World Vision. Moore looks at her own children when she see pictures of African kids dying of malaria and AIDS. "I don't have to go miles to get clean water for my kids."
Bono, Geldof, and others working to end poverty in Africa have tapped into the vein of evangelical compassion, typically channeled through local churches and charities, but now also directed into reform of government policies on trade and aid.
For Moore, it is a long way from the foreign missions appeals at Wheaton Bible Church, which she joined in 2004.
G8 meetings in Scotland run July 6-8. Live 8 leaders are saying, "The whole world is watching." Moore and other evangelicals in Edinburgh hope the whole church is paying close attention too.
Tony Carnes is a senior writer for Christianity Today.
Christian advocacy for Africa gains notice at top meetings.
by Tony Carnes in Edinburgh, Scotland | posted 07/06/2005 09:30 a.m.
Slogans, celebrities, politicians, and Christian activists are grabbing headlines globally this week in anticipation of the international Group of 8 meetings in Scotland.
The potent mix includes the heads of eight leading industrialized nations along with Live 8's Bob Geldof, U2's Bono, Jars of Clay, Kanye West, Rick Warren, Pat Robertson, and evangelical churchgoers.
Normally, the G8 summit elicits about as much evangelical interest as moss growing on trees. But this year evangelicals are joining the ranks of activists at the annual gathering, held this year in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Their shared goal is to change government policies that will save lives in Africa. A broad coalition of religious and political leaders has endorsed:
Doubling financial aid sent to the world's poorest countries.
Debt cancellation for the poorest nations.
Reform of trade laws so poor nations are not shut out of global markets.
Activists hope all these steps will result in new growth in African economies and that in turn will translate into fewer deaths from malaria, HIV/AIDS, and starvation.
ONE, the campaign "to make poverty history," has become the focal point of advocacy for the G8 meetings and includes leading evangelical groups, such as World Vision, Bread for the World, and World Concern.
ONE campaign leader Geldof helped organize the July 2 mega-rock concert series Live 8 to raise public awareness and sway the leaders of the G8 countries to make these policy reforms. Geldof in 1985 organized the historic Live Aid concert that raised funds to fight famine in Africa.
Geldof told CT that Africa's poverty and misery is "the great moral sorrow of our time." Many G8 leaders favor debt cancellation and significant increases in aid, but fewer leaders support reform of trade laws because it may result in job losses within their own nations.
In planning for the concerts this past weekend, Geldof realized something that many of his secular European colleagues fail to recognize: The solutions to Africa's needs will only come about if evangelicals are brought into the fray.
"In the U.S. evangelicals are a huge force for change," he told CT. He said in Africa the roles of evangelical Christians, Roman Catholics, and Muslims have become the fundamental facts of life. "People fail to understand how important a role religion takes in Africa."
Geldof's partner in the Live 8 concerts is mega-rock star Bono, U2's charismatic leader who has acknowledged Christian beliefs. Bono has worked through his organization DATA (Debt, AIDS, Trade, Africa) to partner with Christian relief and development groups.
In Philadelphia, the Live 8 concert featured evangelical Christian artists like Jars of Clay—fresh from an appearance with evangelist Billy Graham in New York City, along with headliners Kanye West and Destiny's Child.
The Bono Effect
Shayne Moore, a member of the Wheaton Bible Church in Wheaton, Illinois, says she has come to Edinburgh because her heart was broken by Bono's descriptions of African suffering. (For example, every day, 6,300 Africans die of AIDS, more than 1,200 of them children.)
"Bono came to Wheaton College in December 2002," Moore said. "By the time I left the concert, I had changed."
At Wheaton, Bono issued his challenge, "If the church doesn't respond, who will?"
The change inside of Moore was a deep transformation. She moved from being the classic suburban mom who happily shops for family bargains at Target into a person with global concern. She now considers herself a faith-oriented activist and has come to Edinburgh with other evangelicals linked with the ONE Campaign. They will be networking, organizing, and strategizing how to change government policy and push for local church involvement.
Like many of the evangelicals here in Edinburgh, Moore came with a new compassion for Africans. She and her husband even helped sponsor an entire Zambian village through World Vision. Moore looks at her own children when she see pictures of African kids dying of malaria and AIDS. "I don't have to go miles to get clean water for my kids."
Bono, Geldof, and others working to end poverty in Africa have tapped into the vein of evangelical compassion, typically channeled through local churches and charities, but now also directed into reform of government policies on trade and aid.
For Moore, it is a long way from the foreign missions appeals at Wheaton Bible Church, which she joined in 2004.
G8 meetings in Scotland run July 6-8. Live 8 leaders are saying, "The whole world is watching." Moore and other evangelicals in Edinburgh hope the whole church is paying close attention too.
Tony Carnes is a senior writer for Christianity Today.
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