I hated Thomas Nelson Publishers. [Update: Check Michael's comment response here for why that hate's dwindling even faster now.]
- Question: What’s more important than the Holy Grail?
- Answer: The Holy Bible.
And Thomas Nelson doesn’t get it.
I’m a fan of the New King James Version. I’ve read from the same Bible my whole life: a NKJV, Thomas Nelson Bible. I re-covered it, though, because the old one fell apart (and I never take it out of its leather case). That’s why I hated Thomas Nelson.
Thomas Nelson makes lousy Bible covers.
Zondervan makes decent covers. Theirs even look snappy. Some even have snaps to hold them closed, not that snaps are everything.
But Thomas Nelson covers fall apart like wet noodle igloos. It’s ridiculous. Books, especially Bibles, should last more than a couple years. It’s criminal. And Thomas Nelson workers are Nelsinners for it. Okay, that’s childish name-calling – what I mean is, I didn’t have much respect for the company. At all.
Until Michael Hyatt
Michael rockin' the guitar - now to start rockin' those Bible covers (Source: Digitizer)
As you know, Michael Hyatt‘s the CEO of Thomas Nelson. He’s blogged for over ten years now (since before they were called blogs), but I only discovered him recently.
[Some back story about my reading habits: I read way too many blogs (but I'm not stopping). For the most part, they're disposable for me - I'm all about the latest content. I don't mine many archives anymore. Having said that...]
I read Michael’s archives. I ate it up… and still do. (If that’s not a recommendation, I don’t know what is.)
While reading through Michael’s posts, I began to notice my perception of Thomas Nelson switching. In a good way. Finally, a couple weeks after discovering Michael, I found an old interview with him on God’s Mac.
In the interview, Michael mentioned that part of the significance of his blog is that it reveals a face, a person, behind the Thomas Nelson company. Michael’s blog humanizes the company similar to how Jesus humanized God.
“God was not content to remain aloof… He became a man.” -Michael Hyatt
When I heard that, I knew I had to write this post. He’d harpooned what I’d come to realize about him, and about Christianity.
I still don’t like Thomas Nelson, Bible covers, but I don’t hate the entire empire anymore. Because for me now, Thomas Nelson has a face: Michael Hyatt.
Does Christianity have a face?
As Michael said, Jesus came as a tangible representation of God for us. But now that responsibility has passed to us, to you and I as Christians, as Christ’s church.
Christianity is a global, Goliath of a religion with no face… or at least the face seems hidden. Can you and I become that face, that person who shows others that Christianity is not a company, not an ideology? Can you and I make it real?
I have friends who hate Christianaity almost as much as I hated Thomas Nelson. I hope through me they learn to hate it a little less… or at least feel the humanity of it.
I love what Paul said:
“Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.” -2 Corinthians 5:20
Serving Suggestions:
(1) First off, if you work for Thomas Nelson or know someone who does, I’d love for you guys to start rockin’ some decent Bible covers. I’m not talking about stylishness here – I’m talking about not-fall-apartness. (To be fair, I haven’t had any experience with the covers since 2007. Let me know if I’m wrong and they’re fantastic now.)
(2) For regular readers, check out Michael Hyatt’s blog. Do you get a better feeling for Thomas Nelson by reading it? How? Why?
(3) Don’t worry – I’m not going to leave you hanging too long. I’m working on a post about how, in practical terms, you and I can help humanize Christianity for the world. For now, how do you feel about it? How are you already doing it? How could you and I do it better?
Twitter Updates
Thanks for two things: your kind words and your candor. Please email me, and I will send you a great bible with a great cover. And in the mean time, I will convey your input to our Bible team. Bad covers are not acceptable!
Thanks again.
You’re very welcome. Thank you for stopping in. I’ll shoot you an email in a moment. I’d love to see you guys making some fantastic Bibles (and hopefully I’m wrong – hopefully you’ve already sorted this out). I think I’m about to become a Tommy Nel fanboy.
-Marshall Jones Jr.
I have actually been working on a project do something very similar, providing people a context for understanding what God is doing around the world through the corporate body of believers. Check out http://global-christian.net if you get a chance, and let me know what you think. I would love to interact with you further on this…
Yes, Daniel, that’s wonderful. I browsed around your site a bit, and I’ll email you too. I’d love to connect more with you and find out more of what all you have going on.
Thank you for dropping into the comments here.
-Marshall Jones Jr.
Marshall what do you mean by bad Bible covers. Are you talking about a cover for a Bible or the face of the Bible.
Michael Hyatt’s blog is a great one to read. Good job getting the word out.
Sorry if that wasn’t clear… I should try to write more articulately when I have the chance to have publishes here. :>)
I meant that from my experience, Thomas Nelson covers have fallen apart. I’ve gone through a number of Bibles and some friends have too. Of course, I can’t speak for all their covers, but from what I’ve seen it’s been pretty unanimous. Hopefully they’ve worked that out, though, because I still like the NKJV… and I seem to be become more of a Michael Hyatt fan everyday.
Glad you enjoy his blog too. I don’t know how I’d missed it in the past.
-Marshall Jones Jr.
I am fond of my TNIV Strive Bible. Leather cover, which I could never afford. I got it for free when I began working at a Christian bookstore. The only cover I have had fall apart is my NLT which I believe Tyndale puts out.
Which versions do T. Nelson put out? Is it only the KJV and NKJV?
They also do the New Century Version, but I don’t know anything about it.
For a while, Thomas Nelson was the only one making NKJV, which meant I was stuck with them if I wanted that version. I like NKJV because it’s what I started with when I became a Christian and most of my Bible memorization is out of it. I don’t want to switch because that would throw all the wording out of whack.
Still, I’ve heard good things about the TNIV, but I’ve only skimmed through it briefly. I’ve also really liked the English Standard Version.
All that to say, though, I like other versions for reading, but when it comes to actually studying the Bible, it’s going to take a lot to get me to switch out of NKJV if I can help it.
-Marshall Jones Jr.
I have a Nelson KJV Study Bible and have treated it very well. However, recently the pages in the middle of Psalms (basically the middle of the physical Bible) have begun to fall out. That is really disappointing.
Not that this is the point of this article, but I thought it was just me
Bernard, I apologize for the hassle. If you will email me the product number from the spine or the title page and the color, along with your mailing address, I will gladly replace it free of charge: mhyatt at thomasnelson dot com. Thanks!
Wow, Mr. Hyatt, I really didn’t intend to treat this as a customer service forum, but your gesture is highly appreciated and speaks well of you and Nelson. I will email you. Thank you.
Happy to do it. Our goal is to engage with customers wherever they are comfortable engaging.
And yes, whichever way this goes, it’s a continued testament to what I originally intended in the post: that the human side of a company/religion is crucial… and we’re continuing to see that here. Thank you so much.
-Marshall Jones Jr.
Yes, as I said, I clearly don’t have an objective sample size, but I’ve noticed the trend. It’s a shame… especially with this tremendous customer service. I’m looking forward to giving Thomas Nelson another shot, though.
Thanks for adding your thoughts, Bernard.
-Marshall Jones Jr.
Michael has been a real blessing to me since last summer. Through his posts, I gained enough confidence and knowledge to launch my own blog. Until I started reading his blog, my book never went beyond the proposal stage. Through what I have learned and am learning from him, I’ve written about 3/5 of my book online. I can’t thank him enough.
Now, can I do for Christianity what Michael has done for Thomas Nelson? Yes, I can. I believe one of the biggest challenges facing believers in Christ is the push to put doctrines and commentaries above God’s absolute love. Through what I am writing on my blog, I hope to focus readers on the power of God’s love and on what Christ has done for us on the cross. I know people argue about whether we are in the endtime or not, but no one can deny that there are enough nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons on our planet to destroy the human race. We are in trouble, and unless God’s absolute love is manifested in our lives and unless we take our places as sons of God, life as we know it may well end. The place to begin overcoming the evil and the trouble in our world is with God’s absolute love–it’s perfect, complete, and real!
That’s a fantastic testimony. I know many bloggers/writers are inspired to start by other bloggers – that’s certainly been the case for me as well. It’s such an encouragement to see the community spread and open up, especially with all the interaction that goes on.
I’ll check out your blog right after I finish writing this. Thank you for venturing into the comments here.
Also, you’re right on with what you said about God’s absolute love: “it’s perfect, complete, and real!”
-Marshall Jones Jr.