Haunted by the Style Czarina

If you find some typos in this issue, or more contractions and slang than usual, we have a good excuse. For the first time since April 6, 1979, the eyes of Carol Thiessen have not scoured the columns for sins of style and substance. Last month, Carol retired as administrative editor, and her farewell party was a time to lift up someCT values she embodied.

The first is that excellence is more important than saving a few dollars. Many times I have waffled over whether to pay to correct a bad word break or a still-readable misspelling after the pages were at the printer. But then Carol would step in: “It is wrong. We need to fix it.” End of argument.

Second is the conviction that being Christian means doing things well and professionally. The besetting temptation of producing magazines is procrastination, putting things off to the last minute and making everyone else rush. Carol was rather intolerant of such practices. For instance, if I did not finish “Inside CT” by my deadline, I would get a daily, pleasant inquiry: “Are you done yet?” As the days progressed, the query would come almost hourly (when she could find me), until I encountered the still-pleasant question in 60-point type taped over my monitor. Under Carol’s watch, we never missed our date with the printer.

Third is the commitment to the priesthood of all believers. As editor of the letters section, Carol insisted that all fair, responsible perspectives had a right to be represented, no matter how much they contradictedCT‘s position on the matter.

Fourth is the understanding that degree of popular interest does not determine importance of subject matter. It was Carol’s insistence that our mission of reporting on God’s work included a mandate to cover Christians in ballet, the visual arts, even opera.

Fifth is the value of loyalty. To know Carol is to encounter an incarnation of loyalty—to Christ, to the noble vision of the evangelical mission, to the local church, and to the magazine that strives to report on these things.

These values live on atCT, because all of us who have worked with her continue to hear a still, small voice at the back of our minds asking, “When can we expect that article?” “Did you check that spelling?” “Did you look up all the Bible verses?” “Is that really what we want to say?”

It is an edifying haunting.

Copyright © 1999 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Also in this issue

Hymns on MTV: Christian music has traveled a long way from the pages of the Bay Psalm Book to the charts of Billboard magazine. Now Jars of Clay is shaking up Contemporary Christian Music.

Cover Story

Hymns on MTV

Graham Meets with Iraqi Leaders

Jar Boys Meet Sgt. Pepper

The Business of the Kingdom

God on the Gridiron

The Battle for the Inclusive Bible

Running with Jonah

The Movie Missionary

Are Christians Required to Tithe?

Classic & Contemporary Excerpts from November 15, 1999

Who Do Artists Say That I Am?

Take Ten Commandments and Call Me in the Morning

New and Noteworthy: Theology

How to Silence Scripture

Scouts’ Dishonor

Conservatives Voice Support for Bauer

An Education with a Backbeat

New Indictment in Fraud Case

In Brief: November 15, 1999

NBC Purchases Chunk of Pax TV

Four Priests Resume Teaching Duties

Gun-Toting Missionaries Given Light Sentences

Vatican Amends Indulgences Doctrine

70 Christians Arrested While at Church

Evangelical Leader Leaves Wife for Man

In Brief: November 15, 1999

Neopaganism’s Bewitching Charms

Shopping for the Real Me, Part 1 of 3

Shopping for the Real Me, Part 2 of 3

Shopping for the Real Me, Part 3 of 3

NCC to Undergo Major Restructuring to Solve Financial Woes

New Laws Protect Homosexuals

Why I Hate The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc

1984 50 Years Later

NCC Celebrates 50 Years of American Ecumenism

Hindus Protest Papal Visit to India

Open-Door Policy Part 3

The Greatest Pokemon Match Ever: Pikachu vs. God at the Cineplex

Smile God Loves You!

The Messenger: A Story of Joan of Arc

Feed the Children Battles Controversy

Amassed Media: Hooray for Holywood

Turkmen Authorities Fine Release Baptist Pastor

Sydney's Archbishop Overrules Decision to Allow Lay Presidency

Wire Story

Christians Protest Proposed Mosque

Violence Mars Bonnke's Revival

America Legislates for the World! ' Part 1

America Legislates for the World! ' Part 2

Apologetics' Missing Links

Letters to the Editor

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Evangelism: To the Jew First?

Sudan Oil Exports Draw Protests

Oregon: From Cult Site to Teen Camp

Intelligent Design: Searching for a Blueprint

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The Wall’s Long Shadow

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