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Christianity Today

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Not to be confused withChristian Today.

Christianity Today
Cover of the April 2010 issue
President & CEOTimothy Dalrymple[1]
Editor-in-ChiefRussell D. Moore[2][3]
Former editorsCarl F. H. Henry,Harold Lindsell, Kenneth S. Kantzer, V. Gilbert Beers, David Neff,Terry C. Muck,George K. Brushaber,Mark Galli,Daniel M. Harrell
FrequencyMonthly
Circulation130,000[4]
FounderBilly Graham
First issueOctober 1956(1956-October)
CompanyChristianity Today International
CountryUnited States
Based inCarol Stream, Illinois
LanguageEnglish
Websitechristianitytoday.com
ISSN0009-5753

Christianity Todayis anevangelicalChristian mediamagazine founded in 1956 byBilly Graham.It is published byChristianity Today Internationalbased inCarol Stream, Illinois.The Washington PostcallsChristianity Today"evangelicalism's flagship magazine".[5]The New York Timesdescribes it as a "mainstream evangelical magazine".[6]On August 4, 2022,Russell D. Moore—notable for denouncing and leaving the leadership of theSouthern Baptist Convention[7]—was named the incomingChristianity TodayEditor-in-Chief.[2]

Christianity Todayhas a print circulation of approximately 130,000, of which approximately 36,000 is free, and readership of 260,000,[4]as well as a website at ChristianityToday.com. The founder,Billy Graham,stated that he wanted to "plant the evangelical flag in the middle of the road, taking theconservativetheological position but a definiteliberalapproach to social problems ".[8]Other active publications currently active withinChristianity Todayinclude:Building Church Leaderswhich hasvocational educationmaterials forevangelistsandclergy.[9]Church Law & Taxwhich discussestax compliance.[10]ChristianBibleStudieshelps withBible studies.[11]ChurchSalaryhelps churches with information on proper remuneration.[12]Ekstasis Magazineabout Christianartsandmedia,specifically to encouragecreativitywithinChristian cultureto enable betterstorytelling,worldbuilding,andculturalrepresentation.[13]PreachingTodayis a publication specifically for those deliveringsermons.[14]SmallGroupsis a leadership magazine for smallerchurch plantinggroups such asmissional living,cafe churches,pub churches,orhouse churches.[15]

Graham began the magazine as counterpoint toThe Christian Century,the predominant independent periodical ofmainlineProtestantism,and as a way to bring the evangelical Christian community together.[8][16]

History[edit]

The second issue ofChristianity Todaywas created in the date of October 15, 1956, and the opening editorial, Why 'Christianity Today'?,[17]stated "Christianity Todayhas its origin in a deep-felt desire to express historical Christianity to the present generation. Neglected, slighted, misrepresented—evangelical Christianity needs a clear voice, to speak with conviction and love, and to state its true position and its relevance to the world crisis. A generation has grown up unaware of the basic truths of the Christian faith taught in theScripturesand expressed in the creeds of the historic evangelical churches. "

Its first editor wasCarl F. H. Henry.Notable contributors in its first two decades includedF. F. Bruce,Edward John Carnell,Frank Gaebelein,Walter Martin,John Warwick Montgomery,andHarold Lindsell.Lindsell succeeded Henry as editor and during his editorial administration much attention centered on debates aboutbiblical inerrancy.Later editorial leadership came from Kenneth Kantzer, Terry Muck, and David Neff.V. Gilbert Beerswas hired as the fourth editor in 1982, reportedly to increase the magazine's lay readership.[18]The most recent editor in chief wasMark Galli,who retired on January 3, 2020. His replacement as editor in chief is Daniel M. Harrell.[19]Andy Olsen is managing editor of the print edition and Andrea Palpant Dilley is managing editor of online journalism. The publication now includes print and online versions and various ancillary products. Print and online contents include feature stories, news ranging from cultural issues from a Christian viewpoint to the global church, opinion, reviews, and investigative reporting.

InBilly Graham's 1997 autobiography,Just As I Am,he writes of his vision, idea, and history withChristianity Today[20]and his early meeting with oil company executive,John Howard Pew,to establish the publication.[21][22]

Editorials on impeachments of U.S. presidents[edit]

Most critics label it as a mainstream, intellectual, centrist evangelical publication.[23][24][25][26]

On June 7, 1974, in an editorial entitled "Should Nixon Resign?", published during theimpeachment hearingsofPresident Richard Nixon,Christianity Todaywrote "that the constitutional process should be followed, and followed with dispatch." The magazine did not call for his resignation, but instead stated that "If he is acquitted, the nation will have to wait out the term of a President whose ability to function has been seriously eroded."[27][28]

On October 5, 1998, regarding the imminentimpeachmentof PresidentBill Clinton,Christianity Todaystated in an editorial that "Unsavory dealings and immoral acts by the president and those close to him" have compromised his administration's moral leadership,[29]criticizing his televised August 17 confession as a "nonapology".[30]

In one such editorial, published a day after theU.S. House of Representativesimpeached President Donald Trumpfor abuse of power and obstruction of Congress,[31][32]editor in chiefMark Galliasserted among other criticisms that he sought to leverage his political power "to coerce a foreign leader to harass and discredit"presidential candidateJoe Biden."That is not only a violation of the Constitution," he argued, "more importantly, it is profoundly immoral."[32][33]The editorial received extensive media coverage and caught the attention of Trump and his allies, who in response sought to discredit the publication,[34]with the former describing it as "far-left"[24]and almost 200 evangelical leaders rebuking it for the editorial.[35]

Sexual harassment controversy[edit]

In 2022 the magazine published two articles announcing that a number of women reported demeaning, inappropriate, and offensive behavior by former editor in chiefMark Galliand former advertising director Olatokunbo Olawoye, whilst their behavior remained unchecked and the men were not disciplined, according to an external assessment of the ministry's culture.[36]

Speaking toReligion News Service,Galli admitted that he may have "crossed lines" during his time as editor, but denied having had "any romantic or sexual interest in anyone atChristianity Today."[37]

In an editorial on the magazine, the CEO ofChristianity TodayTimothy Dalrympleadmitted that the society that owns and edits the magazine fell short on protecting the employees and apologized for the fact, promising strong and swift action against sexual harassment.[38]

Publications[edit]

Harold Myra,who became president and chief executive of the magazine in 1975, believed that a "family" of magazines would disperse overhead expenses and give more stability to the organization.[39]Christianity Todayboth online and magazine is the flagship publication, fully effective in three basic areas: editorial, circulation, advertising; as such, many of the articles from their broader publications often get distributed through CT's flagship.[40]Christianity Today founded or acquired periodicals during the 1980s and 1990s, beginning withLeadership,a quarterly journal for clergy, in 1980.

Active[edit]

At the ministry's web home, ChristianityToday.org, all other brands for Christian thought leaders and church leaders are featured, including publications such as the intellectual Christian review,Books & Culture,and the website for pastors and church leaders,CT Pastors.Additional web resources includeMen of IntegrityandPreaching Today.Many of the sections published online under theChristianity Todaybanner are the online legacies of defunct print publications, even named after the aforementioned publications.

Ekstasis(2016–present)[edit]

Ekstasisis a journal that was acquired byChristianity Todayin 2021, originally founded in 2016 by Conor Sweetman inToronto,Canadait focuses on Christianartsandmedia.[41][42][43][44]

International editions (2007–present)[edit]

Besides English, it is available in 12 other languages: Arabic, Catalan, Chinese, Filipino, French, Galician, German, Indonesian, Italian, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish.[45]Their publication can be found within those linguistic regions, as well as in Japan and Israel.[46]

Online presence[edit]

The magazine's mission statement is to "provide evangelical thought leaders a sense of community, coherence, and direction through thoughtful, biblical commentary on issues and through careful, caring reporting of the news." Its presence on the Internet began in October 1994 when it became one of the top ten content providers on all of AOL. Then, in 1996, their website was launched. Originally, it was named ChristianityOnline.com before becoming ChristianityToday.com. Today ChristianityToday.com serves as the web home forChristianity Todaymagazine, which now has distinct sections for Local Church Pastors,[47]Reporting, [48]Women,[49]History,[50]and Spanish[51]readers.

Together, all Christianity Today brands reach more than 2.5 million people every month when print and digital views are combined, plus more than 5 million pageviews per month on the Internet.[52]The ministry offers access, both premium and free, to more than 100,000 articles and other content on their various websites. They operate several stand-alone websites from ChristianityToday including SmallGroups.com, Preaching Today, Church Law & Tax and many other sites.[53]

Defunct[edit]

In 2005, Christianity Today International published 12 magazines,[54]but following thefinancial downturn of 2008it was forced to shutter several publications.[55]By 2017 that had further diminished to three, as many of them became sections of Christianity Today proper.[56]

Leadership Journal(1980–2016)[edit]

The first "sister publication" added to the Christianity Today publishing group wasLeadership: A Practical Journal for Church Leaders,launched in 1980. The subtitle clearly defined the journal's mission: it was a quarterly publication, aimed primarily at clergy and focusing on the practical concerns of ministry and church leadership. The first issue ofLeadershipsold out its initial press run of 50,000 copies and the publication was in the black after a single issue.[57]The journal continued in print for 36 years. After volume 37, issue 1 (winter 2016), Christianity Today discontinued the print publication, replacing it with expanded content inChristianity Todayfor pastors and church leaders and occasional print supplements, as well as a new website, CTPastors.com.[58]

Campus Life/Ignite Your Faith(1982–2009)[edit]

Main article:Ignite Your Faith

In 1982, Christianity Today purchased the magazineCampus Life,aimed at a high school audience, from, Campus Life Publications, Inc., a nonprofit organization, which had purchased Campus Life magazine from Youth For Christ in 1980. The name of the magazine was changed toIgnite Your Faithin 2006. It ceased publication in 2009.[59]

Partnership/Marriage Partnership(1984–2009)[edit]

Partnershipwas launched in 1984[60]as a magazine for wives of clergy.[39]In 1987[60]it was renamedMarriage Partnershipand expanded its focus to marriage in general, not just clergy marriages. The magazine ceased publication in 2009.[59]

Today's Christian Woman(1985–2009)[edit]

Today's Christian Womanwas founded in 1978 and acquired by Christianity Today from theFleming H. Revell Co.in 1985.[61]It discontinued print publication in 2009 and was replaced with a "digizine" entitledKyria,which was online only, but still required a paid subscription to access, although at a lower price than the print magazine.[62]In 2012 the name of the digital publication was changed back toToday's Christian Woman,and in 2016 it stopped being issued as a regularly scheduled digital periodical.[63]

Christian History(1989–2008)[edit]

Main article:Christian History

Christian Historywas a journal of the history of Christianity, first issued in January 1982 by the Christian History Institute. Each issue had multiple articles covering a single theme. Initially published annually, it became a quarterly publication. Christianity Today took over ownership of the magazine beginning with issue 22 in 1989. It was discontinued after the publication of issue 99 in 2008. In 2011 the Christian History Institute resumed quarterly publication of the magazine.Christian Historyarchives still may be found on ChristianityToday.com under its special section.[50]

Christian Reader/Today's Christian(1992–2008)[edit]

Christian Reader,a digest magazine in the vein ofReader's Digest,was founded in 1963 by the founder ofTyndale House Publishers,Ken Taylor.[64]Christianity Today purchased the magazine in 1992.[60]The name was changed toToday's Christianin 2004.[65]In 2008, Christianity Today sold the magazine to the ministry Significant Living.[66]

Books & Culture(1995–2016)[edit]

Main article:Books & Culture

Books & Culturewas a bimonthly book review and intellectual journal modeled after theNew York Review of BooksandThe New York Times Book Reviewand was published by Christianity Today International from 1995 to 2016.[67]At the end of its publication life in 2016, the magazine's circulation was 11,000 and its readership was 20,000.[68]It was edited by John Wilson, and notable contributors includedMark Noll,Lauren Winner,Alan Jacobs,Jean Bethke Elshtain,andMiroslav Volf.

Virtue(1998–2000)[edit]

Virtue,a magazine for Christian women, was founded in 1978.[69]Christianity Today purchased the publication fromCook Communications Ministriesin 1998 after that publisher abruptly closed the magazine.[70]Christianity Today revived the magazine and continued publishing it for two more years before discontinuing publication following the December/January 2000 issue.[69]

Christian Parenting Today(1998–2005)[edit]

Christian Parenting Today(originally entitledChristian Parenting) was founded in 1989.[71]Christianity Today purchased the magazine from Cook Communications Ministries in 1998 in the same deal in which it acquiredVirtue.[70]It ceased publication in 2005.[71]

Men of Integrity(1998–2017)[edit]

Men of Integritywas a bi-monthly magazine for Christian men published by Christianity Today. It was created in 1998, in partnership with the evangelical men's organizationPromise Keepers.[70]It ceased publication with the November–December 2017 issue.

References[edit]

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  • Marsden, George M.,Reforming Fundamentalism,William B. Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 1987.

External links[edit]

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