''Christianity Today'' is an

evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being " born again", in which an individual exp ...

Christian media magazine founded in 1956 by

Billy Graham William Franklin Graham Jr. (November 7, 1918 – February 21, 2018) was an American evangelist and an ordained Southern Baptist minister who became well known internationally in the late 1940s. He was a prominent evangelical Christi ...

. It is published by Christianity Today International based in Carol Stream, Illinois. ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...

'' calls ''Christianity Today'' "evangelicalism's flagship magazine". ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' describes it as a "mainstream evangelical magazine". On August 4, 2022, Russell D. Moore—notable for denouncing and leaving the leadership of the

Southern Baptist Convention The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination, and the largest Protestant and second-largest Christian denomination in the United States. The wo ...

—was named the incoming Christianity Today Editor-in-Chief. ''Christianity Today'' has a print circulation of approximately 130,000, of which approximately 36,000 is free, and readership of 260,000, as well as a website at ChristianityToday.com. The founder,

, stated that he wanted to "plant the evangelical flag in the middle of the road, taking the

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

theological position but a definite liberal approach to social problems". Other active publications currently active within Christianity Today include: ''Building Church Leaders'' which has

vocational education Vocational education is education that prepares people to work as a technician or to take up employment in a skilled craft or trade as a tradesperson or artisan. Vocational Education can also be seen as that type of education given to an in ...

materials for evangelists and

clergy Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the t ...

. ''Church Law & Tax'' which discusses

tax compliance A tax is a compulsory financial charge or some other type of levy imposed on a taxpayer (an individual or legal entity) by a governmental organization in order to fund government spending and various public expenditures (regional, local, or n ...

. ''ChristianBibleStudies'' helps with Bible studies. ''ChurchSalary'' helps churches with information on proper remuneration. ''Ekstasis Magazine'' about Christian

arts The arts are a very wide range of human practices of creative expression, storytelling and cultural participation. They encompass multiple diverse and plural modes of thinking, doing and being, in an extremely broad range of media. Both ...

and

media Media may refer to: Communication * Media (communication), tools used to deliver information or data ** Advertising media, various media, content, buying and placement for advertising ** Broadcast media, communications delivered over mass el ...

, specifically to encourage

creativity Creativity is a phenomenon whereby something new and valuable is formed. The created item may be intangible (such as an idea, a scientific theory, a musical composition, or a joke) or a physical object (such as an invention, a printed literary w ...

within Christian culture to enable better storytelling,

worldbuilding Worldbuilding is the process of constructing a world, originally an imaginary one, sometimes associated with a fictional universe. Developing an imaginary setting with coherent qualities such as a history, geography, and ecology is a key task f ...

, and

cultural Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups.Tylor ...

representation. ''PreachingToday'' is a publication specifically for those delivering

sermon A sermon is a religious discourse or oration by a preacher, usually a member of clergy. Sermons address a scriptural, theological, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law, or behavior within both past and present contexts. E ...

s. ''SmallGroups'' is a leadership magazine for smaller church planting groups such as missional living, cafe churches, pub churches, or

house church A house church or home church is a label used to describe a group of Christians who regularly gather for worship in private homes. The group may be part of a larger Christian body, such as a parish, but some have been independent groups that see ...

es. Graham began the magazine as counterpoint to '' The Christian Century'', the predominant independent periodical of mainline

Protestantism Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

, and as a way to bring the evangelical Christian community together.

History

The first issue of ''Christianity Today'' was mailed October 15, 1956, and the opening editorial, Why 'Christianity Today'?, stated "''Christianity Today'' has 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 the Scriptures and expressed in the creeds of the historic evangelical churches." Its first editor was Carl F. H. Henry. Notable contributors in its first two decades included

F. F. Bruce Frederick Fyvie Bruce (12 October 1910 – 11 September 1990), usually cited as F. F. Bruce, was a Scottish biblical scholar who supported the historical reliability of the New Testament. His first book, ''New Testament Documents: Are They ...

, Edward John Carnell, Frank Gaebelein, Walter Martin,

John Warwick Montgomery John Warwick Montgomery (born October 18, 1931) is a lawyer, professor, Lutheran theologian, and author living in France. He was born in Warsaw, New York, United States. From 2014 to 2017, he was Distinguished Research Professor of Philosophy at ...

, and Harold Lindsell. Lindsell succeeded Henry as editor and during his editorial administration much attention centered on debates about

biblical inerrancy Biblical inerrancy is the belief that the Bible "is without error or fault in all its teaching"; or, at least, that "Scripture in the original manuscripts does not affirm anything that is contrary to fact". Some equate inerrancy with biblica ...

. Later editorial leadership came from Kenneth Kantzer, Terry Muck, and David Neff. The most recent editor in chief was Mark Galli, who retired on January 3, 2020. His replacement as editor in chief is Daniel M. Harrell. 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. In

's 1997 autobiography, ''Just As I Am'', he writes of his vision, idea, and history with ''Christianity Today'' and his early meeting with oil company executive, John Howard Pew, to establish the publication.

Editorials on impeachments of U.S. presidents

The magazine has been described by politicians in the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

as "far-right" and by those in the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

as "far-left", but most critics label it as a centrist publication. On June 7, 1974, in an editorial entitled, "Should Nixon Resign?", published during the impeachment hearings of President Richard Nixon, ''Christianity Today'' did not call for his resignation, instead it stated "that the constitutional process should be followed, and followed with dispatch. Either Richard Nixon should be removed from office by the Senate or he should be acquitted. If he is acquitted, the nation will have to wait out the term of a President whose ability to function has been seriously eroded." On October 5, 1998, regarding the imminent

Impeachment Impeachment is the process by which a legislative body or other legally constituted tribunal initiates charges against a public official for misconduct. It may be understood as a unique process involving both political and legal elements. I ...

of President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (Birth name, né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 ...

, ''Christianity Today'' stated in an editorial that "Unsavory dealings and immoral acts by the President and those close to him have rendered this administration morally unable to lead." On December 19, 2019, a day after the U.S. House of Representatives impeached President Donald Trump for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, ''Christianity Today'' published an editorial by Editor in Chief Mark Galli, entitled "Trump Should Be Removed from Office." It asserted among other criticisms that he "attempted to use his political power to coerce a foreign leader to harass and discredit one of the president's political opponents. That is not only a violation of the Constitution; more importantly, it is profoundly immoral."

Sexual harassment scandal

In 2022 the magazine published two articles announcing that a number of women reported demeaning, inappropriate, and offensive behavior by former editor in chief Mark Galli and 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. Speaking to Religion 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 at ''Christianity Today''.” In an editorial on the magazine, the CEO of ''Christianity Today''

Timothy Dalrymple Patheos is a non-denominational, non-partisan online media company providing information and commentary from various religious and nonreligious perspectives. Upon its launch in May 2009, the website was primarily geared toward learning about re ...

admitted 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.

Publications

Harold Myra Harold Lawrence Myra (born 1939 in Camden, New Jersey) is an American journalist and publishing executive who was the chief executive of ''Christianity Today'' for 32 years. Before coming to ''Christianity Today'', he edited the magazine '' Campus ...

, 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. ''Christianity Today'' both 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. Christianity Today founded or acquired periodicals during the 1980s and 1990s, beginning with ''Leadership'', a quarterly journal for clergy, in 1980.

Active

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 include ''Men of Integrity'' and ''Preaching Today''. Many of the sections published online under the ''Christianity Today'' banner are the online legacies of defunct print publications, even named after the aforementioned publications.

''Ekstasis'' (2016–present)

''Ekstasis'' is a journal that was acquired by ''Christianity Today'' in 2021, originally founded in 2016 by Conor Sweetman in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most pop ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...

it focuses on Christian

and

International editions (2007–present)

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

Online presence

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 for ''Christianity Today'' magazine, which now has distinct sections for Local Church Pastors, Reporting, Women, History, and Spanish 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. 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.

Defunct

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

''Leadership Journal'' (1980–2016)

The first "sister publication" added to the Christianity Today publishing group was ''Leadership: 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 of ''Leadership'' sold out its initial press run of 50,000 copies and the publication was in the black after a single issue. 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 in ''Christianity Today'' for pastors and church leaders and occasional print supplements, as well as a new website, CTPastors.com.

''Campus Life/Ignite Your Faith'' (1982–2009)

In 1982, Christianity Today purchased the magazine ''Campus 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 to ''Ignite Your Faith'' in 2006. It ceased publication in 2009.

''Partnership/Marriage Partnership'' (1984–2009)

''Partnership'' was launched in 1984 as a magazine for wives of clergy. In 1987 it was renamed ''Marriage Partnership'' and expanded its focus to marriage in general, not just clergy marriages. The magazine ceased publication in 2009.

''Today's Christian Woman'' (1985–2009)

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

''Christian History'' (1989–2008)

''Christian History'' was 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 History'' archives still may be found on ChristianityToday.com under its special section.

''Christian Reader/Today's Christian'' (1992–2008)

''Christian Reader'', a digest magazine in the vein of ''

Reader's Digest ''Reader's Digest'' is an American general-interest family magazine, published ten times a year. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, it is now headquartered in midtown Manhattan. The magazine was founded in 1922 by DeWitt Wallace and his w ...

,'' was founded in 1963 by the founder of

Tyndale House Publishers Tyndale House is a Christian publisher in Carol Stream, Illinois. History Tyndale was founded in 1962 by Kenneth N. Taylor in order to publish his paraphrase of the Epistles, which he had composed while commuting to work at Moody Press in Ch ...

, Ken Taylor. Christianity Today purchased the magazine in 1992. The name was changed to ''Today's Christian'' in 2004. In 2008, Christianity Today sold the magazine to the ministry Significant Living.

''Books & Culture'' (1995–2016)

''Books & Culture'' was a bimonthly book review and intellectual journal modeled after the ''

New York Review of Books New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...

'' and ''

The New York Times Book Review ''The New York Times Book Review'' (''NYTBR'') is a weekly paper-magazine supplement to the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times'' in which current non-fiction and fiction books are reviewed. It is one of the most influential and widely read ...

'' and was published by Christianity Today International from 1995 to 2016. At the end of its publication life in 2016, the magazine's circulation was 11,000 and its readership was 20,000. It was edited by John Wilson, and notable contributors included Mark Noll,

Lauren Winner Lauren Frances Winner (born 1976) is an American historian, scholar of religion, and Episcopal priest. She is Associate Professor of Christian Spirituality at Duke Divinity School. Winner writes and lectures on Christian practice, the history of ...

Alan Jacobs Alan Jacobs may refer to: *Alan Jacobs (academic) (born 1958), American writer and professor *Alan Jacobs (filmmaker), American film director and producer See also * Allan Jacobs (born 1928), American urban designer *Allen Jacobs Allen Winnet ...

Jean Bethke Elshtain Jean Paulette Bethke Elshtain (1941–2013) was an American ethicist, political philosopher, and public intellectual. She was the Laura Spelman Rockefeller Professor of Social and Political Ethics in the University of Chicago Divinity School ...

, and Miroslav Volf.

''Virtue'' (1998–2000)

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

''Christian Parenting Today'' (1998–2005)

''Christian Parenting Today'' (originally entitled ''Christian Parenting'') was founded in 1989. Christianity Today purchased the magazine from Cook Communications Ministries in 1998 in the same deal in which it acquired ''Virtue''. It ceased publication in 2005. It was published until 2005.

''Men of Integrity'' (1998–2017)

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

References

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