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''Christianity Today'' is an evangelical Christian media magazine founded in 1956 by
Billy Graham William Franklin Graham Jr. (; November 7, 1918 – February 21, 2018) was an American Evangelism, evangelist, ordained Southern Baptist minister, and Civil rights movement, civil rights advocate, whose broadcasts and world tours featuring liv ...
. It is published by Christianity Today International based in Carol Stream, Illinois. ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'' calls ''Christianity Today'' "evangelicalism's flagship magazine". ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' 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), alternatively the Great Commission Baptists (GCB), is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist organization, the largest Protestant, and the second-largest Chr ...
—was named the incoming ''Christianity Today'' Editor-in-Chief. ''Christianity Today'' has a print circulation of approximately 110,000 and an online readership of 2.2 million at ChristianityToday.com. The founder,
Billy Graham William Franklin Graham Jr. (; November 7, 1918 – February 21, 2018) was an American Evangelism, evangelist, ordained Southern Baptist minister, and Civil rights movement, civil rights advocate, whose broadcasts and world tours featuring liv ...
, 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 and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
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 for a skilled craft. Vocational education can also be seen as that type of education given to an individual to prepare that individual to be gainfully employed or self employed with req ...
materials for evangelists and clergy. ''Church Law & Tax'' which discusses tax compliance. ''ChristianBibleStudies'' helps with Bible studies. ''ChurchSalary'' helps churches with information on proper remuneration. ''Ekstasis Magazine'' about Christian
arts The arts or creative arts are a vast range of human practices involving creativity, creative expression, storytelling, and cultural participation. The arts encompass diverse and plural modes of thought, deeds, and existence in an extensive ...
and
media Media may refer to: Communication * Means of communication, tools and channels used to deliver information or data ** Advertising media, various media, content, buying and placement for advertising ** Interactive media, media that is inter ...
, specifically to encourage
creativity Creativity is the ability to form novel and valuable Idea, ideas or works using one's imagination. Products of creativity may be intangible (e.g. an idea, scientific theory, Literature, literary work, musical composition, or joke), or a physica ...
within Christian culture to enable better
storytelling Storytelling is the social and cultural activity of sharing narrative, stories, sometimes with improvisation, theatre, theatrics or embellishment. Every culture has its own narratives, which are shared as a means of entertainment, education, cul ...
,
worldbuilding Worldbuilding is the process of constructing an imaginary world or setting (narrative), setting, sometimes associated with a fictional universe. Developing the world with coherent qualities such as a history, geography, culture and ecology is a k ...
, and
cultural Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, Attitude (psychology), attitudes ...
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 context ...
s. ''SmallGroups'' is a leadership magazine for smaller church planting groups such as missional living, cafe churches, pub churches, or house churches. Graham began the magazine as counterpoint to '' The Christian Century'', the predominant independent periodical of mainline
Protestantism Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
, and as a way to bring the evangelical Christian community together.


History

The second issue of ''Christianity Today'' was created in the date of 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) was a Scottish Evangelicalism, evangelical scholar, author and educator who was Rylands Professor of Biblical Criticism and Exegesis at the University of Manchester from 1959 until 1 ...
, Edward John Carnell, Frank Gaebelein, Walter Martin, John Warwick Montgomery, and Harold Lindsell. Lindsell succeeded Henry as editor and during his editorial administration much attention centered on debates about biblical inerrancy. Later editorial leadership came from Kenneth Kantzer, Terry Muck, and David Neff. V. Gilbert Beers was hired as the fourth editor in 1982, reportedly to increase the magazine's lay readership. From 2015 until January 3, 2020, Mark Galli was the editor in chief. Following Galli's retirement Daniel M. Harrell served as editor in chief for a year. Russell Moore took the position in August 2022. 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
Billy Graham William Franklin Graham Jr. (; November 7, 1918 – February 21, 2018) was an American Evangelism, evangelist, ordained Southern Baptist minister, and Civil rights movement, civil rights advocate, whose broadcasts and world tours featuring liv ...
'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. Most critics label ''Christianity Today'' as a mainstream, intellectual, centrist evangelical publication.


Editorials on impeachments of U.S. presidents

On June 7, 1974, in an editorial entitled "Should Nixon Resign?", published during the impeachment hearings of President
Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until Resignation of Richard Nixon, his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...
, ''Christianity Today'' wrote "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." On October 5, 1998, regarding the imminent impeachment of President
Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...
, ''Christianity Today'' stated in an editorial that "Unsavory dealings and immoral acts by the president and those close to him" have compromised his administration's moral leadership, criticizing his televised August 17 confession as a "nonapology". In an editorial published on December 19, 2019, a day after the U.S. House of Representatives impeached President
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, editor in chief Mark Galli asserted among other criticisms that he sought to leverage his political power "to coerce a foreign leader to harass and discredit" presidential candidate
Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...
. He argued: "That is not only a violation of the Constitution; more importantly, it is profoundly immoral." The editorial received extensive media coverage and caught the attention of Trump and his allies, who in response sought to discredit the publication, with the former describing it as "far-left", and almost 200 evangelical leaders rebuking it for the editorial.


Sexual harassment controversy

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 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, 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 ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
,
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
it focuses on Christian
arts The arts or creative arts are a vast range of human practices involving creativity, creative expression, storytelling, and cultural participation. The arts encompass diverse and plural modes of thought, deeds, and existence in an extensive ...
and
media Media may refer to: Communication * Means of communication, tools and channels used to deliver information or data ** Advertising media, various media, content, buying and placement for advertising ** Interactive media, media that is inter ...
.


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,'' was founded in 1963 by the founder of Tyndale House Publishers, 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'' and '' The New York Times Book Review'' 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, Alan Jacobs, Jean Bethke Elshtain, 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.


''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 Promise Keepers is an Evangelical Christian parachurch organization for men. It opposes same-sex marriage, and champions chastity and marital fidelity and the man as being head of the household. Promise Keepers originated in the United Sta ...
. It ceased publication with the November–December 2017 issue.


Book Awards

Every year ''Christianity Today'' publishes a list of Christianity Today Book Awards, which are described as "Our picks for the books most likely to shape evangelical life, thought, and culture", and also selects its Christianity Today Book of the Year.Book Awards
christianitytoday.com. Retrieved 27 May 2025.


References

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


External links


Christianity Today Ministry
* *
Christian Bible Studies
*
The Behemoth
*
CT Pastors

Books & Culture

Ekstasis Magazine

Today's Christian Woman

Preaching Today

Building Church Leaders

Christian College Guide

Church Law and Tax

Men of Integrity
(archived 6 September 2008)
Small Groups
{{Authority control Magazines established in 1956 1956 establishments in Illinois 2022 controversies in the United States Evangelical magazines Monthly magazines published in the United States Magazines published in Illinois Christian magazines published in the United States