''Charisma'' (also known as ''Charisma + Christian Life'' and Charisma News) is a monthly

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

magazine A magazine is a periodical literature, periodical publication, print or digital, produced on a regular schedule, that contains any of a variety of subject-oriented textual and visual content (media), content forms. Magazines are generally fin ...

based in

Lake Mary, Florida Lake Mary is a suburban city that is located in the Greater Orlando, Greater Orlando metropolitan area in Seminole County, Florida, United States, and is located in Central Florida. The population was 16,798 at the 2020 census. It is the home of ...

, a suburb of

Orlando Orlando commonly refers to: * Orlando, Florida, a city in the United States Orlando may also refer to: People * Orlando (given name), a masculine name, includes a list of people with the name * Orlando (surname), includes a list of people wit ...

. It is aimed at

Pentecostals Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a movement within the broader Evangelical wing of Protestant Christianity that emphasizes direct personal experience of God through baptism with the Holy Spirit. The term ''Pentecostal'' is derived ...

and charismatics. Its perspective is influenced by the charismatic revivalism and other contemporary streams of charismatic Christianity such as the Toronto Blessing,

International House of Prayer The International House of Prayer, Kansas City (IHOPKC), is a Charismatic evangelical Christian movement and missions organization, based in Kansas City, Missouri, and the nearby suburb of Grandview. It is best known for the Global Prayer Room ...

, the Apostolic-Prophetic movement, and the

New Apostolic Reformation The New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) is a Christian supremacist theological belief and controversial movement associated with the far-right that combines elements of Pentecostalism, evangelicalism, and the Seven Mountain Mandate to advocate for s ...

History

The magazine was founded in 1975 as the members' magazine of Calvary

Assembly of God The World Assemblies of God Fellowship (WAGF), commonly known as the Assemblies of God (AG), is a global cooperative body or communion of over 170 Pentecostal denominations that was established on August 15, 1989. The WAGF was created to provi ...

Winter Park, Florida Winter Park is a city in Orange County, Florida, United States. The population was 29,795 according to the 2020 census. It is part of the Greater Orlando, Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. Winter Park was foun ...

, with Stephen Strang as publisher. In 1981, Strang bought the magazine for $25,000 and broadened its mission to serve the charismatic movement at large. The first year proved to be difficult, with a $100,000 loss, but the magazine later emerged as the "main magazine of the Christian charismatic movement". Strang continues to run the magazine today through his company, Charisma Media (formerly Strang Communications). In 1986, ''Charisma'' merged with Robert Walker's ''Christian Life'' magazine, which had been established in 1948, and ''Christian Life'' moved from Du Page County to ''Charisma's'' base in

Altamonte Springs, Florida Altamonte Springs is a suburban city in Central Florida in Seminole County, Florida, Seminole County, Florida, United States, which had a population of 46,231 at the 2020 United States census. The city is in the northern suburbs of the Greater O ...

. The merger, after which Walker served as a mentor to Strang, was described "a step towards bridging the gap between

evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...

and

charismatic Charisma () is a personal quality of magnetic charm, persuasion, or appeal. In the fields of sociology and political science, psychology, and management, the term ''charismatic'' describes a type of leadership. In Christian theology, the term ...

Christians." ''Charisma'' became ''Charisma + Christian Life'', and served as the flagship for Strang's organization. The magazine continued to grow over the subsequent years, and by 1997 it had a circulation of 250,000. With the growth of the magazine and Strang Communications, Strang's influence grew as well, to the point where he was listed by ''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

'' in 2005 as one of "The 25 Most Influential Evangelicals in America". The content of the magazine is a mixture of

news News is information about current events. This may be provided through many different Media (communication), media: word of mouth, printing, Mail, postal systems, broadcasting, Telecommunications, electronic communication, or through the te ...

interviews An interview is a structured conversation where one participant asks questions, and the other provides answers.Merriam Webster DictionaryInterview Dictionary definition, Retrieved February 16, 2016 In common parlance, the word "interview" re ...

, "Christian living" features,

Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...

teaching, and essays by columnists. Regular columnists include

Joyce Meyer Pauline Joyce Meyer (née Hutchison; June 4, 1943) is an American Charismatic Movement, Charismatic Christian author, speaker, and president of Joyce Meyer Ministries. Joyce and her husband, Dave, have four grown children and live outside St. L ...

and Don Colbert.

Controversy

''Charisma News'' has drawn criticism for politically charged articles. One article called for violence against Arabs and Muslims on biblical grounds, and was taken down after criticism. Another article claimed that Democratic presidential candidate

Pete Buttigieg Peter Paul Montgomery Buttigieg ( ; born January 19, 1982) is an American politician and former naval officer who served as the 19th United States Secretary of Transportation, United States secretary of transportation from 2021 to 2025. A me ...

is "deserving of death" for being gay.

Publishing

Charisma House, a sister to ''Charisma'' magazine, publishes books by authors such as

Jonathan Cahn Jonathan David Cahn (born 1959) is an American Messianic rabbi, author, and novelist known for his debut novel ''The Harbinger''. He is the founder and leader of the Beth Israel Worship Center in Wayne, New Jersey. His ministry weaves together co ...

(under the Frontline imprint),

Jentezen Franklin Jentezen Franklin is an American evangelical pastor, author, and televangelist. He is the senior pastor of Free Chapel, a multi-site church based in Gainesville, Georgia and author of ''Right People, Right Place, Right Plan;'' ''Fasting; Fear Fi ...

, John Bevere, Don Colbert, and John Eckhardt.

References

External links

''Charisma'' magazine
{{Authority control Monthly magazines published in the United States Charismatic and Pentecostal Christianity Evangelical magazines Magazines established in 1975 Magazines published in Florida Christian magazines published in the United States