In 1990 a gathering of evangelical theologians assembled chiefly for the purpose of defining “evangelical” concluded that such definition was practically impossible to accomplish in the movement’s current condition. In 1992 Christianity Today ran a cover story with the headline, “evangelical Megashift,” announcing the growing popularity of relational and therapeutic categories over the traditional theological […]
MR: Why did you launch Christianity Today? CH: The magazine had several sponsors-notably Billy Graham and his father-in-law, Dr. L. Nelson Bell, who were disturbed by the liberal drift of mainline Presbyterianism. There were generous evangelical board members concerned over modernist ecumenism, and a dedicated editorial staff of which I was editor-in-chief. Christianity Today was […]
Evangelicalism-representing the majority of American Protestant Christians-stands for an experiential relationship with Christ, a strong view of the Bible, personal holiness of life, and eschatological confidence in the return of the Lord to judge the world. Evangelicals also generally oppose evolutionary theory. Recent evidence suggests that Evangelicalism is now illustrating its opposition to evolution by […]
When I returned to the United States from theological studies in Switzerland in 1966 to work as an assistant editor at Christianity Today, I found that it was a time of rising influence for evangelicals. Christianity Today was itself part of the resurgence. Led by founding editor Carl F. H. Henry, the magazine was mounting […]
A favorite cartoon of mine pictures Moses having come down from Mount Sinai with the Ten Commandments. The people in the background respond, “But what shall we do?” For us the question is, “But what shall we read?” Avoiding the moral and doctrinal negatives is only half of the equation. Providing positive directives is the […]
One of the more interesting features of contemporary American Evangelicalism is the emergence of an evangelical academic elite. To be sure, the evangelical movement has always had intellectuals within its orbit. These intellectuals, however, have tended to live at the margins of both the secular academy and the movement itself. Despite the relative success of […]
MR: In Amusing Ourselves to Death, you have a chapter on the influence of entertainment on religion. Do you think that modernity comes to us in stealthlike fashion, and sometimes Christians and other groups can be naive in viewing style as neutral? NP: I certainly think that it is a mistake to believe that style […]
As “people of the Book,” American evangelicals have also been people of books. In order to take the Word of God seriously, they have taken seriously the words of others, recognizing the vital importance of stimulating reading in the development of godly minds. In 1956, Christianity Today was founded on the premise that conservative Protestantism […]
