Christianity Today

U.S. evangelical center

Background

Christianity Today was founded in 1956 by evangelist Billy Graham and his father-in-law Dr. L. Nelson Bell as a conservative evangelical counterpoint to the mainline Protestant magazine The Christian Century; its first editor was theologian Carl F. H. Henry. For decades it served as the flagship publication of mainstream American evangelicalism, headquartered in Carol Stream, Illinois. In December 2019, then-editor Mark Galli published a widely read editorial calling for President Trump's removal following his first impeachment, drawing fierce backlash from many conservative evangelicals but driving a surge in subscriptions. Under subsequent editor Russell Moore — a former head of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission — the magazine continued to publish skeptical coverage of Christian nationalism and Trumpism within evangelical circles. Moore moved to an editor-at-large and columnist role in September 2025, when Marvin Olasky, a veteran editor of the conservative magazine World, was named editor-in-chief; observers noted the publication's editorial direction remained broadly similar. Funding came under scrutiny when it emerged that Christianity Today had accepted more than $1 million from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, which also funds abortion-related causes, prompting criticism from conservative evangelicals. In 2025, Canon Press — affiliated with theologian Doug Wilson — offered $10 million to acquire the outlet; the board rejected the bid. AllSides moved Christianity Today's bias rating from 'Lean Right' to 'Center' in 2023, noting its wariness toward right-wing and nationalist Christianity.

Sources

1. Christianity Today – Wikipedia
2. Marvin Olasky Officially Named Editor in Chief – Christianity Today
3. Tim Dalrymple Leaves Christianity Today – MinistryWatch
4. Christianity Today Rejects $10 Million Buy-Out Offer by Doug Wilson-Affiliated Publisher – The Roys Report
5. Evangelical Magazine Christianity Today Takes Over $1 Million From Abortion Funder – Daily Wire
6. Christianity Today Media Bias Rating – AllSides
7. Christianity Today Bias and Reliability – Ad Fontes Media
8. Christianity Today Receives $5 Million Grant – Christianity Today
9. More Turnover at Christianity Today – Baptist News Global
10. The Bizarre Story of Doug Wilson Attempting to Buy Christianity Today – Baptist News Global

Profile compiled 2026-07-06; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

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