Page 33 - Historical Dictionary of Political Communication in the United States

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CRISIS
CHRISTIANITY AND
ganization by religious advocate Marion (Pat) Robertson, it now reportedly has
nearly one-half million members throughout the country. It publishes a monthly
magazine for its members called Christian American. The group is credited with
mobilizing conservative Christian interest in the 1992 Republican campaign. It
has continued to be active in both presidential and congressional campaigns and
is seen as a major segment of the Republican Party.
SOURCE: Allan J. Cigler and Burdett A. Loomis, Interest Group Politics, fourth edition,
1995.
Jacqueline Nash Gifford

CHRISTIANITY AND CRISIS was launched in February 1941 by theologian
Reinhold Niebuhr and John Bennett as a nondenominational publication. Its
purpose was to oppose the isolationist position of another such magazine, Chris-
tian Century, and, due to the widespread pacifism among Protestant churches
after World War I, to provide support for Allied causes in World War II. Niebuhr
became known as a theologian in the pages of Christian Century, but as an
interventionist, he could not tolerate the views of the Century's editor, Charles
Clayton Morrison. From the start, Christianity and Crisis had trouble locating
donors and, in the end, its demise in 1993 was blamed on "the difficulty in-
volved in maintaining a general-interest religious magazine in a world dominated
by television and news briefs." A letter to subscribers and supporters from editor
Leon Howell and Audrey Miller, president of the Board of Directors, said the
board had concluded "with immense pain and regret, that it cannot responsibly
keep the journal going under current circumstances." Though circulation had
remained steady at 13,000 its last four years, Howell cited "skyrocketing" in-
creases in postage, health insurance, and rent as reasons for the budget crisis.
Described by some as an ecumenical journal, Christianity and Crisis provided
a forum "not only for distinguished U.S. theologians and social commentators
but also for a host of new voices, especially those on the margins of public
awareness."

SOURCE: "Crisis for Christianity and Crisis," Christian Century, March 24, 1993.
Don Ranly

CHRISTIANITY AND POLITICS. Although it can be difficult to separate
religion from other factors such as race and socioeconomic status, religious
influence is closely related to the ability of religious institutions to make their
positions known. Since 1912, when the Seventh-Day Adventist Church created
a publicity bureau to counter criticism of its opposition to Sunday blue laws,
almost every church has established a communication department in an effort
to place its concerns on the public agenda. With recent changes in campaign
laws, both lobbying and political fund-raising by churches, ecumenical and para-
church organizations, and religion-related political action committees have be-
come increasingly important.