- Charisma (magazine)
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Charisma Editor-in-chief J. Lee Grady Circulation 250,000 (1997) Publisher Strang Communications First issue 1975 Country United States Language English Website http://www.charismamag.com/ Charisma (also known as Charisma + Christian Life) is a monthly Christian magazine based in Lake Mary, Florida, aimed at Pentecostals and charismatics. Its perspective is influenced by the Word-Faith movement, charismatic revivalism, and other contemporary streams of charismatic Christianity such as the Toronto Blessing, International House of Prayer, and the Apostolic-Prophetic movement.
History
After being founded in 1975 by the Calvary Assembly of God, the magazine was purchased in 1981 by Stephen E. Strang of Strang Communications. Strang had been running the magazine for the previous five years, and decided to purchase the magazine for $25,000. 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".[1] 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.[2][3] The merger, after which Walker served as a mentor to Strang, was described "a step towards bridging the gap between evangelical and charismatic Christians."[4] Charisma became Charisma + Christian Life, and served as the flagship for Strang's organization.[4] The magazine continued to grow over the subsequent years, and by 1997 it had a circulation of 250,000.[5] With the growth of the magazine and Strang Communications, Strang's influence grew as well, to the point where he was listed by TIME in 2005 as one of "The 25 Most Influential Evangelicals in America".[6]
Its current editor-in-chief is J. Lee Grady. The content of the magazine is a mixture of news, interviews, "Christian living" features, Bible teaching, and essays by columnists. Regular columnists include James Dobson, Joyce Meyer, and Dr. Don Colbert.[7]
References
- ^ Davis, James D. (August 17, 2000). "25 Years Reporting 'What God is Doing'". Sun Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, Florida): p. 1.E.
- ^ Buursma, Bruce (August 15, 1986). "Magazine gets new home, revitalized approach to youth". Chicago Tribune: p. 5.
- ^ Kates, Joan Giangrasse (March 14, 2008). "Robert Walker: 1912 - 2008 - Trailblazing Christian journalist - Magazine founder guided by spirituality". Chicago Tribune: p. 11.
- ^ a b Lawson-Young, Liz (17 March, 2008). "Robert Walker: Beyond Paper and Ink". Christianity Today. http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2008/marchweb-only/112-13.0.html. Retrieved 7 January 2010.
- ^ Warren, Mindy (April 12, 1997). "Spreading the gospel - Couple believe time is right for African-American Christian magazine". Arlington Morning News: p. 8A.
- ^ "Stephen Strang". Time. 2005. http://www.time.com/time/covers/1101050207/photoessay/24.html. Retrieved 7 January 2010.
- ^ . http://www.charismamag.com/columnistbio/index.php. Retrieved 7 January 2010.[dead link]
External links
Categories:- Charismatic and Pentecostal Christianity
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