I cut my theological teeth on Christianity Today (CT). So when someone suggested that we needed a Canadian version of CT I was appalled. The thought of trying to replace such a magazine seemed impossible and quite irresponsible. Yet I knew that Canada needed a national evangelical magazine. That was in the early 1980s. A magazine called Faith Today had been published in the late 1970s but had ceased. There were a number of denominational magazines, but they seemed dowdy. There were no newspapers such as B.C.’s Christian Info News or Christian Week.
Someone else urged us to produce a Canadian version of Moody magazine. How in the world could we compete with that, we wondered. As Lori Gwynne (then Mitchener) and I debated what this magazine should be, we finally settled on a concept; we would publish a Canadian magazine, unabashedly by and for evangelicals, not a journal such as CT or a Christian-living magazine like Moody, but a news/feature publication with a per issue focus on a particular topic along with editorials and news. We also saw how disconnected evangelicals were and realized that one of the best services we could provide was to link people, ideas and ministries.
With that skeleton plan we began. Our vision was modest. We used as a working phrase, “Tracking the footprints of God.” By looking across the nation and writing about the many ways in which God was using his people — by seeing his tracks — we could gain perspective on God’s agenda.
Another part of our vision was to present an attractive and readable publication. Would a person pick up our magazine if it were sitting next to Maclean’s or Time? A pervasive assumption was that Canadians could not publish something that was attractive. We were determined to crack that self-defeating stereotype.
The tough part was making it pay. Dr. Carl Henry, first editor of CT, cautioned us not to give away the magazine free. Once you start giving it away, he warned, you will be stuck. So we decided to proceed the hard way and convince people it was worth buying. Our rationale was that if we could persuade readers of its value, advertisers would be willing to invest.
I remember the first edition. The “well” (that’s the word we use in-house, meaning the cover theme section) dealt with leadership. It was at the time of the film Gandhi. On the cover we used a picture of Gandhi, nude from the waist up. I recall Dr. Paul Smith chuckling as he asked, “My goodness. If you have that on the front cover, what do you have on the inside?” In retrospect, perhaps not a good choice for our opening salvo.
Ten years later there is a great deal of satisfaction in seeing the magazine meeting a need – and much gratitude to the staff and freelance contributors who bring it about.
As I see it, the magazine has hardly changedin focus from what we originally set out to be and do. It is larger, more colorful, yes, with better writing, morethorough editing and more penetrating journalism for sure, but it remains within the original vision.
Although as editor-in-chief I have little to do with day-to-day operations, FAITH TODAY continues to be one of those compartments of my life in which I continue to be thankful to the God who allows us this wonderful opportunity of service.
As well, I thank the many friends, colleagues, members and readers who keep us honest, thoughtful and alert. FAITH TODAY has one purpose, and that is to serve the interests and work of God in this land. For those who make it possible and for our God, under whose authority we write, we are all grateful.
Author:
Brian Stiller