Although a lot of people link Christianity Today with evangelical Christian ideology, the magazine’s editor, Mark Galli, recently nixed that idea with a click of his keyboard.
Galli penned a column that appeared to be written with the goal in mind of putting grins on the faces of leftists and garnering gobs of attention from the Trump-hating faction of the media.
Whether the above stated goal was mapped out or not, the end result was the same. The magazine’s image took a hit, the president was unfairly maligned, and the liberal media ate it all up.
Galli used the pages of the magazine, which happened to be founded by the late legendary preacher extraordinaire the Rev. Billy Graham, to call for the removal of President Trump from office.
As his days with the magazine are on the wane, the liberal-minded editor put forth a constitutionally vapid case with an apparent purpose of reversing the results of the 2016 presidential election. Galli argued for the president’s removal because of behavior that he chooses to characterize as immoral.
What Galli apparently doesn’t understand is that the U.S. Constitution sets forth a specific and elevated standard in order for the nation’s chief executive to be removed, not just a mere allegation of subjectively questionable behavior.
Because Galli’s publication was originally founded by Rev. Graham, the article referenced the evangelist. It is fitting that Graham’s son, Franklin, who now leads the ministry that his father envisioned and brought to fruition, was one of the first to comment on Galli’s opinion piece.
In a compelling social media post, Franklin let the world know that his dad both "believed in" and "voted for" President Trump.
" . . . they invoked my father’s name, so I felt I should respond. Yes, @BillyGraham founded Christianity Today; but no, he would not agree w/ their piece. He’d be disappointed," Franklin said.
Other leading evangelicals joined in with the countering of Galli’s assertions.
Jerry Falwell Jr. of Liberty University declared that "Christianity Today" has been "unmasked" as part of what he called the "liberal evangelicals who have preached social gospel for decades."
In an appearance on Fox News, Faith and Freedom Coalition Chairman Ralph Reed said of the magazine, "You cannot imagine a publication more out of step with the faith community that it once represented.”
And President Trump himself joined in with a comment, calling the publication "a far left magazine" and tweeting that Christians are not very likely to be "looking for Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, or those of the socialist/communist bent, to guard their religion."
When they found out that an ostensible spokesperson for evangelical Christians essentially used Democratic Party talking points to go after the president, the left-leaning media were filled with delight. Galli was predictably offered numerous media spots.
Guesting on NPR’s "Morning Edition" turned out to be a perfect venue in which to double down on his attacks on the president while letting loose with some additional jabs that seemed tailor-made for a CNN audition.
Galli, of course, repeated his call to negate the choice of America’s voters, but this time came up with other justifications, claiming that the president is in "psychological and moral confusion."
As propagandists are prone to do, Galli used highly manipulative and corrosive language that is designed to plant negative seeds and is deliberately crafted to poison the minds of potential voters. He compared the president to a physically abusive husband and then left the notion there to lie.
During his appearance, Galli denied that his publication is left-leaning. But the truth is, he and his magazine don’t even come close to being objective.
On Feb. 20, 2015, Christianity Today featured a commentary written by none other than Galli himself, "Amnesty is Not a Dirty Word." The main assertion of the piece was that " . . . the one thing we Christians especially should not run from is any action accused of offering 'amnesty.'"
An article published in the November 2019 magazine, "Another Way for Immigration Reform? How Evangelicals Can Help Lead It," is highly critical of the president’s approach to securing the border. Conversely, it advocates for policies that are consistent with the president’s political opponents. The author of that article is Matthew Soerens, the national coordinator for the aforementioned EIT.
Although it's unlikely that Christianity Today will be able to get many of its readers to return to the publication, a name change might help to attract a new crop of subscribers.
Un-Christianity Today might do the trick.
James Hirsen, J.D., M.A., in media psychology, is a New York Times best-selling author, media analyst, and law professor. Visit Newsmax TV Hollywood.Read more reports from James Hirsen — Click Here Now.
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