Christianity Today: A Disgraced Publication?

Christianity Today: A Disgraced Publication?
Tuesday, February 11, 2025 by Dr. James W. Walraven

Categories: Apologetics / Contemporary issues / Spiritual deception / Spiritual warfare / The church / Thought for Today

Christianity Today. Founded in 1956 by Billy Graham, Christianity Today was once a hallmark of evangelical Christianity’s biblical teaching, beliefs and practices.

In recent years, especially under the leadership of Russell Moore, since he assumed the chief editor’s position on August 4, 2022, the magazine has become increasingly progressive, and continues to wander down that political path. Their headlines often read accordingly.

On February 4, 2025, Emily Belz wrote a scathing article regarding the government’s intended shutting down of USAID. Considering the nature of much of that aid, one wonders, why?

The USAID’s website reads like a poster child for DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion.

Here are some of the now publicly disclosed programs supported by USAID (all verified):

$164 million to support radical organizations around the world. Of that total, $122 million went to groups aligned with foreign terrorist groups.
Hundreds of millions of dollars over several years for farming equipment and canal building used for growing heroin in Afghanistan
Millions of dollars to organizations in Gaza, i.e. Hamas, groups that have “called for their lands to be cleansed from the impurity of Jews.”
$15 million for condoms to members of the Taliban
$3.3 million for being LGBTQ in the Caribbean
$2 million for sex changes and LGBT activism in Guatemala
$1.5 million to promote LGBTQ job opportunities in Serbia
$1 million to promote LGBTQ French speaking groups in west Africa
$446,700 to promote the expansion of atheism in Nepal
$425,622 to help Indonesian coffee companies become more climate and gender friendly
$80,000 for an LGBTQ community group in Bratislava, Slovakia
$70,884 for a U.S.-Irish musical to promote DEI in Ireland
$55,750 for climate change warnings in Argentina to be led by LGBT journalists
$47,020 for a transgender opera in Colombia
$32,000 for an LGBTQ comic book in Peru
$20,000 for a drag show in Ecuador

And on and on it goes…

One key contribution not included in the above list: Christianity Today received $1.8 million from USAID in 2023.

That raises serious questions about their editorial policy and overall direction, doesn’t it? In the end, what agenda are they beholden to? Is it the breadth of what Scripture declares, or is it the progressive DEI agenda? Why would Christianity Today receive that type of grant money? How did they use it?

In 2023 Christianity Today reported about $9.7 million in revenue, with a net income of $2.5 million. That means that 72% of their net income came from that USAID grant. Given all that, is it a surprise that Betz’s article would skewer the intended shutting down of USAID, but be silent on the nature of so many of their donations? Sadly, that response is likely telling. We’ll see what does or does not unfold over the next few weeks and months.

Although Christianity Today has reported on the new administration’s banning of biological men in women’s locker rooms, men competing in women’s sports, and transgender surgery, they did so dispassionately, including LGBT objections. On the other hand, a number of their articles do seem to support sexual activity only in terms that Scripture describes.

Michael Clary in a December 30, 2024 article titled, “The Many Faces of Russell Moore,” does an excellent job of documenting Moore’s move towards progressivism over the past 20 years. In essence, he has become what he once decried.

What are we to make of Christianity Today? At this point, I’d have serious reservations about trusting them on much of anything.

Perhaps it is time to found a new Christian publication that is truly dedicated to Scripture and biblical principles, one that doesn’t take money from radical progressive DEI government entities.

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