This article first appeared in the From the Editor Column of the CHRISTIAN RESEARCH JOURNAL, volume 46, number 1/2 (2023).
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After almost forty-five years as a print incarnation, the forthcoming issue of the Christian Research Journal. will be the last print edition. But this is not the Journal’s end. The great content of the Christian Research Journal will continue as a free online magazine! (More about this in a moment.)
Started originally by Christian Research Institute founder Walter Martin and editor-in-chief Elliot Miller, the Journal print edition has been a well-regarded, highly awarded, and dispassionate voice in Christian discernment and apologetics.
The Journal began in a newsprint format called Forward. Then it transitioned into full color in the late 1980s. So many notable primary source research papers have been published in these pages, including Hank Hanegraaff’s exposé and refutation of the Word of Faith movement*, our reassessment of the Local Church Movement of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee**, and Elliot Miller’s in-depth analysis of yoga***.
Although the costs of publication have continued to increase over time, we have done our best to battle the economic trends and have postponed ceasing the print edition for many, many years. And while this will be our last print edition, the good news, as noted, is that the intelligent, clear-thinking content of the Christian Research Journal will continue as an online magazine. Almost weekly you can look forward to a new Journal article — and listen to our magazine’s podcast Postmodern Realities featuring author interviews (subscribe at your favorite podcast streaming service).
The same quality and quantity of essays and articles that subscribers have received in our print edition will now be published exclusively on our website (equip.org) in our articles section for free! You will not need a paid subscription any longer to read our articles.
And this is a big bonus for Christians worldwide. If you are a regular donor to the Christian Research Institute, you’ve likely noticed our current efforts to make all of our apologetics resources available globally — especially to equip church leaders in the 10/40 Window, where the body of Christ continues to see remarkable if not explosive growth. These efforts include everything on our website, such as the Hank Unplugged podcast, the Bible Answer Man broadcast, other podcast episodes and videos, and the many thousands of articles from the Journal.
In the past, much of the content published in print was not available on our website; moving forward, all new content will be freely available online at equip.org. This is critical in equipping the church worldwide because most church leaders and pastors in the 10/40 Window cannot afford a subscription to the Journal. If you’ve ever gifted a subscription to an overseas missionary, you know how expensive foreign subscriptions can be.
What’s more, many U.S. subscribers and partners prefer our material not to be under a paywall but rather be free to everyone so that they can forward our articles and content with ease and share them broadly. This move is the best of both worlds, as we bring the Journal’s current content as a web magazine to everyone online: to fellow believers, seekers, and even skeptics who stumble across our material and receive food for thought. So this is not a “good-bye” at all.
We want to say thank you for the faithful way in which you have partnered with CRI over the years by subscribing to the print Christian Research Journal. You have been a great blessing to us, and we thank God for all that your partnership continues to make possible. So, on behalf of Hank Hanegraaff and the Christian Research Institute, our editorial team, and every contributing writer we’ve published over the years — we give you heartfelt thanks. —Melanie Cogdill
Melanie Cogdill serves as the managing editor of the Christian Research Journal.
*What’s Wrong with the Word Faith Movement? (Part One) E. W. Kenyon and the Twelve Apostles of Another Gospel, What’s Wrong with the Word Faith Movement? (Part Two) The Teachings of Kenneth Copeland, and Christianity in Crisis: 21st Century: Wealth and Want. *
**We Were Wrong Volume 32, Number 06 (2009) and Discernment in an Age of Information Overload.**
***The Yoga Boom: A Call for Christian Discernment – Part 1, The Yoga Boom: A Call for Christian Discernment – Part 2, and The Yoga Boom: A Call for Christian Discernment – Part 3.***
~~~~6/20/23-Please note this article’s structure and some minor corrections have been made since it was originally posted.~~~
