Julie R. Neidlinger: Lone Prairie Library

Conflicted Charisma.

written by Julie R. Neidlinger 0 comments link this post

Charisma Magazine is a seriously conflicted publication.

It's a Christian magazine for "charismatics" and pentecostal Christians, which is, in itself, a seriously conflicted vein of belief. It's made up of conservative believers, Word-Faith, Name-it-Claim-it...the whole nine yards. To put out a magazine for such a wide (and often disagreeing) audience leads to a kind of bi-polar content rivaled by none.

For example, in the current May 2008 issue, we have, in selected order of appearance:

The excellent writing of J. Lee Grady¹ talking about that dirty little secret: God Loves Arabs, Too. He gently takes Christians to task for their unquestioning support of Israel (in a magazine heavily saturated with pro-Israel articles and ads) and not taking into account our brothers and sisters in Christ who are persecuted not only by the Jews of Israel, but by Muslim Arabs.
The Feedback page where letters from readers comment about past issues. In these letters, a past article about money and Christian ministries and Sen. Charles Grassley's efforts, as well as another article by Grady on pride in ministry, raise the most uproar. One reader writes about how, in the middle of an article that featured a humble missionary, he found an advertisement for a "love cruise" with two prominent Christian leaders promoting themselves.
Joyce Meyer's regular column, Straight Talk. Meyer's was a topic of discussion in the Feedback section in regards to Grassley's probe.
An ad for Feed the Children, featuring images of starving and desperate children from Africa.
An ad for Meyer's latest book The Secret to True Happiness.
An ad for TBN's Holy Land amusement park.
Some miscellaneous blurbs, ads, and articles until we get to...
...an article pressing Christians to pay for bomb shelters for Israeli citizens.
Etc.

The magazine has good stuff in there, but it takes a serious deep breath before diving in. Some of the ads and the blessing/word-faith/get-rich-be-blessed crap drive me insane, particularly when placed next to an ad for starving people in need or articles on persecution of fellow Christians in another country who may not benefit from knowing an American Christian's "true secret to happiness"² in their geographic location, and also might appreciate some of that money that would be going for a bomb shelter in a wealthy nation to head their way for a few meals and a roof over their head.

I would just love to know the editorial policy, and sit in on some of the meetings, since the advertising conflicts with some of the articles which are written by writers/ministers subtly taking shots at other writers/ministers' beliefs or behavior.

Crazy.

I don't think my conscience could handle working there.

¹ Grady is a favorite writer of mine, in part because of his book 10 Lies the Church Tells Women (a gift from a reader following this incident, and a book I recommend for women). He is a regular writer for the magazine and is usually pretty blunt.

² Which, since it only applies to very few (actually) geographic locations on this planet, makes it not really a "true" secret since it wouldn't be a universal truth. More a selective truth, or truth with a catch.

Labels: christian books, magazines