An Open Letter to “Christianity Today”
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Dear Christianity Today,
I get it. You’re sorry. You screwed up.
— More than half a dozen employees reported harassment from (former editor-in-chief Mark) Galli or (former advertising director Olatokunbo) Olawoye to a manager or HR between the mid-2000s and 2019. But neither leader was written up, formally warned about their inappropriate behavior, suspended, or otherwise punished. There is no record that Christianity Today took any corrective action, even after repeated complaints of nearly identical offenses. — Christianity Today
And now you’re taking commendable action to be honest, confess, face the music, and make a sincere effort to reform. Let me be the first to say I believe you. I believe you’re sorry and are going to reform. I would like to give you a second chance.
And I’m not even a Christian. I’m a de-converted apostate who nevertheless enjoys certain stories reflecting how educated, thoughtful believers — in any religion — navigate the 21st century.
The way, the truth, and the light?
If you were any other organization, I would give you that chance. But you’re not. You are an organization that proposes to know and serve the whole and greatest truth of the universe. You not only claim to be among the sole and chosen possessors of that truth, but also to be undergoing transformation into a godlier nature by the Holy Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:18)
I know you don’t claim to be perfect. But as Evangelicals you do consider yourselves to be a bit wiser and more Christlike than the rest of us. You have the light while we, “the lost,” flounder in darkness.
And among Evangelicals, Christianity Today is considered the flagship, a voice for the more educated, reflective believers. You propose to be a light and way forward for a faith floundering in the wilderness of Donald Trump, white supremacy, and generational obsolescence.
Galli wrote in 2015, “Christianity Today offers an oasis of the true, the good, and the beautiful.” — Christianity today
And yet, with all that absolute truth, education, reflection, Holy Spirit, god of the universe, and footsteps of Jesus to guide you:
YOU COULD NOT EVEN RECOGNIZE EVIL.
I am Evil, hear me roar!
Evil was leading you. Evil was among you. Evil was inside you. You were awash in evil. Your own staff told you about it, described it detail, and even pointed out its perpetrators.
— When this woman was hired on as an editor in the mid-2000s, someone joked that she was only brought on because a senior editor wanted to have sex with her. She didn’t report that to HR, but a colleague did. After that, the woman heard regular comments from men at CT about how she was too quick to see sexual harassment in everything…In all, eight women said Galli touched them inappropriately. — Christianity Today
But still, you could not, would not, see it. You dismissed the messengers, called them liars, retaliated against them, and denied the cruelty practiced within your own ranks for over 12 years.
You see it now. But who opened your eyes? Did the Holy Spirit convict you of the sin amongst you and within you? Did it move Galli and Olawoye to confess and apologize to their victims? Did it move any men to call each other out on all the comments, jokes, and inappropriate touching? Did it stop the repercussions against those who spoke out and complained?
In all the 12 years, did the Holy Spirit transform any of these Christian men, even just a little?
No. Your eyes weren’t opened by the Holy Spirit. They were opened by Olawoye’s arrest and registration as a sex offender. They were opened by the Houston Cronicle. They were opened by #MeToo and #ChurchToo.
It wasn’t until after the start of the #MeToo and #ChurchToo social media movements that CT leadership started to review policies and train staff on sexual harassment…We were behind the curve — Christianity Today
And finally, your eyes were opened by the reports compiled in September 2021, when two more women spoke up. What made their complaints different? Did they have evidence to expose? Were they going to take you to court?
We are the lost, follow us!
My question to you, Christianity Today, is: where is the moral leadership in our country today? It’s certainly not coming from you, or the church you serve.
Because in matters of morality, you are following US, the lost, whom you propose to be enlightening.
We, the lost, were the Women’s March of 2017, #MeToo, and BLM. We, the lost, exposed the Southern Baptist Convention’s Texas pedophile ring in the secular Houston Chronicle. With #MeToo we, the lost, inspired #Churchtoo. Evangelical women followed our lead (and good for them!).
I can hear the chorus warming up about how the church is composed of humans and subject to the same failures as every other human organization. And here comes the encore about how Christians are not immune from sin.
And I say to that — stuff it! Either the Holy Spirit makes you more Christlike or it doesn’t. You can’t have it both ways. No, the scriptures don’t promise to make you perfect. But if you and your institutions are of no better moral character whatsoever than us or our secular world, then why bother?
What do we need you for? We have our own secular charities, addiction and mental health programs, social and community centers, orphanages, and positive values. And our own darkness.
Morally, how are you any different at all from us?
So take your “Not Perfect, Just Forgiven,” “Don’t Judge Christ by Christians,” and “Don’t Blame God for the Church” bumper stickers and stuff them too.
I will take fighting for Good over your god and your church any day.
And your magazine? There is nothing more insidious that a dark figure shrouded in white robes. I can’t trust you anymore. Not even as an uninvested non-believer.
So please cancel my subscription.
