Brazilian pastor reads CT on the Amazon

When I visited the Amazon on a missions trip to Brazil almost ten years ago, I was surprised and encouraged when a local pastor showed me his well-worn copy of Christianity Today. Since the mid 1990s anyone around the world has been able to access CT on the web, but only a faithful few like my Brazilian pastor friend wait for the print edition to make it through the slow foreign mail system. And until five years ago, no one could read Christianity Today in their own language.

But that's changing. Following a LittWorld conference in Sao Paulo in 2006 I was introduced to Marcos Simas, a Brazilian publisher with a vision for a Portuguese edition of Christianity Today. Along with many church leaders in Brazil, Marcos saw the need for a national evangelical voice that would inform, encourage, unite and build the Brazilian church, and provide a thoughtful, balanced Christian perspective on the cultural issues of the day.

This vision was remarkably similar to Billy Graham's original vision when he launched Christianity Today in 1956. He recognized the strategic importance of healthy church leadership. He believed that leaders with wisdom, accurate information, and spiritual vitality would impact both church and society in widening circles of influence. In his editorial in the charter issue of CT Graham wrote, "Evangelical Christianity needs a clear voice, to speak with conviction and love, and to state its true position and its relevance to the world crisis."

CT Brazil--'What Evangelicals Believe'

Cristianismo Hoje was launched in October 2007 and will be celebrating its five-year anniversary this fall. Around two-thirds of the magazine features original Portuguese articles, with one-third translated from culturally relevant content in the English edition. Like the English CT, the Brazilian edition presents a biblical world view for thoughtful Christian leaders, provides a forum for evangelical views on major issues, informs readers on relevant news and trends, and contributes to a sense of community, coherence, and direction among evangelicals.

In the first issue of the magazine, Ebenezer Francis Smith, a Brazilian pastor, writer and Baptist leader, wrote "The arrival of Christianity Today is good news and a source of great delight! This respected magazine in the United States is now being published in our vernacular. I have known CT since I was a student at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Published for more than 50 years Christianity Today magazine is destined to become a big factor in the dissemination of theology, ethics, and philosophy, and in addressing the current issues we face. I applaud this achievement. Onward!"

Full access to 'Cristianismo Hoje' on the web

Circulation of the print magazine is 40,000 copies, distributed through newsstands, subscriptions, and events.  Readers can also access the magazine on the web at www.cristianismohoje.com.br or follow the highlights through an email newsletter.

Over the past five years Marcos has become a close friend and colleague. In 2010-11 he published Cristianismo Hoje remotely from the Chicago area where he and his family lived for 15 months. While Marcos received training from Christianity Today, his son and daughter attended college and his wife learned English. Marcos also has 25 years experience in book and Bible publishing and has helped Christianity Today establish partnerships with several Brazilian publishers.

'Leadership Today' to launch in Fall 2012

What's next for Christianity Today in Brazil? This fall Marcos plans to launch Liderança Hoje, a Portuguese edition of Leadership Journal. The mission is to strengthen pastors and church leaders in Brazil through relevant, balanced, and practical content that encourages biblical faithfulness and pastoral effectiveness. It will be written specifically for pastors and leaders, seeking to help them in their personal, spiritual, and professional lives.

In an address to the founding leaders of Christianity Today Billy Graham identified a vacuum in the American church of the mid-1950s: "We have no rallying point, no flag or organization under which we can all gather … We need a new strong vigorous voice to call us together."

Now, nearly 60 years later, Cristianismo Hoje and Liderança Hoje are carrying Graham's vision to Brazil. Pray that these two magazines will play a strategic role in uniting and energizing the Brazilian church.

Keith Stonehocker is Chief Strategy Officer at Christianity Today and oversees new initiatives including global publishing partnerships.