Shane Pike first heard of Christianity Today about 10 years ago, but he doesn't remember how. He just remembers that it changed his life. Pike recently decided to support the nonprofit ministry's influence on his life with a first-time gift.

"Christianity Today gave me a much wider perspective on the church than you could get from any other religious tradition," said Pike, who lives in Georgia with his wife and their three children who are in 10th grade, 7th grade, and kindergarten.

CT has become an important learning tool for the businessman who owns and operates job search websites. "I worked for Career Builder until 2005 and then I went out on my own," said Pike. "I own NewYorkJobs.com. I just sold Engineerjobs.com and I'm trying to figure out what's next."

Beyond content, CT's tone and voice especially resonate with Pike.

"It's so rare to me to read a publication that doesn't have a bias in some way, especially on a topic as polarizing as religion, said Pike. "Every once in a while I'll read something that skews one way or another way, but then I'll remember other articles that skew a different way. It's very comforting for me to pick it up and know that I'm going to get Beautiful Orthodoxy."

Pike became a Christian just before he turned 16 when his family started attending a new church.

"The pastor was very straightforward," said Pike, who refers to the pastor as his "second dad." "He didn't package the material. He didn't wrap it in sugar. He just preached out of the Bible."

Pike and his family attended a Southern Baptist church for many years before moving to a Hightower Baptist Association church, a tradition that goes back more than 100 years and is primarily based in rural areas. The denomination has changed, says Pike, as the area has grown and become increasingly diverse.

CT has helped Shane have a global perspective on the church. One part of the world where the Pike's have built relationships is Nicaragua. "We're really looking forward to getting back down there," he said. "God has given us a heart for the people there, and we want to visit some of the ministries again that are having a significant long-term impact."

"I believe great work should be supported—particularly with journalism and in the time in which we live. CT does amazing work, and the world would be a much poorer place without it."

Morgan Lee is an assistant editor of Christianity Today.