Religion: New Magazines

Not at all bothered by the financial hazards of religious journalism, two publishers were out last week with new religious magazines while a third was ready with one.

>From Philadelphia, Vatican City of Presbyterian Fundamentalism, issued a new semimonthly, The Presbyterian Guardian, the last word in undiluted orthodoxy, as expounded by Fundamentalist Dr. J. Gresham Machen. Well and briskly written, the journal’s news columns deal mainly with the tribulations of members of the Independent Board for Presbyterian Foreign Missions who have lately been tried & suspended from the Presbyterian Church.

Most notable feature of The Presbyterian Guardian is that it contains the first religious comic strip, drawn by Philip Saint, 23, pious son of Lawrence B. Saint, famed Pennsylvania maker of stained glass. First issue of the strip introduced its hero, Gary, and his mother, Mrs. Evans and his small brother Dave, all “Bible-believing Christians” (see cut). Bidding her son good-by as he departs for college, Mrs. Evans says: “Remember, prayer changes things.” Replies Gary: “Yes, mother, and pray that I’ll live clean and speak boldly so that many students will be led to Christ.” The strip ends: “When a real Bible-believing Christian goes to college . . . things happen! Watch for the next issue!!”

>For preachers and laymen too busy to cover the whole field of “informational and inspirational writing” appeared the Religious Digest, edited by Rev. Dr. Bernard J. Mulder, 39, Reformed Church minister of Grand Rapids, Mich. Resembling the Readers’ Digest in format, this monthly ($3 per year) culls and condenses articles from such journals as Anglican Theological Review, Church Management, Religious Telescope, Character, includes book reviews, sermon outlines, pious “features.”

>”Christendom seeks readers who are thoughtful (but not too thoughtful),, learned (but not too learned), serious (but not too serious), and who are not ashamed of their feeling that, the situation being as it is, something ought to be done about it!”

Such is the platform of a quarterly ($3 a year) to appear next week, published by Willett, Clark & Co., Chicago religious book house, and edited temporarily by Charles Clayton Morrison of The Christian Century, Last week Christendom had found 4,000 thoughtful, learned, serious people as paid subscribers. Press run of the first issue will be 8,000 copies. Thicker than most religious publications, Christendom is better printed, has a secular-looking red cover. Full of theology, philosophy and urbane erudition, the first issue contains a short story by Zona Gale, articles by the Archbishop of York, Philosophers William Ernest Hocking and Gregory Vlastos, Dean Willard L. Sperry of Harvard Divinity School, Theologian John C. Bennett, Executive Secretary Claris Edwin Silcox of Canada’s Social Service Council.