Christianity Today sees popularity soar after calling for Trump's impeachment, now has 3 times more subscribers
Ever since Christianity Today posted an op-ed advocating for President Donald Trump's removal from office, the magazine's subscription has gone up, according to its editor-in-chief Mark Galli, who wrote the controversial article.
Galli said that after his piece was published, the magazine did lose some of its evangelical subscribers. However, they received enough fresh subscribers to make up for the loss, he told MSNBC during an interview.
Galli, the editor of the major evangelical magazine founded in 1956 by eminent evangelist Billy Graham, spoke about the subscriptions on December 23 on Politics Nation, hosted by the Reverend Al Sharpton. Nearly 80 percent of the evangelicals still support Trump.
Sharpton, during the interview, asked Galli about the impact his op-ed had on the magazine. Galli responded to the question with: "On the plus side, although we've lost hundreds of subscribers — let's be frank about it — we've gained three times as many subscribers. So I think overall, at least (in) the world we live in, it's been affirmative."
Galli, through his editorial published on December 19, addressed the evangelical Christians who support Trump "in spite of his blackened moral record". He implored the readers to consider the facts laid bare in front of them. "The facts in this instance are unambiguous: The president of the United States attempted to use his political power to coerce a foreign leader to harass and discredit one of the president’s political opponents," he wrote. "That is not only a violation of the Constitution; more importantly, it is profoundly immoral."
"We believe the impeachment hearings have made it absolutely clear, in a way the Mueller investigation did not, that President Trump has abused his authority for personal gain and betrayed his constitutional oath. The impeachment hearings have illuminated the president’s moral deficiencies for all to see," he continued. The magazine published the piece a day after the House of Representatives impeached Trump.
Galli, during the interview, was asked whether he thinks his piece will impact the 2020 election results, to which the editor said: "I was not aware of how deeply anxious so many people were that an evangelical magazine hadn't come out and said this," he said. "I'll be honest with you: I have felt this and believed this... but I was not aware of how deeply appreciative they would be for someone to just say out loud and in front of God and everybody, what we think the situation is."
The magazine reportedly has a print circulation of 120,000 per month, two-thirds of which come from paid subscribers, according to the Washington Post.