Mission and activities
The motto of both the television show and The Christophers is, "It's better to light a candle than to curse the darkness". The saying is reflected in the television show's theme song, "One Little Candle". It also reflects the philosophical orientation of the organization, which emphasizes positive action to create a better world in such various arenas as political honesty, caring for the sick and poor, and dealing with substance abuse. [4]
Although the foundation and media presentations are overtly Roman Catholic, they are intended to be ecumenical in scope. The organization states that it is "rooted in the Judeo-Christian tradition of service to God and humanity" and that "the Christophers embrace people of every nation, religion and age level." [5]
The Christophers are based in New York City. Their newsletter, Christopher News Notes, is published 10 times a year. They produced a weekly television show (Christopher Closeup) from 1952 to 2012, often featuring interviews with celebrities. [6] Interviewees have included Bob Hope, Jack Benny, Ken Burns, Daniel Rodríguez, Andrew Weil, and Tim Russert. [7] Other incarnations of the show have included dramatic features, with guest stars Don Ameche, James Cagney, and Ricardo Montalbán, among others. The show was originally broadcast on ABC, [8] but later changed its name to Christopher Closeup and was relegated to limited syndication by local cable channels. [9] It also syndicates a weekly radio program of the same name. [10]
The Christopher Awards
The Christopher Awards, made annually since 1949, salute media that "remind audiences and readers of their worth, individuality and power to positively impact and shape our world". [11] Recipients receive a bronze medallion, 4 inches (100 mm) in diameter, depicting a kneeling pilgrim, on whose back sits a radiant child.
The awards have seven categories. Multiple awards are given each year in four categories: Books for Adults, Books for Young People, Feature Films, and Radio & Television. Three other categories generally have a single recipient: the Christopher Leadership Award, the Christopher Life Achievement Award, and the Special Christopher Award. The stated criteria are that nominees "exhibit exceptional artistic and technical proficiency, be able to impact the widest possible audience, and, above all, they must affirm the highest values of the human spirit." Potential winners are nominated and reviewed throughout the year by panels of media professionals, members of The Christophers' staff with expertise in film, TV and publishing, and by specially supervised children's reading groups. [11]
Awards are not limited to those with religious content, and adult content does not disqualify a work; "R-rated" movies, for example, are eligible for awards. [5]
Televangelism, also sometimes called radio evangelism or teleministry, is the use of media, specifically radio and television, to preach religion, and most prominently Christianity.
In secular usage, religious education is the teaching of a particular religion and its varied aspects: its beliefs, doctrines, rituals, customs, rites, and personal roles. In Western and secular culture, religious education implies a type of education which is largely separate from academia, and which (generally) regards religious belief as a fundamental tenet and operating modality, as well as a prerequisite for attendance.
Jeffrey Lee Probst is an American television presenter and producer and young adult fiction writer. He is best known as the Emmy Award-winning host of the U.S. version of the reality television show Survivor since 2000. He was also the host of The Jeff Probst Show, a syndicated daytime talk show produced by CBS Television Distribution from September 2012 to May 2013.
Anna Marie "Patty" Duke was an American actress. Over the course of her acting career, she was the recipient of an Academy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, three Primetime Emmy Awards, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Religious broadcasting, sometimes referred to as faith-based broadcasts, is the dissemination of television and/or radio content that intentionally has religious ideas, religious experience, or religious practice as its core focus. In some countries, religious broadcasting developed primarily within the context of public service provision, whilst in others, it has been driven more by religious organisations themselves. Across Europe and in the US and Canada, religious broadcasting began in the earliest days of radio, usually with the transmission of religious worship, preaching or "talks". Over time, formats evolved to include a broad range of styles and approaches, including radio and television drama, documentary, and chat show formats, as well as more traditional devotional content. Today, many religious organizations record sermons and lectures, and have moved into distributing content on their own web-based IP channels.
William Anthony Donohue is an American Roman Catholic layman who has been president of the Catholic League in the United States since 1993.
Christianity in Albania was established throughout the country in 325 AD. From 1100 AD, the Roman Empire carried out Church missions in the area. In relation to the increasing influence of Venice, the Franciscans started to settle down in the area in the 13th century. From the 15th century to the 19th century, under the rule of the Ottoman Empire, Christianity was replaced by Islam as the majority religion in Albania during the Ottoman Empire.
Candler School of Theology is one of seven graduate schools at Emory University, located in metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia. A university-based school of theology, Candler educates ministers, scholars of religion and other leaders. It is also one of 13 seminaries affiliated with the United Methodist Church.
Anti-Protestantism is bias, hatred or distrust against some or all branches of Protestantism and/or its followers, especially when amplified in legal, political, ethic or military measures.
WBVM is a Christian radio station licensed to Tampa, Florida. Owned by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint Petersburg, the station broadcasts a Christian adult contemporary music format serving the Tampa Bay Area. The station's studios are currently located at 717 S. Dale Mabry Highway in Tampa, and the station's transmitter is located in Riverview. WBVM is primarily listener-supported through donations, with annual pledge drives such as "Spread the Word", "Hopesgiving", and "Thrill of Hope".
Religion in the Netherlands was dominated by Christianity between the 10th and 20th centuries. In the late 19th century, roughly 60% of the population was Calvinist and 35% was Catholic. Since then, there has been a significant decline in both Catholic and Protestant Christianity, with Protestantism declining to such a degree that Catholicism became the foremost form of the Christian religion. The majority of the Dutch population is secular. Relatively sizable Muslim and Hindu minorities also exist.
Dawn Eden Goldstein is an American Roman Catholic author, journalist, and songwriter. She was formerly a rock music historian and tabloid newspaper headline writer. Prior to 2016, she wrote under the pen name Dawn Eden.
Latinos and Hispanics are predominantly Christians in the United States. Specifically, they are most often Roman Catholic. According to a Public Religion Research Institute study in 2017, the majority of Hispanic and Latino Americans are Christians (76%), and about 11% of Americans identify as Hispanic or Latino Christian.
The Catholic Channel is a Roman Catholic lifestyle radio station on Sirius XM Satellite Radio and is operated by the Archdiocese of New York. It carries daily and Sunday Mass live from St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York, NY, as well as talk shows, educational programming and a small amount of music. An additional Sunday Mass, live from the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, Los Angeles, CA, was added in 2018.
James Keller, M.M. was a Catholic priest in the Maryknoll Order. In 1945 he founded The Christophers, a Christian inspirational group which broadcast a weekly inspirational television show on ABC. ABC canceled the show in the mid-1960s; Keller continued to produce it, however, and it is still syndicated to local television stations. The Christophers also award the Christopher Awards each year, primarily to media that exemplify the human spirit, and have a weekly syndicated radio show.
Christianity is the most prevalent religion in the United States. Estimates from 2021 suggest that of the entire U.S. population about 63% is Christian. The majority of Christian Americans are Protestant Christians, though there are also significant numbers of American Roman Catholics and other Christian denominations such as Latter-day Saints, Orthodox Christians and Oriental Orthodox Christians, and Jehovah's Witnesses. The United States has the largest Christian population in the world and, more specifically, the largest Protestant population in the world, with nearly 210 million Christians and, as of 2021, over 140 million people affiliated with Protestant churches, although other countries have higher percentages of Christians among their populations. The Public Religion Research Institute's "2020 Census of American Religion", carried out between 2014 and 2020, showed that 70% of Americans identified as Christian during this seven-year interval. In a 2020 survey by the Pew Research Center, 65% of adults in the United States identified themselves as Christians. They were 75% in 2015, 70.6% in 2014, 78% in 2012, 81.6% in 2001, and 85% in 1990. About 62% of those polled claim to be members of a church congregation.
The predominant religion in the Republic of Ireland is Christianity, with the largest denomination being the Catholic Church. The Constitution of Ireland says that the state may not endorse any particular religion and guarantees freedom of religion.
Protestantism is the largest religious demographic in the United Kingdom.
Christianity is the most adhered-to religion in Canada, with 19,373,330 Canadians, or 53.3%, identifying themselves as of the 2021 census. The preamble to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms refers to God. The French colonization beginning in the 17th century established a Roman Catholic francophone population in New France, especially Acadia and Lower Canada. British colonization brought waves of Anglicans and other Protestants to Upper Canada, now Ontario. The Russian Empire spread Orthodox Christianity in a small extent to the tribes in the far north and western coasts, particularly hyperborean nomads like the Inuit. Orthodoxy would arrive in mainland Canada with immigrants from the eastern and southern Austro-Hungarian Empire and western Russian Empire starting in the 1890s; then refugees from the Soviet Union, Eastern Bloc, Greece and elsewhere during the last half of the 20th century.
Protestantism in the Republic of Ireland refers to Protestantism in the Republic of Ireland and its predecessor, the Irish Free State. Protestants who are born in the Republic of Ireland are Irish Citizens. Protestants who are born in Northern Ireland are British and / or Irish depending on their political identity and whether they choose to exercise their right to claim Irish citizenship on the same basis as anywhere else on the island of Ireland. In 2006, Protestants made up 4.2% of the Republic of Ireland's population versus 10% in 1911. Their population experienced a long period of decline over the 19th and 20th centuries, but slight growth in the 21st century.
