Gospel Advocate
May 2000 issue of Gospel Advocate
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| Editor | Gregory Tidwell |
|---|---|
| Former editors |
Tolbert Fanning David Lipscomb Robert Henry Boll Foy E. Wallace John T Hinds B. C. Goodpasture Ira North Neil A. Anderson |
| Categories | Churches of Christ |
| Frequency | Monthly |
| First issue | 1855 |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Website | GospelAdvocate.com |
The Gospel Advocate is a religious magazine published monthly in Nashville, Tennessee for members of the Churches of Christ. The Advocate has enjoyed uninterrupted publication since 1866.
The Gospel Advocate was founded by Nashville-area Restoration Movement preacher Tolbert Fanning in 1855. Fanning's student, William Lipscomb, served as co-editor until the American Civil War forced them to suspend publication in 1861.
After the end of the Civil War, publication resumed in 1866 under the editorship of Fanning and William Lipscomb's younger brother David Lipscomb; Fanning soon retired and David Lipscomb became the sole editor. In 1869 the Advocate was published weekly on Thursdays and reported a circulation of 1850. The early Advocate included church news, Bible lessons, letters from readers, Bible lessons, book reviews, farm information, rural news, and anything the editors felt would be spiritually helpful. Lipscomb edited the journal for fifty years following the Civil War, making him the most influential spokesman of the time among the Churches of Christ. This was especially true in the South, because most of the other brotherhood journals were perceived as pro-Union.
The Gospel Advocate has long been very influential in the Churches of Christ and was, during much of the twentieth century, the most influential journal within the brotherhood, helping to shape consensus views. As the Churches of Christ have no denominational hierarchy or "official" structures, through much of its history the views of the brotherhood have been heavily influenced by its journals and their editors (although since the 1980s lectureship speakers and university leaders have tended to have more influence than editors).
While the Advocate has always been conservative and Bible-based, the "tone and direction" has varied as editors have changed. When David Lipscomb was the editor, the focus was on seeking unity by following scripture exactly, and the Advocate's editorial position was to reject anything that is not explicitly allowed by scripture. When Foy E. Wallace was editor the Advocate fought against premillennialism. Editor B. C. Goodpasture used the Advocate to oppose the "non-institutional" view within the Churches of Christ. Despite these differences in editorial focus, throughout its entire history the Advocate has consistently sought to promote a Christianity based on New Testament precedents.
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