The Christian Guardian
Methodist Book and Publishing House offices, 78 King St. East, Toronto c. 1838
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| Publisher | Methodist Book and Publishing House |
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| Founder | Egerton Ryerson |
| First issue | 21 November 1829 |
| Final issue | 10 June 1925 |
| Country | Canada |
| Based in | Toronto |
| Language | English |
The Christian Guardian was a Wesleyan Methodist journal founded in Upper Canada in 1829. The first editor was Egerton Ryerson. It ceased publication in 1925 when the Methodist Church of Canada merged with the Presbyterians and Congregationalists to form the United Church of Canada, and merged their journals to create The New Outlook, later renamed the United Church Observer.
The Canadian Wesleyan Methodists founded The Christian Guardian as their weekly newspaper on 21 November 1829 with Egerton Ryerson (1803–1882) as editor. The Guardian was the first religious newspaper published in Canada. In the first issue Ryerson wrote, "we consider it our duty and feel it to be our vocation to devote our limited researches, talents and influence, to the high and holy interests of morality and religion - to the spiritual welfare of immortal and redeemed men." However, he was not able to stay out of politics, and soon became engaged with the Anglican John Strachan in a lively debate over the future of society in Upper Canada.
Ryerson was called a "doughty controversialist who, by his facile pen, fought the battle of civil and religious liberty." Ryerson's passionate views caused him to be voted out of office three times. He was editor from 1829-1832, 1833-1835 and 1838-1840. With minimal resources, Ryerson managed to build up the circulation to 3,000 within three years. Other editors before Canadian Confederation (1867) were James Richardson, Ephraim Evans, Jonathan Scott, George Frederick Playter, George R. Sanderson, James Spencer and Wellington Jeffers. Jeffers was editor of The Christian Guardian from 1860 to 1866. He invited Nathanael Burwash to write a number of guest editorials during this period.
Edward Hartley Dewart (1828-1903) was named editor of the Christian Guardian in 1869. He wrote incisively and with conviction, and was one of the driving forces in bringing about a union of Methodist churches to reduce the wastage of duplicate services. In 1874 the Methodist New Connexion Society was consolidated with the Wesleyan Methodist Society to form the Methodist Church of Canada. The New Connection paper The Evangelical Witness was merged with The Christian Guardian. David Savage, editor of The Evangelical Witness, continued as associate editor of the merged paper for some time.
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