Demonstrating the power of print to mold opinions and promote human rights, Liberty magazine, the Seventh-day Adventist voice of religious freedom, marks 100 years of continuous publication this year.
Demonstrating the power of print to mold opinions and promote human rights, Liberty magazine, the Seventh-day Adventist voice of religious freedom, marks 100 years of continuous publication this year.
Liberty is designed to emphasize the separation of church and state, as well as to promote the rights of all to follow their conscience as they choose. Though at times these values seem to conflict, the publication has striven to reconcile them.
“Religious freedom, and in turn the mission of Liberty magazine, is about people, fighting for the right to serve the God they love, as their hearts, and the Holy Spirit, dictate. We are a Christian champion of rights of conscience,” says editor Lincoln Steed.
In honor of the anniversary, Steed is publishing an article series entitled “Remembering Liberty,” which will reflect back on the magazine’s rich tradition of defending religious freedom throughout the past century. The retrospective series began in the January/February issue with an article by Adventist religious liberty advocate W.H Hackett entitled “Eternal Vigilance,” originally published in 1950, but is just as relevant today, he said.
“As Liberty magazine comes up to 100 years of continuous publication, I am more conscious than ever that it is a precious trust,” says Steed. “I look back over the decades and I can trace moments of world and national crisis—times of religious intolerance—religious persecution. Adventist church pioneers [said] we can make no compromise when it comes to religious freedom, and I am determined that will remain the stance of Liberty magazine in our days of testing,” he adds.
Liberty magazine is currently read by nearly 200,000 thought leaders throughout the United States and Canada, including those in local, state and federal government offices. Annually, the magazine cosponsors an awards banquet held in the historic United States Senate Caucus Room on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. The print distribution and the banquet are made possible in large part from support of Seventh-day Adventist church members who donate specifically to help the magazine.
“I regularly hear from mayors, judges and leaders in the Christian community [about] how much they value the magazine—how much they need it,” says Steed. “A state legislator recently confided to a church official how important Liberty was to her in evaluating the issues.”
For more information on Liberty magazine, visit www.libertymagazine.org.
