Deal W. Hudson

We’ve received much positive feedback over the past few days since the launch of The Christian Review, including a number of inquiries from potential contributors. The “more the merrier” is our attitude toward both writers and readers.

Rather than publishing a style sheet or mission statement, we offer this somewhat light-hearted list of what we would like The Christian Review to be and not to be.

The Christian Review will not be:

1. A platform for airing predictable grievances with the White House, the Congress, the political parties, or politics in general.
2. A forum for the same worn out stories about the Vatican II Church, liberal bishops, the USCCB, or guitar music (well, maybe complaining about guitar music is OK.)
3. A grouchy, cranky, or screechy hangout for joyless Catholics and other depressed Christians.
4. An exhibition of Christian kitsch, whether pictorial or verbal.
5. A place where the old saws of faith and spirituality are repeated as if they had some sort of talismanic power.
6. A vantage point from where Christians can look down and declare judgment upon the unsaved, the unenlightened, the unconverted, or the unbelieving (however criticizing bad taste is always fair game!).
7. A virtual political messaging machine for the GOP, as if it is always right and the Democrats always wrong, or as if God is on the side of one and not the other.
8. A “conservative” voice harassing its readers with party-line, or Fox News, talking points.
9. A Victorian parlor where Christians avoid talking about certain “forbidden” topics, or if the “forbidden” is mentioned everyone pretends not to know anything about it.
10. A hothouse for dank, poisonous rants about the state of the world, the end of civilization, or the imminent Apocalypse.

 

Those who still want to write for The Christian Review, after reading the above, are encouraged to make submit writing with the following in mind:

1. Don’t be afraid to make it personal but avoid relying on the tricks of sentimentality.
2. Be willing to explore various literary styles and formats without delving into the surreal.
3. Consider writing poetry or fiction in addition to articles, columns, and commentary.
4. Address the big issues if you dare but remember that less often turns out to be more.
5. Please keep your articles between 500 and 700 words, but some subjects may require even less.
6. When addressing familiar subjects drill down, discover new ways of shedding light on what we think we already know.
7. Don’t pull your punches, be bold without being obnoxious, but get your facts right.
8. Remember you are writing for others, you want them to enjoy your writing, being intrigued enough to read to the end.
9. A website platform requires you write in short paragraphs with language containing a sense of forward motion.
10. Don’t agonize over what you are writing or be reluctant to write quickly — you have been living on this earth for many years, allow the thoughts to come quickly to you.

Writers who want to submit columns or articles for publication can email them to the editor at the email below. Please keep submissions around 500 to 700 words:

Deal W. Hudson, Publisher & Editor — hudsondeal@gmail.com