Third Way Magazine
Encyclopedia
Third Way Magazine is a UK current-affairs magazine written from a Christian
perspective. It is distinctively biblical, fairly highbrow and culturally aware. It can call on well-known Christian thinkers and writers (its columnists include high-profile journalists, clergy and BBC
comedy writers) to comment on news issues, much as the New Statesman
or Spectator
calls on those from left or right. Third Way magazine is not affiliated with either the minor British political party Third Way
, or with the centrist "Third Way
" policies of Tony Blair
and Bill Clinton
.
The magazine was launched in January 1977 by a wing of the Church that had begun to rediscover the imperative of "social responsibility" which, with some notable exceptions, it had long neglected. Its title referred to a comment by the theologian Os Guinness
in a book entitled The Dust of Death: "How often in the contemporary discussion a sensitive modern man knows that he cannot accept either of the polarised alternatives offered to him. In Christianity, however, there can be a Third Way, a true middle ground which has a basis, is never compromise and is far from silent."
Third Way reviews films, music, books and television. It also carries features on social or cultural issues (such as the environment, sexual identity or economics) and interviews high-profile people from those fields. In recent years, for example, it has talked to Tony Blair
, Thom Yorke
, Rowan Williams
, Gerry Adams
, Max Clifford
, Ian Hislop
, John Peel
, Maya Angelou
, Mark Thompson
, Anita Roddick
, Jonathon Porritt
, Richard Dawkins
and many more. Interviews are published Q&A with no editorialising. The Guardian
has said that 'The magazine has ... mastered the art of interviewing celebs who have been stitched up once too often by the red-tops'. The Times
says it is 'noted for giving a serious Christian perspective on topics ranging from the Bible to politics, environment to the arts'.
Other sections include an "Icon of the month" (deconstructing items from the holocaust to McDonald's
to Bob Dylan
to the World Cup
), a regular two-way Bible
commentary/debate and an events page.
The magazine has 10,000 readers worldwide. Its current editor is Simon Jones and other staff include Steve Tomkins, Nick Thorpe and Huw Spanner. In terms of Christian alignment it sits comfortably alongside the Greenbelt festival
or the Ship of Fools
website.
In July 2007 Third Way was bought by Hymns Ancient & Modern Ltd, which also owns the Church Times
.
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
perspective. It is distinctively biblical, fairly highbrow and culturally aware. It can call on well-known Christian thinkers and writers (its columnists include high-profile journalists, clergy and BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
comedy writers) to comment on news issues, much as the New Statesman
New Statesman
New Statesman is a British centre-left political and cultural magazine published weekly in London. Founded in 1913, and connected with leading members of the Fabian Society, the magazine reached a circulation peak in the late 1960s....
or Spectator
The Spectator
The Spectator is a weekly British magazine first published on 6 July 1828. It is currently owned by David and Frederick Barclay, who also owns The Daily Telegraph. Its principal subject areas are politics and culture...
calls on those from left or right. Third Way magazine is not affiliated with either the minor British political party Third Way
Third Way (UK)
The National Liberal Party – The Third Way is a United Kingdom political party that was formed on 17 March 1990 as The Third Way. In 2006, the Third Way registered the name National Liberal Party – The Third Way with the Electoral Commission....
, or with the centrist "Third Way
Third way (centrism)
The Third Way refers to various political positions which try to reconcile right-wing and left-wing politics by advocating a varying synthesis of right-wing economic and left-wing social policies. Third Way approaches are commonly viewed from within the first- and second-way perspectives as...
" policies of Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
and Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
.
The magazine was launched in January 1977 by a wing of the Church that had begun to rediscover the imperative of "social responsibility" which, with some notable exceptions, it had long neglected. Its title referred to a comment by the theologian Os Guinness
Os Guinness
Os Guinness is an author and social critic.-Biography:Born in China, he is the great-great-great-grandson of Arthur Guinness, the Dublin brewer. He was a witness to the climax of the Chinese revolution in 1949, and returned to England in 1951, where he went to school and college. He received a B.D...
in a book entitled The Dust of Death: "How often in the contemporary discussion a sensitive modern man knows that he cannot accept either of the polarised alternatives offered to him. In Christianity, however, there can be a Third Way, a true middle ground which has a basis, is never compromise and is far from silent."
Third Way reviews films, music, books and television. It also carries features on social or cultural issues (such as the environment, sexual identity or economics) and interviews high-profile people from those fields. In recent years, for example, it has talked to Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
, Thom Yorke
Thom Yorke
Thomas "Thom" Edward Yorke is an English musician who is the lead vocalist and principal songwriter for Radiohead. He mainly plays guitar and piano, but he has also played drums and bass guitar...
, Rowan Williams
Rowan Williams
Rowan Douglas Williams FRSL, FBA, FLSW is an Anglican bishop, poet and theologian. He is the 104th and current Archbishop of Canterbury, Metropolitan of the Province of Canterbury and Primate of All England, offices he has held since early 2003.Williams was previously Bishop of Monmouth and...
, Gerry Adams
Gerry Adams
Gerry Adams is an Irish republican politician and Teachta Dála for the constituency of Louth. From 1983 to 1992 and from 1997 to 2011, he was an abstentionist Westminster Member of Parliament for Belfast West. He is the president of Sinn Féin, the second largest political party in Northern...
, Max Clifford
Max Clifford
Maxwell Frank Clifford is an English publicist, considered the highest-profile and best-known publicist in the United Kingdom...
, Ian Hislop
Ian Hislop
Ian David Hislop is a British journalist, satirist, comedian, writer, broadcaster and editor of the satirical magazine Private Eye...
, John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
, Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou is an American author and poet who has been called "America's most visible black female autobiographer" by scholar Joanne M. Braxton. She is best known for her series of six autobiographical volumes, which focus on her childhood and early adult experiences. The first and most highly...
, Mark Thompson
Mark Thompson
Mark John Thompson is Director-General of the BBC, a post he has held since 2004, and a former chief executive of Channel 4...
, Anita Roddick
Anita Roddick
Dame Anita Roddick, DBE was a British businesswoman, human rights activist and environmental campaigner, best known as the founder of The Body Shop, a cosmetics company producing and retailing beauty products that shaped ethical consumerism...
, Jonathon Porritt
Jonathon Porritt
Jonathon Espie Porritt, CBE, is an English environmentalist and writer. Porritt appears frequently in the media, writing in magazines, newspapers and books, and appearing on radio and television regularly.-Early life and family background:...
, Richard Dawkins
Richard Dawkins
Clinton Richard Dawkins, FRS, FRSL , known as Richard Dawkins, is a British ethologist, evolutionary biologist and author...
and many more. Interviews are published Q&A with no editorialising. The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
has said that 'The magazine has ... mastered the art of interviewing celebs who have been stitched up once too often by the red-tops'. The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
says it is 'noted for giving a serious Christian perspective on topics ranging from the Bible to politics, environment to the arts'.
Other sections include an "Icon of the month" (deconstructing items from the holocaust to McDonald's
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
to Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
to the World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
), a regular two-way Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
commentary/debate and an events page.
The magazine has 10,000 readers worldwide. Its current editor is Simon Jones and other staff include Steve Tomkins, Nick Thorpe and Huw Spanner. In terms of Christian alignment it sits comfortably alongside the Greenbelt festival
Greenbelt festival
Greenbelt Festival is a festival of arts, faith and justice held annually in England since 1974. Greenbelt has grown from a Christian music festival with an audience of 1,500 young Christians to its current more secular festival attended by around 20,000 - Christians and non-Christians.The festival...
or the Ship of Fools
Ship of Fools (website)
Ship of Fools is a UK-based Christian website. It was first launched as a magazine in 1977. The magazine folded in 1983 and was resurrected as a website on April Fool's Day, 1998. Subtitled "the magazine of Christian unrest", Ship of Fools pokes fun and asks critical questions about the Christian...
website.
In July 2007 Third Way was bought by Hymns Ancient & Modern Ltd, which also owns the Church Times
Church Times
The Church Times is an independent Anglican weekly newspaper. It is published in the United Kingdom on Fridays.The Church Times was founded in 1863 to campaign for Anglo-Catholic principles and has always been independent of the Church of England hierarchy. It was a family concern The Church Times...
.
External links
- Third Way Magazine website
- Third Way magazine back issues on Google Books