Marvin Olasky
Encyclopedia
Marvin Olasky is editor-in-chief of WORLD Magazine
, the author of more than 20 books, including The Tragedy of American Compassion, and Distinguished Chair in Journalism and Public Policy at Patrick Henry College
. He is married to writer and professor Susan Olasky
, and they have four sons.
, Massachusetts
, United States
, to a Russian-Jewish family and graduated from Yale University
in 1971 with a B.A. in American Studies. In 1976 he earned his Ph.D. in American Culture at the University of Michigan
. He became an atheist in adolescence and a Marxist in college, ultimately joining the Communist Party USA
in 1972. He left the Communist Party the following year and in 1976 became a Christian
after reading the New Testament
and a number of Christian authors.
Olasky was provost of The King's College in New York City from 2007 to 2011, prior to which he was a professor in the University of Texas at Austin
journalism department. He is now dean of the World Journalism Institute and a senior fellow of the Acton Institute. He joined World Magazine
in 1990 and became its editor in 1994 and its editor-in-chief in 2001. Earlier, he was a reporter on the Boston Globe and a speechwriter at the Du Pont Company.
Olasky’s most famous book is The Tragedy of American Compassion, which in 1992 Newt Gingrich
distributed to incoming Republican
representatives of the 104th Congress
. The book, an overview of poverty-fighting in America from colonial times to the 1990s, argues that private individuals and organizations, particularly Christian
churches, have a responsibility to care for the poor, and contends that challenging personal and spiritual help, common until the 1930s, was more effective than the government welfare programs of recent decades. Olasky argues that government programs are ineffective because they are disconnected from the poor, while private charity has the power to change lives because it allows for a personal connection between giver and recipient.
The book eventually helped to define "compassionate conservatism
" in relation to welfare and social policy. In 1995, Olasky became an occasional advisor to Texas
gubernatorial candidate George W. Bush
. Bush made faith-based programs a major component of his 2000 presidential campaign
, and Olasky's academic work helped form the basis for Bush's "compassionate conservatism
."
Olasky became provost of The King's College in June 2007. On November 5, 2010, the college announced his resignation, saying he would "devote more time to his role as editor-in-chief of World magazine." In an online article at Christianity Today about the announcement, Olasky suggested the move was related to the recent hiring of Dinesh D'Souza
as the college's president: "'It will come as no surprise to you that Dinesh D'Souza and I have different ideas about some things," [Olasky] said in an e-mail to Christianity Today. 'I'd like to leave it at that and not do an interview.' This is a shift from what he told CT in August: 'I remain committed to King's.'" In a blog post, WORLD publisher Nick Eicher said "there are no hard feelings" between Olasky and The King's College.
On August 22, 2011, Patrick Henry College
announced Olasky's appointment to its newly created Distinguished Chair in Journalism and Public Policy beginning in the fall semester of 2011.
, he helped to publicize the college, but he also alienated some student leaders. He taught only one course during his first two years at King’s, while seeking to transform the curriculum.
An editorial in a student journal known as The Gadfly criticized Olasky for relaxing academic standards and for introducing undesirable changes. Published in December 2008, the editorial argued that these changes had weakened academics and were hindering King’s in its goal of becoming a nationally prominent and intellectually rigorous Christian liberal arts college. “Gothamization,” Olasky’s plan to have all of the courses at King’s “engage” New York City through field trips and similar activities, also drew criticism.
On April 12, 2010, leaders in student government at King’s (“The King’s Council”) formally criticized Olasky for disrespectful behavior towards Professor Stanley Hauerwas
of Duke University, who had lectured at the college on April 8th. During the question-and-answer period after the lecture, Olasky asserted that Hauerwas, a distinguished ethicist, was reading “a different Bible than the one I'm familiar with." Then, in a letter sent to King’s students on April 10th, Olasky wrote that he believed statements like those Hauerwas had made "when I was a Marxist and parroted speakers very much like him." Despite a resolution by the King’s Council urging an apology, Olasky did not apologize to Hauerwas for his remarks. The Council passed the resolution, seven to one, with one abstention.
Olasky’s public statements on his duties as provost were also controversial. Roughly three months before announcing his resignation, he asserted that as provost he was responsible for ensuring that the academic program at King’s “remains firmly in the Protestant, evangelical tradition.” But according to official documents, King’s is a nondenominational Christian college. Despite his defense of King's as an evangelical institution, the first person Olasky hired at King’s was Anne Hendershott
, a popular sociology professor and a practicing Roman Catholic.
's Fieldstead Institute, which champions and funds the cause of "total integration of Biblical law into our lives." Ahmanson has funded four of Olasky's books, and Michelle Goldberg, author of the book Kingdom Coming: The Rise of Christian Nationalism, places Olasky in a crucial role in the Christian reconstructionism
and dominionism
movements, saying "I’m not sure whether he actually identifies himself as a Christian reconstructionist, but he’s very close to Christian reconstructionism." Olasky has described himself as a "Christian libertarian."
Olasky diverges from the mainstream of journalistic theory. He argues in his 1996 book Telling the Truth that God created the world, knows more about it than anyone else, and explains its nature in the Bible, so "biblical objectivity" accurately depicts the world as it is, whereas conventional journalistic objectivity shows either a blind materialism or a balancing of subjectivities. He has emphasized the Christian origins of freedom of the press and investigative journalism.
Olasky attained brief mass-media notoriety when he contrasted George W. Bush
's first presidential campaign in 2000 with that of John McCain
:
Jonah Goldberg
, who took exception to Olasky's descriptions of both candidates, nonetheless recognized what Olasky was trying to say:
In her 2004 book Bushwomen, Laura Flanders writes, "Olasky is not a fan of high-achieving women. Women joining the workforce have had 'dire consequences for society,' he told a Christian magazine in 1998.” [17] Olasky later said in response to this book that he was actually praising the high achievements of women in major philanthropic organizations: “From my study of the history of poverty-fighting in America, I found that it was basically women who ran the charitable enterprises. Men were involved, but it was essentially women who had the time to volunteer…. Now they don’t have the time because so many of them work.”
Flanders also quoted another Olasky statement: “’God does not forbid women to be leaders in society...but there's a certain shame attached to it,' he said." Olasky later said he was referring to the story of Deborah, a military leader in the Old Testament
book of Judges, and noting that Deborah explicitly tells Barak, who refuses to lead without her, that he will not receive honor.
In a 1999 profile of Olasky for the New York Times Magazine, David Grann claimed Olasky had hidden his first marriage, which ended in divorce while Olasky was in his early 20s. "Olasky had -- until a family member accidentally mentioned it to me -- carefully hidden his divorce from the press." In a subsequent letter to the editor of the Times, Olasky disputed that characterization.
World (magazine)
WORLD Magazine is a biweekly Christian news magazine, published in the United States of America by God's World Publications, a non-profit 501 organization based in Asheville, North Carolina. WORLD differs from most other news magazines in that its declared perspective is one of conservative...
, the author of more than 20 books, including The Tragedy of American Compassion, and Distinguished Chair in Journalism and Public Policy at Patrick Henry College
Patrick Henry College
Patrick Henry College is a private, independent college with Evangelical Christian basis that focuses on teaching classical liberal arts and government, located in Purcellville, Virginia, United States The first college in the United States founded specifically for Christian home-schooled...
. He is married to writer and professor Susan Olasky
Susan Olasky
Susan Northway Olasky is a senior writer for World magazine and the author of eight historical novels for children. She is also an assistant professor of public policy at Patrick Henry College.-Youth and education:...
, and they have four sons.
Education and career
Olasky was born in BostonBoston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, to a Russian-Jewish family and graduated from Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
in 1971 with a B.A. in American Studies. In 1976 he earned his Ph.D. in American Culture at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
. He became an atheist in adolescence and a Marxist in college, ultimately joining the Communist Party USA
Communist Party USA
The Communist Party USA is a Marxist political party in the United States, established in 1919. It has a long, complex history that is closely related to the histories of similar communist parties worldwide and the U.S. labor movement....
in 1972. He left the Communist Party the following year and in 1976 became a Christian
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...
after reading the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
and a number of Christian authors.
Olasky was provost of The King's College in New York City from 2007 to 2011, prior to which he was a professor in the University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
journalism department. He is now dean of the World Journalism Institute and a senior fellow of the Acton Institute. He joined World Magazine
World (magazine)
WORLD Magazine is a biweekly Christian news magazine, published in the United States of America by God's World Publications, a non-profit 501 organization based in Asheville, North Carolina. WORLD differs from most other news magazines in that its declared perspective is one of conservative...
in 1990 and became its editor in 1994 and its editor-in-chief in 2001. Earlier, he was a reporter on the Boston Globe and a speechwriter at the Du Pont Company.
Olasky’s most famous book is The Tragedy of American Compassion, which in 1992 Newt Gingrich
Newt Gingrich
Newton Leroy "Newt" Gingrich is a U.S. Republican Party politician who served as the House Minority Whip from 1989 to 1995 and as the 58th Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999....
distributed to incoming Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
representatives of the 104th Congress
104th United States Congress
The One Hundred Fourth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1995 to January 3, 1997, during the third and...
. The book, an overview of poverty-fighting in America from colonial times to the 1990s, argues that private individuals and organizations, particularly Christian
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...
churches, have a responsibility to care for the poor, and contends that challenging personal and spiritual help, common until the 1930s, was more effective than the government welfare programs of recent decades. Olasky argues that government programs are ineffective because they are disconnected from the poor, while private charity has the power to change lives because it allows for a personal connection between giver and recipient.
The book eventually helped to define "compassionate conservatism
Compassionate conservatism
Compassionate Conservatism is a political philosophy that stresses using traditionally conservative techniques and concepts in order to improve the general welfare of society. The term itself is often credited to U.S. historian and politician Doug Wead who used it as the title of a speech in 1979....
" in relation to welfare and social policy. In 1995, Olasky became an occasional advisor to Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
gubernatorial candidate George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
. Bush made faith-based programs a major component of his 2000 presidential campaign
George W. Bush presidential campaign, 2000
This article is about the 2000 presidential campaign of George W. Bush, winner of the 2000 presidential election and re-elected in the 2004 election.See George W. Bush for a detailed biography and information about his presidency, and George W...
, and Olasky's academic work helped form the basis for Bush's "compassionate conservatism
Compassionate conservatism
Compassionate Conservatism is a political philosophy that stresses using traditionally conservative techniques and concepts in order to improve the general welfare of society. The term itself is often credited to U.S. historian and politician Doug Wead who used it as the title of a speech in 1979....
."
Olasky became provost of The King's College in June 2007. On November 5, 2010, the college announced his resignation, saying he would "devote more time to his role as editor-in-chief of World magazine." In an online article at Christianity Today about the announcement, Olasky suggested the move was related to the recent hiring of Dinesh D'Souza
Dinesh D'Souza
Dinesh D'Souza is an author and public speaker and a former Robert and Karen Rishwain Research Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. He is currently the President of The King's College in New York City. D'Souza is a noted Christian apologist and conservative writer and speaker....
as the college's president: "'It will come as no surprise to you that Dinesh D'Souza and I have different ideas about some things," [Olasky] said in an e-mail to Christianity Today. 'I'd like to leave it at that and not do an interview.' This is a shift from what he told CT in August: 'I remain committed to King's.'" In a blog post, WORLD publisher Nick Eicher said "there are no hard feelings" between Olasky and The King's College.
On August 22, 2011, Patrick Henry College
Patrick Henry College
Patrick Henry College is a private, independent college with Evangelical Christian basis that focuses on teaching classical liberal arts and government, located in Purcellville, Virginia, United States The first college in the United States founded specifically for Christian home-schooled...
announced Olasky's appointment to its newly created Distinguished Chair in Journalism and Public Policy beginning in the fall semester of 2011.
At The King's College
As provost of The King’s College from August 2007 through January 2011, Olasky was involved in several controversies. Through his journalism and connection to World magazineWorld (magazine)
WORLD Magazine is a biweekly Christian news magazine, published in the United States of America by God's World Publications, a non-profit 501 organization based in Asheville, North Carolina. WORLD differs from most other news magazines in that its declared perspective is one of conservative...
, he helped to publicize the college, but he also alienated some student leaders. He taught only one course during his first two years at King’s, while seeking to transform the curriculum.
An editorial in a student journal known as The Gadfly criticized Olasky for relaxing academic standards and for introducing undesirable changes. Published in December 2008, the editorial argued that these changes had weakened academics and were hindering King’s in its goal of becoming a nationally prominent and intellectually rigorous Christian liberal arts college. “Gothamization,” Olasky’s plan to have all of the courses at King’s “engage” New York City through field trips and similar activities, also drew criticism.
On April 12, 2010, leaders in student government at King’s (“The King’s Council”) formally criticized Olasky for disrespectful behavior towards Professor Stanley Hauerwas
Stanley Hauerwas
Stanley Hauerwas is a Christian theologian and ethicist. He has taught at the University of Notre Dame and is currently the Gilbert T...
of Duke University, who had lectured at the college on April 8th. During the question-and-answer period after the lecture, Olasky asserted that Hauerwas, a distinguished ethicist, was reading “a different Bible than the one I'm familiar with." Then, in a letter sent to King’s students on April 10th, Olasky wrote that he believed statements like those Hauerwas had made "when I was a Marxist and parroted speakers very much like him." Despite a resolution by the King’s Council urging an apology, Olasky did not apologize to Hauerwas for his remarks. The Council passed the resolution, seven to one, with one abstention.
Olasky’s public statements on his duties as provost were also controversial. Roughly three months before announcing his resignation, he asserted that as provost he was responsible for ensuring that the academic program at King’s “remains firmly in the Protestant, evangelical tradition.” But according to official documents, King’s is a nondenominational Christian college. Despite his defense of King's as an evangelical institution, the first person Olasky hired at King’s was Anne Hendershott
Anne Hendershott
Anne B. Hendershott is an American sociologist and author. She is the author of several books, including The Politics of Deviance, The Politics of Abortion, and most recently Status Envy: The Politics of Catholic Higher Education She has taught at the University of San Diego and is currently...
, a popular sociology professor and a practicing Roman Catholic.
Other Controversies
In the late 1980s and early 1990s Olasky edited the 16-book Turning Point Christian Worldview series funded by Howard Ahmanson, Jr.Howard Ahmanson, Jr.
Howard Fieldstead Ahmanson, Jr. is an heir of the Home Savings bank fortune built by his father Howard Fieldstead Ahmanson, Sr.. Ahmanson Jr. is a multi-millionaire philanthropist and financier of many Christian conservative cultural, religious and political causes.- Biography :Ahmanson is the son...
's Fieldstead Institute, which champions and funds the cause of "total integration of Biblical law into our lives." Ahmanson has funded four of Olasky's books, and Michelle Goldberg, author of the book Kingdom Coming: The Rise of Christian Nationalism, places Olasky in a crucial role in the Christian reconstructionism
Christian Reconstructionism
Christian Reconstructionism is a religious and theological movement within Evangelical Christianity that calls for Christians to put their faith into action in all areas of life, within the private sphere of life and the public and political sphere as well...
and dominionism
Dominionism
Dominionism is a term used to describe politically active conservative Christians that are believed to conspire and seek influence or control over secular civil government through political action, especially in the United States, with the goal of either a nation governed by Christians, or a nation...
movements, saying "I’m not sure whether he actually identifies himself as a Christian reconstructionist, but he’s very close to Christian reconstructionism." Olasky has described himself as a "Christian libertarian."
Olasky diverges from the mainstream of journalistic theory. He argues in his 1996 book Telling the Truth that God created the world, knows more about it than anyone else, and explains its nature in the Bible, so "biblical objectivity" accurately depicts the world as it is, whereas conventional journalistic objectivity shows either a blind materialism or a balancing of subjectivities. He has emphasized the Christian origins of freedom of the press and investigative journalism.
Olasky attained brief mass-media notoriety when he contrasted George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
's first presidential campaign in 2000 with that of John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
:
- "It would be pushing it too far to talk of the religion of Zeus trumping the religion of Christ. McCain’s no polytheist. But a lot of liberal journalists have holes in their souls. Some of them grew up in nominally Christian homes but never really heard the Gospel; now they are looking for purpose in their lives but have no understanding of God’s grace. Others know more but don’t want to repent. So, McCain’s emphasis on the classical virtues gives them a post- Clinton glow without pushing them to confront their own lives."
Jonah Goldberg
Jonah Goldberg
Jonah Jacob Goldberg is an American conservative syndicated columnist and author. Goldberg is known for his contributions on politics and culture to , of which he is editor-at-large...
, who took exception to Olasky's descriptions of both candidates, nonetheless recognized what Olasky was trying to say:
- The Zeus reference seems to be derived from the ending of Tom Wolfe’s novel, A Man in Full, in which two of the characters decide to convert to Zeus worship. And what Olasky meant by it was that McCain supporters generally, and Brooks specifically, are attracted to "Zeus-like strength" rather than Christ-like compassion. McCain is all about honor and duty and Bush is about charity and love. Zeus versus Christ. There you have it.
In her 2004 book Bushwomen, Laura Flanders writes, "Olasky is not a fan of high-achieving women. Women joining the workforce have had 'dire consequences for society,' he told a Christian magazine in 1998.” [17] Olasky later said in response to this book that he was actually praising the high achievements of women in major philanthropic organizations: “From my study of the history of poverty-fighting in America, I found that it was basically women who ran the charitable enterprises. Men were involved, but it was essentially women who had the time to volunteer…. Now they don’t have the time because so many of them work.”
Flanders also quoted another Olasky statement: “’God does not forbid women to be leaders in society...but there's a certain shame attached to it,' he said." Olasky later said he was referring to the story of Deborah, a military leader in the Old Testament
Old Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
book of Judges, and noting that Deborah explicitly tells Barak, who refuses to lead without her, that he will not receive honor.
In a 1999 profile of Olasky for the New York Times Magazine, David Grann claimed Olasky had hidden his first marriage, which ended in divorce while Olasky was in his early 20s. "Olasky had -- until a family member accidentally mentioned it to me -- carefully hidden his divorce from the press." In a subsequent letter to the editor of the Times, Olasky disputed that characterization.
Notable Publications
- Corporate Public Relations: A New Historical Perspective (1987)
- Turning Point: A Christian Worldview Declaration (1987, with Herbert Schlossberg)
- Patterns of Corporate Philanthropy: Public Affairs Giving and the Forbes 100 (1987, foreword by Donald Rumsfeld)
- Freedom, Justice and Hope: Toward a Strategy for the Poor and the Oppressed (1988, with Clark Pinnock, Herbert Schlossberg, and Pierre Berthoud)
- Prodigal Press: The Anti-Christian Bias of American News Media (1988)
- The Press and Abortion, 1838–1988 (1988)
- Central Ideas in the Development of American Journalism (1991)
- Patterns of Corporate Philanthropy: Funding False Compassion (1991, with Daniel T. Oliver and Robert V. Pambianco)
- More Than Kindness: A Compassionate Approach to Crisis Childbearing (1992, with Susan Olasky)
- The Tragedy of American Compassion (1992, republished in 1995)
- Abortion Rites: A Social History of Abortion in America (1992)
- Patterns of Corporate Philanthropy: The Progressive Deception (1992, with Daniel T. Oliver and Stuart Nolan)
- Philanthropically Correct: The Story of the Council on Foundations (1993)
- Fighting for Liberty and Virtue: Political and Cultural Wars in Eighteenth-Century America (1995)
- Telling the Truth: How to Revitalize Christian Journalism (1996)
- Renewing American Compassion: How Compassion for the Needy Can Turn Ordinary Citizens into Heroes (1996)
- Whirled Views: Tracking Today's Culture Storms (1997, with Joel Belz)
- The American Leadership Tradition: Moral Vision from Washington to Clinton (1999)
- Compassionate Conservatism: What it is, What it Does, and How it Can Transform America (2000, introduction by George W. Bush)
- Standing for Christ in a Modern Babylon (2003)
- The Religions Next Door: What We Need To Know About Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, And Islam - and What Reporters Are Missing (2004)
- Monkey Business (2005, with John Perry)
- Scimitar's Edge (2006)
- The Politics of Disaster: Katrina, Big Government, and A New Strategy for Future Crises (2006)
- Unmerited Mercy: A Memoir, 1968-1996 (2010)
- Echoes of Eden (2011)
- 2048, A Story of America’s Future (2011)