Children grow up. This is a terrifying prospect, but no less of a reality. When they are born to us, we care for them, we nurture them, we train them. But, they are bound to grow up. Hopefully, the positive things you have done and said will stick with them and the negative things will be forgotten or learned from.

The Christian Manifesto is also growing up. When I (C. E’Jon Moore) first started this site it was because I was angry and bored. Angry, because I had read a glowing music review in a prominent Christian publication, purchased the album, only to find that said album was absolute garbage. It was as if they had paid for the review. Bored, because it was Christmas break and I had nothing but time on my hands. So, out of my anger and boredom, The Christian Manifesto was birthed. And, in the four years since we “opened our doors” we have reviewed tons of materials, interviewed lots of interesting voices within the Christian culture, and provided commentary on the culture.

However, as with any maturation process, things change. Thus, it is in that spirit that we are changing certain aspects of our site. Through the course of several conversations I have had with the contributors and staff writers of TCM, especially Melissa Willis and J.F. Arnold, I have come to the realization that reviewing “just pop culture materials” has run it’s course for us. Will we stop? Certainly not. We understand who we are and who our readership is. However, we are restless. In our efforts to have fun and be entertained, we have sometimes forgotten that a “manifesto” is a public declaration of principles and intentions. The Christian Manifesto did not start out with a desire to be some virtual soapbox from which we could lambast the world with our viewpoint and religion. However, we cannot deny that our little corner of cyberspace has become a meaningful platform for so many people. The implications of this are huge for us.

Some of the changes coming will certainly raise some eyebrows and questions of “in the world, but not of it.” We freely admit, we might even get it wrong some times. But, it is our conviction that, while the truth lies in Jesus alone, there is much in the culture at-large that is deserving of our attention and even spiritually significant. We’re not trying to cow-tow to culture or over contextualize things here. We’re simply trying to broaden the scope of what we pay attention to and what we talk about. In the process, we will better reflect the hearts and souls and lives of those who make the site what it is.

So, what does that look like? Here are some of the changes can expect to see in the upcoming days, weeks, months, and years ahead:

Additional Changes You’ll See

• More reviews of secular books alongside Christian books.
• New “How We Rate Things” section that explains how our reviewers go about scoring various products.
• New FAQ page that answers some of the major questions we have gotten over the years.
• The reintroduction of non-fiction reviews to our site.
• More news from the culture at large.
• Partnering with select non-profit organizations to bring about social justice in the world.
• Heavier promotion of “Talkback with C.E. Moore” and “Dual Impressions” podcast programs; Introduction of “The TCM Roundtable Podcast” program.

We’re excited. Truly excited. This has been a labor of love for the past 4 years and many people have come and gone on this team. Each individual has brought something unique to the site and we appreciate their contributions along the way.

Thank you all so much for continuing to check out the site. We hope to be here long into the future. Please keep us in your prayers. While this looks like a hobby, we consider this to be an extension of our call to join God in what He is doing in the neighborhood and the world.

Blessings.

C. E’Jon Moore

Creator & Administrator

The Christian Manifesto

NOTE: THE DUST HASN’T SETTLED QUITE YET. WE’VE GOT 4 YEARS OF CONTENT TO MIGRATE FROM THE OLD SITE TO THE NEW AND WE’RE NOWHERE NEAR FINISHED. SO, PLEASE BE PATIENT WITH US AS YOU COME ACROSS HOLES AND GLITCHES AND GAPS IN THE NEW SITE.