Joel Belz
Encyclopedia
Joel Belz is the founder of God's World Publications in 1977, which includes the World Journalism Institute started in 1999 and WORLD Magazine
, a biweekly Christian
newsmagazine, in 1986.
He was raised in the grain and lumber business, but learned the importance of the print media when his parents opened up a printing business out of their home. In 1946 his father entered the Presbyterian ministry and in 1951 his parents opened Cono Christian School.
Belz earned a BA in English from Covenant College
in Lookout Mountain, GA in 1962 and an MA in communications from the University of Iowa
in 1971.
Belz is a member and elder in the Presbyterian Church in America
.
In November 2009, Belz signed an ecumenical statement known as the Manhattan Declaration
calling on evangelicals, Catholics and Orthodox not to comply with rules and laws permitting abortion, same-sex marriage and other matters that go against their religious consciences.
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...
, a biweekly 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...
newsmagazine, in 1986.
Personal life
Belz and his wife, Carol Esther, have five children and eight grandchildren and live in North Carolina.He was raised in the grain and lumber business, but learned the importance of the print media when his parents opened up a printing business out of their home. In 1946 his father entered the Presbyterian ministry and in 1951 his parents opened Cono Christian School.
Belz earned a BA in English from Covenant College
Covenant College
Covenant College is a Christian liberal arts college in Lookout Mountain, Georgia, United States.-History:Founded in 1955 in Pasadena, California, Covenant College and Theological Seminary moved its campus to St. Louis, Missouri the following year, and, in 1965, separated from the seminary, moving...
in Lookout Mountain, GA in 1962 and an MA in communications from the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
in 1971.
Belz is a member and elder in the Presbyterian Church in America
Presbyterian Church in America
The Presbyterian Church in America is an evangelical Protestant Christian denomination, the second largest Presbyterian church body in the United States after the Presbyterian Church . The PCA professes a strong commitment to evangelism, missionary work, and Christian education...
.
In November 2009, Belz signed an ecumenical statement known as the Manhattan Declaration
Manhattan Declaration: A Call of Christian Conscience
The Manhattan Declaration: A Call of Christian Conscience is a manifesto issued by Orthodox, Catholic, and Evangelical Christian leaders to affirm support of "the sanctity of life, traditional marriage, and religious liberty". It was drafted on October 20, 2009 and released November 20, 2009,...
calling on evangelicals, Catholics and Orthodox not to comply with rules and laws permitting abortion, same-sex marriage and other matters that go against their religious consciences.