John T. Elson
Encyclopedia
John Truscott Elson was a religion editor and writer who eventually became the assistant managing editor of Time
. He is most remembered for his provocative April 1966 cover story for which the magazine's cover simply asked, "Is God Dead?
"
. He attended St. Anselm's Abbey School
(then known as the Priory School) in Washington, D.C. and received an undergraduate degree from Notre Dame in 1953. He also received a master's degree in English from Columbia University
in 1954.
Elson served in the U.S. Air Force in the 1950s and later became a reporter for the Canadian Press news agency. He was hired at Time and worked initially in the Detroit bureau. He remained at Time in 1987 and eventually held the position of assistant managing editor.
magazine who famously asked, "Is God Dead?" Elson posed the questions in a cover story for the April 8, 1966 issue of Time. For the first time in the magazine's 43-year history, the cover featured no photograph or illustration. Instead, the cover showed blood-red letters against a black background posing Elson's question, "Is God Dead?" The New York Times has called the cover "a signpost of the 1960s, testimony to the wrenching social changes transforming the United States."
Though Elson is most rememembered for the "Is God Dead?" cover, it was one of many stories he wrote for the publication on the subject of religion. Indeed, he had written nine previous cover stories on religious issues for Time.
In a May 1966 address, the pastor of the National Presbyterian Church of Washington disputed the "God is Dead" theory, saying advocating the theory were a small group that had plunged "into the depths of existential despair." The pastor further noted, "One is moved to ask whether the reporters were sufficiently well acquainted with the deceased as to be able to identify the corpse."
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
. He is most remembered for his provocative April 1966 cover story for which the magazine's cover simply asked, "Is God Dead?
Is God Dead?
"Is God Dead?" was an April 8, 1966, cover story for the news magazine Time. A previous article, from October 1965, had investigated a trend among 1960s theologians to write God out of the field of theology. The 1966 article looked in greater depth at the problems facing modern theologians, in...
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Early years
Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Elson was the son of a newspaper reporter who later became an editor at Time and LifeLife (magazine)
Life generally refers to three American magazines:*A humor and general interest magazine published from 1883 to 1936. Time founder Henry Luce bought the magazine in 1936 solely so that he could acquire the rights to its name....
. He attended St. Anselm's Abbey School
St. Anselm's Abbey School
St. Anselm's Abbey School is an all boys's preparatory school for grades six through twelve in Washington D.C.. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington...
(then known as the Priory School) in Washington, D.C. and received an undergraduate degree from Notre Dame in 1953. He also received a master's degree in English from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in 1954.
Elson served in the U.S. Air Force in the 1950s and later became a reporter for the Canadian Press news agency. He was hired at Time and worked initially in the Detroit bureau. He remained at Time in 1987 and eventually held the position of assistant managing editor.
1966 cover story: "Is God Dead?"
He was the religion editor at TimeTime (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine who famously asked, "Is God Dead?" Elson posed the questions in a cover story for the April 8, 1966 issue of Time. For the first time in the magazine's 43-year history, the cover featured no photograph or illustration. Instead, the cover showed blood-red letters against a black background posing Elson's question, "Is God Dead?" The New York Times has called the cover "a signpost of the 1960s, testimony to the wrenching social changes transforming the United States."
Though Elson is most rememembered for the "Is God Dead?" cover, it was one of many stories he wrote for the publication on the subject of religion. Indeed, he had written nine previous cover stories on religious issues for Time.
Reaction to the story
Elson's cover story provoked extensive discussion. The issue drew Times biggest newsstand sales in more than 20 years. The publisher received 3,500 letters—the most in the magazine's history to that point. The Chicago Sun Times referred to it as "a debate that had shocked and confused millions of devout Americans." One syndicated columnist, Jim Bishop, responded angrily to the article, pointing out that a recent Harris Poll showed that 97% of all American claim to believe in God. Bishop suggested the editors at Time had an incorrect view of God: "I would guess that the editors think that, if God is still out there, He should alter His image a little, become a hipster, stop dragging His sandals and start snapping His fingers in a Go-Go world."In a May 1966 address, the pastor of the National Presbyterian Church of Washington disputed the "God is Dead" theory, saying advocating the theory were a small group that had plunged "into the depths of existential despair." The pastor further noted, "One is moved to ask whether the reporters were sufficiently well acquainted with the deceased as to be able to identify the corpse."