What is The Upper Room's philosophy?
From its beginning, The Upper Room magazine has been interdenominational. We seek to build on what draws us together in Christian belief. The intent of the founders of the magazine was that it be non-sectarian and non-doctrinaire, and we work to include many perspectives in what we publish. The magazine was created in response to a call from a Sunday-school-class prayer group in Texas, who asked the church to provide for families a devotional resource to use for home worship each day. It was the time of the Great Depression, and these people felt that prayer and Bible study could help people face the difficult times with faith.
The magazine was begun by the Home Missions Board of the Methodist Episcopal Church South in 1935. This is a predecessor denomination of the United Methodist Church, which still owns the magazine. Though the magazine is owned by the United Methodist Church, it is financially separate from it. We receive no grants or subsidy from the United Methodist Church or from any other denomination. Our income comes completely from sale of our magazines and books.
The writers of the daily meditations are both laity and clergy and come from around the world, as you can see by looking at the geographical identification that follows the names of the writers (at the bottom of each page). We do not have requirements regarding denominational affiliation for our writers. We are aware of Methodist, Presbyterian, Baptist, Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Nazarene, Episcopalian, Assemblies of God, and non-denominational believers among our writers, but we do not know the denominational affiliation of the vast majority of those who write for us. We evaluate about 5000 meditations each year in order to choose 365 for publication in the magazine. Our basic criterion in evaluating a meditation is this: Will it be helpful to a reader in a similar situation? We want meditations that show real people struggling to live faithfully in real-life situations, with the Bible as the touchstone for and measure of faithful living. We believe that God wills only good for each of us and that God calls us to lives of love, forgiveness, and service to others, according to the example of Christ.
The magazine is translated into 40 languages other than English and is published in 77 editions and circulated in over 100 countries. Because the meditations are translated for use in many cultures, we cannot use material which is peculiarly North American. We welcome the witness of believers from diverse perspectives, for we feel that each of us has something to share with others about our experience of the grace of God. We believe that our diversity is one of our riches within the family of God, and we seek to reflect that diversity in the magazine as well as in our staff. Among our staff members are persons from many denominations, (among them United Methodist, Episcopalian, Lutheran, Southern Baptist, National Baptist, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic, and United Church of Christ) as well as some who attend non-denominational community churches. We are a diverse group, and we feel this is an asset in publishing for an interdenominational audience.
In addition to our publishing, we sponsor a number of spiritual-formation programs. Among these are The Walk to Emmaus®, the Academy® for Spiritual Formation, the Adventure in Healing and Wholeness, and the Pathways Network® for Spiritual Leaders. You can find out more about these and other programs and our magazine and book publishing by exploring our web site.
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How do I contact the editorial offices of The Upper Room® magazine?
The editorial offices are located in Nashville, Tennessee. You can contact them at:
The Upper Room Magazine
PO Box 340004
Nashville, TN 37203-0004 USA
Telephone: +1 (615) 340-7252
FAX: +1 (615) 340-7267 theupperroommagazine@upperroom.org
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What other magazines do you publish?
The Upper Room magazine has several editions. In addition to the regular print edition, English editions include the Large Print Edition, the Electronic Mail Edition, the Cassette Edition, and the Braille Edition. The Upper Room is available in Spanish as El Aposento Alto®. The Upper Room® is also available in 40 languages and 77 editions produced around the world.
The Upper Room® also publishes Pockets® magazine (for children), Devo'Zine® magazine (for youth), Alive Now® magazine (for individuals and small groups), and Weavings® magazine.
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