Chapter 1
In: Protestant Periodicals in Transition
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Abstract
motive Magazine (1941–1972) was the official magazine of the Methodist Student Movement and, for several of its final years, for the University Christian Movement as well. Controversial from the beginning, motive stood apart from contemporary campus ministry publications with its featuring of avant-garde art, leftist political and social commentary, and engagement with radical theology. Through a blend of content analysis, archival research, and oral history interviews, this chapter uses motive magazine as a test case through which to explore the ambiguous nature of denominationally affiliated religious magazines. On the one hand, the story of motive illustrates the ways in which denominational affiliation can help to keep religious periodicals from becoming beholden to profit, providing both a secure source of funding and a ready-made readership. At the same time, however, motive’s demise demonstrates that denominational affiliation can also circumscribe a publication’s journalistic freedom, as editors, writers, and denominational officials attempt to advance disparate visions of religious identity. In this way, an analysis of motive magazine elucidates the precarious dynamics inherent in the publication of denominationally-affiliated magazines—particularly those which attempt to simultaneously challenge and retain their readership.