Ex Fonte is Gordon-Conwell’s new print magazine, launched in Fall 2024. Our hope is that this magazine can be a unifying force within the context of a fracturing Christian body in a broken culture.
Who We Are
We are a magazine of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary that is biblically-grounded, forward-facing, unitive, and unafraid.
Our Mission
Our mission is to advance the knowledge of God and the beauty of his work worldwide in the name of Jesus and in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Our Vision
It is our vision to unify a fracturing Christian body in a broken culture through thoughtful dialogue, reflection and witness.
Fall 2026
We Believe
Reclaiming the Ancient Creeds
In an age of fragmentation, uncertainty, and constant change, the ancient creeds call the Church back to something enduring: the faith Christians have confessed together for centuries.
In the final issue of Ex Fonte, we explore the historic Christian confessions that have preserved and proclaimed the faith across generations, and the ways that ancient faith continues to take living form in churches, cities, art, scholarship, and Christian witness today.
In our cover package, Carl R. Trueman makes the case for why the historic creeds remain essential to the Church, while Donald Fairbairn traces their development from the earliest Christian confessions to Nicaea, Constantinople, Chalcedon, and beyond–not arising as substitutes for Scripture, but as concise expressions of what Christians understood Scripture to teach about God, Christ, the Holy Spirit, and salvation.
Why the Church Needs the Historic Creeds
By Carl R. Trueman
Creeds and confessions do not compete with biblical authority. Trueman argues that they help the Church preserve the “form of sound words” passed down through the centuries, connecting Christians today with the great cloud of witnesses who have wrestled faithfully with Scripture before us.
From Scripture to Creed
By Donald Fairbairn
Where did the great Christian creeds come from? Fairbairn follows the story from simple New Testament declarations such as Jesus is Lord through baptismal confessions, the Rule of Faith, the Nicene Creed, Chalcedon, and the Apostles’ Creed, showing how Christians sought to “collect the sense of the Scriptures” in words the whole Church could confess.
Life in the City
Ancient confession is not merely something Christians recite. It is something Christians live.
This issue turns from the Church’s historic confession to its contemporary witness in the city, where congregations are responding to changing neighborhoods, migration, violence, addiction, loneliness, cultural difference, and the everyday work of building community.
Boston’s Living Church
Urban ministry through presence, partnership, and community
By Seong Hyun Park with Wendy Murray
From Morning Star Baptist Church in Mattapan to International Community Church in Allston and Fort Square Presbyterian Church in Quincy, Boston congregations demonstrate what faithful Christian presence can look like in a changing city. The story also looks back on 50 years of Gordon-Conwell’s Center for Urban Ministerial Education and its commitment to theological formation in and for the city.
New York City’s Religious Renaissance
Christian growth and faithful presence are reshaping public life
By Timothy C. Morgan
Is the modern city inevitably becoming more secular? New York suggests a more complicated story. Timothy C. Morgan explores the changing religious landscape of the city and the possibilities of Christian witness in an increasingly pluralistic public square.
San Francisco’s Evangelistic Dexterity
By Abraham Lee
In one of the country’s most complex urban ministry environments, Abraham Lee considers what it takes to communicate the gospel with theological conviction, cultural understanding, and what he calls“evangelistic dexterity.” His answer includes listening carefully, understanding a community’s assumptions, and cultivating cooperation among congregations that too often work in isolation.
ALSO
Alien Life and the American Religious Tradition
A review by John Wilson
John Wilson considers Paul C. Gutjahr’s Faith in Space and the long, surprisingly varied history of American religious thinking about extraterrestrial life.
An Enduring Confession.
When Ex Fonte launched in Fall 2024, it began by asking: Does Evangelicalism Have a Future? In this final issue, the magazine comes full circle.
The Christian faith is older and larger than any movement, denomination, institution, or cultural moment. Across centuries of change, Christians have returned to the same confession: We believe.
As Ex Fonte reaches its conclusion, we give thanks for everyone who has read, written, supported, questioned, and explored alongside us.
We’d love to hear from you at [email protected].
Download Our Launch Issue
Enjoy a digital version of our launch issue for FREE.
Featured Articles:
- Hope for a Holy Re-ordering
by Adonis Vidu - Ad Fontes The Sources from Which We Spring
by Scott W. Sunquist - ‘Welcome the Alien’ or ‘Close the Border’? A Conversation with Glenn Butner and Alex Kocman
Our Team
Wendy Murray
Editor in Chief
Nicole Rim
Art Director
Tim Morgan
Contributing Editor
Wes Vander Lugt
Contributing Editor
Debora De Paula Hoyle
Editorial Advisor
About Gordon-Conwell
Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary is a graduate level institution of higher learning that combines a rich academic tradition with educational innovation while being rooted in the Christian orthodoxy and under the authority of Scripture. The seminary’s mission is “to advance Christ’s Kingdom in every sphere of life by equipping church leaders to think theologically, engage globally and live biblically.” The seminary is committed to developing Christian leaders who are thoughtful, globally aware, spiritually mature and ready for an array of ministry opportunities.
Wendy Murray
Editor in Chief
Wendy is an award-winning journalist who has published widely in many venues and across denominational lines. She received a Master of Arts in Theological Studies from Gordon-Conwell (1985). She served as regional correspondent for Time magazine in Tegucigalpa, Honduras and later worked as senior writer and editor at Christianity Today magazine. She has published extensively in other journals, including Books & Culture, The Christian Century, and Beliefnet.com. Her essays have been included in The Best Christian Writing and she was cited in Brill’s Content as being numbered among the nation’s leading religion reporters. She has written numerous books, including memoirs, journalistic explorations, biographies and devotionals. Her most recent book, Inner Healing the Franciscan Way, came out in September with Paraclete Press. She is currently working on a book about Fred “Mister” Rogers and the theology of the Neighborhood for InterVarsity Press, Academic.
Nicole Rim
Art Director
Nicole is an art director for marketing and communications at Gordon-Conwell where she has worked for over 20 years. She holds and MA in Christian Studies from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and a BFA in graphic design with art history concentration from Rhode Island School of Design. With over 20 years of graphic design experience, Nicole excels in identity branding, print collateral, website design and photography for nonprofits, small businesses and advertising agencies.
Timothy C. Morgan
Contributing Editor
Tim, teaching professor of journalism and communication at Gordon College, Wenham, MA, is a seasoned reporter, writer, editor, and educator. During his tenure at Christianity Today as deputy managing editor, the magazine received dozens of national journalism awards. He has reported from Africa, Europe, the Caribbean, Asia, and the Middle East. Through his efforts at CT, the magazine moved to the forefront of faith-based coverage of global issues, including chronic poverty, HIV/AIDS, sustainable development, terrorism, Islam-Christian relations, religious freedom, and foreign policy. His work has also been published in AP, UPI, AG News, Religion News Service, The Roys Report, The Christian Century, Sojourners, Books & Culture, and other outlets. He served for ten years at Wheaton College (Illinois) as the founding director of the Journalism Certificate program. He has taught, lectured, or led national event workshops and local churches for over 25 years. He serves as a director of Journey Through NYC Religion and the Magazine Training Institute.
Wes Vander Lugt
Contributing Editor
Wes is a pastor-theologian, teacher, writer, nonprofit leader, and arts advocate. He teaches theology and directs the Leighton Ford Initiative in Theology, the Arts, and Gospel Witness at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and is the co-founder of Kinship Plot, a nonprofit that cultivates resonant relationships of every kind. Wes is the author of several other books including Living Theodrama: Reimagining Theological Ethics and Pocket Dictionary of the Reformed Tradition (with Kelly Kapic), and the editor of Theatrical Theology: Explorations in Performing the Faith and A Prophet in the Darkness: Exploring Theology in the Art of Georges Rouault.
Debora De Paula Hoyle
Editorial Advisor
Debbie is Senior Director of Marketing and Communications. She holds a Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management and currently pursuing the MS (Northeastern University); BS in Human Development (Wheelock College). For nearly 20 years, Debora has worked in marketing with local churches, regional non-profits, and global ministries and corporations. Her experience includes print and digital campaigns, marketing research, branding, and communications in both English and Portuguese-language contexts.