| Marvin Olasky |
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Marvin Olasky (born June 12 , 1950 ) is a professor of journalism at The University Of Texas At Austin and vice president for academic affairs at The King's College , a small Christian college in New York City . He is also editor-in-chief of World Magazine and a leading conservative columnist (Creators syndicate). YOUTH AND EDUCATION Born in Boston , Massachusetts into a Russian Jewish family, Olasky became an Atheist at 14, shortly after becoming a Bar Mitzvah . In college, he discovered Communism and became a Communist in the early 1970 s, after graduating from Yale University in 1971 with a B.A. degree in American Studies. In 1976 , however, Olasky became a Born-again Christian ; he came to belief after reading the New Testament in Russian , studying Puritan sermons, and reading Walker Percy, Whittaker Chambers, and C.S. Lewis. Also in 1976, Olasky graduated with a Ph.D. in American Culture from the University Of Michigan . CAREER AND WORKS Olasky began working as a speechwriter and public affairs coordinator for DuPont in 1978 , and in 1983 began teaching journalism at the University of Texas, becoming a full professor in 1993 . His initial writings gave him to opportunity to win funding from the Bradley Foundation in 1989 , allowing Olasky to begin his most famous work, ''The Tragedy of American Compassion'', which was first published in 1992 . Largely ignored at first, this book in 1994 and 1995 gained the endorsement of William Bennett and Newt Gingrich , who gave a copy to every incoming Republican freshman representative in the 1994 Congress . Critics blasted the book for its criticism of government programs and said the book was short on research; supporters said it was well-researched and used it in the 1995-1996 welfare reform debate. The gist of the book is Olasky's review of poverty-fighting in America from colonial times to the 1990s. He argues that private individuals and organizations, particularly the Christian church, have a responsibility to care for the poor, and contends that challenging, personal, and spiritual help, common until the 1930s, was more effective than the government welfare programs of recent decades. He states that government programs are ineffective because they are disconnected from the poor, while private charity has the power to change lives because it allows for a personal connection between the giver and the recipient. The book, with its sequels, became a key work defining " Compassionate Conservatism " as it relates to Welfare and social policy. World magazine Also controversial for some was Olasky's editing during the late 1980s and early 1990s of the 16-book ''Turning Point Christian Worldview'' series funded by and Dominionism , saying "I’m not sure whether he actually identifies himself as a Christian reconstructionist, but he’s very close to Christian reconstructionism." Olasky, however, calls himself a "Christian libertarian" and criticized Christian reconstructionism in one of his books, Standing for Christ in a Modern Babylon. Goldberg also notes that the phrase now associated with Republicans, "compassionate conservatism," is in the title of one of Olasky’s books, and that Olasky was an advisor on Bush’s first Presidential campaign, influencing not only the thinking of Bush, but the thinking of the Republican Party. BuzzFlash interview: Michelle Goldberg Christian nationalism inside America's mega-churches WorkingForChange, June 2 2006.. BOOKS
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