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Creating dialogue between author and reader, Bolinder says, "has helped them lead the conversation at the center of evangelicalism. When you say that you're speaking out of the center, it communicates that you are welcoming voices from the Left and the Right."

This approach, in turn, created a more open atmosphere for Christian book publishing. Doug Ross, retired executive director of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association, says, "CT's mission was to provide high-quality journalism that faced up to the issues confronting the Christian church. And Myra and Robbins were willing to address those issues even when it wasn't popular." As a result, he says, "Book publishers in this climate have been willing to produce more controversial books."

Phyllis Alsdurf, whose doctoral dissertation contrasts two periods of CT's history, notes the effects of the "more biblical," team-style leadership modeled by Myra and Robbins. Because it is "less focused on one particular great man," the team approach "can't help but have an influence on every layer of an organization," Alsdurf says. "It allows an organization to be nimble and to move with trends, because you're not protecting egos and personal power bases. Instead, you're trying to fulfill a mission."

That may be the most important part of the Myra-Robbins legacy: Forget your own fiefdom, and focus on the mission.

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In 'Fueled by Fervent Prayer,' Harold Myra tells about his experiences in Youth for Christ.

Robbins and Myra have written about their work in Leadership Journal.

They accepted the Mark O. Hatifeld Leadership Award from the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities.

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April 2007, Vol. 51, No. 4