Area of expertise/interest: Christian activism; American culture and politics; journalism

Denomination: Presbyterian Church in America (Olasky is an elder of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Austin)

Books: Compassionate Conservatism: What It Is, What It Does, and How It Can Transform America (2000); The American Leadership Tradition: Moral Vision from Washington to Clinton (2000); Renewing American Compassion: How Compassion for the Needy Can Turn Ordinary Citizens into Heroes (1996); Telling the Truth: How to Revitalize Christian Journalism (1996); Fighting for Liberty and Virtue: Political and Cultural Wars in Eighteenth Century America (1995); Philanthropically Correct: The Story of the Council on Foundations (1993); Abortion Rites: A Social History of Abortion in America (1992); The Tragedy of American Compassion (1992, 1995); Central Ideas in the Development of American Journalism (1991); The Press and Abortion, 1838-1988 (1988); Prodigal Press (Crossway, 1988); Patterns of Corporate Philanthropy (Capital Research Center, 1987); Corporate Public Relations: A New Historical Perspective (Erlbaum, 1987)

Publications in which scholarly articles have appeared: Policy Review, Journal of Mass Media Ethics, Alternatives in Philanthropy, American Journalism, Journalism Quarterly, Common Sense, Academic Questions, Jobs & Capital, Continuity, Antithesis, Journalism History, Indiana Policy Review, Human Life Review, Public Relations Review, The Corporate Board, Christian Scholar's Review, Journal of Popular Film and Television, Public Relations Quarterly, Social Problems, Stewardship Journal, Current, Economics in Argumentation, Journal of Biblical Medical Ethics, Pregnancy Counseling Review, and other journals.

Publications in which journalistic articles have appeared: World, Austin American-Statesman, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, USA Today, Washington Post, Fortune, Los Angeles Times, American Enterprise, National Review, Weekly Standard, Houston Post, Christianity Today, Detroit News, Imprimis, San Diego Union, American Civilization, Future Insight, Chief Executive, Moody Monthly, Indianapolis Star, Table Talk, The Freeman, Eternity, Baltimore Sun, Insight, San Francisco Examiner, Conservative Digest, Religion and Liberty, Spiritual Fitness, Impact, Today's Banner, Clio, Los Angeles Daily Journal, The Standard, Between the Lines, AFA Journal, Jobs & Capital, Presbyterian Journal, Forerunner, St. Croix Review, the Oakland Tribune, Crisis, Mass High Tech, Renewing American Civilization, Reason, Investor’s Business Daily, Citizen, Fraser Forum, Brill's Content, The Forward, Charlotte Observer, American Outlook, Seattle Times, Dallas Mornings News, and other publications.

Assessment: Dr. Olasky’s story is one of the most unique of modern evangelical intellectuals. The son of a Hebrew teacher, Olasky says he was “"bar-mitzvahed at 13 and an atheist at 14." While an undergraduate at Yale he discovered Marxism and became a card-carrying member of the Communist Party USA. The seed of his subsequent conversion to Christianity began in 1973 while reading an essay by Lenin. “'What if Lenin is wrong?” he began to wonder, “What if there is a God?'" Three years later he studied Russian in order to meet his language requirement for his Ph.D and began reading the only book he had in that language -- a copy of the New Testament. "I started reading it -- very slowly,” says Olasky, “I was looking to learn Russian and I found a new life."

While doing research for a future book, Olasky disguised himself as a beggar and visited homeless shelters in Washington, where he was given food but no spiritual support or offers of employment. "People would put food in front of me. But they did not ask why I was there. It was like feeding time for dogs and cats," he told the Times of London. The resulting book, The Tragedy of American Compassion, argued that feeding the downtrodden was not enough and that spiritual support and guidance was also needed tin order to help the destitute. The book was dismissed by many critics but caught the attention of education secretary William Bennett, House speaker Newt Gingrich, and later Texas gubernatorial candidate George W. Bush.

When Bush became governor he joined with Olasky in efforts to continue some state aid for Teen Challenge, a Christian organization that helps free young people from drugs. Bush eventually adopted many of Olasky's ideas, including approving a state prison rehabilitation effort run by Chuck Colson's Prison Fellowship.

When Bush ran for the Presidency in 2000 he made “compassionate conservatism” a cornerstone of his campaign and later implemented many of the ideas in his faith-based initiatives. Olasky, as well as other conservative evangelicals, however, have begun to worry that the restraints on evangelizing that might be associated with government funds may be undermining the core foundation of the philosophy, dampening much of the positive effect of the approach.

Olasky is creative thinker and prolific writer. Although his role in Washington has subsided since the first years of the Bush Administration, he has continued to impact the way evangelicals think about our social responsibilities. Through his roles as editor of World and through his work with the World Journalism Institute, he will no doubt continue to shape the way evangelicals think about culture and our role as Christians for many years to come.

(This post is #10 in the "Know Your Evangelicals" series. Coming next: MarK Noll)