[8] When Belz was eleven years old, he learned how to operate a linotype press and attempted to start a printing business as a freshman at Covenant College.
[6] Belz earned a BA in English from Covenant College in St. Louis, Missouri in 1962 and an MA in communications from the University of Iowa.
[2] In 1977, he moved with his family to Asheville, North Carolina and started working for The Presbyterian Journal, a theologically conservative news publication, eventually becoming interim editor.
Belz's family became heavily involved in the business, with his brother designing the magazine layout and his sister-in-law writing many columns and training other journalists.
[6] In November 2009, Belz signed an ecumenical statement known as the Manhattan Declaration, calling on evangelicals, Catholics, and Eastern Orthodox Christians to promote a pro-life culture and support the Biblical definition of marriage, the lifelong union between one man and one woman.