Roger Bolton warns of “dramatic collapse” in TV religious programming
Broadcaster and journalist Roger Bolton says there has been a dramatic collapse in the number of religious programmes shown by public service broadcasters in the last decade. He told Premier Christian News that Ofcom statistics showed UK religious and ethical TV programmes, made for the BBC, Channel 4, Channel 5 and ITV and shown for the first time in peak time, had dropped by 85 per cent in the ten years to 2022, the latest stats available. He quoted other stats saying all programming of a religious nature dropped by 76 per cent, the hours of original religious broadcasting fell by 41 per cent and Channel 4 provided nothing now. His further complaint is that the Media Bill going through Parliament ends the requirement for public service broadcasters to show a certain percentage of programmes about religion, leaving it up to companies to decide. He fears religion and ethics programming will be shunted onto digital platforms, but says seven million households have no broadband or mobile access.
Muslim Council of Britain commends South Africa for taking Israel to court on charges of genocide
The Muslim Council of Britain has commended South Africa for taking action against Israel in the International Court of Justice, where it is accused of perpetrating genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. In a statement, the MCB Secretary-General, Zara Mohammed, said: “South Africa’s impassioned plea at the International Court of Justice echoes the collective voice of millions worldwide, yearning for an end to the ongoing massacre”. Lawyers for South Africa said Israel’s intent was clear from the way in which the attack has been conducted. Israel has rejected the accusations as baseless and will present its defence today.
CofE obsessed with management and leadership
News that the ex-CEO of the Post Office, the Rev Paula Vennells, was once in the running to be the Bishop of London, is a sign of the Church of England’s obsession with management and leadership, according to the Rev Gerry Lynch. Writing in The Critic, he observes that “since around 1990, the C of E has been strangely convinced that its crisis of attendance and vocations was caused by poor management”, adding, “Asking an organisational psychologist to offer suggestions on fixing the C of E’s crisis is like asking a plumber to tell you how to fix your crashed hard drive. They may be good at what they do, but they don’t have the right skillset for the job”. He says western Christianity is afflicted by a narrative crisis: “Put simply, people no longer believe the things they used to believe about God, Jesus Christ, and the Church”. His article is here
Web of evangelicals within the Church of England
The Church Times has a detailed report of the depth of influence of Holy Trinity Brompton within the Church of England and the impact of its leaders coming out against same sex blessings, ending years of intentional silence. The report, by Madeleine Davies, says members of HTB’s “network”, which includes church plants pioneered by their people and funds, are not all happy with the stand, quoting one priest saying “many are keeping quiet out of fear of repercussions…people are scared, and keeping their heads down.” HTB is one of eleven evangelical groups in the CofE which have set up a new umbrella organisation “The Alliance”, this week defended by the Rev Dr Andrew Goddard, who denied evangelicals were engaged in a conspiracy to split the church.
Brooklyn synagogue tunnel cut through basements endangering adjoining buildings
New York City emergency building inspectors have warned that the tunnel dug underneath the Chabad-Lubavitch international headquarters in Brooklyn has left adjoining buildings in dangerous conditions and have ordered people to vacate. The tunnel was built by a fringe group within the movement, which believes its former leader is the Jewish Messiah. They wanted unauthorised access to the synagogue through a hole in the wall via the tunnel. The Guardian reports that the tunnel is 60ft long and 8ft wide, cutting through basement walls of adjoining two storey buildings, with inadequate shoring. Nine rabbinical students have been arrested after protesting against attempts to fill in the hole.
African Catholic bishops refuse to bless same sex couples in defiance of Pope Francis
The Catholic bishops of Africa and Madagascar have issued a statement refusing to follow the Pope’s declaration allowing priests to offer blessings to same-sex couples. The Vatican made clear this was not a change of doctrine but a non-liturgical response to couples seeking a blessing – but the African bishops said such unions are “contrary to the will of God.” Reuters reports that Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, said it would cause scandal and confusion, was against biblical teaching and the African cultural context, where homosexuality is banned in 32 of 54 countries, punishable by death or imprisonment.
Jewish students take legal action against Harvard for enabling antisemitism
The New York Post reports that a group of Jewish students at Harvard is taking legal action against the university for failing to protect them from harassment and for appointing professors who support anti-Jewish violence and spread antisemitic propaganda. They claim that Harvard officials have been aware of its antisemitism for years, but its response has been “unacceptable in not just tolerating, but enabling antisemitism”. Their action follows the resignation of Harvard president Claudine Gay, after criticism of her testimony before the US Congress, where she said it would be dependent on context as to whether calls for the killing of Jews would constitute a violation of Harvard’s code of conduct on bullying and harassment.
MPs back British Jewish history month
The House of Commons has backed the idea of establishing a British Jewish History Month. The proposal came from Conservative MP Nickie Aiken in a backbench debate in the Commons. She said Britain already celebrates the achievements of minorities through Black History Month, LGBT History Month, and Islamophobia Awareness Month, and it was time now to “remind ourselves of the remarkable contribution the Jewish community has made for our nation”. Communities minister Lee Rowley said it was a brilliant idea and the Government was very supportive.
