Report says media ignores diverse, grass-roots Christianity
A report “Christianity in the Media 2025” says that press coverage does not reflect the reality of the fast-changing and diverse UK church, with less than one per cent of stories about Christianity reflecting the Pentecostal church, said to be rapidly growing. It found Catholics and the Church of England dominated coverage, with Catholics receiving 1.5 times more media attention than the Church of England, with 1247:846 articles, despite the fact that the year included the Makin review and the Archbishop of Canterbury’s resignation. The report was commissioned by the Jersey Road PR company and is based on data analysed by Agility PR solutions, which uses AI to interrogate information. 5,200 articles were analysed over the year from December 2023 – November 2024. It found the number of negative stories outweighed the positive and concluded the “lived reality and impact” of Christians is often under-reported. Gareth Russell, Jersey Road, CEO said: “Our founding motivation was that the public narrative around Christianity – often influenced by the media – was narrow and stereotyped. The report shows some of these concerns are justified”. The report recommends churches should proactively tell their stories, understand news values and respond to questions about abuse and failure with commitment to do better. Journalists should spend time with churches outside the mainstream, learning about their lives and motivation. The report is here
Dalai Lama says his Trust will appoint his successor
The Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama has published a video message saying his successor must be appointed by the Gaden Phodrang Trust that he founded and asserted that “no-one else has any authority to interfere in this matter”. He is 90 years old and made the announcement during his birthday celebrations in the Indian town of Dharamshala, where he has lived in exile since 1959 following an uprising against Chinese rule. In Tibetan Buddhism, the Dalai Lama is a spiritual leader who is chosen after monks decide through signs and visions whether a child is a re-incarnation of an enlightened being. The current Dalai Lama was chosen aged two and enthroned aged four. Beijing rejected his statement, saying his successor would be from inside China and must be approved by the government. BBC report here
MCB leader criticises ‘hypocrisy’ over Glastonbury chants
The assistant general secretary of the Muslim Council of Britain, Mustafa Al-Dabbagh, has issued a statement highlighting “the hypocrisy of sections of the British media, where outrage has been whipped up over chants at a music festival, yet there remains a deafening silence over the far greater atrocity: more than 53,000 Palestinians killed, entire neighbourhoods reduced to rubble, and a humanitarian catastrophe worsening by the day”. Commenting on the proscribing and banning of Palestine Action, he said: “Whilst we consistently advocate for protest to remain within the law, the government’s decision to proscribe Palestine Action is deeply alarming and sets a dangerous precedent for civil liberties in the UK. Once again, we are witnessing disproportionate crackdowns on those raising their voices against the UK’s complicity in the ongoing genocide in Gaza while the government takes no real steps to end the slaughter or ensure meaningful humanitarian aid reaches Palestinians.” Statement is here
‘Nine O’Clock Service’ trial: ‘Extremely disturbing’ services with scantily clad women
The second day of the trial of Christopher Brain, the former leader of the Nine O’Clock Service in Sheffield, has heard that concerns were raised about “scantily clad, lycra-wearing” followers to his home. Mr Brain, who has resigned as a priest and is now 68 and living in Wilmslow, denies one count of rape and 36 counts of indecent assault between 1981 and 1995 while he was leader of the organisation, which put on services resembling a night club setting in an Anglican church 40 years ago. Inner London Crown Court heard evidence from a former curate, Mark Stibbe, who said a church official raised misgivings about the women going to Chris Brain’s house to perform “domestic duties”’. He also said there was controversy over scantily clad young women reportedly gyrating during a worship event at the Greenbelt Christian arts festival. Dr Stibbe said he found the services “extremely disturbing” and wrote to the then Bishop of Sheffield with his concerns, but was rebuked and told the church did not do witch hunts. The Nine O’Clock Service was seen as hugely popular, bringing in hundreds of people to the church, but it came to be regarded as a cult and stopped in 1995 as abuse allegations emerged. BBC report here
More investigations into Bangor Cathedral and Diocese
The central management body of the Church in Wales, the Representative Body, has called for a series of reviews and investigations of Bangor Diocese and Cathedral. This follows recently published reports which found excessive alcohol consumption, governance and safeguarding weaknesses, and a culture where sexual boundaries seemed blurred. The group said the reports were deeply troubling and called for an independent financial audit of three charities connected to the Bangor Diocese and Cathedral; a cultural audit of the Church in Wales; an external investigation into the behaviour, culture and activities of the cathedral choir; and the creation of a taskforce to create a sustainable infrastructure. A safeguarding audit of all Cathedrals in Wales is also being commissioned. The action was decided at a meeting which took place just before last Friday’s resignation of the Archbishop of Wales, Andrew John. Details of the wording were made public yesterday and reveal that the Representative Body also called for a change in leadership, procedures and governance in the Diocese of Bangor, saying senior leaders of the Diocese, the Diocesan board of finance and the Cathedral chapter should reflect on the incidents that led to this situation. Nation Cymru story here; BBC story here.
1 in 10 adults under 55 have left their childhood religion
Pew Research Centre has studied the declining global trend of people who identify with a religion, now standing at 76 per cent, and found that one in ten adults under 55 have left their childhood religion. Hindus and Muslims have the highest retention rates at 99 per cent each. About 83 per cent of adults raised Christian are still Christian. But Buddhists have the lowest retention rate, with 78 per cent remaining in their religion. It also found that among adults who were raised as non-religious, seven per cent switched to a religious identity in this age group. Research is here
Pope warns creation has been turned into a battleground for profit
The Pope says the natural world has been “turned into a battleground” for control and domination. Speaking in advance of the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, he said nature has become “a bargaining chip,” subjected to policies prioritising profit over people and the planet. The day, observed on 1 September, coincides with the tenth anniversary of Laudato Si’, Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment, and Pope Leo follows in his predecessor’s path, saying the exploitation of the earth is a betrayal of the Biblical command not to dominate creation, but to “till and keep” it. He says this is a call to cultivate and preserve the Earth through a relationship of care and responsibility. His message entitled “Seeds of Peace and Hope” is here.
Cardinal Becciu ‘claims he was framed’
The Times reports that Cardinal Angelo Becciu, appealing against a conviction by the Vatican court for embezzlement in connection with a London property investment, has claimed a woman with a grudge may have tried to frame him. The paper has seen a 30-page document sent to investigators in which Becciu says his conversation in a Rome restaurant was secretly taped. Story is here
Religion Media Festival: Community relations and the media’s role
The faith minister’s adviser, Lord Russell Rook, has said there is much work to be done to unlock the power of faith in local communities. No one group could do this alone; what was needed was an “ecosystem” of organisations. He was speaking at the Religion Media Festival, during a panel discussion to consider the state of community relations in Britain today, almost one year since the summer riots. Regional editors spoke of the media’s efforts to rebuild trust and tackle fake media. Faith leaders wanted to see what practical measures journalists had to rebuild trust, to report on faith group initiatives locally and to encourage young people in their hopes for the future. Leo Devine chaired the panel with guests: Gary Newby, news editor at ITV News Central; Yakub Qureshi, democracy editor at Reach plc; Manjit Kaur, co-chair Coventry and Warwickshire SACREs; Rabbi Warren Elf, MBE, co-chair of Faith Network for Manchester; Professor Adeela Shafi, founder of the Bristol Muslim Strategic Leadership Group and commissioner for race equality in Bristol. View the panel discussion on our YouTube channel here
