Charlie Beckett of the LSE addressed a group at Cumberland Lodge about Religion and the News. In it he said,

This is a dreadful time for people who think the media is only there to promote what they think.

It’s a tough one to swallow. Nobody likes to be challenged over what they think, and increasingly we live in a society where it is wrong to think differently from what is believed to be popular (I’m yet to be persuaded that the ‘popular’ view is really popular).

As Christians we’ve run away from public debate citing unfair questions and misrepresentation, but the result is no representation. When someone argues that the only standards we have to live by are our own personal beliefs and the only authority to judge our lives is our own personal code of condut, it’s not that Chritians don’t have a position on this, it’s that we haven’t even turned up to the debate to say anything.

The reason why? Well, I think we’ve stopped asking the questions of ourselves. By retreating into a Christian environment we never have to think through the issues that strengthen or refine our faith. Let’s face it, it’s going to be a rare occasion at a church service that anyone is going to disagree with what’s preached from the pulpit. We never have to answer ‘why?’ we believe what we do, or challenge some of the more extreme parts of the Bible.

If you’re a Christian and you engage in media (both popular and social) I’d suggest reading Beckett’s thoughts. They are worth considering.

HT: Bishop Al