Coverage of religion in the news has doubled… to 2% of the total.
That’s the figure in the US comparing 2009 to 2010, anyway. I would guess it’d be still lower in the UK. Does anyone know if similar figures exist for Britain?
And would you like to see more or less coverage of religion in general, and Christianity in particular, in the media? We’d love to hear your thoughts.
Just to get the conversation started, I tentatively wonder if I’d be happy to see less coverage. Issues surrounding biblical Christianity are often reported negatively and/or ignorantly. It’s noticeable that the top three religious stories covered in the States last year centred on mosque-building controversy, priests’ sex abuse, and Koran burning. Not a great advert for religion.
So perhaps it’s better for people to notice Christianity not on the pages of a newspaper, but in the actions and words of a Christian friend. In which case, no news is good news.
On the flip side, Christian stuff in the media (even if mildly or wildly misreported) can often be a good prompt for conversations with friends. Perhaps all news is good news…
Do comment below!
Carl is Editorial Director at The Good Book Company and is a member of Grace Church Worcester Park, London. He is the best-selling author of The Garden, the Curtain and the Cross and God's Big Promises Bible Storybook, and also serves as series editor of the God's Word for You series. Before joining TGBC, he worked as a journalist and then as a teacher, and pastored a congregation in Hull. Carl is married to Lizzie, and they have two children. He studied history at Oxford University.