Displaying items by tag: songs of praise

Christian MP Gregory Campbell has defended his claim that the BBC's Songs of Praise Gospel Singer of the Year Competition was ‘the BBC at its Black Lives Matter worst’. The semi-final featured five black singers and three black judges. He believes the singers were not representative of the best gospel singers in the country, the BBC is not diverse, and the show had ‘one colour scheme’. The presenter of the competition said very few white people applied, and the best singers were chosen. The MP then asked him if he was trying to make him believe there wasn't a single white person good enough when both black and white sing gospel. The presenter said the show celebrated a style of music that came out of black communities and black experience in this country; Campbell's comments show a lack of understanding and ignorance about gospel music.

As Open Doors workers walked through a village in Indonesia, surrounded by the rubble and destruction left behind by the recent earthquake, they could hear voices singing ‘Hallelujah’. Coming round the corner they found a group of believers standing under a tent, singing their praises to God. It is incredible to see the faith of our brothers and sisters in Indonesia, even in the midst of the most difficult circumstances. The death toll following the recent earthquake and tsunami has now exceeded 2,000, and many thousands more have been left homeless, their houses destroyed. On top of that, Christians face discrimination because of their faith as aid is distributed. A Muslim-majority village is located next to a Christian-majority one. But when military tents and other relief aid were sent to the victims, only a small amount of instant noodles were given to the Christians. Discrimination is widespread.