Displaying items by tag: Media

The BBC's decision to replace the traditional terms BC (Before Christ) and AD (Anno Domini) with BCE (Before Common Era) and CE (Common Era) in some of its programmes has sparked controversy. Gavin Ashenden, former chaplain to the Queen and now associate editor of the Catholic Herald, criticised the move as part of a broader attempt to 'airbrush Jesus out of the language.' He called on Christians to actively defend the traditional terms and use these changes as opportunities for evangelism, and dismissed the notion that Christians were being over-sensitive about the issue. The BBC, defending its decision, stated that both date systems are widely accepted, and the choice of terms is left to individual production and editorial teams. The debate highlights a cultural and religious tension over the representation of Christianity in public broadcasting.

'Duck Dynasty' star Miss Kay Robertson is overwhelmed with emotion as she discusses the astounding success of 'The Blind’, a Christian feature film that tells the real-life story of her life with husband Phil Robertson. The film has become the most successful in Fathom Events history, earning over $16.8 million. Miss Kay tearfully expresses her joy in sharing the story of God changing her husband's heart. The film delves into the struggles the Robertsons faced before their fame, including Phil's past of addiction and disconnection. It portrays Phil's transformation as he embraces faith, and Kay's journey of forgiveness. Miss Kay shares stories of marriages being mended and individuals turning to Jesus after watching the film. She emphasises the importance of sharing one's truth and believes it can provide hope to others. The success of 'The Blind', which reflects God's transformative power, has led to numerous positive outcomes, including baptisms among recovering addicts. Miss Kay sees God's hand at work through the film, and she encourages fans to trust in God's timing. 'The Blind' was released digitally on 3 November and will be available on DVD/Blu-ray on 14 November, continuing to inspire and touch hearts.

Sound of Freedom is a film whose director, producer, and main star are all Catholics. Inspired by a true story about child trafficking, it emphasises themes of piety and divine calling. The plot follows a security agent who rescues a boy from ruthless traffickers, only to discover that the boy's sister remains in captivity. He quits his job and embarks on a treacherous journey into the Colombian jungle to save her, risking his life for a noble cause. As his sense of purpose intensifies, he is portrayed with a saintly aura, delivering messages like ‘God's children are not for sale’. The film has been praised for avoiding certain clichés often associated with ‘Christian’ movies. It has found success at the box office, ranking second behind Mission Impossible in its opening week. Its strong message resonates with audiences and highlights the importance of combating child trafficking while staying true to one's faith and convictions. For more information, see

The Jesus Revolution film is coming to Netflix on 31 July, allowing thousands more the opportunity to hear the gospel. It was released in February, earning $52 million in theatres, remaining in the top ten for several weeks. In April it became number one best seller on Amazon Prime, Blu-ray and DVD charts. It tells the true story behind the Jesus Movement of the 1960s and 1970s, including how Pastor Smith welcomed hippies looking for truth at Calvary Chapel, starting one of the greatest spiritual awakenings in American history. Since February there has been a revival which mirrors the 1970s. Thousands are being touched by God, and this divine movement is changing their lives. ‘We’ve had people accepting Christ in the theatres’, said Pastor Greg Laurie, on whose life the film is based. People were praying out loud asking Jesus to come into their life. ‘We had pastors and Bibles on hand. I've never heard of anything quite like doing evangelism in movie theatres on this scale.’

The Sun newspaper reported that a well-known BBC presenter has paid over £35,000 to a 17-year-old to fund his drug habit in exchange for explicit images of himself. A week later the BBC suspended Huw Edwards. But the BBC's investigation will need to tread carefully as the presenter has severe mental health issues. The BBC has a duty of care towards him as an employee, and that must be respected. He is in an internal corporate BBC process. On 12 July the Sun reported him breaking lockdown rules in 2021 to meet someone from a dating site. Without having seen the evidence people can't judge the outcome. Pray for an end to unhelpful media speculation. It could be a reprimand. It could be dismissal. It could need reputational rehabilitation. See

Data compiled from 2018 to 2022 by Reuters showed the BBC experiencing a decline in public trust from 75% to just 55%. Other mainstream TV broadcasters and newspapers suffered a similar decline. The UK is in 26th position, ahead of only South Korea and Japan in terms of public faith in media. British people have among the lowest levels of trust in journalists, with only 37% of those surveyed saying that they trusted them, versus the global average of 47%. Only two out of every ten people feel that the news media is ‘independent from undue political or government influence most of the time’. This ranks the UK 16th among the 24 nations surveyed, on a par with Romania. Our much-vaunted media landscape is not the envy of the world as we are often led to believe. See also

Prince Harry has been on a collision course with the tabloid press for years - and finally he is pressing charges of phone hacking. He has said that changing the media landscape is his ‘life's work’, and this gladiatorial courtroom encounter could be one of his own defining moments. He has a single-minded determination to keep going without settling and is rich enough to take the financial hit if he loses. He has found this wasn’t like taking questions from Oprah Winfrey in a celebrity interview. He had a hostile encounter with a highly-skilled cross-examiner armed with a battery of techniques to undermine credibility. Giving evidence is daunting.

The new faith-based film Jesus Revolution opened last weekend and brought in $15.5 million - more than double the original estimate. The film tells the true story behind the Jesus Movement of the 1970s, including how Pastor Chuck Smith welcomed hippies looking for truth at his church. It gave birth to one of the greatest spiritual awakenings in American history and birthed the Harvest Christian Fellowship, in Riverside, California, which is now one of the largest churches in America. The church has sponsored its local SoCal Harvest event for three decades, making it one of the longest-running evangelistic events in the nation, attended by millions of people. Despite mixed critical reviews, the film has a remarkable 99% audience rating on the review aggregator and has earned a rare A+ CinemaScore from opening day audiences.

Cambodia’s prime minister Hun Sen has shut down the last few independent media outlets in the country, six months before a general election. He cancelled Voice Of Democracy‘s operating licence after they published an article which he claimed slandered his son. Amnesty International said this is slamming the door on what is left of independent media and a warning to other critical voices who still dare to ask questions about the government, the prime minister, and his family. Pray for Cambodians to have safe access to truthful news. Indian tax authorities searched BBC offices after it aired a story of prime minister Narendra Modi’s role in anti-Muslim violence when he was chief minister of the state. It was only broadcast in the UK. Modi is blocking Indians from sharing ‘the Modi question’ online, calling it hostile propaganda. A spokesman for him called the BBC ‘the most corrupt organisation in the world’.

Due to conflict, abuse, or persecution, large numbers of children are in need of hope and healing. This is why SAT-7 KIDS is creating a new programme, due to be broadcast in early 2023, to help children suffering from trauma. ‘Basically, if a child (or anyone) has not addressed their trauma, they cannot connect with their family, with others, or with God,’ said the president and CEO of Life Focus, with whom SAT-7 Egypt have produced the programme. ‘So, if you want someone to know Christ, you need to address trauma.’ The thirteen-part series addresses trauma caused by poverty, domestic violence, sexual abuse, and religious persecution, through drama, entertainment, and Bible verses. This aims to show young viewers that healing is possible and available for all broken hearts. It is not only for children; hopefully parents will watch and see the effect of their actions on their children.