The media
Introduction
The media provokes different reactions amongst Christians. On the one hand, it provides opportunities to spread the message of Christianity. Satellite Christian broadcasts are taking the message to places where Christians are forbidden to go. On the other hand the media generally portrays Christians and Christianity in a negative light.
Relationship between church and media
The relationship between church and media could be described as a dynamic tension. Civility and politness on the one hand and hostility on the other. The Christian meta-narrative of transcendence assumes a theistic perspective where God acts in real human history; this God-oriented view of human affairs is never fully in accord with the mainstream media’s own sub-narratives of immanence, which morally assume that human action is the beginning and end of history.
They come together harmoniously however during media coverage of emotionally charged events such as the funeral of those killed in terrorist attacks or natural disasters. During such historic moments talk of prayer and God in public life seems appropriate. At other times the media and Christian groups fire salvos at each other over issues like political bias in news reporting, the morality of television/films and religious stereotyping.
Media bias against Christians in the media falls into several categories – the following forms are not exhaustive:
Criticism of Christian activities
Firstly, there is criticism of activities undertaken by Christians who are motivated to act in order to try and change society. For example, Christians may lobby MPs or local councils to change the regulations over the
content of compulsory sex education in schools. Or Christians may push for the closure of an abortion clinic. These may be reported in a negative light by the media.
It’s the actions of the Christians rather than their beliefs which the media criticises. Any group which tries to change the laws within society is bound to be criticised. The job of the media is to describe the actions in a balanced manner, giving all views equal treatment.
Ridicule of Christian leaders
Secondly, the media may ridicule or give an unbalanced critique of religious leaders. For example, a television programme might highlight the financial or sexual misconduct of a Christian leader. Or it might expose the manipulative techniques a religious leader used to increase financial donations to his/her cause. It’s common to see TV dramas and sitcoms in which a member of the clergy is portrayed as incompetent, an idiot or someone with low moral standards.
Criticism of Christian beliefs
When evolution, for example, is generally accepted and assumed in scientific documentaries on television,
the conservative Christian view of creationism or intelligent design is seen by the media as ridiculous. Despite many eminent scientists (not all Christians) across the globe recognising serious flaws in evolution theory, the power of the media promotes one theory and belittles the other. The same treatment is true for any number of issues where Christian beliefs fly in the face of majority opinion.
Harsh treatment of moral failings
Whilst stories of infidelity abound, the media reserves its harshest criticism for infidelity by a Christian. This can often be reported internationally, which is unbalanced and unfair.
Misinformation and hatred
The media may pick up on the extreme opinion of one religious leader against another religious group. At worst, it could involve inflammatory accusations with no proof. When the media highlights this it becomes potentially very dangerous, for a number of reasons. There may be no hard evidence that the targeted group is doing anything wrong, yet the accusations may include gross misconduct or even murder. If media attention gets a grip it may lead to public hysteria including lynching and firebombing a benign group.
History plainly shows us the results when things get really out of hand; take the accusation of blood libels (against the Jews), the Spanish Inquisition (against Jews and Christians) and the Holocaust (against Jews) for example. Thankfully, by the 1990s this form of faith bashing had largely died out, because of the lack of evidence of any wrongdoing – though anti-Semitism is gaining popularity again (see article for more).
Ridicule by other faiths
Secular groups may imply that all religious groups are out to dominate, control and manipulate their followers. The opinions of secularists against Christians often get high-profile media coverage.
The relationship between church and media could be described as a dynamic tension. Civility and politness on the one hand and hostility on the other.