The republic of entertainment

I note a suggestive article in March's edition of Prospect by Toby Mundy, in which he posits a competition between two cultural sensibilities in Britain in the last 25 years. The matter at stake is nothing less than 'what really matters in the world, and how it should be reported', and the church is seen as part of the 'enlightenment state' (as defined against the 'republic of entertainment') in which 'reason triumphs over emotion, experts matter, elected politicians are legitimate, facts are the enemy of cynicism, means are often as important as ends....' It ends with the suggestion that the recession might just see a new 'tide of seriousness.'

British Evangelical Identities

I'm bound to note the recent publication of this new book, edited by Mark Smith (Paternoster, 2009). It has several contributions of interest for the history of British evangelicalism in the twentieth century, on subjects as diverse as masculinity (Kristin Aune); women's ministry (Rachel Jordan); and church music (Ian Jones and myself).

Other contributors include David Bebbington, Ian Randall, Martin Wellings, David Killingray and Derek Tidball. Timothy Larsen suggests on the back cover that it 'could well be the most important book on British evangelicalism' since David Bebbington's survey, published in 1989.

Rowan Williams on Britishness

I note some (short) comments by the Archbishop on Matthew d'Ancona's programme on Britishness, taking in the question of the establishment. It should be broadcast again this evening on Radio 4 at 9.30.
It should also be available to listen again, along with an extended version of the interview.

Radio comedy

An interesting item on today's broadcast of Radio 4's Feedback programme, detailing a number of complaints received about perceived anti-Christian bias, in the week-day early evening comedy slot on Radio 4. Shows including The News Quiz, Old Harry's Game and The Now Show were mentioned.

The complaint was not that religion was a butt of jokes, but that Christianty came off worse than Hinduism or any other of the faiths. There was some recognition in the discussion that Christianity, as the (at least in theory) dominant faith might expect to be a easier target. I do wonder how much this has changed; my mind does go back to the controversy over the Life of Brian, now nearly three decades ago.

It should be available to listen again for another week from today, on the iPlayer service.

Rowan Williams on the memory of belief

I note recent reports of a speech given by Rowan Williams at Leicester Cathedral last month, describing Britain as 'haunted' by the memory of religion. It's difficult to comment on the excerpts given by the Telegraph, and the full text has not (as yet) appeared on the Archbishop's website. There was some brief mention of the rumpus last year over sharia law (see earlier post)