An unhealthy obsession

I enjoy football as much as anyone and even have a season ticket for my local club, and know the ups and downs of supporting a club in the League Division 2.

Sometimes though I think our obsession with football has become more than a little unhealthy.

It is not simply the hours and hours  devoted on radio phone ins and sports programmes to discussing the rights and wrongs of a handshake that never happened, see here, or whether Tevez will return to Manchester City here.
It is the fact that once serious news programmes on the BBC (and other broadcasters) have been leading their bulletins at times, with these stories or the one about Rangers going into Administration .

There is civil war in Syria ,starvation in parts of Africa, a very controversial welfare bill going through parliament and we are fixated with this  trivia

In contrast there are some very serious stories that are getting little or no coverage on the  broadcast news
Included among them are this story see here which reminds us that despite employing some truly world class professionals , many parts of the NHS do not know how to treat people with a learning disability ,and that human beings made in God's image have died as a result . you can read more here Mencap

Bill Shankly the one time Liverpool manager famously  quipped ;

"Some people believe football is a matter of life and death, I am very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.' 

I think he was joking- it seems the BBC thinks he was serious!

BBC!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/6951450/BBC-is-driving-religion-to-the-margins-says-Simon-Mayo.html

Interesting reflections on the BBC from Simon Mayo in todays Telegraph

Mayo expressed concern at the way issues surrounding relligious belief were treated by the Corporation.

Mayo, who has joined The Telegraph as a columnist said: “I’ve just listened to David Tennant on Desert Island Discs. His father was a minister and that was seen to be a problem [by Kirsty Young, presenter]. Religion is increasingly driven to the margin.

“I was listening to a BBC news bulletin during Easter 2008 about services to mark "the rebirth of Christ", “a line clearly written by someone who had no contact with or understanding of the concept of resurrection.

“My brother works for the BBC religious affairs unit and told him I couldn’t believe it.”

The corporation was criticised after it recruited Aaquil Ahmed, a Muslim programme-maker, as the BBC's new head of religion and ethics last year.

Mr Ahmed's appointment raised concerns at the top level of the Church of England, which warned that the BBC must not ignore its Christian audience.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, was reported to have told the director general, Mark Thompson, that the "Christian voice" was being sidelined.

Mayo, 51, the former Radio 5 Live presenter, suggested that an anti-Christian theme is now apparent in television comedians from Eddie Izzard down.

"They are at the forefront of the new atheism", he said.

Mayo, who has been presenter of a BBC Radio Five Live weekday afternoon programme since May 2001, will take over the Radio 2 Drivetime show from Chris Evans on Monday.

Powerful short video by John Ortberg

Networking

Thoughtful post from Bishop Alans Blog
Among other things it highlights the importance of using social networking sites http://bishopalan.blogspot.com/

Young people and media

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/digital-media/5815406/London-teenager-becomes-City-sensation-with-his-thoughts-on-Twitter.html

a very interesting survey, on how young people consume media what implications does it have for the church?