So could the Gospel, if only it was broadcast more widely

In the midst of a grave political crisis, it was a welcome respite to have the nation’s spirits so gloriously lifted by our somewhat miraculous triumph in cricket’s World Cup.

Although initially favourites to break our longstanding duck¹ in the competition, we ended up having to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat at Lord’s. And before the heady champagne effect wears off, I believe we must grasp the vital spiritual lesson it teaches us.

The game that has become part of England’s DNA was beginning to lose its drawing power, thanks partly to greedy media moguls determined to milk as much money as possible from TV rights while denying a new generation access to the delights of the sport.

Even for me, Sunday’s sensational final was the first live television cricket I have watched for many years, as I do not subscribe to Sky. Now there are hopes of the game’s revival following what is surely the most scintillating thriller of a match ever staged in front of cameras. Yet its long-term future is only guaranteed, in my opinion, by its return to regular terrestrial TV.

At any rate, my hope is that this remarkable contest will help reinstate the game’s place at the centre of our culture – along with other important facets of our national life such as our identity as a Christian nation.

Revival Ahead?

I have written before of cricket’s link with the great 19^th Century missionary enterprise in China, when CT Studd, England’s greatest player in the early 1880s, gave up his fame and fortune for the Gospel. And there have been others, like Bishop David Sheppard, who also gave up bat for pulpit.

As much-loved broadcaster Henry Blofeld wrote in the Daily Mail² – “The dear old sport I love may be about to undergo a revival” – so my prayer is that this will be mirrored by a revival of Christian faith.

Cricket may be about to undergo a revival – so my prayer is that this will be mirrored by a revival of Christian faith.

A glimpse of such a prospect emerged during a recent stay in a Cotswold village, where I simply drooled over the perfectly-manicured serenity of its cricket pitch, but also took a walk across the fields before stumbling upon a tiny church which two lovely ladies were decorating with flowers. They waxed lyrical over the evangelical fervour of their vicar who was filling these country chapels with eager new disciples.

As Blofield noted in his report, “people who never watched the game before are now hooked.” I can certainly vouch for that as my wife Linda, who would normally roll her eyes at the mention of cricket, was as excited as I was. We were literally sitting on the edge of our sofa as the game built up to an almost unbearably tense crescendo. What a showpiece for the sport!

Denied Access

Well, the Christian Gospel is equally as thrilling – if not more so. It’s just that most of the estimated billion viewers of the cricket spectacle have not yet been truly exposed to it, having neither seen nor heard the true nature of the length and breadth, and of the height and depth, to which God has gone to rescue us from the shame and defeat of sin and degradation: how Jesus was nailed to a cruel execution stake so we could go free; how he was miraculously raised from the dead and is coming back in power and great glory to restore peace and justice to our broken world.

And just as many have been denied access to the glories of cricket over the past decade, a huge potential audience has been denied access to the real Gospel because the ‘movers and shakers’ of our brave new world have chosen to ‘take it off the air’, leaving those desperate for real answers to their many troubles having to feed off the hopeless message of secular humanism.

Jesus told us to make disciples of all nations and Paul, specifically with his fellow Jews in mind, asked: “How can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?” (Matt 28:19; Rom 10:14).

Lasting Satisfaction

When all the cheering is over and the excitement has died down, many cricket fans will still be left feeling empty and unfulfilled, searching for another ‘fix’ that will inevitably fail to offer lasting satisfaction.

But the Gospel does. The Apostle Paul, in quoting the Prophet Isaiah writing 700 years earlier, declares: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Cor 2:9; Isa 64:4).

Few get more excited about a good cricket match than I do. But believe me, there is nothing to compare with what God has prepared for those who love and follow him.

The Christian Gospel is equally as thrilling – if not more so. But most people have not yet been truly exposed to it.

Zero to Hero

It was ironic indeed that it was New Zealand-born Ben Stokes who played a key role in England’s historic victory over his Kiwi compatriots – and also that England’s triumph was in fact led by its Irish-born captain Eoin Morgan. The Irish border may be something of a sticking point in our Brexit negotiations, but this monumental achievement owes much to our Irish connections.

As for Stokes, he’s had a troubled past, most notably with his involvement in an ugly punch-up a few years back, but with exemplary determination and courage he has been lifted from zero to hero.

In a similar way, our beloved country that helped spread the glorious Gospel throughout the globe has fallen into disgrace after turning its back on the very commandments which built up our great civilisation. Only that same Gospel can restore us!

References

1 A duck is a cricketing term for failing to score – in this case for failing to win.

2 Daily Mail, 15 July 2019.

What are we to make of the would-be Prime Minister’s claims?

Frances Rabbitts reviews ‘The Noble Liar’ by Robin Aitken (Biteback Publishing, 2018).

If you have ever been irritated, confused or upset by the blatant liberal bias of our national broadcasting network, this book is for you. Written by an ex-BBC journalist and executive who spent 25 years at the Corporation, The Noble Liar exposes the BBC’s ingrained ideological slant, taking its cue from Plato’s concept of a ‘noble lie’: a myth told knowingly by those in power for what they perceive to be the greater good, and/or to further their own particular agendas.

Accessible, punchy and full of up-to-date examples (some well-known, some less so), this is an easy read and a personable, non-academic contribution to the growing reaction against the left-wing hegemony suffocating the British media class.

Naked Bias

From Brexit to Trump, Aitken unpacks obvious examples of naked bias in BBC coverage, backed up by research, statistics and quotes. He then delves into history to understand the reasons, both sociological and ideological, behind it.

As he makes his way through decades of ‘noble lies’ perpetuated by the BBC – surrounding subjects including feminism, abortion, multiculturalism and immigration – what emerges is not a conspiracy theory about evil masterminds seeking to indoctrinate the British population, but a picture of a Corporation overwhelmingly staffed by sincere liberal ‘believers’, acting in what they think is the public interest and genuinely blinkered to the possibility that they might be wrong.

What is refreshing about Aitken’s writing is that he provides a working example of what BBC reporters should be – accurate and fair-minded, impartial and honest, not imposing his own beliefs on his work. In fact, having read the book I am none the wiser as to his own opinions on any of the issues he covers – only that he tends towards conservatism, recognises that the BBC is chronically slanted in the opposite direction and wants to understand why.

Aitken provides a working example of what BBC reporters should be – accurate and fair-minded, impartial and honest, not imposing his own beliefs on his work.

Like Melanie Phillips, Aitken traces the origin of the issue to the left-wing’s reactionary hatred of Britain’s Judeo-Christian heritage – a hatred which increasingly unites even the most disparate of causes and victim groups. Aitken is brave enough to acknowledge that Christianity is the real foundation of everything that was once ‘great’ about Britain (including the BBC), and that no framework has yet been found to equal or replace it as the foundation of Britain’s national identity.

Meanwhile, still enjoying levels of cultural influence and public respect and a reputation for journalistic excellence that no other media group can command, ‘Auntie the apostate’ has despised her own heritage and is busy evangelising the masses with a new gospel:

The BBC is not some virtual mirror that society holds up and sees itself reflected back; a mirror changes nothing – it merely shows us what we look like. The BBC far more resembles a preacher; a good preacher does hold up a mirror to people and says, ‘Look, this is who you are’, but…then goes on to say ‘And this is what you should be’…it is the BBC’s role as preacher that we need to be aware of and closely examine. (pp244-5).

Facing the Consequences

Though there is no vitriol in Aitken’s analysis, neither does he hold back from stating the full implications of his arguments: that slanted, selective news coverage and the BBC’s near-total silence on the harmful consequences of liberal policies and laws, together with its undermining, dismissing and omitting of conservative voices, constitute a gross dereliction of the Corporation’s duty to open up controversial topics for fair, full exposure and debate.

These topics are of extreme national importance; therefore, the BBC has been directly complicit not only in the suppression of true debate, but in the deterioration of British society. Thankfully, Aitken finishes on a positive note, reminding readers that no ideology or culture is immune from change or challenge.

The implication of Aitken’s arguments is that the BBC has been directly complicit not only in the suppression of true debate, but in the deterioration of British society.

Cathartic Reading

At times, Aitken becomes so engrossed in critiquing left-wing shibboleths that concrete examples from BBC coverage seem to fall by the wayside. More of his own personal story could also have been included, even though this has previously been published in his other books. And there is no mention at all of the BBC's prejudice against Israel - a cornerstone of its liberal worldview. However, these criticisms don’t detract from the overall satisfaction of reading an author who clearly values truth over myths, facts over convenient fictions or strategic omissions – and has very valid points to make about British media bias.

For those wanting a more sophisticated philosophical exposition of leftist ideology, it won’t go deep enough – as per Aitken’s background, this is a journalistic commentary. However, it remains a very cathartic read – saying out loud everything you ever muttered inwardly about the Beeb – and will be accessible to all, regardless of belief, if obviously irksome for those who incline left.

‘The Noble Liar: How and why the BBC distorts the news to promote a liberal agenda’ (paperback, 288pp) is available widely in bookshops and online. On Amazon for £7.72. Available on Kindle for less.

Watch the New Culture Forum's interview with Robin Aitken about the content of the book by clicking here.

Notes

1 By ‘left-wing’ and ‘liberal’, we mean the particular strand of radical leftism, inspired by atheism, humanism and Marxism, that has come to dominate the mainstream media in the West.

2 This might have been expected given his former history with the BBC, covered in his first book, ‘Can We Trust the BBC?’ (2007). See also ‘Can We Still Trust the BBC?’ (2013), which focuses on the revelations about Jimmy Savile.