The BBC suffers from an “appalling lack of religious literacy”, the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, has said.
In a discussion hosted by the Religion Media Centre, the Archbishop said that the corporation should re-think its attitude to religious broadcasting, implying it needed not just additional funding, but to be more embedded within the BBC’s core content.
In short, it should not just be broadcasting Songs of Praise as a box-ticking exercise.
“My concern is much more about the place of religion across the whole output of the BBC, rather than simply seeing it as religious broadcasting in that rather more narrow definition. So I note with sadness and some distress the sometimes appalling lack of religious literacy in so much of the BBC," he said.
His comments come at a time when the BBC is facing a government consultation over its future, as its current Royal Charter is due to expire at the end of 2027.
The BBC has at times been criticised for either misunderstanding or diverting attention away from Christianity.
The government’s green paper on the BBC's future has stated that not only should it continue to broadcast religious programmes, but its approach should represent a multi-faith society and depict faith in other contexts, such as dramas, documentaries and discussion programmes.
Cottrell argued that improved religious programming would help promote social cohesion.
“I know it’s a hard thing to fight for – religious broadcasting and public service broadcasting – but I believe it is a precious bulwark against polarisation, intolerance, prejudice, chaos. The fact is that religion is a vital part of how millions and millions of people in Britain today get their belonging, their values, their purpose, their identity," he said.
He added, “Religious broadcasting increasingly becomes the poor and underfunded relative in a BBC which I believe needs to be reminded of its core business.”
