Working in PR is seldom confused with doing the Lord’s work. As a profession, it seems to carry a reputation for telling the truth selectively, or indeed saying anything that isn’t provably untrue, for a fistfull of dollars. How do Christians working in PR square that reputation with their faith? Is there a tension between truth and business? And what advice would they have for the Church’s own public relations?

Our Guest today is Nic Daley; a hardened PR professional working for Hill and Knowlton as a Crisis Comms and reputation management specialist.

Almost all of us spend our days immersed in the cultures of the world. And those cultures also tell brilliant stories – with subtlety, realism, and imagination. So how should faith and culture relate? Does faith even have anything to say about phenomena like Game of Thrones; Bake-Off; Park Run; Zombies; Extreme Sports; shows like Billions; and Brexit? And what is now the Church’s place in contemporary British culture?

Old questions – but there is a new book on the subject called Plugged In by Dr. Daniel Strange, who is the Director at Oak Hill College. I thought the book was a breath of fresh air because of the number of practical examples it gives about how Christians might relate their faith to the surrounding culture; and how people outside the church might become interested in the entanglement of the stories in the world, with the story of the gospel and of faith.

Pizza is known for feeding the grateful stomachs of hungry souls, but how do faith and food mix? In an individualistic, consumer culture – does it make any difference what motivates the staff and owners of the restaurants we frequent, beyond a passion for good food? And if employers will only take young people when they’re job ready, how do people get employed if they are never going to be job ready? I’m delighted to be joined by Bridget Callaghan who is building a pizza empire with a business model that has grown out of her faith.

Journalists have an important role in interpreting and articulating culture; telling stories; and shaping our understanding of the world we live in. How does faith fit in an industry that is famously secular? Where should forgiveness and mercy feature in the journalistic scrutiny of those in public life? And as we see news outlets chase stories that provoke outrage or emotion, will Good News only ever be found in the Gospel rather than in the Broadsheets?

With me to discuss faith in Journalism is the Deputy Comment Editor of the Daily Telegraph, Lucy Denyer.

Shownotes:

Faith among journalists: source

Politics seems at once full of mission – sometimes even carrying the promise of social salvation. And yet it is also perhaps prone to a cynicism that is almost the opposite of faith. How does personal faith influence the way that politicians do their work? Should politicians ‘do God’? Is faith even compatible with liberalism? And why are there still Bishops in the House of Lords?

To discuss faith in politics I’m delighted to be in conversation with Baroness Sal Brinton, who is President of the Liberal Democrats here in the UK, and a member of the House of Lords.