Marx Gospel

Here's an interesting snippet from Justin Phillips' book C.S. Lewis In a Time of War which traces the development of religious broadcasting on the BBC during World War Two. Lewis was representative of a new breed of commentator developed by the BBC, in a deliberate move away from simply broadcasting worship services. As a lay person, he was specifically charged with presenting an apologia for the faith in terms that ordinary people could understand.
The BBC had been formed with the Christian faith as one of its core values. John Reith, the creator of the Corporation, was a deeply religious man who saw radio as a civilizing force in Britain. In the entrance hall to Broadcasting House, in London, an inscription (translated from the Latin) reads:

This Temple of the Arts and Muses is dedicated to Almighty God by the first Governors of Broadcasting in the year 1931, Sir John Reith being Director-General. It is their prayer that good seed sown may bring forth a good harvest and that the people, inclining their ear to whatsoever things are beautiful and honest and of good report, may tread the path of wisdom and uprightness.

At the rear of the entrance hall the biblical metaphor implicit in the dedication is made explicit in a magnificent sculpture called The Sower, by Eric Gill. It is the Word of God that is to be 'broad cast.' It's purpose is to improve those who listen.



So, here's the surprise - only one third of the listening public had any real interest in hearing religious themes on the radio. One third approved of Christian influence in broadcasting; one third were uninterested; one third were antagonistic.
Younger Evangelicals today often speak as though the middle of the twentieth century was some kind of heaven on earth, and that the vast majority of people were sympathetic to the Christian faith. It seems that the rot began far earlier than many have realized. Here's one other interesting piece of evidence: it was ascertained that, of one group of men entering the British army, only 23 percent knew the meaning of Easter. "One bright youth," writes Phillips, "thought Mark's gospel was written by Karl Marx, author of Das Kapital."



So, perhaps things were not as rosy in the 1930's as we have imagined. Of course, they could have been worse. The young man could have thought that Mark's gospel was written by this guy.