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Editorial:
Thinking about the common good? From
the director: Untold stories Faith
and Politics After Christendom Comment:
Doing the Right Thing Give
Generously and Change the World? Economics
and the Common Good Interview
with Jim Wells (MLA): Polishing our Cars Review:
No Longer Strangers Division
and Diversity: Churches in a plural society Buying
in - Opting out Interview
with Fr Mariusz Dabrowski: Meet the neighbours Questions
& Answers: Reader survey responses Review:
Mark: Gospel of Action Bible
Study: The Common Good Difficult
Conversations: Let's talk about tax... |
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EVEN BEFORE the name change and organisational shift to wider concerns, the magazine was beginning to reflect the changing cultural, social and political context – acknowledging the increasing ethnic diversity of the general population as well as the impact of political developments and increasing secularisation on the island of Ireland. Also in the past year, we have widened the editorial group and now have representation from the four main denominations, which creates a valuable context for conversation and unearths a wider range of stories and connections from which to work. So how have these changes filtered through and what do readers think? We were also keen to gauge any changes taking place within our constituency and to hear what issues are concerning readers at this point in time. Having sent out nearly 2,000 surveys in magazines at the beginning of February 2007, to date 132 completed questionnaires have been returned. The analysis offered here is based on the first 125 completed forms received. The responses so far show a committed, long-term and engaged readership. 57% of those who responded have been receiving Lion&Lamb for over 5 years. Over 72% said they read most or all of the magazine, while around one third reported that their copy was regularly read by more than one person. 60% said they retained issues for future reference, with 17% passing the magazine on to others after use. Two thirds of respondents expressed a preference for reading a printed publication rather than an online only version. Many of these readers have an active connection to the work of the Centre through events (one third), using resources (one third), visiting the website (one quarter) and support the work of the Centre financially (over 30%). On the other hand, 20% of respondents had no other connection with the Centre other than receiving the magazine. Three quarters of the questionnaires returned were filled in by men, but perhaps there are more “invisible” female readers than this statistic might suggest – where an issue of the magazine is “read by more than one person”! Over 60% of these were in the age range 40-64, with 24% over 65 and less than 13% below 39 years of age. In terms of location, readers in Northern Ireland accounted for 79% of replies, 9% came from the Republic and 12% from other UK locations. The words that “best described” the magazine according to respondents were stimulating (63%), relevant (63%) and interesting (54%), also valuable (32%), intellectual (32%), encouraging (32%) and important (28%). Of the 41 respondents using the word “intellectual” in describing the content, this was largely used along with words such as interesting, relevant, important, valuable, stimulating, encouraging, controversial, unique and user-friendly. In all, three respondents said they found it inaccessible (sometimes or at times) and one described it as irrelevant – specifically, with regard to the concerns of working class Christians. Lion&Lamb seeks to give careful consideration to issues which often resist easy answers. However, it is clearly not in our interests for material to be inaccessible, dull, overly technical or intellectually elitist. We aim to resource Christians with thought provoking, biblically based reflection, presented in an attractive and user-friendly format. We try to keep the content varied with interviews, case studies and personal stories etc. interspersed among longer more discursive articles, and continue to work hard at an editorial level, with contributors and our designer, to balance style and substance. It is encouraging that readers use the magazine as a resource for further reading (60%), prayer/personal reflection (51%), Bible study (37%), sermon preparation (35%), group work/teaching (25%) and leading a “Difficult Conversation” (24%). We were especially pleased that the “Difficult Conversation” feature, a recent addition, is being well received. Many comments affirmed Lion&Lamb’s fidelity to the Centre’s strapline “biblical faith for a changing world”. And a majority of readers expressed support to the fact that we had gone wider in the concerns being addressed and the range of viewpoints being expressed – with comments such as “appreciate the broadening concerns”, “broader views represented”, “wide diversity”, “varied perspectives”, “more open to Roman Catholic voices”, “more inclusive of women, younger people”. There was a strong sense among readers of the magazine’s increasing relevance and pertinence to current contexts – with comments about the “breadth of stimulation”, “becoming more relevant to the real world”, “deals with the issues of the day”, “topical and relevant”, “adapted to the changing scene”, “recent changes encouraging”, “making good connections” and “growing appeal to a wider constituency”. We do need to consider how we make time to connect with new contributors. It does no harm to remind you that we welcome both unsolicited articles and correspondence from readers! All contributors write for us on a voluntary basis and give very generously of their time and we are very grateful to them for this. When we receive feedback we are keen that it makes it into print, where appropriate. A reader’s email, letter or phone call often provides an opportunity for further conversation. So please do contact us if you would like to comment on anything featured in the magazine. Overall, there has been a very positive reaction to the magazine’s development in recent years, including the new colour layout. The look of the magazine is described as “contemporary”, “good and getting better”, “very attractive”, “up to date”, “markedly improved”. The magazine represents a significant investment for the Centre, both financially and in terms of time. We have recently benefited from short-term additional funding from the Community Relations Council and continue to look at ways the magazine can be most successfully financed. We also gratefully acknowledge the contributions of readers who support the work of the Centre and the production of Lion&Lamb. So what are the burning issues? 66 people suggested one or more topics! In summary, these include (deep breath, now): Engagement with fundamentalist Protestants/Evangelicals, issues of biblical research and interpretation, authority of Scripture, history and development of Bible, other Christian positions, more extreme ends of the theological spectrum, creationism vs evolutionism, technology vs spirituality, women’s ordination, women in leadership, moral values and the media, living the Christian life in Ireland, North/South cultural differences in the churches, relating theology to politics, cross community activities – how we can work together? Protestant/Catholic dialogue, dealing with the past, peace and reconciliation movements in other parts of the world, “How do I live my faith in this fast-moving world which asks big questions and marginalises faith?” Society’s intolerance of a biblical stance, practical applications and initiatives, tried and tested biblically based events/resources, evangelism among the poor and working class, education, pastoral care, peacemaking, outreach, Christian lifestyle, spirituality, counselling, liturgy and prayer, making corporate worship relevant, the Sacraments, Christian hope, churches in a multicultural and secular society, interface of faith communities and (local) statutory authorities, faith in a post-Christian society, postmodernism’s impact on society and church, new forms/expressions of church, other religions, interfaith issues, positive aspects of Islam, befriending and integrating foreigners, illegal immigration, refugees, climate change and stewardship of creation, environmental issues, energy, “modern” slavery, racism, globalisation, social justice issues from religious perspective, poverty, materialism, homelessness, paramilitarism, drug culture, binge drinking, alcohol-related abuse, the churches and inner city communities, individualism in church and society, voter apathy amongst youth, everyday life, family breakdown, family and marriage issues, co-habiting vs marriage, HIV/AIDS in Northern Ireland /Ireland, human sexuality, homosexuality, how can churches be inclusive and true to the gospel? “Gay” leaders… All the questionnaire responses have been collated and circulated to the leadership team, board and the editorial group. These will be discussed and used to help us think about future issues. Incidentally, a number of the suggested themes are currently in the pipeline either for the magazine or in the form of other projects underway at the moment. These include two research projects: “Faith in a Plural Society”, details of which can be found elsewhere in this issue, and a project investigating the churches’ engagement with loyalist, working class communities, leading to a resource for churches which will be published in the autumn. Our annual devotional resource provides a focus for study and reflection on Christian engagement. This year’s resource, Out of the Depths, was made available online in early June and will be published as a printed resource in the autumn. Because Lion&Lamb is relatively infrequent, typically being two or three issues per year, it is limited in the extent to which it can respond to the current issues of the day. However, a comment piece called P.S. is posted on our website on the second and fourth Wednesday of every month and is also available by email. These 500-word articles on diverse themes are volunteered by a range of contributors. There is also an online discussion board. If you’d be interested in writing for P.S. please let me know. But back to the magazine and to the findings of the survey. We happily concede that there are other publications out there which do some things better than we can. However, we are confident that Lion&Lamb has a niche and that it is a valuable and valued part of the Centre’s work. Responses to the survey were in the main very positive and affirming of the magazine, while also suggesting where improvements can be made. We will continue to strive to make each issue the best it can be. We acknowledge that we are not reaching the number of new readers that we wish to. Yet 81% of respondents said they would recommend the magazine to others. So please do! If someone you know would be interested in receiving the magazine, give them a copy or contact us and we will send them one. We would also be happy to supply copies for information in your church, for its bookstall or library. We are grateful to those who have taken the time to fill in our questionnaire. You have given us food for thought, touched the odd nerve, offered encouragement and sparked ideas. We appreciate your feedback. Thank you. And if you haven’t returned a questionnaire, it’s not too late – you have until the end of July. Or fill it in online at www.contemporarychristianity.org. Apologies to those who met technical difficulties with this option initially – the gremlins have now been fixed. The full survey data compiled so far can be found online at www.contemporarychristianity.org/lionandlamb/ReaderSurveyResults.pdf |
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