BBC Online does nothing to celebrate one of the most important events in European history

500th anniversary of one of the most momentous dates in the last millennium reduced to a mere matter of ‘Faith and ethics’

As predicted yesterday, the BBC Online is showing no indication of doing anything of note to commemorate the 500th anniversary of one of the most important events in European, and indeed world, history.

On 31st October 1517 Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses on the church door at Wittenberg, thus starting the Reformation — a movement which radically changed Europe and, in many ways, brought the modern world into being.

BBC Radio 4’s Today programme ran a nice five-minute piece this morning about Luther’s 95 Theses (it was around 7.20 a.m. for those who wish to catch up online), on account of Angela Merkel’s commemorating the anniversary at Wittenberg today.

In spite of this, BBC Online seem to be trying their very hardest to pay no attention whatsoever to the anniversary.

Below was the BBC website’s home page (logged out) at 6.40 this morning:

Scrolling down a long way, I did eventually see some rather unwilling acknowledgement of the event:

It seems that the BBC Online want to reduce such a momentous event — an event which turned Europe upside down and changed so much of our lives even today — to a mere discussion about ‘faith and ethics.’

Contrast this with the weeks and weeks of coverage that BBC Online recently gave, on their home page, to the 50th anniversary of the Sexual Offences Act 1967 — an inconsistency I recently challenged them about.

If you want to know more about Martin Luther and what the events of this day 500 years ago mean, may I recommend John Piper’s piece on Luther published today as part of his month-long celebration of the Reformation.

As for me and my household, we’re having a little celebration of the Reformation ourselves today. Although I couldn’t get the day off work (I’m needed to support a client’s software application and the one colleague who can provide this support already had the week booked off), I put this out as a little “free gift” for our five-year-old for when he got up this morning:

He was delighted!

“Here I stand. I can do no otherwise. God help me. Amen” — Martin Luther

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