Radio ministry informs and encourages thousands

2 September 2012

The NSW Council of Churches leads the way in advancing a Christian perspective on public issues through its programs and political commentary on radio station 2CH.

The President of the NSW Council of Churches, Rev Dr Ross Clifford, expressed particular appreciation for the number of comments and the quality of arguments against same-sex marriage featured on the Council’s radio programs.

“We have a largely secular audience on 2CH. We are not just preaching to the choir. We’re very pleased at the number of listeners we have, and the range of listener responses to our various 2CH programs,” he said.

“Our regular Sunday night talk-back program on 2CH, hosted by Kel Richards, regularly addresses the leading social and political issues, and generates strong responses from listeners who are keen to connect their faith with the big issues of the day,” NSW Council of Churches Public Affairs Director, Rev Rod Benson, said.

“On the marriage debate, we hear a lot from the Australian Christian Lobby, and from Anglican and Catholic leaders opposed to changes to federal marriage laws, but it’s worth emphasizing that many other Christian organisations and Churches and a large number of individual Christians also oppose such changes,” Rev Benson said.

In recent weeks Kel Richards had invited Rev Benson live on air to discuss changes to Australia’s asylum seeker policy, new developments in the same-sex marriage debate, and the churches’ proposals for reform of the poker machine industry.

Rev Benson also discussed a wide range of social and political issues in his 2CH commentaries after the news at 9am, 12 noon, 2pm and 5pm every Sunday. Transcripts of these commentaries are on the NSW Council of Churches website.

The Australian Christian Lobby’s managing director, Jim Wallace, described Rev Benson’s weekly commentaries as excellent, with “great balance and an unashamed integrity as a result.”

The Council’s radio programs, which have been running continuously in various forms for more than 80 years, directly engage hundreds of thousands of listeners, providing an important contribution to public debate and diversity of opinion which is essential to the proper flourishing of Australian democracy.

Media contact Rod Benson 0412 421 678