The Church of England's General Synod came to a close last Thursday after a debate on standards in media and the increase in sexually explicit and violent images in magazines and on TV shows.
Popular TV shows like Little Britain and Big Brother came under fire from Synod members during the debate on a motion put forward by the Rev Richard Moy on behalf of the Lichfield Diocesan Synod.
In his motion, Rev Moy called on the Government to launch an inquiry to examine whether "standards of human behaviour are being fatally eroded by constant subjection to images via the media promoting the exploitation of other human beings".
Synod members expressed particular concern over the "exploitation of human beings" for the purposes of public entertainment, particularly in light of the Celebrity Big Brother race row.
An amendment put forward by the Bishop of Manchester, the Rt Rev Nigel McCulloch, was passed, acknowledging the "current tendency to exploit the humiliation of human beings for public entertainment".
In a background paper to the motion, the Diocese of Lichfield criticised particularly the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) for giving easier access to hardcore porn by giving 18 certificates to a number of films featuring hardcore sexual scenes instead of its strongest R18 certificate.
Others warned, however, that the problem went far beyond Big Brother and that proper research was needed to gauge the extent of the problem and identify spiritually uplifting programmes.
Synod members did make clear, however, that there were many positive aspects of media and that the motion was "not an attack on the media".
The Rev Andrew Watson of St Stephen's Vicarage in East Twickenham called for a "Christian revolution" to make the new call for "fair speech" as opposed to free speech, and for research into the effects of humiliation on society.
Sister Anne Williams of the Good Shepherd Clergy House in Sunderland criticised television in particular for exploiting people "for ratings and sales" and called instead on members of the Church of England to use media to spread the good news of Jesus Christ.
Kevin Carey urged the Church of England to make an effort to tackle the demand for sexually explicit images and violence in media. "If we don't consume it, they won't make it," he said.
Synod also passed an amendment criticising the lack of regulation on the sale of sexually explicit printed media, particularly men's magazines such as FHM, Loaded and Nuts which have moved from the top shelves of newsagents and supermarkets to shelves eye-level with children despite their sexually explicit covers and content.
Synod voted in favour of more research and fuller debate on media standards by 217 votes to nil.
