Premier Christianity at 60: Jeff Lucas on the gift of faithful journalism

It was 1965. Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov undertook the first spacewalk and Julie Andrews became the worlds’ favourite nun as the The Sound of Music premiered. The Beatles were awarded MBEs and men flounced around in trousers with 18 inches of flare. 1965 was 18 years before the first mobile phones became commercially available, and the word ‘internet’ had barely been coined. 

This magazine was launched in October 1965, meaning that this month Premier Christianity is celebrating a rather special birthday. Speaking of birthdays, even our language around them has changed. We used to say: “Many happy returns!”, which simply meant: “May you have many more birthdays.” 

The 1965 reader would have likely been bewildered by 2025, because so very much has changed. And change isn’t easy to navigate. I know, because the older I get, the more a creature of habit I become. I like tea in the morning, coffee in the afternoon and anything made with grapes at night.

But I take some of my habits to ridiculous extremes. I used to wear contact lenses (I’ve given them up now due to my reluctance to poke myself in the eyes daily) but when I did, I developed a nice little routine for their insertion. I’d put the left lens in first and then the right. No deviation. One morning, I mistakenly put the right lens in first. There was no sin in this, nor health risk, but it all seemed so very wrong. I am sad to say that I removed the right lens, replaced it in the contact lens holder, put the left lens in, and then placed the right lens in my right eye for the second time that morning.

I’m not alone in my resistance to change. Many churches don’t do too well with it either. I’m not declaring war on tradition here, which can have great value. It’s quite traditional to take a daily shower, for example. So be old-fashioned. Your friends will thank you for it. But traditionalism can be a curse that chokes all possibilities of life out of a place. Some people think that rearranging the chairs (or pews) in the church building is a heinous crime only slightly more dodgy than denying the doctrine of justification by faith. I know of one church that is currently having a three-way split over the location of a piano stool. And changing the Sunday morning start time may kick off something akin to the third world war. 

Change comes hard, even when it is for the better. So as we continue to navigate the uncharted pathway that is our culture accelerating at terrifying speed, we need the community of the local church to travel together. We need relevant, biblical teaching that will refresh our memories with the truth when the road we tread feels like quicksand. Gathering for authentic worship will focus our hearts on the one who is called our rock, solid and unchanging. 

We also need diverse voices to help us make sense of what is going on. That’s why I feel honoured to have been associated with this magazine for nearly half of its history, writing this column for 28 years. The dedicated teams that have put the magazine together over the years have created something worth celebrating. They consistently nudge us to consider, go deeper and think critically – without resorting to cynicism.

Refusing to back away from what’s difficult and controversial, they’ve been willing to throw the spotlight on the successes and scandals of the Church past and present – anything less would be journalism void of integrity. Their passion is to equip and encourage us all as we seek to walk with Jesus in 2025 and beyond. So, pray for them as they continue in their calling. 

Happy 60th, Premier Christianity. And many happy returns.