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

As Premier Christianity marks its 60th anniversary, columnist Jeff Lucas reflects on the value of tradition, the challenge of change, and the magazine’s enduring commitment to honest, hope-filled 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.