A Christian climate charity has called for greater discussion around the influence of wealthy Christian donors, in light of GB News’ co-owner donating £28m to the Church of England.
Investor Sir Paul Marshall is worth an estimated £950m and is a member of Holy Trinity Brompton. As well as being the co-founder of Marshall Wallace LLP, one of Europe’s largest hedge fund companies, he owns the Spectator and UnHerd.
Operation Noah, which has been instrumental in encouraging several denominations to divest away from fossil fuels, alleged that anti-climate-change views espoused on GB News are inconsistent with the Christian call to steward the earth.
In May, GB News came under investigation from Ofcom for breaching impartiality rules, after broadcasting a speech from US President Donald Trump which called climate change “a hoax” without due balance.
“Charity is a great thing, so on the surface there’s not anything wrong with Sir Paul’s giving,” said Cameron Conant from the charity. “We’re not calling for the Church to give this money back.
“Knowing what Sir Paul Marshall’s interests are in fossil fuels, and given his influence, we are encouraging people to think carefully about this… we are asking churches to think carefully about who is giving money to us and why.”
The comments came three months after 120 church leaders, including former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, sent a combined letter to Sir Paul, expressing concern over his stance on climate issues.
He added that the ethical conundrum can also apply to grants from the National Lottery, which donates to heritage projects including the restoration of historic church buildings, despite proceeds deriving from gambling.
“The apostle Paul touches on these issues – can you eat food sacrificed to idols, for example,” said Conant. “These are not new debates for the church.”
A source close to Marshall told the Guardian: "Sir Paul generally agrees with Christian and Anglican teaching on the environment and climate change. Like many people, including many Christians, he just doesn’t subscribe to net zero by 2050 due to the serious negative impact on poor people, their communities and the economy.
"Instead, he prefers to allow human innovation to adapt to and to limit climate change. This is a perfectly reasonable position held by millions of people, including many Christians.”