ASA Non-broadcast Adjudication: Peniel Pentecostal Church

Complaint

Objections to a poster headlined "MIRACLES HEALING FAITH". The poster showed a photograph of a man hugging a child while holding a microphone in his other hand. The complainants, one of whom pointed out that advertisers who claimed an ability to cure specific medical conditions would be required to hold substantiation, objected that the claims "MIRACLES" and "HEALING" were misleading and irresponsible, because they could not be scientifically proven and preyed on the credulity of vulnerable people.

CAP Code

Adjudication

Complaints not upheld

Michael Reid Ministries pointed out that the poster did not refer to cures or medical conditions. They said they used the words "Miracles Healing Faith" as a statement of their belief in the Christian Gospel. They said they believed in the miraculous elements of Christianity and the spiritual healing of the Bible and cited several biblical stories to highlight that.

Michael Reid Ministries asserted that most people in Britain were aware of Christian beliefs. They referred to the 2001 Census in which 72% of the UK population said their religion was Christian. They argued that Christian days of worship, such as Christmas and Easter, were widely practised and observed by Christians and non-Christians alike and that the general public were aware of Christian miraculous beliefs.

Michael Reid Ministries said people who attended one of their services would hear that they believed in the healing and miraculous aspects of Christianity and that the words in the ad reflected what could be expected at one of their church services.

They included letters from two local MPs; the letters stated that the MPs supported the church and believed that the poster was not misleading.

We noted the ad did not refer to any medical conditions. We considered that readers would realise that the poster reflected the issues that would be discussed at the church services. We considered that most people in the UK were aware of Christian beliefs and would understand that the poster referred to spiritual, not physical, miracles and healing. We concluded that the ad was unlikely to mislead and was not irresponsible.

We investigated under CAP Code clauses 2.2 (Responsible advertising), 3.1 (Substantiation), 6.1 (Honesty) and 7.1 (Truthfulness) but did not find the ad in breach.