The Archbishop of York pounded an African drum to celebrate the release of the BBC's Alan Johnston from captivity in Gaza today. Now Hamas wants recognition for its Palestinian authority. And many non-Westerners remain in prison.

The Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, has gone on al-Jazeera to appeal the release of BBC journalist Alan Johnston, whose kidnap in Gaza has been denounced by the Iranian government and galvanised media freedom activists.

The Catholic archbishop of Dublin and the Imam of the Islamic Cultural Centre of Ireland marked World Press Freedom Day yesterday by calling for the release of the kidnapped BBC Gaza correspondent Alan Johnston.

Simon Barrow suggests that how the churches see their engagement with culture, including spaces like the BBC's Thought for The Day, is shaped by the question about how God has been turned into an artefact under Christendom.