Arguments against Archbishops
by Nick Spencer, Theos:
The cartoon shows a banker leaning over a font. He is baptising a baby. The caption runs, “What does the Archbishop think about this?” The date is a few days after the then Primate of all England has given a rather provocative address to the City of London. The year is 1944. Plus ça change…
Yes, the tradition of mocking Archbishops for engaging in politics is not a new one. William Temple, the prelate in question, was about as respected an Archbishop as the Church of England boasted in the 20th century. 1944 was a much more respectful time. And yet… What else should Archbishop Justin Welby’s have expected for his comments on the UK economy last week?
Theos has a whole report – yes, a whole report! – on the political interventions of recent Archbishops of Canterbury. It’s by Daniel Gover, it’s called Turbulent Priests? and it is very good. You can download it here. It’s still well worth reading.
Alas,the report was published long before Welby was elevated to Canterbury but the next edition (Deo volente) will have no shortage of material for the new era. Thus, it might include a reference to the tweet posted by the Tax Payer’s Alliance which read:
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