Wednesday, October 26, 2022

*** This is a rough transcript of today’s show ***

It is the 26th of October 2022. Welcome to the Christian History Almanac brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org; I’m Dan van Voorhis.

There is a particular generation of people that have always fascinated me- those who were grown and experienced the heady days of the turn into the 20th century, then the horrors of World War I, and then World War And especially those working in the fields of philosophy and theology and church work.

Today we remember a man of this generation who had the added task of being a priest in the Anglican Church and then Bishop and Archbishop. Today we remember William Temple, who died on the 26th of October in 1944.

And technically, he went by the Most Reverend and Right Honorable William Temple P.C, D.Litt, D.D., LL.D, D.C.L. All these letters tell you something about his production. And hear this from his obituary:

“By the death of the Archbishop of Canterbury, the whole world is the poorer; a truly great figure has passed from the English scene. Church and nation alike have lost a great leader and a prophet of authentic fire; the poor and inarticulate everywhere are deprived of a true and understanding friend…The only man of the day with whom he was comparable was Winston Churchill”.

Let’s look at a man considered quite remarkable by his generation and what he would mean for the Anglican communion and broader church.

William Temple was born in 1881- the son of Frederick Temple, also the Archbishop of Canterbury- so the work of a churchman was familiar from an early age. He sped through private schools (although in England, private schools are called public schools because they live to bedevil Americans) and Oxford, where he was appointed a Lecturer after receiving two firsts in classics and Philosophy in 1904. He was ordained in 1909 and became the rector of St. James Piccadilly in that fateful year of 1914. Amid the first world war, he served on the National Mission of Repentance and Hope and the Church and State committee. His role in these positions helped lead the Anglican Church in making changes within the church- arguing for more democratic leadership and in society arguing for “a fuller expression of the spiritual independence of the Church as well as the national recognition of religion. In England, a national church was looked to for an answer amidst the War, and Temple’s prominent place in these national committees put him in the spotlight.

By 1918 the Church Times wrote of him: “Of his personal power and charm, of his capacity for leadership, of his endowment with the spirit of adventure, there is no doubt.” In the interwar years, he became the Canon of Westminster, the Bishop of Manchester, and then the Archbishop of York (the #2 position in the Anglican Church). In the interwar years, he was crucial in creating the British Council of Churches and the World Council of Churches.

He would also help lead the Central Council of Adult Broadcast Education- a group behind the later Broadcast Talks of C.S. Lewis that would be published as Mere Christianity.

In 1940 Temple himself would broadcast to the nation to support the war effort, assuaging fears (although he suggests only “months” of wars). He called Germany a robber nation, opposed “Hitlerism,” and called for checking evil and restoring Czech and Polish territories. He called on the nation to pray- and not as “Britons who happen to be Christian, but as Christians who happen to be Britons.”

He was made Archbishop of Canterbury in 1942, but his nonstop schedule wreaked havoc on his health- he died unexpectedly of a heart attack two years later in 1944. Even in death, he was a trailblazer- he was the first Archbishop of Canterbury to be cremated.

Aside from his work in church leadership, he also was a prolific writer- he wrote a philosophical treatise: Mens Creatix (Latin for the creative mind), and was the first Archbishop to be invited to give the prestigious Gifford Lectures.

Later, Prime Minister Edward Heath wrote of Temple’s influence on him:

“My Christian faith … provided foundations for my political beliefs. In this, I was influenced by the teaching of William Temple. Temple’s impact on my generation was immense. He believed that a fairer society could be built only on moral foundations, with all individuals recognising their duty to help others. He was … the first Anglican leader for decades to set out the Church’s teachings in modern terms.”

Born in 1881, William Temple was 63 when he died on the 26th of October in 1944.

The Last Word for today comes from the lectionary for today from Joel 3:

“Then you will know that I, the Lord your God,
dwell in Zion, my holy hill.

Jerusalem will be holy;
 never again will foreigners invade her.

“In that day the mountains will drip new wine,
 and the hills will flow with milk;
 all the ravines of Judah will run with water.

A fountain will flow out of the Lord’s house
 and will water the valley of acacias.

This has been the Christian History Almanac for the 26th of October 2022, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org.

The show is produced by a man who loves all things British Heavy metal. In fact, he was the bassist in the Iron Maiden cover band: Blood Sausage. He is Christopher Gillespie.

The show is written and read by a man who is pro-Haggis, anti-mushy Peas. I’m Dan van Voorhis.

You can catch us here every day- and remember that the rumors of grace, forgiveness and the redemption of all things are true…. Everything is going to be ok.