William Temple -- Archbishop of Canterbury, 1944 -- A Biographical Sketch
Philosopher, theologian, apologist, teacher, evangelist, ecumenist, reformer and archbishop — these are a just a few of the adjectives used to describe William Temple, Archbishop of Canterbury from 1942 until his death in 1944. The second son of Archbishop of Canterbury Frederick Temple, one biographer has noted that the question of William’s life was not, “Shall I follow Christ?”, but rather, “How shall I follow Christ?”
Temple was a scholar of the classics and a renowned preacher and teacher. Perhaps his two best known books are Christianity and Social Order and Readings in St. John’s Gospel. An advocate for the poor and a leader in ecumenical relations, Temple was convinced of the necessity of living the Gospel practically and not simply at worship on Sundays. For all of his work in England, though, the events on the international stage overshadowed everything. As war loomed on the horizon, Temple took to the airwaves of British radio and offered the following words to the English people in 1939:
"No positive good can be done by force; that is true. But evil can be checked and held back by force, and it is precisely for this that we may be called upon to use it. If it be so, let us do it in calm but unshakable resolution, trying, in spite of all the agony, to bear no ill-will to those whom we must resist, seeking to inflict no more suffering than is inevitably involved in the resistance that we must offer, bearing with patient courage the suffering that comes to ourselves. And while we do our utmost to secure the triumph of right as it has been given us to see the right, let us steadily look beyond the conflict to the restoration of peace, and dedicate ourselves to the creation of a world order which shall be fair to the generations yet unborn.”
Collect for the Commemoration of William Temple
O God of light and love, you illumined your Church through the witness of your servant William Temple: Inspire us, we pray, by his teaching and example, that we may rejoice with courage, confidence, and faith in the Word made flesh, and may be led to establish that city which has justice for its foundation and love for its law; through Jeus Christ, the light of the world, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Philosopher, theologian, apologist, teacher, evangelist, ecumenist, reformer and archbishop — these are a just a few of the adjectives used to describe William Temple, Archbishop of Canterbury from 1942 until his death in 1944. The second son of Archbishop of Canterbury Frederick Temple, one biographer has noted that the question of William’s life was not, “Shall I follow Christ?”, but rather, “How shall I follow Christ?”
Temple was a scholar of the classics and a renowned preacher and teacher. Perhaps his two best known books are Christianity and Social Order and Readings in St. John’s Gospel. An advocate for the poor and a leader in ecumenical relations, Temple was convinced of the necessity of living the Gospel practically and not simply at worship on Sundays. For all of his work in England, though, the events on the international stage overshadowed everything. As war loomed on the horizon, Temple took to the airwaves of British radio and offered the following words to the English people in 1939:
"No positive good can be done by force; that is true. But evil can be checked and held back by force, and it is precisely for this that we may be called upon to use it. If it be so, let us do it in calm but unshakable resolution, trying, in spite of all the agony, to bear no ill-will to those whom we must resist, seeking to inflict no more suffering than is inevitably involved in the resistance that we must offer, bearing with patient courage the suffering that comes to ourselves. And while we do our utmost to secure the triumph of right as it has been given us to see the right, let us steadily look beyond the conflict to the restoration of peace, and dedicate ourselves to the creation of a world order which shall be fair to the generations yet unborn.”
Collect for the Commemoration of William Temple
O God of light and love, you illumined your Church through the witness of your servant William Temple: Inspire us, we pray, by his teaching and example, that we may rejoice with courage, confidence, and faith in the Word made flesh, and may be led to establish that city which has justice for its foundation and love for its law; through Jeus Christ, the light of the world, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
posted by FrGaryB | 7:41 AM
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