David Edward Jenkins
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David Edward Jenkins (born January 26, 1925) is best known as the Bishop of Durham, a post he held from 1984 until 1994. Born in Bromley, Kent, Jenkins had been a lecturer in theology at the University of Oxford, Chaplain and Fellow of the Queen's College, Oxford and had worked for the World Council of Churches and the William Temple Foundation before his controversial appointment. He had written numerous books on Christian theology, given Bampton Lectures on the Incarnation at Oxford, and had been Professor at the University of Leeds from 1979 until 1984.
The controversy over his selection as Bishop of Durham centred on his alleged unconventional beliefs and his misquoted statement that the Resurrection was "not just a conjuring trick with bones". Three days after his consecration as bishop on 6 July 1984, York Minster was struck by lightning, resulting in a disastrous fire seen by some as a sign of divine displeasure at his theological beliefs (though also jokes by Jenkins' supporters that, in striking York and not Jenkins' seat at Durham Cathedral, God seemed to have struck the wrong cathedral). These were reaffirmed a couple of months later by his remarks on the resurrection, broadcast on a BBC Radio 4 programme in October 1984.
In his role as Bishop, Jenkins was famed for his willingness to speak his mind and was regarded by many as a 'breath of fresh air' among fellow men of the cloth. In 2005, he became one of the first clergymen in the Church of England to bless a civil partnership between two gay men, one of whom was a vicar.
[edit] See also
- Dr Spacely-Trellis, Bishop of Bevindon.
