John Davies (bishop of Shrewsbury)

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John Davies
Bishop of Shrewsbury
DioceseDiocese of Lichfield
In office1987–1994
PredecessorLeslie Rees
SuccessorDavid Hallatt
Other post(s)Diocesan Missioner, St Asaph (1982–1987)
Honorary assistant bishop in St Asaph (2009–present); and in Lichfield (1995–2005)
Orders
Ordination1953 (deacon); 1954 (priest)
Consecration1987
Personal details
Born (1927-08-12) 12 August 1927 (age 96)
DenominationAnglican
ParentsCharles & Minnie
SpouseShirley Gough (m. 1956)
Children1 son; 2 daughters
ProfessionBishop (retired), Author
Alma materTrinity College, Cambridge

John Dudley Davies (born 12 August 1927) is a former Anglican Bishop of Shrewsbury. During his tenure the post changed from suffragan bishop to area bishop[1] with the institution of area bishops in 1992.[2]

After service in the Royal Air Force from 1945 to 1948, Davies was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge (becoming a Cambridge Master of Arts), and at Lincoln Theological College.[3] He was made a deacon[4] and ordained a priest,[5] and began his career as curate in Halton, Leeds. Following that he served for many years in Southern Africa: his posts including that of Missionary Director for Empangeni and Chaplain at the University of Witwatersrand. While he was chaplain at the University, Davies played a major role in drafting the document A Message to the People of South Africa, a pamphlet published by the South African Council of Churches that challenged the Christians in South Africa to examine the policy of Apartheid.[6][7][8] In 1970, action by the South African government terminated his ministry in that country.

Returning to Britain in 1970 to an administrative post at the Church of England Board of Education, he then served as Vicar and University Chaplain at Keele; he was subsequently appointed Principal of Ascension College, Selly Oak, and finally (before his appointment to the episcopate)[9] Diocesan Missioner of St Asaph. He was consecrated a bishop on 5 February 1987, by Robert Runcie, Archbishop of Canterbury, at Westminster Abbey.[10] In 2012, while in his retirement he and his wife Shirley led the parish of St Dogfan, Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant in mid-Wales (where he had previously served as Vicar), while they were without a parish priest.[11]

On 11 February 2017, fourteen retired bishops signed an open letter to the then-serving bishops of the Church of England. In an unprecedented move, they expressed their opposition to the House of Bishops' report to General Synod on sexuality, which recommended no change to the Church's canons or practises around sexuality.[12] By 13 February, a serving bishop (Alan Wilson, Bishop of Buckingham) and nine further retired bishops — including Davies — had added their signatures;[13] on 15 February, the report was rejected by synod.[14]

Davies’ books include:

  • Beginning now - a Christian exploration of the first three chapters of Genesis - Fortress Press (Philadelphia) (1971)
  • Good news in Galatians - Paul's letter to the Galatians in Today's English version - Collins Fontana Books (Glasgow) (1975)
  • Creed and Conflict - Lutterworth Pr – ISBN 978-0-7188-2414-3 (1979)
  • The Faith Abroad - Blackwell (Oxford) (1983)
  • The Crisis of the Cross - the Challenge at the heart of the Christian Story - Canterbury Press (Norwich) (1997)
  • Be Born in us today - The Message of the Incarnation - Canterbury Press (Norwich) (1999)
  • God at Work - Creation Then and Now - Canterbury Press (Norwich) (2000)
  • Only Say the Word - Interactive studies on healing and salvation - Canterbury Press (Norwich) (2002)
  • A Song for every morning - Dedication and Defiance with St Patrick's Breastplate - Canterbury Press (Norwich) (2008)
  • Three Mountains to Freedom - Practice Interpretation of Paul's Letter to the Galatians (Deo Publishing Blandford Forum) ( 2015)

References[edit]

  1. ^ Crockford's Clerical Directory 2008/2009 (100th edition), Church House Publishing ISBN 978-0-7151-1030-0
  2. ^ "4: The Dioceses Commission, 1978–2002" (PDF). Church of England. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 June 2012. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
  3. ^ ‘DAVIES, John Dudley’, Who's Who 2012, A & C Black, 2012; online edition, Oxford University Press, December 2011 [1], accessed 6 July 2012
  4. ^ "Ordinations". Church Times. No. 4715. 19 June 1953. p. 457. ISSN 0009-658X. Retrieved 12 June 2019 – via UK Press Online archives.
  5. ^ "Ordinations on Trinity Sunday". Church Times. No. 4767. 18 June 1954. p. 477. ISSN 0009-658X. Retrieved 12 June 2019 – via UK Press Online archives.
  6. ^ Hayes, Stephen (12 April 2010). "Reconciliation". Khanya. Retrieved 31 December 2010.
  7. ^ Text can be found at: "A message to the people of South Africa". South African Council of Churches. Archived from the original on 13 April 2011. Retrieved 31 December 2010.
  8. ^ Peter Walshe - Church versus state in South Africa: the case of the Christian Institute [2] — Published in the United Kingdom by Hurst & Co (ISBN 0-905838-81-5) and in the United States by Orbis Books (ISBN 0-88344-097-0) — (1983)
  9. ^ Debrett's People of Today: 1992, London, Debrett's ISBN 1-870520-09-2
  10. ^ "Consecration at the Abbey". Church Times. No. 6469. 6 February 1987. p. 3. ISSN 0009-658X. Retrieved 12 June 2019 – via UK Press Online archives.
  11. ^ Phil Topham, ed. (April–May 2012). "Teule Asaph - Sharing Good News with the Family of the Diocese" (PDF). Diocese of St Asaph. Retrieved 9 April 2012.[permanent dead link]
  12. ^ Retired Bishops' Letter — The Letter (Accessed 11 February 2017; the fourteen bishops were David Atkinson, Michael Doe, Tim Ellis, David Gillett, John Gladwin, Laurie Green, Richard Harries, Stephen Lowe, Stephen Platten, John Pritchard, Peter Selby, Tim Stevens, Martin Wharton, and Williamson.)
  13. ^ Retired Bishops' Letter — New Signatures Archived 2017-02-18 at the Wayback Machine (Accessed 17 February 2017; the nine bishops were Gordon Bates, Ian Brackley, Davies, Peter Maurice, David Rossdale, John Saxbee, Martin Shaw, Oliver Simon, and David Stancliffe.
  14. ^ The Grauniad — Church of England in turmoil as synod rejects report on same-sex relationships (Accessed 17 February 2017)
Church of England titles
Preceded by Bishop of Shrewsbury
1987–1994 		Succeeded by
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