Bishop David Jenkins 1925–2016

Bishop David Jenkins, who died this week, came to the Church of Christ the Cornerstone during the 1990s for the annual lecture in the series ‘Theology for Today’.

He was a twentieth-century man with a twenty-first century way of believing and as such was a godsend to newspaper editors and fundamentalist Christians. He was an easy target for bigots.

As with all of us, Bishop David was much more than that which others said of him. For me David Jenkins was a breath of fresh air, a bishop who did not need to hide behind clever words, finely rehearsed speeches or archaic theology. He did not pussyfoot before those with political clout.

One reason why he, as a bishop, was mistrusted by much of the establishment was that he was far too close to ordinary people. All establishments prefer bishops and the like to be set apart, somewhat remote, so that the boat of life glides rather than rocks. Although a somewhat shy person, he was much more of a boat rocker than a glider.

David Moore