author
William Temple
1881–1944
A leading voice in the Church of England during some of Britain’s hardest years, he brought religion into public debates about education, work, and social justice. His writing and preaching made him one of the best-known Anglican thinkers of the early twentieth century.
1 Audiobook
Church and Nation The Bishop Paddock Lectures for 1914-15
by William Temple
About the author
Born in Exeter on October 15, 1881, William Temple grew up in a family already closely tied to the Church of England: his father, Frederick Temple, also became Archbishop of Canterbury. He was educated at Rugby and Balliol College, Oxford, where he built a reputation as an able thinker and speaker before moving into ordained ministry.
Temple went on to serve as Bishop of Manchester, then Archbishop of York, and finally Archbishop of Canterbury from 1942 until his death in 1944. He became especially known for linking Christian faith with public life, arguing that the church should speak clearly about poverty, labor, education, and the kind of society Britain should build.
Remembered as both a theologian and a reform-minded church leader, he also played an important part in the ecumenical movement, working for greater cooperation among Christian churches. His influence has lasted well beyond his lifetime, especially through writings such as Christianity and Social Order and through the example he set of a church engaged with the world around it.