John Vernon Taylor
Encyclopedia
John Vernon Taylor was an English
bishop
and theologian.
Taylor was educated at St Lawrence College
, Trinity College, Cambridge
, St Catherine's Society
and Wycliffe Hall
at Oxford
, and the Institute of Education
.
His father, John Ralph Strickland Taylor, had been Bishop of Sodor and Man
from 1943 to 1954.
He was ordained in the Church of England
in 1938., After five years of Christian ministry in England,three of them as curate of St Helen's in the diocese of Liverpool, he moved to Mukono, Uganda
, as a missionary
working in theological education. He returned to England in 1954 and worked for the International Missionary Council. In 1959 he became Africa Secretary of the Church Missionary Society, and in 1963 he succeeded Max Warren as its General Secretary, remaining in post until 1973. He then served as Bishop of Winchester
from 1974 to 1984, succeeding Falkner Allison
, an old fashioned Evangelical much loved by all parties within the diocese.
He was the first priest to be consecrated directly to the See of Winchester since William Day
in 1595, and was respected throughout the diocese and beyond mainly by liberals and modernists, but failed to gain the trust of Anglo-Catholics. A product of Wycliffe Hall,with connections with All Souls, Langham Place, he was nevertheless a liberal evangelical rather than a conservative one. When first consecrated, he initially caused some amusement by refusing to wear a mitre and ordering that it be carried in front of him on a cushion in processions. After that one occasion he revert to custom and wore it.
In the Diocesan contribution to Parish Magazines he wrote a series of articles entitled "Rose Window", which among other views asserted that Christ did not intend to found a church and that the new eucharistic rites in the ASB together with the New Mass of the Roman Catholic Church were the work of the Holy Spirit. From the pulpit he campaigned vigorously against the Book of Common Prayer and in favour of the Alternative Service Book. He achieved some notoriety by suggesting that a service to be said after abortion be added to the ASB.
The most notable of his books were The Go-Between God (1972) and The Christlike God (1992), both of which remain in print.
Christian Mission with John V Taylor
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
and theologian.
Taylor was educated at St Lawrence College
St. Lawrence College, Ramsgate
St. Lawrence College is a co-educational independent school situated in the town of Ramsgate in Kent.- History :It was founded in 1879, known as South Eastern College. The school rapidly outgrew the single house, leading to the main building of the present day college by 1884. The chapel was...
, Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
, St Catherine's Society
St Catherine's College, Oxford
St Catherine's College, often called Catz, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its motto is Nova et Vetera...
and Wycliffe Hall
Wycliffe Hall, Oxford
Wycliffe Hall is a Church of England theological college and a Permanent Private Hall of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It is located on the Banbury Road in central North Oxford, between Norham Gardens and Norham Road.-Overview:...
at Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
, and the Institute of Education
Institute of Education
The Institute of Education is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom specialised in postgraduate study and research in the field of education and a constituent college of the federal University of London. It is the largest education research body in the United Kingdom, with...
.
His father, John Ralph Strickland Taylor, had been Bishop of Sodor and Man
Bishop of Sodor and Man
The Bishop of Sodor and Man is the Ordinary of the Diocese of Sodor and Man in the Province of York in the Church of England. The diocese covers the Isle of Man. The see is in the town of Peel where the bishop's seat is located at the Cathedral Church of St German, elevated to cathedral status on 1...
from 1943 to 1954.
He was ordained in the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
in 1938., After five years of Christian ministry in England,three of them as curate of St Helen's in the diocese of Liverpool, he moved to Mukono, Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
, as a missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
working in theological education. He returned to England in 1954 and worked for the International Missionary Council. In 1959 he became Africa Secretary of the Church Missionary Society, and in 1963 he succeeded Max Warren as its General Secretary, remaining in post until 1973. He then served as Bishop of Winchester
Bishop of Winchester
The Bishop of Winchester is the head of the Church of England diocese of Winchester, with his cathedra at Winchester Cathedral in Hampshire.The bishop is one of five Church of England bishops to be among the Lords Spiritual regardless of their length of service. His diocese is one of the oldest and...
from 1974 to 1984, succeeding Falkner Allison
Falkner Allison
-Life:He was Bishop of Chelmsford from 1951, and Bishop of Winchester in 1961, retiring in 1974.-Notes:...
, an old fashioned Evangelical much loved by all parties within the diocese.
He was the first priest to be consecrated directly to the See of Winchester since William Day
William Day (bishop)
William Day was an English clergyman, Provost of Eton College for many years, and at the end of his life Bishop of Winchester.-Life:...
in 1595, and was respected throughout the diocese and beyond mainly by liberals and modernists, but failed to gain the trust of Anglo-Catholics. A product of Wycliffe Hall,with connections with All Souls, Langham Place, he was nevertheless a liberal evangelical rather than a conservative one. When first consecrated, he initially caused some amusement by refusing to wear a mitre and ordering that it be carried in front of him on a cushion in processions. After that one occasion he revert to custom and wore it.
In the Diocesan contribution to Parish Magazines he wrote a series of articles entitled "Rose Window", which among other views asserted that Christ did not intend to found a church and that the new eucharistic rites in the ASB together with the New Mass of the Roman Catholic Church were the work of the Holy Spirit. From the pulpit he campaigned vigorously against the Book of Common Prayer and in favour of the Alternative Service Book. He achieved some notoriety by suggesting that a service to be said after abortion be added to the ASB.
The most notable of his books were The Go-Between God (1972) and The Christlike God (1992), both of which remain in print.
External links
Obituaries- http://www.guardian.co.uk/obituaries/story/0,3604,434565,00.html
- http://archive.thisisdorset.net/2001/02/08/104848.html
Christian Mission with John V Taylor
- http://web.archive.org/web/20041118014037/http://www.geocities.com/ccom_ctbi/CCOM_documents/waterloo_seminar_dwood_mission_with_jvt.htm