The Reverend The Reverend is an style (manner of address), honorific style most often placed before the names of Christian clergy and Minister of religion, ministers. There are sometimes differences in the way the style is used in different countries and c ...

Frances Margaret Young, OBE, FBA (born 1939) is a British

Christian theologian Christian theology is the theology of Christian belief and practice. Such study concentrates primarily upon the texts of the Old Testament and of the New Testament, as well as on Christian tradition. Christian theologians use biblical exegesi ...

and

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

minister. She is

Emeritus Professor ''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...

at the

University of Birmingham , mottoeng = Through efforts to heights , established = 1825 – Birmingham School of Medicine and Surgery1836 – Birmingham Royal School of Medicine and Surgery1843 – Queen's College1875 – Mason Science College1898 – Mason Univers ...

Biography

Frances Young taught theology at the

from 1971, becoming the Edward Cadbury Professor and Head of the Department of Theology in 1986. During her time at the University, she also served as Dean of the Faculty of Arts (1995–97) and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (1997–2002). In 1984, she was ordained as a

minister, and has combined preaching in a local Circuit and pursuing her academic career. In 1998, she was awarded an OBE for services to Theology and in 2004, elected a Fellow of the

British Academy The British Academy is the United Kingdom's national academy for the humanities and the social sciences. It was established in 1902 and received its royal charter in the same year. It is now a fellowship of more than 1,000 leading scholars span ...

. In 2005, she retired from the University. On 15 November 2005, she preached at the opening service of the 8th

General Synod The General Synod is the title of the governing body of some church organizations. Anglican Communion The General Synod of the Church of England, which was established in 1970 replacing the Church Assembly (Church of England), Church Assembly, is t ...

of the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

, the first Methodist and the first woman to preach at the five-yearly inauguration ceremony. She delivered her

sermon A sermon is a religious discourse or oration by a preacher, usually a member of clergy. Sermons address a scriptural, theological, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law, or behavior within both past and present contexts. El ...

at the

Eucharist The Eucharist (; from Greek , , ), also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an ordinance in others. According to the New Testament, the rite was instit ...

service at which the then-Archbishop of Canterbury,

Rowan Williams Rowan Douglas Williams, Baron Williams of Oystermouth, (born 14 June 1950) is a Welsh Anglican bishop, theologian and poet. He was the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury, a position he held from December 2002 to December 2012. Previously the Bish ...

, presided. She served as editor of volumes 39–43 of the '' Studia Patristica'' and wrote academic and more popular theological writings, drawing on her work on the

New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Christ ...

and on Christianity in its formative centuries, but also on her experience as the mother of a son (Arthur) who was born with profound physical and mental disabilities.

Bibliography

*''Sacrifice and the death of Christ'', Philadelphia : Westminster Press, 1975, *''The Myth of God Incarnate'', ed. John Hick, London : SCM Press, 1977, *''Incarnation and Myth : The Debate Continued'', ed. Michael Goulder, London : SCM Press, 1979, *''Can these dry bones live? : the excitement of theological study'', London : SCM Press Ltd, 1982, *''From Nicaea to Chalcedon : a guide to the literature and its background'', London : SCM Press, 1983, *''Meaning and Truth in 2 Corinthians'', with David F Ford, London : SPCK, 1987, *''The art of performance: towards a theology of Holy Scripture'', London : Darton, Longman and Todd, 1990, *''Face to Face: A Narrative Essay in the Theology of Suffering'', Edinburgh : T. & T. Clark, 1991, *''The Making of the Creeds'', London : SCM Press, 1991, *''Virtuoso Theology: The Bible and Interpretation'', Eugene, OR : Wipf and Stock Publishers, 1993, *''Theology Of The Pastoral Letters'', Cambridge ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 1994, *''Dare We Speak of God in Public?'', London: Mowbray, 1995, *''Biblical Exegesis and the Formation of Christian Culture'', Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997, *''Brokenness and Blessing: Towards a Biblical Spirituality'',Grand Rapids, Mich. : Baker Academic, 2007, *''God's Presence: A Contemporary Recapitulation of Early Christianity'', Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 2013, *''Arthur's Call: A Journey of Faith in the Face of Severe Learning Disability'', London : SPCK, 2014, , *''All of You are one in Christ Jesus'' - Young, Frances M. All of You Are One in Christ Jesus : Bible Studies for the Fifth World Conference on Faith and Order. Santiago De Compostela, 1993. Geneva: Commission on Faith and Order, World Council of Churches, 1993. Print.

References

External links

Sermon by Frances Young entitled Bodily Creatures on disabilityMyth and Incarnation by Jerry H. Gill, Christian Century 21 December 1977, p. 1190Debating the Incarnation by Trevor Beeson, Christian Century 31 August – 7 September 1977. P. 740Revd Frances Young to preach at opening service of the General Synod 2005
* ttp://www.cofe.anglican.org/news/gssermon.html Text of Sermon at General Synod, 2005* {{DEFAULTSORT:Young, Frances 1939 births Academics of the University of Birmingham British biblical scholars Date of birth missing (living people) English Christian theologians English Methodist ministers Fellows of the British Academy Female biblical scholars Living people Methodist theologians Officers of the Order of the British Empire Place of birth missing (living people)