Martin Thornton (11 November 1915 – 22 June 1986) was an English

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

spiritual director Spiritual direction is the practice of being with people as they attempt to deepen their relationship with the divine, or to learn and grow in their personal spirituality. The person seeking direction shares stories of their encounters of the di ...

, author and lecturer on

ascetical theology Ascetical theology is the organized study or presentation of spiritual teachings found in Christian Scripture and the Church Fathers that help the faithful to more perfectly follow Christ and attain to Christian perfection. Christian asceticism ...

. His "theology of the

remnant Remnant or remnants may refer to: Religion * Remnant (Bible), a recurring theme in the Bible * Remnant (Seventh-day Adventist belief), the remnant theme in the Seventh-day Adventist Church * ''The Remnant'' (newspaper), a traditional Catholic ne ...

" has been influential in Anglican circles. He was active for much of his life in the

Diocese of Truro The Diocese of Truro (established 1876) is a Church of England diocese in the Province of Canterbury which covers Cornwall, the Isles of Scilly and a small part of Devon. The bishop's seat is at Truro Cathedral. Geography and history The di ...

, England, serving 10 years as the canon chancellor of Truro Cathedral. He died on 22 June 1986'In Memoriam: Martin Thornton', Church Times, 27 June 1986 and was buried at the

Townsend Cemetery The Townsend Cemetery is located atop one of the most distinguished hills surrounding Oyster Bay, New York, USA. Members of the prominent Townsend family, some of whom built and later lived in Raynham Hall, are buried here. An old fort dating from ...

Crewkerne Crewkerne ( ) is a town and electoral ward in Somerset, England, southwest of Yeovil and east of Chard all in the South Somerset district. The civil parish of West Crewkerne includes the hamlets of Coombe, Woolminstone and Henley – and b ...

, South Somerset District, Somerset, England. The

epitaph An epitaph (; ) is a short text honoring a deceased person. Strictly speaking, it refers to text that is inscribed on a tombstone or plaque, but it may also be used in a figurative sense. Some epitaphs are specified by the person themselves be ...

on his tombstone is "The word of God his Rule / The Glory of God his Aim / And to God the Holy Trinity / was all his guiding."

Published works

* ''Rural Synthesis: The Religious Basis of Rural Culture'' (1948) * ''Pastoral Theology: A Reorientation'' (1956); new edition ''The Heart of the Parish: Theology of the Remnant'' (posthumous, 1989) * ''Christian Proficiency'' (1959) * ''Essays in Pastoral Reconstruction'' (1960) * ''

Margery Kempe ' Margery Kempe ( – after 1438) was an English Christian mystic, known for writing through dictation ''The Book of Margery Kempe'', a work considered by some to be the first autobiography in the English language. Her book chronicles Kempe's do ...

: An Example in the English Pastoral Tradition'' (1960) * ''The Purple-Headed Mountain'' (1963) * ''English Spirituality: An Outline of Ascetical Theology according to the English Pastoral Tradition'' (1963) * ''The Rock and the River: An Encounter between Traditional Spirituality and Modern Thought'' (1965) * ''The Function of Theology'' (1968) * ''Prayer: A New Encounter'' (1972) * ''My God: A Reappraisal of Normal Religious Experience'' (1974) * ''Spiritual Direction'' (1982) * ''A Joyful Heart: Meditations for Lent'' (posthumous, 1988)

References

External links

* 20th-century English Anglican priests 1915 births 1986 deaths Anglican philosophers English Anglican theologians English religious writers {{Christian-theologian-stub