Richard Douglas Harries, Baron Harries of Pentregarth, (born 2 June 1936) is a retired bishop 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 Brit ...

and former

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurkha ...

officer. He was the Bishop of Oxford from 1987 to 2006. From 2008 until 2012 he was the Gresham Professor of Divinity.

Education and army career

Harries was educated at

Wellington College Wellington College may refer to: * Wellington College, Berkshire, an independent school in Crowthorne, Berkshire, England ** Wellington College International Shanghai ** Wellington College International Tianjin *Wellington College, Wellington, New ...

and

Royal Military Academy Sandhurst The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS or RMA Sandhurst), commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is one of several military academies of the United Kingdom and is the British Army's initial officer training centre. It is located in the town o ...

. He was commissioned as a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army unt ...

in the

Royal Corps of Signals The Royal Corps of Signals (often simply known as the Royal Signals – abbreviated to R SIGNALS or R SIGS) is one of the combat support arms of the British Army. Signals units are among the first into action, providing the battlefield commun ...

on 16 December 1955 and was promoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

two years later. He left the active Regular Army on 12 September 1958 (transferring to the reserve of officers), and went to

Selwyn College, Cambridge Selwyn College, Cambridge (formally Selwyn College in the University of Cambridge) is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1882 by the Selwyn Memorial Committee in memory of George Augustus Selwyn ( ...

, where he studied theology (BA 1961, MA 1965), before going on to Cuddesdon College (1961–63) to study for ordination. He formally resigned his original army commission on 18 March 1965, but was immediately recommissioned as Chaplain to the Forces 4th Class in the Territorial Army; on 29 October 1969 he once more transferred to the reserve.

Church ministry

Harries was made deacon in 1963, becoming assistant curate of Hampstead St John in the Diocese of London (1963–69). He was ordained priest the following year and later combined his ministry at St John's with the chaplaincy of the former

Westfield College Westfield College was a small college situated in Hampstead, London, from 1882 to 1989. It was the first college to aim to educate women for University of London degrees from its opening. The college originally admitted only women as students and ...

(now part of

Queen Mary, University of London , mottoeng = With united powers , established = 1785 – The London Hospital Medical College1843 – St Bartholomew's Hospital Medical College1882 – Westfield College1887 – East London College/Queen Mary College , type = Public researc ...

) (1967–69). He became a tutor at Wells Theological College (1969–71) and was then warden of the new Salisbury and Wells Theological College (1971–72). He returned to parish ministry as vicar of All Saints', Fulham (1972–1981) and returned to academia as Dean of King's College London (1981–1987). He was appointed Bishop of Oxford in 1987, being consecrated on 28 May at

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglicanism, Anglican cathedral in London and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London. It is on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London ...

Robert Runcie Robert Alexander Kennedy Runcie, Baron Runcie, (2 October 1921 – 11 July 2000) was an English Anglican bishop. He was the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1980 to 1991, having previously been Bishop of St Albans. He travelled the world widely ...

Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Just ...

and taking a seat as a Lord Spiritual in the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminst ...

in 1993. In 1999 he was appointed to the Royal Commission (chaired by John Wakeham) to investigate a possible reorganisation of the House of Lords, which produced the

Wakeham Report {{Use dmy dates, date=April 2022 ''A House for the Future'', known as the Wakeham Report, published in 2000, was the report of a Royal Commission headed by Lord Wakeham, concerning reform of the House of Lords. Recommendations of the report In its ...

. He retired on 2 June 2006, his 70th birthday. In the week prior to his retirement, on 26 May 2006,

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announced that he was to be made a

life peer In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. In modern times, life peerages, always created at the rank of baron, are created under the Life Peerages ...

, and he was

gazetted A gazette is an official journal, a newspaper of record, or simply a newspaper. In English and French speaking countries, newspaper publishers have applied the name ''Gazette'' since the 17th century; today, numerous weekly and daily newspapers ...

as Baron Harries of Pentregarth, of Ceinewydd in the County of

Dyfed Dyfed () is a preserved county in southwestern Wales. It is a mostly rural area with a coastline on the Irish Sea and the Bristol Channel. Between 1974 and 1996, Dyfed was also the name of the area's county council and the name remains in use f ...

on 30 June 2006. He sits as a cross-bencher. On 4 August 2006, he was appointed to the

Court of Ecclesiastical Causes Reserved The Court of Ecclesiastical Causes Reserved is an appellate court within the hierarchy of ecclesiastical courts of the Church of England. Hearing cases involving church doctrine, ceremony, or ritual, the court has jurisdiction over both the Provin ...

for a period of five years.

Other activities

In 1986, Harries took up a subsidiary appointment as consultant to the archbishops of Canterbury and York on inter-faith relations. As Bishop of Oxford he became a founder member of the Oxford Abrahamic Group, bringing together Christian, Muslim, and Jewish scholars. He chaired the Council of Christians and Jews from 1992 until 2001. In 1988 he was president of the Johnson Society, delivering a presidential address on "Johnson – A Church of England Saint". He has been a member of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (including serving as chair of the

HFEA The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) is an executive non-departmental public body of the Department of Health and Social Care in the United Kingdom. It is a statutory body that regulates and inspects all clinics in the Unite ...

Ethics and Law Committee) and a member of the

Nuffield Council on Bioethics The Nuffield Council on Bioethics is a UK-based independent charitable body, which examines and reports on bioethical issues raised by new advances in biological and medical research. Established in 1991, the Council is funded by the Nuffield Fo ...

, as well as chairing the

select committee Select committee may refer to: *Select committee (parliamentary system) A select committee is a committee made up of a small number of parliamentary members appointed to deal with particular areas or issues originating in the Westminster system o ...

stem cell In multicellular organisms, stem cells are undifferentiated or partially differentiated cells that can differentiate into various types of cells and proliferate indefinitely to produce more of the same stem cell. They are the earliest type of ...

research. He was chairman of the Church of England Board for Social Responsibility (1996–2001) and chairman of the

House of Bishops The House of Bishops is the third House in a General Synod of some Anglican churches and the second house in the General Convention of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America.

' Working Party on Issues in Human Sexuality and has served on the board of Christian Aid. He was also a member of the Royal Commission on the Reform of the

(the

Wakeham Commission {{Use dmy dates, date=April 2022 ''A House for the Future'', known as the Wakeham Report, published in 2000, was the report of a Royal Commission headed by Lord Wakeham, concerning reform of the House of Lords. Recommendations of the report In its ...

). A regular contributor to the ''

Today Today (archaically to-day) may refer to: * Day of the present, the time that is perceived directly, often called ''now'' * Current era, present * The current calendar date Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Today'' (1930 film), a 1930 ...

'' programme on

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, including many appearances on '' Thought for the Day'', he has published three books of radio talks. He is a patron of POWER International, a charity working with disabled people in poor countries. Harries was a member of the

2002–2008. In 2002 he was visiting professor at Liverpool Hope University College. In 2008 he replaced

Keith Ward Keith Ward (born 1938) is an English philosopher, and theologian. He is a fellow of the British Academy and a Anglican priest, priest of the Church of England. He was a canon of Christ Church, Oxford, until 2003. Comparative theology and the rela ...

as the Gresham Professor of Divinity. Harries insisted that there was no conflict between science and religion. He was critical of both outspoken atheists and creationists: "From time to time, I see American creationist magazines with articles by people claiming to have doctorates in science. Judging religion only on the basis of its least credible examples is as though I judged all science on the basis of creationist science." Harries currently serves as an Advisory Steering Group member for the Commission on Religion and Belief in British Public Life. Harries is the author of 26 books on the interface of Christian faith and wider culture, including ethics, politics and the arts, especially the visual arts. These include ''The Passion in Art'' (Ashgate 2004) and ''Art and the Beauty of God'' (Continuum 2000), which was chosen as a book of the year by the

Anthony Burgess John Anthony Burgess Wilson, (; 25 February 1917 – 22 November 1993), who published under the name Anthony Burgess, was an English writer and composer. Although Burgess was primarily a comic writer, his dystopian satire ''A Clockwork ...

in ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the ...

'' when it was originally published in 1993. ''The Re-Enchantment of Morality'' (SPCK 2008) was shortlisted for the 2011 Michael Ramsey prize for theological writing. ''The Image of Christ in Modern Art'' was published by Ashgate in October 2013. Harries reviews books regularly for the ''

Church Times The ''Church Times'' is an independent Anglican weekly newspaper based in London and published in the United Kingdom on Fridays. History The ''Church Times'' was founded on 7 February 1863 by George Josiah Palmer, a printer. It fought for the ...

''.

Legacy and reputation

His passion for social justice influenced his liberal views. At the start of his episcopacy, he brought legal proceedings challenging the Church Commissioners' policy on investment. He and his co-plaintiffs argued that the Church Commissioners placed too much emphasis on purely financial considerations and insufficient emphasis upon the promotion of the Christian faith. Although this challenge failed – the Commissioners already had an ethical investment policy, albeit one which excluded a smaller part of the UK share market than the plaintiffs had wanted to exclude – the Court recognised that it was proper for charities to consider whether their investment strategies would alienate the charity's financial supporters. In 1996, Harries formed part of a working group of church leaders looking to address the rise of rough sleepers in west London. Harries and the other original founders championed the need for an open-access shelter that welcomed all in need, regardless of local connection, religion or nationality. The group, formerly known as West London Churches Homeless Concern, gained charity status in 2000 and changed its name to "Glass Door" in 2014. It continues to operate church-based homeless shelters across central and south-west London. In 2014, Harries stated in the House of Lords that the next British coronation in

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United ...

should feature readings from the

Quran The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , ...

, the holy book of Islam. On 11 February 2017, Harries was one of fourteen retired bishops to sign an

open letter An open letter is a letter that is intended to be read by a wide audience, or a letter intended for an individual, but that is nonetheless widely distributed intentionally. Open letters usually take the form of a letter addressed to an indiv ...

to the then-serving bishops of the Church of England. In an unprecedented move, they expressed their opposition to the House of Bishops' report to

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, is the legislative body of the Church of ...

on sexuality, which recommended no change to the church's canons or practices around sexuality. By 13 February, a serving bishop ( Alan Wilson,

Bishop of Buckingham The Bishop of Buckingham is an episcopal title used by a suffragan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Oxford, in the Province of Canterbury, England. The title takes its name from the historic county town of Buckingham; the See was er ...

) and nine further retired bishops had added their signatures; on 15 February, the report was rejected by synod.

Honours

Harries was appointed a fellow of

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...

(FKC) in 1983, a fellow of the

Royal Society of Literature The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) is a learned society founded in 1820, by King George IV, to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". A charity that represents the voice of literature in the UK, the RSL has about 600 Fellows, ele ...

in 1996, and an honorary fellow of the

Academy of Medical Sciences The Academy of Medical Sciences is an organisation established in the UK in 1998. It is one of the four UK National Academies, the others being the British Academy, the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Royal Society. Its mission is to adv ...

in 2004. In 1994 he became a

Doctor of Divinity A Doctor of Divinity (D.D. or DDiv; la, Doctor Divinitatis) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity. In the United Kingdom, it is considered an advanced doctoral degree. At the University of Oxford, doctors of divinity are ran ...

''honoris causa'' of the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degr ...

and in 2001 he was honoured with the degree of

Doctor of the University An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad ho ...

(DUniv) by

Oxford Brookes University Oxford Brookes University (formerly known as Oxford Polytechnic) is a public university in Oxford, England. It is a new university, having received university status through the Further and Higher Education Act 1992. The university was named ...

. In 2012, he was awarded the President's Medal by 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 s ...

Bibliography

*''Prayers of Hope'' (BBC, 1975) *''Turning to Prayer'' (Mowbray, 1978), *''Prayers of Grief and Glory'' (Lutterworth Press, 1979), *''Being a Christian'' (Mowbray, 1981), (published in the U.S. as ''What Christians Believe'') *''Should a Christian Support Guerrillas?'' (Lutterworth Press, 1982), *''What Hope in an Armed World?'' (Pickering & Inglis, 1982), (ed.) *''The Authority of Divine Love'' (Blackwell, 1983), *''Praying Round the Clock'' (Mowbray, 1983), *''Seasons of the Spirit: Readings Through the Christian Year (ed. with George Every and

Kallistos Ware Kallistos Ware (born Timothy Richard Ware, 11 September 1934 – 24 August 2022) was an English bishop and theologian of the Eastern Orthodox Church. From 1982, he held the titular bishopric of Diokleia in Phrygia ( gr, Διόκλεια Φρ� ...

)'' (SPCK, 1984), (published in the U.S. as ''The Time of the Spirit'') *''Morning Has Broken: Thoughts and Prayers from BBC Radio 4's "Today" Programme'' (Marshalls, 1985), *''Prayer and the Pursuit of Happiness'' (Fount, 1985), *''

Reinhold Niebuhr Karl Paul Reinhold Niebuhr (June 21, 1892 – June 1, 1971) was an American Reformed theologian, ethicist, commentator on politics and public affairs, and professor at Union Theological Seminary for more than 30 years. Niebuhr was one of Ameri ...

and the Issues of Our Time'' (Mowbray, 1986), (ed.) *''Christianity & War in a Nuclear Age'' (Mowbray, 1986), *''The One Genius: Readings Through the Year with

Austin Farrer Austin Marsden Farrer (1 October 1904 – 29 December 1968) was an English Anglican philosopher, theologian, and biblical scholar. His activity in philosophy, theology, and spirituality led many to consider him one of the greatest figures of 20t ...

'' (SPCK, 1987), *''Christ Is Risen'' (Mowbray, 1987), *''Evidence for the Love of God'' (Mowbray, 1987), *''

C. S. Lewis Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963) was a British writer and Anglican lay theologian. He held academic positions in English literature at both Oxford University (Magdalen College, 1925–1954) and Cambridge Univer ...

: The Man and His God'' (Fount, 1987), *''Shalom and Pax: Christian Concepts of Peace'' (Oxford Project for Peace Studies, 1990), *''Is There a Gospel for the Rich?: Christian Obedience in a Capitalist World'' (Mowbray, 1992), *''Art and the Beauty of God: A Christian Understanding'' (Mowbray, 1993), *''The Real God: A Response to Anthony Freeman's "God in Us"'' (Mowbray, 1994), *''A Gallery of Reflections: The Nativity of Christ'' (Lion, 1995), *''Questioning Belief'' (SPCK, 1995), *''Two Cheers for Secularism'' (Pilkington Press, 1998), (ed. with Sidney Brichto) *''In the Gladness of Today: Thoughts for the Day'' (Fount, 1999), *''Christianity: Two Thousand Years'' (Oxford University Press, 2001), (ed. with Henry Mayr-Harting) *''God Outside the Box: Why Spiritual People Object to Christianity'' (SPCK, 2002), *''After the Evil: Christianity and Judaism in the Shadow of the Holocaust'' (Oxford University Press, 2003), *''The Passion in Art'' (Ashgate, 2004), *''Abraham's Children: Jews, Christians and Muslims in Conversation'' (T&T Clark, 2005), (ed. with Norman Solomon and Tim Winter and Dale Harries) * ''The Re-enchantment of Morality'' (2008) * ''Faith in Politics? Rediscovering the Christian Roots of our Political Values'' (2010) * ''Issues of Life and Death: Christian Faith and Medical Intervention'' (2010) * ''Reinhold Niebuhr and Contemporary Politics. God and Power'' (editor, 2010) * ''The Image of Christ in Modern Art'' (Ashgate 2013),

References

External links

Biography page on Gresham College websiteOfficial announcement of his peerageCommission on Religion and Belief in British Public Life
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harries of Pentregarth, Richard Douglas Harries, Baron Bishops of Oxford Alumni of Ripon College Cuddesdon Royal Corps of Signals officers Royal Army Chaplains' Department officers Graduates of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst 1936 births Living people People educated at Wellington College, Berkshire Crossbench life peers Ordained peers Alumni of Selwyn College, Cambridge Academics of Liverpool Hope University Deans of King's College London Fellows of King's College London People associated with Westfield College Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature Fellows of the Academy of Medical Sciences (United Kingdom) Professors of Gresham College Recipients of the President's Medal (British Academy) 20th-century British Army personnel Life peers created by Elizabeth II