Colin Manley Morris (13 January 1929 – 20 May 2018) was an English
Methodist minister
Minister may refer to:
* Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric
** Minister (Catholic Church)
* Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department)
** Minister without portfolio, a member of government w ...
, author, and broadcaster. Born into a mining family in a village near
Bolton,
after his ordination he served the Methodist Church in
Zambia (then Northern Rhodesia) for fifteen years.
He stood out for racial integration within the church, became a close friend of the leader of the independence movement,
Kenneth Kaunda, and was closely involved in the formation of the
United Church in Zambia soon after the country became independent. He always espoused an explicitly anti-racist and
socialist position and argued that it represents the authentic spirit of Christianity. He died on 20 May 2018 at the age of 89.
After returning from Zambia, Colin Morris occupied prominent positions in British Methodism, becoming first the superintendent minister of
Wesley's Chapel in London,
and subsequently General Secretary of the Church's Overseas Division. He was
President of the Methodist Conference, elected in July 1976 and serving for the customary year term.
From early in his career, Morris was a regular speaker on the
BBC Radio 4 programme ''
Thought for the Day'', with a radical perspective and an instantly recognizable voice. For a period in 1971 he withdrew from the programme in protest against alleged representations by the
Conservative Party Whips against his criticism on the programme of the party's immigration policy as un-Christian, an incident that caused questions to be asked in the
House of Lords.
Hansard, 24 March 1971, Lords Sitting
Religious Broadcasting, Dr Colin Morris He was still contributing to ''Thought for the Day'' in 2010.
In 1978 Colin Morris moved out of the ordinary work of the Methodist ministry to work for the BBC, as head of TV Religious Programmes.BBC Northern Ireland
BBC Northern Ireland ( ga, BBC Thuaisceart Éireann; Ulster-Scots: ''BBC Norlin Airlan'') is a division of the BBC and the main public broadcaster in Northern Ireland. It is widely available across both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ire ...
. After retiring from management within the BBC he continued to broadcast, presenting numerous religious programmes. From 1991 to 1996 he served as Director of the Centre for Religious Communication in Oxford.
As well as his broadcasting work, Colin Morris was a prolific author of books and pamphlet
A pamphlet is an unbound book (that is, without a hard cover or binding). Pamphlets may consist of a single sheet of paper that is printed on both sides and folded in half, in thirds, or in fourths, called a ''leaflet'' or it may consist of a ...
s. Most of his published work reflected either his experience as a white missionary in black Africa, or as an ordained minister working as a professional broadcaster.
Published books
*''Out of Africa’s Crucible. Sermons from Central Africa''. Lutterworth, 1960.
*''Black government? A discussion between Colin Morris and Kenneth Kaunda.'' United Society for Christian Literature, 1960.
*''The Hour after Midnight. A missionary’s experiences of the racial and political struggle in Northern Rhodesia.'' Longman, 1961.
*''Church and Challenge in a New Africa: Political sermons''. Epworth Press, 1964.
*''Include me out! Confessions of an ecclesiastical coward''. Epworth Press, 1968; Fontana, 1975.
*''Unyoung, uncoloured, unpoor''. Epworth Press, 1969.
*''Mankind my church''. Hodder & Stoughton, 1971.
*''What the papers didn’t say, and other broadcast talks''. Epworth Press, 1971.
*''Epistles to the Apostle: Tarsus-please forward.'' Hodder & Stoughton, 1972.
*''The hammer of the Lord: Sign of hope.'' Epworth Press, 1973.
*''Word and the Words : The Voigt Lectures on Preaching.'' Epworth Press, 1975.
*''Bugles in the afternoon''. Epworth Press, 1977.
*''Get through till nightfall''. Fount, 1979.
*''God-in-a-box: Christian strategy in the television age.'' Hodder & Stoughton, 1984.
*''A week in the life of God''. Epworth Press, 1986.
*''Wrestling with an angel''. Collins Fount, 1990.
*''God in the shower: thoughts from Today.'' Macmillan, 2002.
*''Things shaken - things unshaken : reflections on faith and terror''. Epworth Press, 2006.
*''Bullet point beliefs: The best of Colin Morris'' (Edited by Rosemary Foxcroft). Canterbury Press, 2007
Works about Colin Morris
*''A Humanist in Africa. Letters to Colin M. Morris from Kenneth D. Kaunda.''. Longman, 1966.
*Charlton, L. ''Spark in the stubble: Dr Morris of Zambia''. Epworth Press, 1969.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morris, Colin Manley
1929 births
2018 deaths
English Methodist ministers
Clergy from Bolton
Presidents of the Methodist Conference
20th-century English Methodist ministers
21st-century English Methodist ministers