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

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

and former

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

officer. He was the

Bishop of Oxford The Bishop of Oxford is the diocesan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Oxford in the Province of Canterbury; his seat is at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford. The current bishop is Steven Croft (bishop), Steven Croft, following the Confirm ...

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 and

Royal Military Academy Sandhurst The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS or RMA Sandhurst), commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is one of several military academy, military academies of the United Kingdom and is the British Army's initial Commissioned officer, officer train ...

. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the

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

on 16 December 1955 and was promoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

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 is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1882 by the Selwyn Memorial Committee in memory of George Selwyn (bishop of Lichfield), Georg ...

, 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 Queen Mary University of London (QMUL, or informally QM, and formerly Queen Mary and Westfield College) is a public research university in Mile End, East London, England. It is a member institution of the federal University of London. Today, ...

) (1967–69). He became a tutor at

Wells Theological College Wells Theological College began operation in 1840 within the Cathedral Close of Wells Cathedral. It was one of several new colleges created in the nineteenth century to cater not just for non-graduates, but for graduates from the old universiti ...

(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

in 1987, being consecrated on 28 May at

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Paul the Apostle, is an Anglican cathedral in London, England, the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London in the Church of Engl ...

by Robert Runcie,

Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the Primus inter pares, ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the bishop of the diocese of Canterbury. The first archbishop ...

and taking a seat as a

Lord Spiritual The Lords Spiritual are the bishops of the Church of England who sit in the House of Lords of the United Kingdom. Up to 26 of the 42 diocesan bishops and archbishops of the Church of England serve as Lords Spiritual (not including retired bish ...

in the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

in 1993. In 1999 he was appointed to the

Royal Commission A royal commission is a major ad-hoc formal public inquiry into a defined issue in some monarchies. They have been held in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway, Malaysia, Mauritius and Saudi Arabia. In republics an equi ...

(chaired by John Wakeham) to investigate a possible reorganisation of the House of Lords, which produced the Wakeham Report. He retired on 2 June 2006, his 70th birthday. In the week prior to his retirement, on 26 May 2006,

Downing Street Downing Street is a gated street in City of Westminster, Westminster in London that houses the official residences and offices of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and the Chancellor of the Exchequer. In a cul-de-sac situated off Whiteh ...

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. Life peers are appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister. With the exception of the D ...

, 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, covering the modern counties Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire. It is mostly rural area with a coastline on the Irish Sea and the Bristol Channel. Between 1974 and 1996, Dyfed w ...

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

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 Ethics and Law Committee) and a member of the Nuffield Council on Bioethics, as well as chairing the

select committee on

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

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 Christian Aid is a relief and development charity of 41 Christian (Protestant and Orthodox) churches in Great Britain and Ireland, and works to support sustainable development, eradicate poverty, support civil society and provide disaster rel ...

. He was also a member of the

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: * The current day and calendar date ** Today is between and , subject to the local time zone * Now, the time that is perceived directly, present * The current, present era Arts, entertainment and m ...

'' programme on

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...

, 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 Nuffield Council on Bioethics 2002–2008. In 2002 he was visiting professor at Liverpool Hope University College. In 2008 he replaced Keith Ward 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 Utopian and dystopian fiction, dy ...

in ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...

'' 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 increasing numbers of

homeless Homelessness, also known as houselessness or being unhoused or unsheltered, is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and functional housing. It includes living on the streets, moving between temporary accommodation with family or friends, liv ...

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 Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...

should feature readings from the

Quran The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...

, the holy book of Islam. On 11 February 2017, Harries was one of 14 retired bishops to sign an

open letter An open letter is a Letter (message), 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 (mess ...

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 ...

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) 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 university, public research university in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV ...

(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 800 Fellows, elect ...

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 Academy, National Academies, the others being the British Academy, the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Royal Society. Its ...

in 2004. In 1994 he became a

Doctor of Divinity A Doctor of Divinity (DD or DDiv; ) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity (academic discipline), divinity (i.e., Christian theology and Christian ministry, ministry or other theologies. The term is more common in the Englis ...

''honoris causa'' of the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...

and in 2001 he was honoured with the degree of Doctor of the University (DUniv) by

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

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

British Academy The British Academy for the Promotion of Historical, Philosophical and Philological Studies 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 sa ...

. In 2012, he was elected a

Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales The Learned Society of Wales () is a national academy, learned society and charity that exists to "celebrate, recognise, preserve, protect and encourage excellence in all of the scholarly disciplines", and to serve the Welsh nation. The Learned ...

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 Metropolitan Kallistos (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 (), later made a titu ...

)'' (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'' (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, literary scholar and Anglican lay theologian. He held academic positions in English literature at both Magdalen College, Oxford (1925–1954), and Magdalen ...

: 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 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 Honorary Fellows of Selwyn College, Cambridge People associated with Westfield College Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature Fellows of the Academy of Medical Sciences (United Kingdom) Academics of Gresham College Recipients of the President's Medal (British Academy) 20th-century British Army personnel Life peers created by Elizabeth II Fellows of the Learned Society of Wales