Rowan's Rule: The Biography of the Archbishop of Canterbury

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Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, Feb 24, 2009 - Biography & Autobiography - 466 pages
A fascinating, fair-minded depiction of Archbishop Rowan Williams. /Rowan Williams is a complex and controversial figure. Widely revered for his personal qualities, he is also an intellectual giant who towers over almost all his predecessors as Archbishop of Canterbury. Among other achievements, he has trounced the atheist Richard Dawkins, and published over twenty well-regarded books, including several volumes of poetry and a major study of Dostoevsky. / Yet he is also one of the most reviled church leaders in modern history. Long before facing calls to step down after his lecture on sharia law in early 2008, he had been accused of heresy on account of his pro-gay views. He has disappointed many of his own supporters as well. So how has high office changed Rowan Williams? Has he been bullied and manipulated? Or is he perhaps playing a long game, obliged to rate church unity above the pursuit of his own vision at a time when the Anglican Communion has never looked more unstable? / Rupert Shortt, already the author of an acclaimed introduction to the Archbishop's thought, offers answers to these and other questions in this authoritative biography. He explores how the events of the Archbishop's remarkable life have shaped his beliefs and practices today. Of particular interest is the riveting account of Williams's experience near the World Trade Center towers on the morning of September 11, 201. Written with Williams's cooperation, Rowan's Rule not only elucidates his ideas but gives a compelling portrait of a private and in some ways surprisingly vulnerable man.
 

Contents

Introduction
1
Semper Sursum
23
Tradition and the Individual Talent
65
Where All the Ladders Led
107
Fox and Hedgehog
151
The Newport Years
185
Positive Capability
403
Copyright

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About the author (2009)

Rupert Shortt is religion editor of The Times LiterarySupplement and a visiting fellow of Blackfriars Hall, University of Oxford. His other books include Rowan'sRule: The Biography of the Archbishop of Canterburyand God's Advocates: Christian Thinkers inConversation. He lives in London.,

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