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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 January 2009
Sixty years after William Temple's death, little in the way of constructive theology has been done with the body of writings he left. Part of this is due to the way in which his legacy has been (mis)appropriated by some of the scholars and church leaders who are seen as his heirs and admirers. An over-emphasis on the ‘middle axioms’ approach exemplified in Christianity and Social Order, and later promoted heavily by Ronald Preston, explains much of this lack. Although the ‘middle axioms’ approach is still applicable, the principles set out in Temple's most famous work need to be re-examined and perhaps expanded in the light of a post-Christian plural society. The purpose of this essay is to examine a broader range of Temple's work than is commonly done. By doing so, I will propose that the virtues of intellectual excellence, graciousness, and the welfare of the wider (non-church) society are guiding principles for ecclesial being, speech and action that are fully present in Temple's writings.
1. Preston, Ronald, ‘William Temple: The Man and his Impact on Church and Society’, in Preston, Ronald, Brown, Malcom, Jenkins, Rachel and Addy, Tony (eds.), Archbishop William Temple: Issues in Church and Society 50 Years On (Manchester: The William Temple Foundation, 1994), pp. 4–16 (4).Google Scholar
2. Suggate, Alan, ‘Preface’, in Dackson, Wendy, The Ecclesiology of Archbishop William Temple (1881–1944) (Lewiston: Edwin Mellen Press, 2004), pp. i–iii (i).Google Scholar
3. Atherton, John, Public Theology for Changing Times (London: SPCK, 2000), p. 79.Google Scholar
4. Preston, , ‘William Temple’, p. 4Google Scholar. I do not think Preston is entirely off-base in his appropriation of Temple. His continuation of Temple's ethical and ecumenical concerns is very much in line with Temple's. I do, however, hold that he has not adequately assessed Temple's deeper theological foundations, and thus does not create an adequate ecclesiology from which to address those concerns. See Dackson, , ‘But Was it Meant to Be a Joke Legacy? Ronald Preston as Heir to William Temple’, Studies in Christian Ethics 17.2 (2004), pp. 148–61CrossRefGoogle Scholar, in which I explain further how Ronald Preston both was, and was not, Temple's theological successor.
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6. Norman, Edward, Secularisation (London: Continuum, 2000), pp. viii–ix.Google Scholar
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9. Atherton, John, Marginalization (London: SCM Press, 2003), p. 31Google Scholar. Atherton gives an excellent description of the declining influence of the church in contemporary British society (although the concepts are apt in other contexts, such as North America), and ways in which the church might work with both secular groups and other faiths to retain a corporate vitality. Space does not permit detailing his arguments here, but I highly recommend his book.
10. Atherton, , Marginalization, p. 33Google Scholar. I would venture that my own generation, born in the ‘baby boom’ years, is the first generation for whom it was socially acceptable not to profess at least nominal religious affiliation, and for whom it was common to be raised without some minimal level of religious activity.
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17. William Temple was the first son of an Archbishop of Canterbury to become Archbishop of Canterbury.
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28. See Dackson, , Ecclesiology of Archbishop William TempleGoogle Scholar. Also Dackson, , ‘But Was it Meant to Be a Joke Legacy?’Google Scholar
29. Charles Gore is most likely the influence on Temple's primary ecclesiological metaphor. See his The Holy Spirit and the Church (London: John Murray, 1924), pp. 26, 111, 147.Google Scholar
30. Dackson, , Ecclesiology of Archbishop William Temple, pp. 74–75.Google Scholar
31. Suggate, , ‘Preface’, p. ii.Google Scholar
32. Temple, William, Christus Veritas (London: Macmillan, repr., 1954 [1924]), p. 250.Google Scholar
33. Temple, , Christus Veritas, p. 237.Google Scholar
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37. Temple, William, The Church and its Teaching Today (New York: Macmillan, 1936), pp. 2–3.Google Scholar
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44. Temple, William, Nature, Man and God (London: Macmillan, repr., 1949 [1934]).Google Scholar
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54. Doctrine in the Church of England: The Report of the Commission on Christian Doctrine Appointed by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York in 1922 (Chairman's Introduction by Temple, W.; London: SPCK, 1950 [1938]), p. 1.Google Scholar
55. Temple, , Church and its Teaching, pp. 15–16.Google Scholar
56. Temple, , Readings in St. John's Gospel, p. 14.Google Scholar
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58. Temple, William, Issues of Faith (London: Macmillan, 1917), pp. 21–22.Google Scholar
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60. Preston, , ‘William Temple’, p. 9Google Scholar. However, Temple's use of the term ‘Christendom’ is quite different from that of most of his critics. It was ‘precisely the world no longer alien’ (Mens Creatrix [London: Macmillan, 1961 (1917)], p. 326Google Scholar), and thus something which had not yet been achieved.
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