Lindsay Urwin

The Right Reverend Lindsay Goodall Urwin OGS, (born 13 March 1956) is the current Anglican Bishop of Horsham in southern England.

Life and career

Bishop Urwin was born in Australia and went to Camberwell Grammar School in Melbourne. He came to England and decided he wanted to be a priest when he was working as a barman and a customer said "I f.....g hate priests." [http://trushare.com/33FEB98/FE98URWI.HTM] He studied at Ripon College, Cuddesdon, and later took an M.A. in Liturgy (2003) from Heythrop College, University of London [cite web | url =http://www.crockford.org.uk/ | title = Crockford's Clerical Directory | accessdate = 2007-07-01 ]

He was ordained deacon in 1980 and priest in 1981. After being the curate of St Peter's Church, Walworth (1980-83) he was then Vicar of St Faith, North Dulwich (1983-88).

Urwin was a diocesan missioner in the Chichester diocese from 1988 to 1993 before being asked by the then Bishop of Chichester, Eric Kemp, to be the Bishop of Horsham in West Sussex 1993 at the age of 39. He became a member of the Oratory of the Good Shepherd (OGS) in 1991 and served as its UK Provincial (head) from 1996 to 2005. The OGS is an international religious society of priests and laymen bound together by a common rule and discipline, including a requirement of celibacy.

He is currently the Provost of Ardingly College.

On 14 August 2008 it was announced that Bishop Urwin would succeed Fr Philip North CMP as the Priest Administrator of the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham.

Controversy

In January 2008 Bishop Urwin signed a letter of support for the controversial decision by the Bishop of San Joaquin, California, to take his diocese out of the the Episcopal Church of the United States of America (ECUSA). [http://www.thinkinganglicans.org.uk/archives/002833.html] One of the Bishop of San Joaquin's main objections to ECUSA was its consecration of a gay bishop, Gene Robinson [http://episcopalwalkout.wordpress.com/2007/12/31/diocese-of-san-joaquin/] . It is possible that Bishop Urwin signed the letter because of his opposition to the ordination of women [http://trushare.com/33FEB98/FE98URWI.HTM] , but Bishop Urwin has given no explanation beyond the letter itself. The letter praised "the courageous decision of the Diocesan Convention of San Joaquin to take leave of The Episcopal Church and to align with the Province of the Southern Cone" as a "decision for the faith once delivered to the saints" [http://sanjoaquin.anglican.org/about_us.htm] . In his response, Bishop Schofield said that the realignment was "conditional until such time as The Episcopal Church repents of those decisions and actions that have caused a rift in the wider Anglican Communion" [http://sanjoaquin.anglican.org/about_us.htm#Schofields%20Reponse] . The action in question was the consecration of an openly gay priest as a bishop [http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acns/news.cfm/2004/5/19/ACNS3829] . Condemnation of homosexual relationships was the key issue emphasised by Bishop Schofield in his pastoral letter of November 2007 [http://sanjoaquin.anglican.org/PDF%20Files/Pastoral%20Letter.pdf] .

Bishop Urwin has stated his personal position on homosexuality as follows [http://trushare.com/33FEB98/FE98URWI.HTM] :

:"I'm a celibate bishop - there is no other option. Whether heterosexual or homosexual or the grey in between, a bishop has no choice. The Church has a right to expect that he will be an example to the flock.

:He may have all the compassion in the world for others; be sympathetic, tolerant and respectful to those who feel unable to embrace the Church's teaching, and number them among his dearest friends. In his own mind he may even wonder about the current stand of the Church on marriage or homosexuality, but if he accepts the gift of episcopacy, his personal duty is clear. Whatever the wonderings and wanderings of his former life, for which he must repent, as a bishop he must embrace the discipline of chastity as a gift."

During a discussion about sexuality at a residential Bishop's Council meeting of the Chichester diocese in 2005, Bishop Lindsay, who is theologically conservative spoke passionately against the homophobia he considered was still evident in the churchFact|date=June 2008. He made it clear that vacant parishes in his region in search of a new priest could not state a preference for a married priest and that he did not allow prurient questioning of candidates. The key question he said was to be found in the ordinal, 'Will you model your life, and that of your household according to the mind of Christ?'. The response, 'I will do so the Lord being my helper' reflected both the candidates best intentions and his or her clear need for grace. He made it clear that he encouraged the single clergy not to live alone but to form a household and develop Godly friendships. He knew the risks and the raised eyebrows this sometimes raised from his own experience as an unmarried priest and bishop, celibate or not. He went on to say that in the experience of many single priests and bishops, some of whom who are of homosexual orientation, the embracing of celibacy either as a spiritual gift or in obedience to what the church asks of them, still does not seem to be enough.'Fact|date=June 2008

He has a particular interest in youth ministry and has encouraged people to remember Jesus as an adolescent, "breaking voice, hormones and all" [http://www.indcatholicnews.com/teena.html] .

He is opposed to the ordination of women, although his sister is a priest [http://trushare.com/33FEB98/FE98URWI.HTM] .

In 2007 he was reported as criticising the practice of praying while seated instead of kneeling during public services. [http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=475814&in_page_id=1770]

His interview by Ali G was ranked second in Channel 4's "100 Greatest Funny Moments" [http://www.channel4.com/entertainment/tv/microsites/G/greatest/greatest_funny_moments/1-25.html] . It is available online at [http://www.boyakasha.co.uk/media/religion.mp3] . He later said that he realised he was being set up before the end of the interview and used it to his advantage [http://archive.theargus.co.uk/2000/6/2/192752.html] .

He has close ties with the conservative Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth and its bishop, Jack Iker. This has included appearing at conferences organised to promote traditional beliefs (including no ordination of women or active homosexuals) [http://listserv.episcopalian.org/wa.exe?A2=ind0202a&L=virtuosity&H=1&P=4047] [http://jubilee.fwepiscopal.org/] , leading trainings in youth work for the Diocese of Fort Worth [http://www.saintalbans.org/youth_a2.htm] , and leading diocesan retreats for the clergy of the diocese [http://texanglican.blogspot.com/2006/01/bishop-urwin-at-st-vincents.html] .

Publications

*"Youthful Spirit" (1999)
*"Credo: a course for the curious" (1997)
*"Mission-shaped Youth: Rethinking Young People and Church" by Lindsay Urwin, Tim Sudworth, Graham Cray, and Chris Russell (May 2007)

External links

* [http://www.diochi.org.uk/content/bishops.htm Bishops of the Chichester diocese]
* [http://www.diochi.org.uk/ The Diocese of Chichester website]
* [http://www.orders.anglican.org/arcyb/ogs.html Oratory of the Good Shepherd website]

References

ources

*New Directions interview, Feb 98, online at [http://trushare.com/33FEB98/FE98URWI.HTM]
* 'Second annual Fort Worth Festival of Faith' [http://listserv.episcopalian.org/wa.exe?A2=ind0202a&L=virtuosity&H=1&P=4047]
*"Who's Who" (2007 edition)
*"Crockford's Clerical Directory"