This week in Christian history: John Emory dies, John Paul II apologizes for Jan Hus, William Temple becomes deacon
William Temple becomes deacon – Dec. 20, 1908
This week marks the anniversary of when William Temple, who served as archbishop of Canterbury from 1942 until his death in 1944, was made a deacon in the Church of England.
A leader in the ecumenical movement and known for his support of various social reforms, Temple is the only Canterbury archbishop to have a father who held the position.
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According to The Episcopal Church, Temple wrote a 1944 work titled “Christianity and Social Order” generally considered “a twentieth-century adaptation of Christian Socialism and one of the underpinnings of the welfare state.”
“He was largely responsible for the British Council of Churches and the formation of the World Council of Churches,” noted the Episcopal website.
“Temple was an incarnational theologian and a leader in the social application of the gospel. He was noted for his ability to express complicated ideas clearly and persuasively.”
