A Heart in my Head: A Biography of Richard Harries - Hardcover

Peart-Binns, John S.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 082648154X ISBN 13: 9780826481542

Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic, 2007

Synopsis

"I think it is fair to say that, in Richard, the 20th Century Church of England - and the 21st Century Church of England for that matter - has had one of its truly great and memorable figures".The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams

Whether as broadcaster, writer, campaigner, or, above all, as Bishop, Richard Harries has established a solid reputation in public life. But, paradoxically, few people really know the person behind this very public expression.
After a rather bleak childhood, Harries was heading for a career in the army when he realised he had a vocation to the ordained ministry of the Church of England. He emerged as a forthright liberal thinker whose heart beats firmly on the left. Yet he has conservative instincts and is theologically orthodox.
From his ‘golden years' as a parish priest and ever expanding horizons as Dean of Kings College London and through his nineteen years as Bishop of Oxford, Harries developed a distinctive style of leadership. ‘Being a bishop' though was not a complete life, and he gave his energy to issues such as nuclear disarmament, peace, justice, art, business morality, stem cell research, and interfaith dialogue. He wasn't averse to controversy: he took the Church Commissioners to the High Court, and appointed an openly-gay priest to the bishopric of Reading. Appointed a life peer on his retirement, Harries continues to pursue compelling contemporary issues on the cross-benches.

John S. Peart-Binns has climbed a mountain of personal material and enjoyed probing conversations and correspondence with his subject. He draws from a wide range of material and on the insights of those who have known and worked with Harries to produce an unexpected and intriguing portrait. A Heart in My Head will surprise and inform both admirers and critics of Richard Harries.

About this title

About the Author:

John S. Peart-Binns is known as an episcopographer whose subjects include bishops Blunt of Bradford, Wand of London, Graham Leonard of London and Hugh Montefiore of Birmingham. Born in Bradford, he now lives with his wife in Hebden Bridge, Yorkshire.

Review:

"To read this absorbing new biography is to be reminded of how Harries, who was consecrated by Robert Runcie in 1987, hails from a different era...Peart-Binns not only gives us a biography of Richard Harries, he also brings to life a period in the history of the Church of England." (Paul Richardson Church Of England Newspaper)

Article by Richard Harries, mention of the book, April 2007 (Observer)

"...the sympathy between biographer and biographee produces an enlightening read."Parish News, May 2007 (MF)

"An objective and affectionate portrait of an enigmatic and hugely influential priest in the 20th and 21st century Church." (Paul Hulme Methodist Recorder)

"an impressive, very readable biography" (John Habgood The American Spectator)

Title Mention (The Door)

Mention in Times Higher Education Supplement (Times Educational Supplement)

"John Peart-Binns has helped preserve an endangered Anglican species: decent, moderate, thoughtful leaders, the sort who are unafraid to listen and learn as well as to teach, who, when they speak, are able to communicate in a quiet voice because it is secured with strong theological and devotional roots" (Peter Cornwell Tls)

Reviewed by Chris Sugden (July 2007) (Chris Sugden New Directions)

"fascinating and well-written biography." John Horder, Islington Tribune, 27/07/07 (John Horder)

About this edition

• Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 082648154X
• ISBN 13: 9780826481542
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 288