David Edward Jenkins
David Edward Jenkins (born
January 26 1925) is best known as the
Bishop of Durham, a post he held from
1984 until
1994. Born in
Bromley,
Kent, Jenkins had been a lecturer in theology at the
University of Oxford, Chaplain and Fellow of the
Queen's College, Oxford and had worked for the
World Council of Churches and the
William Temple Foundation before his controversial appointment. He had written numerous books on Christian
theology, and had been Professor at the
University of Leeds from
1979 until 1984.
The controversy over his selection as Bishop of Durham centred on his alleged unconventional beliefs and his misquoted statement that the
Resurrection was "not just a conjuring trick with bones". Three days after his consecration as bishop on
6 July 1984,
York Minster was struck by lightning, resulting in a disastrous fire seen by some as a sign of divine displeasure at his theological beliefs. These were reaffirmed a couple of months later by his remarks on the resurrection, broadcast on a
BBC Radio 4 programme in October 1984.
In his role as Bishop, Jenkins was famed for his willingness to speak his mind and was regarded by many as a 'breath of fresh air' among fellow men of the cloth. In 2005, he became one of the first clergymen in the
Church of England to bless a civil partnership between two
gay men, one of whom was a
vicar.
*
Dr Spacely-Trellis, Bishop of Bevindon.
