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Know the Truth
In this remarkable and candid memoir the former Archbishop of Canterbury recalls his life and his spiritual quest; this is the first time in history that an Archbishop of Canterbury has written his autobiography. ‘Know the Truth’ tells George Carey’s story from growing up in Dagenham to his experiences in the RAF in the early 1950s, of how he was to become Bishop of Bath and Wells and thereafter attained the position of Archbishop of Canterbury. Utterly sincere and told with warmth and compassion, ‘Know the Truth’ shares George Carey’s story of marriage, family and friendship as well as addressing the wider political aspects of his time at Lambeth.
496 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2004
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January 28, 2020
I chose to read this because the former Archbishop of Canterbury attends the same Anglican church that I do, and occasionally takes on ministry or preaching duties – after a temporary suspension for having been involved in a coverup of child sexual abuse by a bishop. He gives a darn good sermon, so I had a feeling that I would enjoy his writing. And I did, to an extent. I read about the first 200 pages and then skimmed the rest (another 250+ pages), so I’ve designated the whole thing as skimmed.
Mostly I appreciated his picture of his early years: He grew up working class in the East End of London – though you’d never know it now, what with his chewy upper-crust accent – and was drawn to evangelical faith early on. While stationed in the Middle East with the RAF, he was “led to appreciate the spirituality of Islam, and its devotion to prayer and the disciplined life.” Indeed, a respect for Islam and a commitment to interfaith dialogue carry throughout the book.
Carey worked at a couple of theological colleges and parish churches before being appointed Bishop of Bath and Wells; all told, his rise to the archbishopric was rapid. He held the post from 1991 to 2002. I was interested in the chapter on the ordination of women, but my attention tailed off afterwards during a long chapter on a financial scandal that changed how the Church deals with money. “It will always be a privilege to be identified as the Archbishop of Canterbury in whose time women were ordained to the priesthood,” he writes. “It was right to do so, and I hope to be around when the first woman Bishop is ordained. It will happen.” (And it did, in 2015.)
Disappointingly, though, Lord Carey does not extend the same welcoming hand to homosexuals in ministry. Writing this in the week after the Anglican Church made an official announcement reiterating that the only place for sex is within heterosexual marriage, thereby confirming just how out of touch it is, I can only say that this is a backward view, and one that probably correlates with Carey’s age. His is essentially a conservative politics, and thus his theology can only get just so radical.
Stuff I can get on board with:
But this, not so much:
It’s funny looking through the two sections of photos and seeing that his basic appearance has barely changed since the 1960s. His wife has hardly aged, either. I see the couple regularly at church services and once went to their home for a Lent course. It was full of souvenirs from their travels and photos with royals and presidents. He’s a normal, pleasant person. But it’s possible to say that and still recognize that he has some repugnant views and has made some grave errors of judgment. That’s just called being human.
Mostly I appreciated his picture of his early years: He grew up working class in the East End of London – though you’d never know it now, what with his chewy upper-crust accent – and was drawn to evangelical faith early on. While stationed in the Middle East with the RAF, he was “led to appreciate the spirituality of Islam, and its devotion to prayer and the disciplined life.” Indeed, a respect for Islam and a commitment to interfaith dialogue carry throughout the book.
Carey worked at a couple of theological colleges and parish churches before being appointed Bishop of Bath and Wells; all told, his rise to the archbishopric was rapid. He held the post from 1991 to 2002. I was interested in the chapter on the ordination of women, but my attention tailed off afterwards during a long chapter on a financial scandal that changed how the Church deals with money. “It will always be a privilege to be identified as the Archbishop of Canterbury in whose time women were ordained to the priesthood,” he writes. “It was right to do so, and I hope to be around when the first woman Bishop is ordained. It will happen.” (And it did, in 2015.)
Disappointingly, though, Lord Carey does not extend the same welcoming hand to homosexuals in ministry. Writing this in the week after the Anglican Church made an official announcement reiterating that the only place for sex is within heterosexual marriage, thereby confirming just how out of touch it is, I can only say that this is a backward view, and one that probably correlates with Carey’s age. His is essentially a conservative politics, and thus his theology can only get just so radical.
Stuff I can get on board with:
“My theology was, and is, that God is at work in the world, and uses people of all faiths and none to further His purposes. Furthermore, caring practically for the body and the mind is as much a priority of the gospel as caring spiritually for the soul – indeed, the two cannot be separated.”
Something he said to a dissenter after the vote to allow the ordination of women is applicable to post-Brexit life: “you must consider how others would feel today if the vote had gone the other way. Love and respect are the words we must employ now to settle the Church and move forward.”
“evangelism for me is not thrusting the message down the throats of unsuspecting people, but God’s invitation to all to consider His message made through Jesus Christ.”
But this, not so much:
“Although [Margaret Thatcher] was out of office when I became Archbishop, I would have loved to have got to know her well as Prime Minister. I am sure we would have clashed at times, but her strengths were undeniable. She was in my opinion the right person in that historic office at the right time.”
Ch. 16, “The Challenge of Homosexuality”
The visits to Africa and Papua New Guinea are a bit too “Oh jolly good, look at the natives and their interesting customs!”
“I believe the Royal Family is an essential element of our society, whose gift to us far outweighs its cost to the nation, and that we would be foolish to yield to the siren tones of republicanism.”
It’s funny looking through the two sections of photos and seeing that his basic appearance has barely changed since the 1960s. His wife has hardly aged, either. I see the couple regularly at church services and once went to their home for a Lent course. It was full of souvenirs from their travels and photos with royals and presidents. He’s a normal, pleasant person. But it’s possible to say that and still recognize that he has some repugnant views and has made some grave errors of judgment. That’s just called being human.
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