David L. Edwards
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The Very Reverend David Lawrence Edwards, OBE, MA, DD, was Dean of Norwich, Provost of Southwark and a prolific author.
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[edit] Education
Born in 1929, Edwards was educated at the King's School, Canterbury and Magdalen College, Oxford (BA 1952, MA 1956).
[edit] Academic and ecclesiastical career
He was elected a Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford for the seven-year period 1952-59. He spent the academic year 1953-54 studying at Westcott House, Cambridge and he was ordained deacon in 1954. He served as a tutor at Westcott House 1954-55 and he was ordained priest in 1955.
In 1955 he started his pastoral ministry as Assistant Curate of Hampstead St John and he began his work with the Student Christian Movement as Secretary, remaining in both posts until 1958.
He was Assistant Curate of St Martin-in-the-Fields 1958-66, editor for the Student Christian Movement Press 1959-66, and General Secretary of the Student Christian Movement 1965-66.
From 1966 until 1970 he was Dean of King's College, Cambridge. He was a Six Preacher of Canterbury Cathedral 1969-76.
He was a Canon of Westminster Abbey and Rector of Westminster St Margaret 1970-78. He was additionally Chaplain to the Speaker of the House of Commons 1972-78 and Sub-Dean of the Abbey 1974-78. He was Chairman of Christian Aid 1971-78.
He was Dean of Norwich 1978-83 and Provost of Southwark 1983-94.
He retired to Winchester, becoming Honorary Chaplain at Winchester Cathedral in 1995.
[edit] Honours
In 1990 the Archbishop of Canterbury, Robert Runcie, conferred upon him the degree of Doctor of Divinity. He wore the academic dress of his former headmaster, Fred Shirley, who had himself been a Doctor of Divinity, and of whom Edwards wrote a biography, F. J. Shirley: An Extraordinary Headmaster (London: SPCK, 1969).
In 1995 HM the Queen appointed him an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.
[edit] Books
He has written more than sixty books, including:
- Christian England (London: Collins, 1981-84; Fount, 1982-85)
- vol. 1: Its story to the Reformation
- vol. 2: From the Reformation to the 18th century
- vol. 3: From the 18th century to the First World War
The most recent include:
- Roger Bowen with David L. Edwards et al., A guide to preaching (SPCK International Study Guide 38, London : SPCK, 2005)
- Poets and God: Chaucer, Shakespeare, Herbert, Milton, Wordsworth, Coleridge, Blake (London: Darton Longman & Todd, 2005)
- What Anglicans believe in the twenty-first century (London: Continuum, 2000, new expanded edn 2002, updated edn 2004)
- The Church that could be (London: SPCK, 2002)
- After death?: past beliefs and real possibilities (London: Continuum, 1999, new edn 2001)
- A concise history of English Christianity: from Roman Britain to the present day (London: Fount, 1998)
- The great Christian centuries to come (Durham: St Mary's College, University of Durham, 1998)
- Christianity: the first two thousand years (London: Cassell, 1997)
