Stephen Lowe (clergyman)

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For others of this name, see Stephen Lowe.

The Rt Revd Stephen Lowe is the current suffragan Bishop of Hulme in the Anglican Diocese of Manchester, Link Bishop for Namibia and Chair of the Urban Bishops Panel. Whilst retaining these roles, he has however been released from all pastoral oversight in the diocese, in order better to concentrate on his 2006 appointment as the Church of England's first Bishop for Urban Life and Faith, promoting and disseminating the conclusions of the Faithful Cities report.[1]

Bishop Lowe is noted for his comments on the hymn I Vow to Thee, My Country in August 2004, when he called for its first verse to be removed from Church of England services, calling it "totally heretical".[2] He believed it placed national loyalties above religious ones and encouraged racism and an unquestioning support of governments. His words sparked a debate on the wider implications of the hymn.[3] [4] He has also defended the Church's review of its shares in Caterpillar Inc. and other companies used in the occupied territories by Israel[5], and the Church's planned sale of Jacob And His Twelve Sons by Francesco de Zurbarán. [6] More recently, he has become noted as a supporter of Archbishop Rowan Williams in the media controversy over Williams' remarks on sharia law, calling the media treatment of Williams "disgraceful" and a "knee-jerk" reaction in interviews on Newsnight and Radio 4 on 8 February and an appearance on Question Time on 14 February 2008.[7][8]

[edit] References

  1. ^ "The Church of England is to appoint its first Bishop for Urban Life and Faith", 2006-10-03. Retrieved on 2008-02-09. 
  2. ^ "Ban this racist hymn, says bishop", Daily Telegraph, 2004-08-12. Retrieved on 2007-08-31. 
  3. ^ Today programme. "I Vow To Thee My Country", BBC Radio 4, 2004-08-13. Retrieved on 2007-08-31. 
  4. ^ Hanson, Gerry. "Patriotism and Sacrifice", Diocese of Oxford Reporter, 2004-09-28. Retrieved on 2007-09-01. 
  5. ^ "Bishop defends Church Israel move", BBC News, 19 February 2006. Retrieved on 2008-02-09. 
  6. ^ "Church to sell art treasures", 20 September 2001. Retrieved on 2008-02-09. 
  7. ^ "Williams 'shocked' at Sharia row", BBC News, 2008-02-08. Retrieved on 2008-02-09. 
  8. ^ "Archbishop defends Sharia remarks", BBC News, 2008-02-09. Retrieved on 2008-02-08. 

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Bishops of Hulme

John Charles Hill • Thomas Sherwood Jones • Hugh Leycester Hornby • Kenneth Venner Ramsey • David George Galliford • Colin John Fraser Scott • Stephen Richard Lowe •


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