Jonathan Baker (bishop)

Jonathan Mark Richard Baker, SSC (born 6 October 1966^[2]) is a bishop of the Church of England.^[3][4] He is currently the Bishop of Fulham and the former Bishop of Ebbsfleet.

Ministry

Baker studied for ordination at St Stephen's House, Oxford^[5] and was an assistant curate at All Saints' Ascot Heath from 1993 to 1996.^[6] He was then priest in charge of St Mark’s Reading^[7] and Vicar of Holy Trinity, Reading.^[8] In 2003, he became Principal of Pusey House.^[9]

Baker was consecrated as a bishop at Southwark Cathedral on 16 June 2011.^[1] His appointment as an assistant bishop in the Diocese of Bath and Wells (an honorary role which facilitates his oversight of parishes in that diocese) was announced in September 2011.^[10] He was legally translated to that see on 13 February 2013, began his episcopal oversight on 15 April and was installed in St Paul's Cathedral on 23 April (St George's Day).

Forward in Faith

From 2010 to 2014, Baker was the chairman of Forward in Faith, an Anglican movement that opposes the ordination of women and the liberalising of Church attitudes to homosexuality.^[11] In 2014, he announced that he would not stand for re-election as chairman of Forward in Faith UK.^[12]

Personal life

Baker is the son of Sir John William Baker and was educated at Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood and St John's College, Oxford.^[13]

Baker was previously a Freemason. While a student at Oxford University, he joined the Apollo University Lodge. It is a masonic lodge associated with the university. He held the senior position of Assistant Grand Chaplain. After twenty years membership, he left the organisation upon being appointed a bishop.^[14]

In a letter dated 22 October 2014, Baker wrote to his clergy informing them that he has been given permission by the Bishop of London and the Archbishop of Canterbury to remarry following his divorce to his wife.^[15]

Until 2010, Church of England clergy who had been divorced and remarried could not become bishops. The American religion commentator George Conger wrote, "They [traditionalist clergy] are at a loss to understand how the bishop dedicated to providing pastoral support for traditionalists can himself adopt a stance at odds with the position of most traditionalists - and at odds with the public position taken by Forward in Faith on divorce and remarriage."^[16]

References