Michael Nazir-Ali
Michael Nazir-Ali is the former Church of England Bishop of Rochester.[1]
Contents
Early Life
Nazir-Ali was born in Pakistan to Catholic parents.
Nazir-Ali's secondary education was in Pakistan. He read Economics, Sociology and Islamic History at the University of Karachi, and Theology at Fitzwilliam College and Ridley Hall, Cambridge.[2]
In Pakistan, Nazir-Ali taught at Karachi Theological College, worked as a parish priest in a poor urban area, became Provost of Lahore Cathedral and was consecrated the first Bishop of Raiwind.[3] He has said that he faced threats when he was a Bishop in Pakistan.[4] In 1986, the Archbishop of Canterbury Robert Runcie arranged for him to travel to Britain. Subsequently, according to Nazir-Ali, " the reason behind some of the difficulties I was facing was removed when General Zia was killed - unfortunately for him".[5]
In 1986, he joined the staff of the Archbishop of Canterbury to prepare for the 1988 Lambeth Conference, for which he edited the Report and Pastoral Letters.[6]
Nazir-Ali was General Secretary of CMS from 1989 to 1994.[7]
Bishop of Rochester
Nazir-Ali served as Bishop of Rochester from 1994 to 2009. At his appointment he was the first non-white diocesan bishop in the Church of England.[8]
He announced he was stepping down as Bishop to work with the persecuted church in March 2009. According to the Telegraph the decision was unexpected:
- The bishop is aged only 59 and potentially could have stayed in post for another decade.
- He was a leading contender to succeed George Carey as Archbishop of Canterbury, but has become increasingly outspoken at the direction of the Church since Dr Rowan Williams’s appointment.[9]
In July 2009, Nazir-Ali told the Sunday Telegraph that homosexuals should 'repent and be changed'.[10]
The comment came the day before the launch of the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans, a coalition of evangelical and Anglo-Catholic parishes, backed by Nazir-Ali, which critics claimed was an attempt to create a "church within the church".[11]
Views
On Homosexuality
In July 2009, Nazir-Ali told the Sunday Telegraph:
- "The Bible’s teaching shows that marriage is between a man and a woman. That is the way to express our sexual nature.
- "We welcome homosexuals, we don’t want to exclude people, but we want them to repent and be changed."[12]
Affiliations
- Oxford Centre for Mission Studies - Former director
- Christian Aid - Former board member
- Human Fertilisation and Embyrology Authority - Member and chair of Ethics and Law Committee 1997-20003
- Network for Inter Faith Concerns - Former President
- Crown Appointments Review Group - Theological Consultant 1998-2001
- Board of Mission - Chairman of the Mission Theology Advisory Group 1992-2001
- Standpoint - Contributor
- Centre for Social Cohesion - Advisory Board Member
External Resources
- Standpoint Articles by Michael Nazir-Ali
Notes
- ↑ The Rt Rev Dr Michael Nazir-Ali, Diosece of Rochester, accessed 15 February 2010.
- ↑ Bishop Michael J Nazir-Ali, Diocese of Rochester, accessed 15 February 2010.
- ↑ Bishop Michael J Nazir-Ali, Diocese of Rochester, accessed 15 February 2010.
- ↑ Ruth Gledhill, Bishop of Rochester, Dr Michael Nazir-Ali, faces death threats, The Times, 2 February 2008.
- ↑ Maria Mackay, Interview: Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali on the persecution of Christians, Christian Today, 4 October 2007.
- ↑ Bishop Michael J Nazir-Ali, Diocese of Rochester, accessed 15 February 2010.
- ↑ The Rt Rev Dr Michael Nazir-Ali, Diosece of Rochester, accessed 15 February 2010.
- ↑ The Rt Rev Dr Michael Nazir-Ali, Diosece of Rochester, accessed 15 February 2010.
- ↑ Jonathan Wynne-Jones, Michael Nazir-Ali steps down as Bishop of Rochester, telegraph.co.uk, 28 March 2009.
- ↑ Jonathan Wynne-Jones, Change and repent, bishop tells gays, telegraph.co.uk, 4 July 2009.
- ↑ Jonathan Wynne-Jones, Change and repent, bishop tells gays, telegraph.co.uk, 4 July 2009.
- ↑ Jonathan Wynne-Jones, Change and repent, bishop tells gays, telegraph.co.uk, 4 July 2009.
