Morning Thanks--A child of the King

Most Reverend and Rightly Honorable Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, has an impressive resume. After taking degrees from Eton College and Trinity College, Cambridge, and before entering the ministry, he spent several years in international business, living in Paris and doing extensive development work in African countries, especially Kenya and Nigeria.

Although he and his wife Carol are the parents of two sons and three daughters, those who know him claim a major influence in his life was the tragic death of another of his daughters in a car crash. That accident didn't precipitate his determination to become a man of the cloth; he'd been an active lay leader in churches wherever their family lived since he and his wife were married.

When he left international business for the ministry, he entered St. John's College, Durham, and focused his attention on business ethics. But since taking religious office he has worked more extensively as a peacemaker, both at home in England and abroad, especially in Africa where he has both training and experience. A number of his parishes have become revitalized after his ministry there. He was, to many, a blessed choice for the office of Archbishop of Canterbury, succeeding Dr. Rowan Williams.

All of that is wonderful, but so is a peculiarly startling discovery. Rev. Welby's mother drank hard, even though now, blessedly, she's been sober for 45 years. When her son was born, she lived what you might call a profligate life. There are other ways of describing it, but I'm sure the British would appreciate some restraint.

His father was Gavin Welby, a man who peddled whiskey. "His father’s family," says the pastor's web page, "were German Jewish immigrants who moved to England to escape antisemitism in the late 19th century and integrated quickly."

DNA proved otherwise. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the illegitimate son of Anthony Montague Brown, Winston Churchill's personal secretary. His mother acknowledges the affair but had always believed the man she'd married (and eventually divorced) was her son's father. Paternity tests say otherwise.

All of that unfaithfulness is no fault of the pastor's own, of course. He had no choice. In a sense, the truth made everyone free.

You're reading the story right now because of what the Most Reverend Justin Welby told the press. "There is no existential crisis, and no resentment against anyone," he said proudly. "My identity is founded in who I am in Christ."

Always thankful for the story of a child of the King.

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In July of this year, Lady Jane Williams, the Most Reverend Justin Welby's mother, passed away, peacefully. She was 93 years old, having had a remarkable life, working for Winston Churchill and Professor Sir Ernst Chain, a Nobel Prize winner.

Her son Justin claimed his mother's life was "full of grace, laughter and joy." His official testimony of his mother's life began this way: "It's with prfound sadness that I mourn the loss of my mother. I loved her very deeply and it has been a privilege to be her son." 

"Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints."