Description
‘A Visionary with Attitude’ Jack Dee
The most extraordinary clergyman in the Church of England’ The Times
‘A very dangerous man’ Baroness Thatcher
Donald Reeves is a cult figure in religious and political circles. The former Rector of St James` Piccadilly, is a man of action and vision who lives out his religious belief through political activity and struggle. He is charismatic with enormous personal charm and persuasiveness.
After a conventional middle-class upbringing, Reeves felt pushed by God to be ordained. Following an apprenticeship at Maidstone, where he was already a controversial figure, Reeves became Chaplain to the notorious Anglican bishop Mervyn Stockwood. He was thus trained in an atmosphere of socialist politics with a tinge of sexual ambiguity. Stockwood is just one of the figures about whom Reeves writes with relish and acuity in this volume of memoirs.
After being radicalized in Chicago in 1968 he carried the revolution to a housing estate in South London. Reeves’ heyday was as Rector of St James`s Church in Piccadilly, a space he filled with extraordinary worship, celebrated pulpit dialogues, a coffee house, street market and through which there was an endless march of gurus, leading international film-makers, writers, theologians and politicians.
Reeves had several brushes with Margaret Thatcher. He has also been an adviser to Rio Tinto on corporate responsibility and worked for Mittal Steel in Bosnia. Today he devotes himself to working for peace in the Balkans, a region he argues which could so easily disintegrate into messy conflict again. Reeves never lets the grass grow under his feet. His energy is inexhaustible (even in his seventies) and this energy pulsates through the pages of this fascinating book.
Table of Contents
Ackowledgements
Introduction
PART ONE
Beginnings
Beirut
Phonemes
On the Way to Ordination
Apprentice
Southwark
Chicago
Vicar
Bringing Chicago to England
PART TWO
Piccadilly Parson
Transition
A Tender Bridge: Peace Building in the Balkans
Small is Beautiful: Working in the Church of England
PART THREE
Work in Progress
Appendix
Notes
Index
Author(s)
Donald Reeves,
Donald Reeves became celebrated as the Rector of St James`s Church, Piccadilly. The Church became a centre of liturgical innovation but also of radical politics and debate. He has always been a thorn in the side of the Establishment, hence the title of this autobiography. Now in his seventies, Reeves works on various projects to bring about peace in the Balkans.
Reviews
'The Memoirs of a Very Dangerous Man is the autobiography of a present-day turbulent priest: in other words, one of the valuable sort. Donald Reeves has led a life of great variety, great purpose, and great usefulness, and anyone with the slightest curiosity about how a humane and open mind can work within a religious institution will find this book of great interest.'
Philip Pullman,
Extracts from the book - 15 May 2009
,
"If history is any guide,he says, the transformation of the Church of England will begin at the grass roots. As for prophecy, a prophet, by derivation, is one who speaks out. Count on Donald Reeves to do that"
9 May 2009
Christopher Fildes,
Damian Thompson,
"This is good human story for anyone interested in the 21st century Church and what influences have brought us to where we are"
Paul Hulme,
Reviewed in Church of England newspaper, 26 June 2009
,
Reviewed by Chris Bowlby, 11 July 2009
,
"I thoroughly recommend this autobiography, especially to those that know of this dangerous man." Robert Newell, Royal Overseas League
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