The historical background to the John Shepherd controversy over the physical resurrection of Christ

Archbishop Justin Welby has appointed as his "ambassador" to the Vatican a priest who denies the bodily resurrection and empty tomb of Christ. The Rev Dr John Shepherd, interim director of the Anglican Centre in Rome, said in an Easter message that the resurrection of Jesus "ought not to be seen in physical terms but as a new spiritual reality".

By
Frederik Mulder
-
2027

Archbishop Justin Welby has appointed as his “ambassador” to the Vatican a priest who denies the bodily resurrection and empty tomb of Christ. The Rev Dr John Shepherd, interim director of the Anglican Centre in Rome, said in an Easter message that the resurrection of Jesus “ought not to be seen in physical terms but as a new spiritual reality”.

This YouTube offers an historical background to this controvercy by reflecting on previous debates surrounding the resurrection of Jesus in the Church of England. Discussion includes: 1. Bishop Hensley Henson (1912) 2. Archbishop William Temple (1910) 3. Bishop Ernest Barnes (1947) 4. Canon Geoffrey Lampe (1966) 5. Bishop Hugh Montefiore (1954) 6. The Myth of God Incarnate Debate (1977) 7. Bishop David Jenkins (1984) 8. Dr. John Shepherd (2019).

Presentation delivered by Dr. Frederik Mulder

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2 COMMENTS

  1. Thanks to Peter oops… David Ould (apologies, I’ve been doing that for at least 12 years now) and George Conger for posting this. Certainly provides “context” for Shepherd’s remarks the other day that were supposedly a refutation of his critics.

    The greater issue, of course, is that Shepherd’s particular heresy is taught in seminaries, and held and taught by a great number of bishops in North America and Britain. And many who don’t necessarily subscribe to it are not willing to “rock the boat” by administering any form of discipline.

    Shepherd’s presentation here is dangerous because it is an easy trap to fall into. He builds up the straw man of “resuscitation”, Just to be sure that “resuscitate” means the same thing in English English as it means in American English, I looked it up in the Cambridge Dictionary of the English Language.

    the act of bringing someone or something back to life or waking them:

    So, the false argument presented is that we have 2 choices- either Christ reappeared in non-corporeal form (or “spiritual form”) or we believe that he was “resuscitated”- as though the women at the tomb, or perhaps some disciples who snuck in, or angels, or a kindy Roman doctor, performed CPR on Jesus.

    Shepherd’s argument intentionally bypasses the fact that Jesus Christ is God, a member of the Trinity, powerful beyond our imagining, the Maker of heaven and earth, Resurrected by His own power. Not “resuscitated”, nor figment of the imagination.

    • True. As well, those who believe Christ was non-corporeal (i.e. not “in the flesh”) for part of his ministry believe he was so for all of it.

      “This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world” 1 John 4:2-3

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