Geoffrey Wainwright (1939 – 17 March 2020) was an English

theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing th ...

. He spent much of his career in the United States and taught at

Duke Divinity School The Divinity School at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, is one of ten graduate or professional schools within Duke University. It is also one of thirteen seminaries founded and supported by the United Methodist Church. It has 39 regul ...

. Wainwright made major contributions to modern

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related Christian denomination, denominations of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John W ...

theology and Christian liturgy, and played a significant role on producing the text ''

Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry (BEM), also known as the Lima Document, is a Christian ecumenical document adopted by members of the World Council of Churches in Lima in January 1982. The document attempted to express the convergences that had bee ...

'', as a member of the

Faith and Order Commission The Faith and Order Commission is an assembly group within the World Council of Churches founded in 1948 which has made numerous and significant contributions to the ecumenical movement. The commission has been successful in working toward co ...

of the

World Council of Churches The World Council of Churches (WCC) is a worldwide Christian inter-church organization founded in 1948 to work for the cause of ecumenism. Its full members today include the Assyrian Church of the East, the Oriental Orthodox Churches, most ju ...

(WCC).

Biography

Born in

Monk Bretton Monk Bretton is a village in the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley in South Yorkshire, England. It lies approximately two miles north-east from Barnsley town centre. History Monk Bretton has been a settlement since medieval times and was origin ...

, Barnsley,

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...

, England, in 1939, Geoffrey Wainwright was an ordained minister of the

Methodist Church of Great Britain The Methodist Church of Great Britain is a Protestant Christian denomination in Britain, and the mother church to Methodists worldwide. It participates in the World Methodist Council, and the World Council of Churches among other ecumenical ass ...

. He received his university education in

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge beca ...

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Situ ...

, and

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. He held the ''Dr. Théol.'' degree from

and the

Doctor of Divinity A Doctor of Divinity (D.D. or DDiv; la, Doctor Divinitatis) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity. In the United Kingdom, it is considered an advanced doctoral degree. At the University of Oxford, doctors of divinity are ra ...

degree from

. He served as a circuit minister in

Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...

(1964–1966) and then as a missionary teacher and pastor in

Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west- central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; th ...

, West Africa (1967–1973). Returning to England, he taught scripture and theology at the Queen's College, Birmingham (1973–1979). In 1979 he moved to Union Theological Seminary,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, where he became the Roosevelt Professor of Systematic Theology. He taught at

from 1983 to his retirement in 2012, a part of Duke University in

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia a ...

, where he occupied the Robert Earl Cushman chair of Christian Theology. Wainwright held visiting professorships at the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic university, Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend, Indiana, South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin fo ...

, the Gregorian and Angelicum universities in

and the United Faculty of Theology in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a me ...

, Australia. From 1976 to 1991, Wainwright was a member of the WCC Faith and Order and chaired the final redaction of the Lima text on ''Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry'' (1982). From 1986 to 2020 he was co-chairman of the Joint Commission between the

World Methodist Council The World Methodist Council (WMC), founded in 1881, is a consultative body and association of churches in the Methodist tradition. It comprises 80 member denominations in 138 countries which together represent an estimated 80 million people; this ...

and the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. In 2004 he gave the opening address on behalf of "the ecclesial communities of the West" at the Roman symposium to mark the 40th anniversary of the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st Catholic ecumenical councils, ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions) ...

’s decree on ecumenism. Among Wainwright's books the most influential remains ''

Doxology A doxology (Ancient Greek: ''doxologia'', from , ''doxa'' 'glory' and -, -''logia'' 'saying') is a short hymn of praises to God in various forms of Christian worship, often added to the end of canticles, psalms, and hymns. The tradition derives ...

: The Praise of God in Worship, Doctrine and Life''. His more recent books include ''For Our Salvation: Two Approaches to the Work of Christ'' (1997), ''Worship with One Accord: Where Liturgy and Ecumenism Embrace'' (1997), ''Is the Reformation Over? Catholics and Protestants at the Turn of the Millennia'' (which was the Père Marquette Lecture for 2000), an intellectual and spiritual biography of a father of the 20th century ecumenical church, ''

Lesslie Newbigin James Edward Lesslie Newbigin (8 December 1909 – 30 January 1998) was a British theologian, missiologist, missionary and author. Though originally ordained within the Church of Scotland, Newbigin spent much of his career serving as a mis ...

: A Theological Life,'' and ''Embracing Purpose: Essays on God, the World and the Church (2007)''. His ''Eucharist and Eschatology'' (1971) and ''Christian Initiation'' (1969) were re-issued in 2002 and 2003 respectively. With Karen Westerfield Tucker he edited ''The Oxford History of Christian Worship'' (2006). His latest book is ''Faith, Hope and Love: The Ecumenical Trios of Virtues'' (2014). Wainwright served as president of the international ''

Societas Liturgica Societas Liturgica is the international ecumenical society for the study of Christian liturgy and worship. Societas Liturgica has around 300 members who are researchers, academics or practitioners. Anglican members of Societas Liturgica also serve a ...

'' (1983–1985) as well as of the

American Theological Society The American Theological Society, founded in 1912, is the oldest professional theological society in North America. It has met at least once each year in various locations on the East Coast of the United States, lately at Princeton Theological Semin ...

(1996–1997). He was honoured by the publication of ''Ecumenical Theology in Worship, Doctrine, and Life: Essays Presented to Geoffrey Wainwright on his Sixtieth Birthday'' (1999). He was awarded the 2005 Johannes Quasten Medal by the

Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private Roman Catholic research university in Washington, D.C. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by U. ...

for "excellence in theological scholarship". In 2005, Wainwright said that he was delighted at the election of Cardinal

Joseph Ratzinger Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereign ...

bishop of Rome A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop i ...

. He called the new Pope a first-rate theologian with a subtle and penetrating mind. He retired from Duke in 2012 and continued to make scholarly contributions in his retirement. He delivered a paper on "The Second Vatican Council: The Legacy from a Methodist Perspective" at the annual conference of the North American Academy of Ecumenists in Halifax in September 2012.North American Academy of Ecumenists
"2012 Annual Conference Schedule"
,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wainwright, Geoffrey 1939 births 2020 deaths 20th-century English theologians 20th-century Methodist ministers 20th-century Protestant theologians 21st-century English theologians 21st-century Methodist ministers 21st-century Protestant theologians Alumni of the University of Cambridge British expatriates in Cameroon Duke Divinity School faculty English Methodist missionaries Methodist ministers Methodist missionaries in Cameroon Methodist theologians Union Theological Seminary (New York City) faculty University of Geneva alumni University of Notre Dame faculty