Martyn Percy

Martyn William Percy (born 31 July 1962) is a British academic, educator, social scientist and theologian. Ordained as a priest in the Church of England. He had been Dean of Christ Church, Oxford, from 2014 to 2022 and principal of Ripon College Cuddesdon, Oxford, from 2004 to 2014. Since 2022 he has held academic posts in the USA, China and Switzerland.

Percy taught in the Faculty of Theology and Religion, University of Oxford, as well as in Sociology, and was a fellow of the Said Business School at the university. He has also served as Professor of Theological Education at King's College London and a professorial research fellow at Heythrop College, University of London. He has also served as a visiting professor of the Institute for the Study of Values at the University of Winchester, a founding fellow of the Center for Theologically Engaged Anthropology at the University of Georgia, and an adjunct professor at Hartford Seminary, Connecticut. He is an emeritus canon of Salisbury Cathedral, having previously served as an honorary canon. In 2018 he became a fellow of King's College London, and a fellow of Harris Manchester College, Oxford. From 2022-24 he served by invitation as Dean’s Distinguished Scholar at Virginia Theological Seminary.

With effect from 1 September 2024, Percy has been appointed as Professor of Religion and Culture in the Faculty of Religious Studies and Philosophy at University of Saint Joseph in Macao. And for the Xavier Centre for Memory and Identity. He also holds the post of Provost of Ming Hua Theological College (part of Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui - Hong Kong Anglican Church) . In 2025 he was also appointed to serve as Honorary Canon Theologian for the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe (the American Episcopal congregations in Europe).

Percy's theological outlook is rooted in his long-standing commitment to middle-way Anglicanism. His writings fall into three distinct-but-related groups: ecclesiology; contemporary Christianity, religious movements and sociological trends; and anthropological interpretations of denominations and congregations; and spiritual devotional writings. He has also written extensively about theological education, as well as contextual, pastoral and practical theology.

In 2013, ''The Times Literary Supplement'' praised Percy for his work towards unity within the Anglican Communion and the Church of England, describing him as displaying a "peaceable, polite and restrained" approach whilst "making peace between competing communities of conviction".

Early life and education

Percy was born on 31 July 1962. He was educated at Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood, the University of Bristol (BA), the University of Durham (Cert. Counselling), King's College London (PhD, 1993) and the University of Sheffield (MEd). His doctoral thesis was titled ''"Signs, Wonders and Church Growth": The Theme of Power in Contemporary Christian Fundamentalism with Special Reference to the Works of John Wimber''. After a short career in publishing (1984–1988), he trained for ordination at Cranmer Hall, Durham, from 1988 to 1990.

Ordained ministry

Percy was ordained in the Church of England as a deacon in 1990 and as a priest in 1991.

Cuddesdon

Ripon College Cuddesdon developed significantly from 2004, during Percy's tenure as principal: it incorporated the Oxford Ministry Course (OMC) in 2006, and the West of England Ministerial Training Course (WEMTC) in 2011, making it the largest provider of Anglican ordination training in the UK. The college became internationally more active during Percy's period as principal: it works closely with the Anglican Church in Hong Kong and continues to have links with Anglican colleges in the United States, Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. During Percy's time at Cuddesdon, the college moved from a distinctively liberal catholic outlook to the broader centre ground of Anglicanism, welcoming ordinands from across the spectrum, thereby reclaiming the "non-party" ethos that Bishop Samuel Wilberforce had founded the college with in 1854.

During Percy's tenure, the multi-award-winning Bishop Edward King Chapel (shortlisted for the Stirling Prize in 2013) and a new education centre (Harriet Monsell House) were built.

Deanery of Christ Church

Percy was the (45th) Dean of Christ Church in Oxford from 2014 to April 2022. He was the first dean to be democratically elected by the governing body, and instituted to the deanery on 4 October 2014. Christ Church is the only academic institution in the world which is also a cathedral – being the seat of the Bishop of Oxford. In common with other cathedral deans, Percy, as Dean of Christ Church, was senior priest of the Diocese of Oxford. Percy's closing years in office as Dean (roughly from 2018 onwards) were marked by protracted disputes on reformation in the governance of the college.

Christ Church disputes

In November 2018, Percy was suspended from office and an independently chaired internal tribunal was established. This followed a formal complaint raised against him relating to his attempts to reform and modernise the governance of the college. There were later claims that Percy was the victim of a "bullying campaign" by these members of the college governing body who opposed his reformist agenda.

In January 2019, the acting chair of the governing body (and a member of the ‘Senate’ of ex-censors’) of Christ Church was obliged to send a clarifying letter to college alumni saying that Percy's suspension (charged with “immoral, scandalous and disgraceful behaviour”) was in fact triggered by internal committee dispute, though this was disputed. Supporters of the dean criticised Christ Church's complaints process, as it was claimed no investigation or disciplinary hearing was necessary prior to his suspension from office and putting him on trial. Angela Tilby, a canon emeritus of Christ Church, wrote in the ''Church Times'' that Percy faced hostility for desiring to make the institution "more inclusive, more open to the outside world, and, perhaps, more aware of its wealth and vested interests". Paul Bayes ( Bishop of Liverpool) and Alan Wilson ( Bishop of Buckingham) also conveyed public messages of support.

The statutory tribunal process Percy was subject to was presided over by Sir Andrew Smith, a High Court judge and estimated to have cost the college at least £1.9m. Percy faced 27 charges, orchestrated by the Ex-Censors. The tribunal comprehensively vindicated Percy on 21 August 2019, the college's governing body confirmed that the tribunal had concluded that all of the charges brought against Percy had been dismissed. The college's legal fees are not known. The governing body declined to engage with the detail of the judgement provided by Smith. During the period of dispute, supporters of Percy raised over £150,000 to help cover the cost of his legal fees, which Christ Church had refused to pay.

Safeguarding Claims (2020)

Some months later on 4 March 2020, the college announced that the dean was to be investigated by the Church of England's National Safeguarding Team (NST) over four alleged failures to report safeguarding cases in 2017. Three further allegations were later added. These new charges were also sponsored by the ‘Senate’ of Ex-Censors.

In May 2020, 41 members of Christ Church's governing body published a letter they claimed to have sent to the Charity Commission accusing Percy of "unsound judgment" and of having breached his legal, fiduciary and safeguarding duties since the Smith tribunal. The Charity Commission later confirmed it had never received this letter.

A subsequent investigation by the Church of England's National Safeguarding Team over the course of six months cleared the dean of any safeguarding wrongdoing and on 8 September Bishop Jonathan Gibbs, the Church of England's lead safeguarding bishop said: "An independent investigation into allegations that the Dean, Martyn Percy, failed to fulfil his safeguarding responsibilities has concluded the Dean acted entirely appropriately in each case. At no point was there any allegation or evidence that the Dean presented a direct risk to any child or vulnerable adult."

Four weeks after being cleared by the NST on 8 September, a further complaint was brought. As with previous complaints, Christ Church referred the allegation to Thames Valley Police, the NST and was also party to bringing a case under the 2016 Clergy Discipline Measure. The college also sought to hold Percy accountable at two further internal tribunals where he would once again have to bear his own legal costs.

On 17 November 2020, it was announced that Percy had voluntarily withdrawn from his duties as Christ Church dean in response to the allegation. He did not resign, but "stepped back from his duties in the College and Cathedral".

One of Britain's most senior Court of Appeal judges, Dame Sarah Asplin, President of Tribunals for the Church of England, carried out a detailed investigation. On 28 May 2021 she ruled that it would be "entirely disproportionate" for the claim to be referred to any clergy disciplinary tribunal.

In 2022 Percy announced that he was leaving the Church of England, though he would remain Episcopalian-Anglican. He is licensed to minister in Scotland, Europe, Hong Kong and Macao.

In December 2024, a professional auditor, member of General Synod and independent member of the Church of England’s Archbishops’ Council Audit Committee confirmed that Percy had likely been subjected to forged risk assessments, false indictments and counterfeit testimony, and recommended that there be an independent inquiry into the clergy and church lawyers (who also represented Christ Church) who had sponsored the forged documents and other falsified evidence and accusations. Since 2020 the Church of England has consistently refused to authorize an independent inquiry.

Responses

On May 13, 2022 ''Prospect Magazine'' published an article which included extensive reference to his experience with Christ Church citing the deliberate weaponization of safeguarding by elements and individuals within the Church of England as one of his major concerns. On 27 May 2022 the college governing body published a statement responding.

On November 10, 2022, the Charity Commission, the government regulator, issued an Official Warning to the Governing Body of Christ Church under Section 75 of the 2011 Charities Act for "mismanagement and/or misconduct by the trustees" in their campaign against the Dean, and recorded that £6.6 million had been spent in their actions taken against Percy. The published Christ Church accounts also recorded an £8 million decline in donations during the four year dispute.

The warning stated that "in the context of a long running dispute with the former Dean, the Commission has determined there has been mismanagement and/or misconduct in the management and administration of the Charity" (para. 9).

Other roles

Percy has undertaken a number of roles in public life, specialising in media and consumer affairs. He has served as a director and council member of the Advertising Standards Authority (1999–2006). He was previously an advisor on the "Faith Zone" for the New Millennium Experience Company and the Millennium Dome in London (1999). From 2006 to 2008, he was a member of the Theology and Religious Studies Panel for the HEFCE Research Assessment Exercise. He has served as a member of the Independent Complaints Panel for the Portman Group, the self-regulating body for the alcoholic drinks industry. He has served as commissioner for the Direct Marketing Authority (2008–2014), and currently serves as an advisor to the British Board of Film Classification. He was the elected chair of the Cuddesdon and Denton Parish Council from 2007 to 2014. Percy is also the patron of St Francis' Children's Society (an Adoption and Fostering Agency with a Roman Catholic foundation), and as part of his role as dean was a governor of Christ Church Cathedral School, Westminster School and St Edward's School, Oxford, a trustee of the Grubb Institute, Gladstone's Library (Harwarden) and the Li Tim-Oi Foundation.

Theology

Percy's theology is generally considered to represent the liberal tradition in the Church of England. His viewpoints typically argue for the " middle ground" between evangelical and catholic positions, with appeals to Anglican comprehensiveness, and the tradition of respecting theological differences. Percy's main interlocutors in his writings comprise a trinity of American theologians: Daniel W. Hardy, Urban T. Holmes III, and James F. Hopewell. Percy is a proponent of "generous orthodoxy", and argues for a theological approach that copes with "serious forms of dispute and threat of schism." He draws on post-liberal theological perspectives such as those found in the works of George Lindbeck and Peter Berger. In 2018, a group of scholars from the fields of sociology, anthropology, musicology, theology and ecclesiology published a book (edited by Ian Markham and Joshua Daniels) on Percy's work to date, based on an earlier symposium engaging with Percy's writings, held at Virginia Theological Seminary (Washington DC) in 2016. The subsequent ''Reasonable Radical? Reading the Writings of Martyn Percy'' offers a broad guide to the compass of Percy's work.

Percy has adopted a progressive outlook on a number of social issues, such as LGBTQ rights and the ordination of women. However, his writings affirm orthodox Christian positions on the incarnation, atonement, resurrection and ascension; he has consistently defended the historicity of Jesus' healing and nature miracles. Noted for his work on fundamentalism and revivalism, for which he engages with sociology and anthropology, he was described in the academic journal ''Theology'', by Nigel Rooms, as the British theologian who is the closest to being a "missionary anthropologist".

In 2002, Percy co-founded the Society for the Study of Anglicanism with Tom Hughson, which meets annually at the American Academy of Religion and is now in a full partnership with Virginia Theological Seminary. Percy has served as chair of committee (the oversight body) for Cliff College – a Methodist Bible college in the evangelical-charismatic tradition – and also works with a number of other evangelical groups. He is a vice-president of Modern Church and has been a member of the Faculty of Theology and Religion at the University of Oxford since 2004. From 2014-22 he has also taught for the Said Business School and for the Department of Sociology at the university.

Percy has been a regular contributor to ''The Guardian'', The Times, Prospect Magazine, BBC Radio Four, and the BBC World Service.

Activism and views

Anglican unity

Percy is a social thinker, moralist and commentator, with his activism and writings addressing concerns for social justice and equality. He has spoken and written about the threat of schism in the Anglican Communion, arguing that churches should embrace the diversity of belief that exists, rather than allowing such divisions to result in separation. In anticipation of the October 2003 Anglican Communion Primates' Meeting, which took place in the wake of the ordination of Gene Robinson as Episcopal Bishop of New Hampshire, the communion's first openly gay bishop, he wrote of the need for a "slight loosening of the ties", to avoid a divorce. Illustrating this, he described Anglicanism as an "archipelago – a connection of provincial islands that shares doctrinal, liturgical and cultural aspects", as opposed to being "one vast, catholic continent". He made similar remarks following Jeffrey John's withdrawal as Bishop of Reading, in July 2003, suggesting debate on gay rights should instead be shifted towards reflecting on the "more central gospel themes".

Church leadership

Percy has been critical of Justin Welby's leadership as Archbishop of Canterbury, in particular his "managerial" style. Percy described Welby's plans to send senior clergy on leadership courses, contained in the 2014 report of the Lord Green Steering Group, as showing a poor judgment of the church's priorities and lacking in theological understanding. He went on to say that Welby's targets for efficiency, growth and success were not reflective of the Christian mission.

In August 2016, Percy renewed his criticism of Welby, describing the direction he was leading the Church of England as being "driven by mission-minded middle managers" that alienated congregations and the wider British public. He also raised further concerns about plans to divert funding away from traditional rural parishes and towards evangelical inner-city churches, warning that "it will take more to save the Church of England than a blend of the latest management theory". Percy has also commented on an emerging theological anaemia among bishops in the Church of England, and highlighted the weaknesses and risks this poses for Anglican polity. Percy's 2021 book focuses on the "humble church" and "commends humble leadership", criticizing church leadership.

LGBTQ rights

In an essay published in December 2015, Percy outlined his views on homosexuality, questioning the teaching that it is sinful and unnatural. Regarding the controversy surrounding the issue in the worldwide Anglican Communion, he noted that the church's position has alienated an increasingly progressive country, particularly the younger generation of Christians in Britain; he also called on Justin Welby to formally apologise for the church's role in introducing homophobic teachings to cultures across the British Empire, during the 19th century:

Just days before the commencement of the January 2016 Anglican Communion Primates' Meeting, Percy joined with over 100 other senior Anglicans, including Alan Wilson ( Bishop of Buckingham) and David Ison (Dean of St Paul's), in calling on archbishops Welby and Sentamu to acknowledge the failings of the Anglican Communion in its treatment of LGBTQ people. Following the decision of the primates to penalise the US Episcopal Church, for voting to redefine marriage at its 2015 general convention, Percy expressed his disappointment. He went on to say that the meeting's statement regarding this action, "had nothing to say about LGBT Christians, and that's a lost opportunity".

Politics

In the wake of the United Kingdom EU membership referendum in June 2016, Percy has argued that a national "failure of liberal values" was made evident by the result. He has also suggested the need for a more "broad church" approach to British party politics, potentially in the form of a new centre-left party that is "authentically rooted in modern, progressive socialism, and equally true to modern, progressive, democratic liberal values".

Safeguarding

Since 2015, Percy has been actively involved in the campaign to restore the reputation of Bishop George Bell, following the Church of England's decision to compensate a woman who alleged that she had been sexually abused by Bell. He is a member of the George Bell Group and has published a number of key articles questioning the competence of those who have presumed Bell to be a perpetrator of abuse. A subsequent independent report by Lord Carlile of Berriew found that there was no basis in law for presuming that the allegations made against Bell could have been sustained.

In March 2018, Percy called for the church to develop an independent self-regulating authority to handle safeguarding issues, arguing that the churches can only be ultimately trusted as public bodies if they voluntarily relinquish some control over their own policies and practices.

Percy's work on behalf of victims of sexual abuse in the church has continued alongside IICSA (Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse) reports focussing on the Church of England. This has included calling for better training and regulation in the churches, and greater fairness, justice and remedy for both the victims of abuse and those who may be falsely accused.

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Women bishops

Following the General Synod's narrow rejection of a motion to legalise the ordination of women as bishops in November 2012, Percy wrote in ''The Daily Telegraph'' criticising church leaders for failing to create sufficient consensus about the issue. He described the view of opponents to the motion as maintaining a "conceit of modern times" by their fundamentalist rejection of diversity. He also voiced the need for the church to be "transformed by the renewal of our minds" in its approach to the inclusion of women in the Anglican Communion, by moving towards a "new future".

In February 2017, he suggested that Bishop Philip North either decline his nomination as Bishop of Sheffield or renounce the views of The Society, a conservative body which does not recognise or receive the ministry of ordained women, or men ordained by women bishops. North later withdrew his acceptance of the nomination, citing "personal attacks". In a radio discussion of North's decision, Percy refuted the accusation that his position demonstrated a form of "liberal intolerance". He reasoned that resistance to discrimination is not equivalent to intolerance.

Personal life

Percy has the distinction of being the only living theologian mentioned and quoted in Dan Brown's ''The Da Vinci Code'' (chapter 55), where Sir Leigh Teabing says, "Everything you need to know about the Bible can be summed up by the great canon doctor Martyn Percy: 'The Bible did not arrive by fax from heaven.'"

Percy is also commended in Adam Sisman’s ''The Professor and the Parson'' for his role in managing a serial fraudster who was working in both church and higher education.

Percy is married to Emma Percy, who is a senior lecturer in feminist theology and the study of ministry at Aberdeen University, and a former chaplain and fellow at Trinity College, Oxford. Together they have two sons. He is a member of the Labour Party, a teetotaler and a lifelong supporter of Everton Football Club. His hobbies include running, playing squash, cinema, and listening to jazz.

In addition to the work edited by Markham and Daniel, ''Reasonable Radical? Reading the Writings of Martyn Percy'' (2017), which focuses on Percy's theology, the Northern Irish poet Peter McDonald's ''Five Psalms for Martyn Percy'' reworks Psalms 8, 25, 94, 98 and 114 in poetic form to explore aspects of Percy's life using elegy, lament, hope, justice and vindication.

Published works

Key essays in edited books

See also

* Oxford Centre for Ecclesiology and Practical Theology

References

External links

*
Christ Church official website
*, hosted by the Oxford Union on 28 April 2016 (in opposition to the motion, ''This House Believes Religion Remains the Opiate of the Masses'')
Patron of Educational Wealth Fund
(2018)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Percy, Martyn
1962 births
Living people
Alumni of King's College London
Alumni of the University of Bristol
Alumni of Cranmer Hall, Durham
Alumni of the University of Sheffield
20th-century Anglican theologians
20th-century British theologians
20th-century Church of England clergy
21st-century Anglican theologians
21st-century British theologians
21st-century Church of England clergy
People educated at Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood
Anglican socialists
British Christian socialists
British Christian theologians
Christian socialist theologians
Deans of Christ Church, Oxford
Ecclesiologists
Fellows of King's College London
Hartford Seminary faculty
Labour Party (UK) people
British LGBTQ rights activists
Practical theologians
Staff of Ripon College Cuddesdon