A major figure in twentieth-century Christianity, Geoffrey Fisher worked to modernize the Church of England and to develop the worldwide Anglican Communion. His historic meeting with Pope John XXIII, his participation in national debates on the Suez Crisis and nuclear weapons, and his role in crowning Queen Elizabeth II made him a well-known figure in postwar Britain. His neglect by professional historians is partly remedied by this new biography, the first scholarly account of Fisher's life and career.

Author - David Hein

[A] fine book. . . . Hein gives us an excellent, balanced overview."
 
—Bernard Aspinwall, Catholic Historical Review
 

A "brief but trenchant biography."... Hein "regards Fisher's primacy as 'pivotal' and one that cries out for fresh examination. This he provides in good measure—and with commendable brevity.... But the book has been completed with a scholar's attention to detail. It is immensely readable, with plenty of good stories and succinct summings-up. Hein covers clearly and concisely all the great issues of Church and State with which Fisher had to deal...."
—Bernard Palmer, The Church Times

"Hein rightly emphasises [Fisher's] ecumenical endeavours.... In order to provide an accurate picture of these times Hein has not stinted himself in studying the literature of those years. As well as its ecclesiastical history, he has given us interesting flavours of the period from contemporary fiction. The bibliography is impressive... [A] significant monograph."
—Donald Gray, Journal of Ecclesiastical History

"Hein remarks that Fisher's time as archbishop of Canterbury was 'a pivotal archiepiscopate, one that cries out for fresh examination.' He has made it clear why this was so and contributed helpfully to such a reexamination...."
—Colin Brown, Anglican and Episcopal History


"David Hein has pulled off a remarkable feat in producing a short book on a very complex character."
—Robert Jeffery, The Expository Times

"This is a fascinating book—biographical, analytical, and thorough. Particularly interesting is the section that details Fisher's role in the creation of four Anglican provinces in Africa between 1951 and 1960."
—The Living Church

"Hein's book is an excellent introduction to Fisher, and his bibliography is superb. The book is well written, and the final chapter is an admirable summing up not only of Fisher's career but also of the state of the Church of England before, during, and after the years of his archiepiscopate."
—James Dunkly, Sewanee Theological Review

"What a splendid book. Thought-provoking, exceedingly well written, wise and balanced in its account—not only of Fisher's abilities and achievements but also of his deficiencies and missed opportunities, Hein's work skillfully blends biography and theological analysis with political, cultural, and social history."
—David L. Holmes, College of William and Mary

"David Hein here offers an elegant appraisal of his subject, placing Fisher in a succession of shifting landscapes and measuring his role with an acute eye. A superb portrait, it is the work of a historian of genuine distinction."
—Andrew Chandler, George Bell Institute at the University of Chichester

"Whilst eminently scholarly and appropriately demanding for the reader, this biography holds one's attention—a significant achievement, and much to be commended!"
—Ann Loades, University of Durham, UK, Emerita

"One of the best historians of church and society at work today, David Hein provides us with a keen and much-needed assessment of Fisher's archiepiscopate. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in the development of today's Anglican Communion."
—Fredrica Harris Thompsett, President, Historical Society of the Episcopal Church

"By highlighting the career of Geoffrey Fisher against the background of the dramatic times and cultural changes through which he lived, David Hein offers a judicious and insightful portrait. Fisher's accomplishments and shortcomings stand out in this lucid biography."
—Bishop Frederick Borsch, Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia

"David Hein's treatment of Archbishop Fisher's career throws a great deal of light on the Church of England, Britain in the mid-twentieth century, and the place of religion in Europe and in the developing world following World War II. His assessment of Fisher as leader of the international Anglican Communion is particularly illuminating."
—W. Brown Patterson, University of the South, Emeritus

"This short, accessible book is helpful to both the professional scholar and interested amateur who wish to gain a greater understanding of the Church of England and the Anglican Communion more widely during the turbulent post-war period."
—Wendy Dackson, Ripon College, Cuddesdon

Religion and Politics in Maryland on the Eve of the Civil War by David Hein
Noble Powell and the Episcopal Establishment in the Twentieth Century by David Hein

Go Figure!
Colonial Presbyterianism
Religion and the Politics of Peace and Conflict
"Those Who Call Themselves Jews" by Dr. Philip L. Mayo
Martin Luther and Buddhism by Paul S. Chung
Evangelicalism and Karl Barth by Phillip R. Thorne
Christ in our Place: The Humanity of God in Christ for the Reconciliation of the World
The Little Church that Refused to Die by William W. Moore
The Subjective Eye
Geoffrey Fisher by David Hein
System and Story by Gale Heide
Paul Tschetter by Rod Janzen
On the Christianity of Theology by Franz Overbeck
My Father-In-Law by Max Zellweger-Barth
Salvaging Wesley's Agenda by Kevin Twain Lowery
Position and Responsibility by Ilsup Ahn
European Pietism Reviewed by Frederick Herzog
Theosis
Faithfulness and the Purpose of Hebrews by Matthew J. Marohl
The Holy Spirit and the Renewal of All Things by T. David Beck
Faith, Theology, and Psychoanalysis by Trevor Dobbs Ph.D.
Practices, Politics, and Performance by Dr. Michael G. Cartwright
The Founding of the Roman Catholic Church in Melanesia and Micronesia, 1850-1875 by Ralph M. Wiltgen
Cross in Tensions by Philip Ruge-Jones
Reception Theory and Biblical Hermeneutics by David Paul Parris
The Holy Spirit in the Theology of Karl Barth by John Thompson
Following Jesus in Invaded Space by Chris Budden
Poverty in the Theology of John Calvin by Dr. Bonnie L. Pattison
Renewing Tradition
A Gentleman in Every Slum by David B. McIlhiney
Codex 1 of the Gospels and Its Allies by Kirsopp Lake
Gladstone: The Making of a Christian Politician by Dr. Peter J. Jagger
Freedom and Civilization Among the Greeks by A. J. Festugiere
God With Us by Joseph Haroutunian
On This Rock by Donald G. Miller
Orthodoxy and Difference by Dr. Dmitri Sidorov
Jesus and the Word by C. K. Barrett
Jesus Christ and Creation in the Theology of John Calvin by Peter Wyatt
The Present and the Past by Richard J. Ginn
God's Wounds: Hermeneutic of the Christian Symbol of Divine Suffering, Volume One by Jeff B. Pool
The Will of God and the Cross by Jonathan H. Rainbow
"Education Has Nothing to Do with Theology" by Dr. Edward J. Newell
Theology of Anticipation by Anette Ejsing
The Epigones by William A. McComish
The Aims of Jesus by Ben F. Meyer
R.S. Thomas: Poet of the Hidden God by D.Z. Phillips
Lo, I Tell You a Mystery by Dr. David A. Ackerman
Coram Deo by Caryn D. Riswold
John and Thomas—Gospels in Conflict? by Christopher W. Skinner
Christus Faber by Ben F. Meyer
Seasons of the Heart by Sara Henderson Hay
The Reformed Pastor by John W. Nevin D.D.
The Diffusion of Ecclesiastical Authority by Darin H. Land
Calvin's Concept of the Law by Dr. I. John Hesselink
Agency, Culture, and Human Personhood by Jeanne M. Hoeft
Naked Faith by Elaine A. Heath
Jesus, the Parable of God by Dr. Eduard Schweizer
Tradition Renewed
Constructing a Relational Cosmology
Reading Daniel as a Text in Theological Hermeneutics
Risking Truth by Scott A. Ellington
The Arminian Confession of 1621
C. S. Lewis and a Problem of Evil by Jerry Root
Polemic in the Book of Hebrews by Lloyd Kim
Philip's Daughters
Reflections of Renaissance England by Dr. Marie-Helene Davies
Theology Beyond Christendom
Schleiermacher on Christian Consciousness of God's Work in History by Abraham Varghese Kunnuthara
Consenting to God and Nature by Dr. Byron C. Bangert
Psalm 29 through Time and Tradition
The Kitchen Saint and the Heritage of Islam by Brother Lawrence
"Jesus Is Victor!" by Christian T. Collins Winn
Living Devotions by Mary Clark Moschella
Enigmas and Powers
The Ubuntu God by Samuel A. Paul
The Realignment of the Priestly Literature by Thomas J. King
The Tangled Bank by Michael S. Hogue
The Hermeneutical Quest
Jeshua by Moelwyn Merchant
New Testament Traditions and Apocryphal Narratives by Francois Bovon
Reading from the Underside of Selfhood by Lisa E. Dahill
Ambushed by Grace by Dr. Thomas W. Currie
A Place Somewhat Apart by Dr. Philip E. Harrold
Speculative Theology and Common-Sense Religion by Linden J. DeBie
Critical Realism and the New Testament by Ben F. Meyer
Where is My Home? by Dr. Zdenek Bednar
A Little Book of Christian Questions and Responses by Theodore Beza
The Triune God by E. L. Mascall
Female and Male: The Cultic Personnel: The Bible and the Rest of the Ancient Near East by Richard A. Henshaw
Revitalizing Theological Epistemology by Steven B. Sherman
The Trial of Jesus Continues by Dr. Rudolf Pesch
Basic Human Rights and the Humanitarian Crises in Sub-Saharan Africa by Gabriel Andrew Msoka
The Sacred Text by Ronald F. Satta
History and Theology by Dr. Piet B. Boshoff
Theology as Hope by Ryan A. Neal
An Unexpected Light by David C. Mahan
A Church Historian's Odyssey by Horton Davies
The Mestizo/a Community of the Spirit by Oscar Garcia-Johnson
Who Needs a New Covenant? by Michael D. Morrison
Searching for Lost Coins by Ann Loades
Saints: Visible, Orderly, and Catholic by Alan P.F. Sell
Schleiermacher's Preaching, Dogmatics, and Biblical Criticism by Catherine L. Kelsey
The Trinitarian Self by Charles Bellinger
From the Margins
Calvin's Doxology by Pamela Ann Moeller
Asian Contextual Theology for the Third Millennium
The Way of Theology in Karl Barth
The Loss and Recovery of Transcendence by John C. Robertson
The Neo-Orthodox Theology of W. W. Bryden by John Vissers
A Vexing Gadfly by Eliseo Pérez-Álvarez
Fire From the Heights by Moelwyn Merchant
How to do Biblical Theology by Peter Stuhlmacher
The Theology of Electricity by Ernst Benz
The Heart of the Gospel by Bernie A. Van De Walle
The Tondrakian Movement by N.V. Nersessian
Probing the Frontiers of Biblical Studies