HISTORY
THE SOCIETY OF ORDAINED SCIENTISTS
The inception and growth of an ecumenical dispersed religious order (1985-7)
A brief exchange of ideas in 1985 between two Church of England priests, the Revd Dr Arthur Peacocke, then Director of the Ian Ramsey Centre at St Cross College, Oxford, and the Revd Canon Eric Jenkins, then Vicar of Hightown, Merseyside and part-time Science Adviser to the Diocese of Liverpool, let to further informal discussions in 1986 at Nottingham University (during the annual meeting of the Science and Religion Forum) and at St George's House, Windsor, with other Anglican priests of similar scientific and technological backgrounds.
Tentative proposals emerged for the formation of a dispersed religious order, open to ordained ministers of the Church of England and to the other main Christian Churches who shared a common background and were prepared to commit themselves to certain Aims, a Rule and Constitution. Within four years, that is by the summer of 1990, the Society of Ordained Scientists had attracted 55 full members, including men and women: Methodists, United Reform Church, Presbyterian as well as Anglicans; Scottish, Welsh, Canadian and American as well as English. In addition, 10 'associates' included lay members who joined with full members three times a year at regional chapters comprising Southern England, East Anglia, Midlands, Northern England and Scotland.
All of the 65 full or associate members have some measure of experience of science (including medical science) and/or technology at a professional level. The Society is fully recognized by the Church of England through the participation of Dr John Habgood, the Archbishop of York, as its Visitor (who has been present to admit members at every Annual Gathering and Retreat). The rapid growth and favourable recognition of the Society, launched as it was without extensive publicity or significant financial backing, suggests and idea whose time had come. It may be interesting to set out briefly something of the theological and pastoral background in the 1980s that may have influenced the thinking of many of our full and associate members -- as well as a fuller account of its inception.
One might start with the observation that science and religious faith are no longer regarded as incompatible within influential sectors of the intellectual culture in the U.K. Many books appeared in this country on this theme during the late 1970s and the 1980s -- some of them by authors who subsequently became members of SOSc (A.R.Peacocke, J.Polkinghorne, D.Stanseby, C.Wiltsher, I.Paul) and others (R.Stannard, P.Hodgson, D.Ford). Professor Keith Ward, then of King's College, London, in his The Turn of the Tide (BBC Publications, London, 1986), commented that he had 'found fascinating to see how Christian physicists, biologists and philosophers give an account of their faith, and show how their own research has contributed to it' (p.8). It remains true that intellectual arguments alone cannot prove or disprove Christianity, but 'we cannot now return to the easy scepticism of the early 20th century. That is what has been decisively overthrown' (Ward, loc.cit.).
At a more immediately practical level, there has been an increasing awareness during the last 20 years from within science and technology that the rapid advance of science is raising new ethical and political problems to which science in isolation has no immediate answers. For example, the British Association for the Advancement of Science in 1973 sought the assistance of the British Council of Churches to set up a joint study group on science and ethics, reporting in 1973 (The Sensitive Scientist by David Morley, SCM Press, London, 1978). Ten years later, it had become commonplace to note widespread discussion in the media and in Parliament, as well as in Church synods and working parties, of ethical problems occasioned by new scientific procedures. These now include environmental issues, in vitro fertilisation and even 'life sciences in space'. The World Council of Churches (sub-unit on Church and Society) convened a world conference on Faith, Science Technology in 1979 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, attended by a thousand scientists, theologians, students and media representatives. Many ethical and political issues were hotly debated, over a period of two weeks. Among the Church of England participants were several priest-scientists who later played a significant part in setting up the Society.
Even before that conference, several initiatives within the churches in the U.K. had started to attract a modest degree of support and to carry a growing influence. Each in its way helped to prepare the ground for the inception of the Society in 1985-6. They are respectively: the Science and Religion Forum, founded by the Revd Dr Arthur Peacocke in 1975, the conferences and clergy training programmes fostered at St George's House, Windsor Castle, over recent years organised by the Revd Canon Derek Stanesby, and the initiative of the Diocese of Liverpool (due to Bishop Stuart Blanch, later to be Archbishop of York) in establishing in 1973 a part-time post for a priest-scientist as their 'Science Adviser' (a post held by Canon Eric Jenkins 1973_88 and by the Revd Ursula Shone since 1990 -- both members of the Society).
It was against this fertile background of interdisciplinary scholarship and ethical and pastoral concern that Arthur Peacocke, a leading figure in the Science and Religion Forum, was by the mid-1980s convinced of the need for the formation of a new devotional, spiritual and pastorally based community among those operating on this frontier -- a hope he had long cherished (see his personal Note attached to this account). The Forum had established a role for itself in convening an annual conference, usually at a university centre, open to all who wished to participate in intellectual discussions at a high academic level, with or without any prior personal commitment to the Christian faith and to any particular theological tradition or church community. (Albeit, it was early established that each annual conference should include an Anglican Eucharist). In his early musings that led to the Forum, Arthur Peacocke had written in the Church Times in the early 1960s of the need for 'an intellectual apostolate' informed by science, akin to the early Dominicans.
Arthur Peacocke's own proclivities tended to the liberal Catholic tradition, within which he developed a personal vision of a new dispersed religious order of priest-scientists that would be concerned with a deeper commitment to the spiritual aspects of the life of scientists who profess the Christian faith -- something quite different from, but complementary to, the work of the Forum. During the early 1980s he took advice from members of existing Anglican religious orders, including SSJE and the Oratory of the Good Shepherd and also shared his thoughts with various individuals including Bishop Michael Mann at Windsor and Canon Allchin, then at Canterbury. He mentioned his ideas briefly to Canon Eric Jenkins during a Forum Conference at Oxford in March 1985 and subsequently accepted an invitation from him to give a public lecture on Science and Religion at the Liverpool Institute of Higher Education (St Katherine's College) on 25 November 1985.
After the lecture at the home as an overnight guest of Canon and Mrs Jenkins at St Stephen's Vicarage, Hightown, Canon Jenkins reminded Dr Peacocke of their earlier conversation and invited him to talk more fully about his idea for an Order of priest-scientists. They found common ground and Jenkins later wrote a short paper, for presentation at the annual conference of the Forum, on 'Science and Devotion'. In that paper the question was posed: 'Given the validity of an inclusive view of Science and Religion, does this offer any new prompting to growth in our prayers, our expositions of holy scriptures, our devotional talks, our spiritual meditations?'
Peacocke and Jenkins agreed to canvass a selection of the Anglican priest-scientists from the membership list of the Forum and invite them to attend an informal consultation on the first afternoon of the 1986 annual Forum conference at Nottingham University on 20 March. They hoped for support for the idea of an 'Order of Priest-Scientists', to include some form of 'rule of life', including an obligation to attend its annual retreat. In addition to Peacocke and Jenkins, two other Forum members (the Revd John Kerr and the Revd Dr Brian Chalmers) accepted the invitation and took part in a lively discussion at the Anglican chaplaincy of the University of Nottingham (by courtesy of the Chaplain, the Revd Dr Alan Caldwell, himself a Forum member). There was a sufficient consensus to encourage Peacocke and Jenkins to draft a further invitation over the names of the above four members of the Forum, addressed to a wider group of personal contacts. The invitation included a list of seven possible aims of a proposed Order/College/Society of Priest-Scientists in the Church of England. It was hoped that as many as 20 priests may respond, and Canon Derek Stansesby of St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, offered to host the consultation at his home in the Cloisters (he was also a Forum member, had a background in science and held a special responsibility for encouraging discussions and courses on science and faith as a part of the wide ministry of St George's House.
Peacocke and Jenkins continued to keep in touch (including one occasion at Liverpool Cathedral on 16th May, 1986) regarding the organisation and agenda for the consultation, which was arranged for the afternoon of Thursday, June 5th 1986. It was preceded by a lunch arranged by Canon and Mrs Stanesby, and the discussion concluded with attendance at Evensong at St George's Chapel. Fourteen priests attended this consultation, including two officers of the Forum, three college chaplains, two medical specialists, two Canons of St George's, and six parish clergy (four of them from the Diocese of Liverpool -- where Jenkins had since 1973 pioneered a Science Advisory post).
The participants discussed the draft 'aims' of the new Society and agreed that some new 'association' was desirable, along the lines of the preliminary aims. At this early stage there was a range of opinions about the necessary degree of structure, the relevance of the traditional models of religious orders, the title of the 'association', the conditions for admission, the eligibility of non-Anglicans, of women ministers and of lay people. After a session of quiet, silent meditation, followed by the expression of each person's views, without further comment, followed by a general discussion, all were prepared to go along with the formation of a new 'association' provisionally to be called the 'Society for Scientists in Orders' and to include deaconess-scientists as well as priests, initially of the Anglican communion. Members were to have some measure of 'scientific experience at a professional level' (this was not defined more precisely).
Most of those present agreed to meet for a further (24 hour) conference chaired by Arthur Peacocke at St George's House on 29-30 September 1986 and to approach other likely persons to bring that residential consultation up to a minimum of 18 persons. Eric Jenkins was asked to continue as Correspondent.
In preparation for the September conference at Windsor, small working parties were set up (i) to prepare a draft Constitution for the proposed Society (Arthur Peacocke, Tim Appleton and Chris Knight); and (ii) to prepare an agenda and also appropriate forms of worship for inclusion at the conference (Arthur Peacocke, John Kerr, Derek Stanesby). Soundings were to be made with Archbishop John Habgood to secure his approval of the new Society under the terms of the Constitution (Arthur Peacocke, Eric Jenkins, Michael Saunders) and it was agreed to write to sound him out to ascertain if he might be willing to become our 'Visitor'.
During the summer of 1986, the discussions and contacts noted above led to some further clarification, notably in the preparation of a draft Constitution. The name of the proposed society presented some difficulty - - at Windsor, 5 June 1986, the suggested name was 'Society for Scientists in Orders' (A), but the first draft Constitution prepared for discussion at Windsor on September 29-30, 1986, proposed 'Chapter of Ordained Scientists' (B), with the added comment that (A) had 'an unpleasantly hissing quality', while the possible alternative 'Society of Ordained Scientists' (C) was susceptible to the unfortunate abbreviation of SOS! In the event, the Windsor September 29-30 1986 gathering accepted (C), following John Polkinghorne's comment that we could encourage the use of the abbreviation, S.O.Sc.
During July and August 1986, Eric Jenkins posted explanatory material about the proposed Society to more than 40 persons, with invitations to the 29-30th September 1986 conference at St George's House, Windsor. The list was compiled from those who had attended earlier, on 5 June 1986, a list drawn up by St George's House, and various personal contacts, especially those of Arthur Peacocke. A minimum of 18 registrations were required by the administrators of the House for a financially viable conference. Eventually, the list amounted to 19 (plus 2 staff members from St George's Chapel), with several expressions of interest from persons who were precluded from attendance by other business.
The conference programme for 29-30 September 1986 included quiet meditation, Evensong, Compline, Mattins and Holy Communion in St George's Chapel and three business sessions in the library at which the Society of Ordained Scientists was provisionally constituted. The Society's name, constitution, Aims and Rule and an approach to Dr Habgood, the Archbishop of York, inviting him to act as Visitor, were all agreed. Arthur Peacocke and Eric Jenkins were appointed as Acting Warden and Acting Secretary, respectively, until the Society's first annual gathering and retreat which it was agreed should be held in March 1987.
Dr Habgood met with Arthur Peacocke and Eric Jenkins at the House of Lords, Westminster on 25 November 1986. The Archbishop agreed to become our Visitor and he later attended part of the Foundation Meeting of the Society at Foxhill in 1987. He has presided at every subsequent service of admission (at Launde Abbey, Leicestershire) and has usually also been present at the Annual General Meeting.
The meeting at St George's, Windsor had been a private consultation of 16 priests, to test support for the proposed Society and hopefully to engage in collective decision making about its aims and organisation. Given the encouragement evident at that consultation, the next step was to arrange a rather larger residential conference-cum-retreat at which the Society could be formally constituted, members admitted by the Archbishop of York at a Eucharist, and officers appointed. At the suggestion of the considerable number of prospective members from the North-West area, and bearing in mind the somewhat limited accommodations at St George's House, Windsor, arrangements were made at Foxhill House, near Frodsham, Cheshire, the conference centre of the Chester diocese, for the (provisional) Society to hold its 'Foundation Meeting' on 24_26 March 1987. (This became effectively the first Annual Gathering and Retreat of the Society and it set the pattern for successive years) It was structured as a retreat, with a pattern of worship, of silence and meditations by Archbishop George Appleton; as an opportunity for talking and getting to know each other, and as an annual means of conducting necessary business. A key event on this occasion was an Anglican Eucharist based on the ASB Rite A (with additional material for the Vows of Admission) at which the Visitor presided and formally admitted the founding members. It has provided the pattern for admissions of new members in subsequent years.
At Foxhill, on 26th March 1987, 27 founding members were admitted (two of these in absentia because of exceptional circumstances), the draft Constitution was accepted, including the Aims and Rule of the Society, and the Society's officers were elected: VISITOR The Most Revd Dr John Habgood, Archbishop of York WARDEN The Revd Dr Arthur Peacocke (initially for three years) SECRETARY The Revd Canon Eric Jenkins (initially two years).
The date of the second annual meeting was suggested for 20-22 or 21-23 June 1988 'at a site to be arranged in the Midland area with accommodation for up to 40'. Subsequently, the committee agreed on 19- 21 June 1988 at Launde Abbey, Leicestershire which has a maximum capacity of 54 beds. It proved a highly suitable venue and the Society has met there ever since.
In order to encourage personal contacts between members of the Society, regional chapters were set up at the first annual gathering at Foxhill and were encouraged to arrange approximately quarterly meetings in the intervals between annual conferences. By December 1987, the following 'Chapter activities' had been reported to a national committee meeting.
The Southern Chapter (convenor, John Kerr) had met twice at Winchester, each meeting including a social gathering and a Eucharist. Plans were in hand, supported by the Bishop of Winchester, for SOSc members to service a sixth-form day conference.
The East Anglia Chapter (convenor, John Polkinghorne) met twice at Cambridge, for discussion and a Eucharist. One of the meetings was attended by a Jesuit priest, who himself has since acted as the host to a meeting and is now an Associate.
The Northern Chapter (convenor, Tom Broadbent) met twice at Salford University. A Eucharist was celebrated on each occasion and one of these included an open lecture and discussion on environmental science. Two of the Chapter members had organized and assisted with a two-day residential course on science and faith for priests of the Manchester diocese.
All the above Chapter meetings had been open not only to members but also to prospective members in the area. The Warden had taken the opportunity to attend every one of the meetings.
By decision of the Society's first annual meeting, a national committee was set up comprising the warden, Secretary and each of the Chapter conveners. This committee met for the first time, at Launde Abbey on 14- 15 December 1987. The minutes of that meeting show that, within two years of the initial discussions between Arthur Peacocke and Eric Jenkins, a new dispersed order with clearly defined aims and structure was attracting interest and support from a surprising number of ordained scientists of different denominations. The Secretary informed that meeting of the national committee that the formation of the Society had been reported in the church press, in the Observer newspaper and in the New Scientist, with the consequence that he had received about 40 inquiries. He circulated a list of 17 prospective new members who were prepared to accept the Rule and Constitution, had paid a subscription and were likely to attend our 1988 gathering at Launde Abbey. Fifty-three persons were by then receiving the Society's regular bulletins and occasional notices. He presented to the committee a digest of the individual interests of the foundation members and some prospective members, revealed in correspondence and classified under the headings:
Medical, Ecology, Ethics, Philosophy, Education and Training, Spirituality, Miscellaneous.
The early history of the Society of Ordained Scientists, over the years 1985-7, had passed remarkably smoothly through the phases: Inspiration -- Consultation -- Implementation.
With the transfer of the site of the annual meeting to Launde Abbey, the annual growth in membership (including not only Anglicans but Methodists, United Reform and Church of Scotland ministers), the appearance at annual meetings of a number of overseas members from Canada and the United States, the design and manufacture of a Society's badge and logo, the appearance -- with varying degrees of regularity -- of a prayer card and Bulletin, the Society took on a more representative established role and its long-term significance remains to be fully addressed. The writer relinquished the post of Secretary at the Society's fourth annual meeting in 1990, hoping to remain an active member for as long as possible, and grateful to Almighty God and his brothers and sisters in the Society for the unexpected and fulfilling opportunities of being associated with its birth.
Eric Jenkins Childwall
Liverpool, December 1990
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