Thursday, April 21, 2016

Archbishop of Canterbury Learns His Biological Father Was Churchill's Private Secretary

© 2016 The Wired Word
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"I know that I find who I am in Jesus Christ, not in genetics, and my identity in him never changes."
That's a good testimony that many faithful Christians would affirm for themselves, but it had unusual significance when it was issued earlier this month by Justin Welby, the archbishop of Canterbury, who had just learned that his biological father was not Gavin Welby -- the man who married his mother -- as both he and his mother had always believed, but was in fact Sir Anthony Montague Browne, Winston Churchill's last private secretary, during Churchill's second time as prime minister, 1951-1955.
Welby, 60, is the leader of the Church of England and spiritual head of the Anglican communion, with about 85 million members worldwide.
The discovery came about after Welby submitted to a DNA test that compared that of Welby with DNA from hairs in a brush used by the late Browne, who died 2013 at the age of 89. The archbishop agreed to the test only after The Daily Telegraph, a British newspaper, pieced together evidence that suggested that Browne and Welby were father and son and presented it to the archbishop. He agreed to the test only to disprove the newspaper's claim.
But after the test showed a 99.9779 percent probability that Browne was Welby's parent, the archbishop accepted the information and shortly thereafter issued the statement. He also said his true paternity came as a "complete surprise."
It has not been reported why The Daily Telegraph decided to investigate the archbishop's paternity.
Upon learning the news, one of Welby's first thoughts was for his mother, Jane Williams, 86, now Lady Williams of Elvel. She too had been a secretary to Churchill and confirmed first to her son and later in an online statement that she had had a brief liaison with Browne just prior to her "very sudden" and short marriage to Gavin Welby, a whiskey salesman and son of a Jewish immigrant. But since her son had been born "almost nine months to the day" after the wedding, she and her husband had assumed the child had been conceived during the honeymoon.
Lady Williams explained that during the affair and marriage, she had been "drinking heavily at times" and said that it eventually developed into "serious alcoholism," which only ended in 1968 when she entered rehab. She and her son both confirm that she has not drunk alcohol since. In his statement, the archbishop said he is "enormously proud" of his mother.
Welby acknowledged his early years were difficult since both his mother and Gavin Welby were alcoholics.
His mother's marriage to Gavin Welby ended in 1958. She occasionally met Browne after that, but, she says, he never indicated that he thought he might be her son's father. In 1975, she wed Charles Williams, a marriage that continues to the present day. She went on to become a magistrate and a deputy lieutenant for Greater London as well as a probation officer, prison visitor and member of the National Parole board. She was also involved in penal reform.
Lady Williams concluded her statement by saying, "I have watched Justin, from an almost impossible childhood (Gavin was alcoholic as well), grow into what he is today, marry his beautiful wife Caroline in 1979 and see his children and now grandchildren grow up around them. As a family we are truly blessed. But none of this would have been possible without our firm Christian faith and a determination never to relinquish hope. God has given us so much and my gratitude knows no bounds."
In Welby's statement, he said that his discovery about the identity of his biological father "is typical of many people. To find that one's father is other than imagined is not unusual. To be the child of families with great difficulties in relationships, with substance abuse or other matters, is far too normal."
He went on to say that as archbishop, he is "constantly aware of the real and genuine pain and suffering of many around the world, which should be the main focus of our prayers."
He also said, "This revelation has, of course, been a surprise, but in my life and in our marriage Caroline and I have had far worse." (Though he didn't mention it in his statement, the couple's first child, Johanna, died in a car crash in 1983, when she was seven months old.)
In an interview with The Daily Telegraph following the DNA announcement, Welby said, "There is no existential crisis, and no resentment against anyone. My identity is founded in who I am in Christ."
That is supported by his online statement, which he concluded by referencing his inauguration service into the office of archbishop. As part of the ritual, a member of the Canterbury congregation, said, "We greet you in the name of Christ. Who are you, and why do you request entry?" Welby responded, "I am Justin, a servant of Jesus Christ, and I come as one seeking the grace of God to travel with you in his service together."
Welby said that the new information about who his biological father is changes nothing. He is still a servant of Jesus Christ.
More on this story can be found at these links:
The Big Questions
1. Who are you in relation to who Christ is? To what degree do you consider your identity to be rooted in Christ? Why?
2. What effect do you think it would have on you to discover that one or both of your biological parents are not whom you thought they were? Why? What help might your faith in God be at such a time?
3. To what degree do you think your genetic makeup influences the sort of person you are? How much of that is enhanced or overridden by Jesus' call to follow him?
4. In what sense does your identification with Jesus Christ give you "a place to stand" in this life?
Confronting the News With Scripture and Hope
Here are some Bible verses to guide your discussion:
Matthew 10:37-38 
Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. (For context, read 10:34-39.)
This has to be considered one of the more difficult requirements Jesus laid on his followers. Yes, he does not say "Don't love your parents and children," but he does insist that following him has to be higher on our priority list than family loyalties. It's a hard expectation, but there it is.
In the context of Welby's recent discovery about his biological father, however, it seems from his response like it is no contest; Christ is first in his loyalties.
Question: How do you deal with this requirement from Jesus in your life?
John 1:12-13 
But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. (For context, read 1:1-5, 10-18.)
Clearly, John is here saying that the parent who matters most is our heavenly Father, and that receiving Christ is more important than being a member in any human family.
Questions: What things in life make you aware of your membership in God's family? What duties does that membership bring with it? What privileges and joys does it bring?
Philippians 3:5, 8-9
I [am] a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin … I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him …. (For context, read 3:4b-11.)
In this statement, Paul declares his accomplishments and his lineage (mentioned in vv. 4b-6) "rubbish" -- that is, he regards them not worth anything when compared to the "surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord."
Questions: At what points, if any, do you connect with Paul's comparison here? If you would not use the word "rubbish" regarding your lineage, what term might you use to express its importance in relation to your "knowing Christ"? Why?
2 Corinthians 5:17 
So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! (For context, read 5:16-21.)
Before receiving Christ, Paul's knowledge of Christ was as an outsider, and was hostile. But once he was converted and became "in Christ," everything was changed. He himself became a new creation. Thus, his new identity was from Christ. That's what he's saying here.
Questions: In what sense can this verse be your testimony? What might you want to add to it or subtract from it? Why?
For Further Discussion
1. Other than your name, in what ways does your family of origin (whether by birth or adoption) give you identity? How does it affect who you are today?
2. What surprising news have you received that caused you to rethink who you are?
3. Regarding our identity, respond to this: As an older woman entered a country church, the usher asked her where she'd like to sit. When she indicated that she wanted to sit in the front row, the usher said she shouldn't sit there because they were having a boring preacher that morning and she might want to slip out. The woman, bristling, asked, "Do you know who I am?" When the usher said no, she said, "I am the preacher's mother!" The usher responded, "Do you know who I am?" When the woman said no, the usher replied, "Thank God!"
4. Comment on this, from TWW consultant James Gruetzner: "In Welby's story, there is no doubt that the sexual relationship of his biological father and his mother was, at least in some sense, wrong or sinful, rather than a moral expression supporting the 'if it feels good, do it' philosophy. I think that many in the current popular culture have lost that distinction. And that is a distinction which makes a difference: the difference between repentance and forgiveness on the one hand, and rebellion and embracing destructive behavior on the other."
Responding to the News
Meditate on the hymn "Solid Rock" and talk together about what ways Christ serves as a solid rock in your life.
Prayer
We thank you, O Lord, for the identity you give us as members of the family of God. Help us to so live that we are a good reflection upon that family and you as our Father. In Jesus' name. Amen.
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