The new Reformation

John Robinson was born in Canterbury, England, the son of a Canon of the Cathedral. He read the classics and theology at Cambridge, and then entered Westcott House to prepare for ordination. In 1946 he earned his doctorate in theology. He was summoned to Woolwich where he taught at Wells Theological College and then he moved to Clare College, Cambridge, where he became Dean in 1951. His first book, In the End, God, was published in 1950. In 1959, he became became Anglican Bishop of Woolwich. He came into public awareness in the United Kingdom in 1960 when he testified for Penguin Books in favor of the publication of Lady Chatterley's Lover before a commission seeking to ban the novel. In 1962, while recovering from a back injury, he wrote the book "Honest to God" which questioned traditional theism and started an international discussion about theology. He became a lecturer at Trinity College, Cambridge, and was later appointed the Dean of Trinity College, a position he held until his death. He was considered a major force in shaping liberal Christian theology. Along with Harvard theologian Harvey Cox, he spearheaded the field of secular theology and, like William Barclay, he was a believer in universal salvation.