Presentation of Lambeth Diploma

Tuesday 16th May 2006

The Lambeth Diploma was first established by Archbishop Randall Davidson in 1905 with the intention of encouraging women to study theology and, since 1944 has been open to men as well as women. Candidates qualify for the diploma either by writing a thesis or taking an examination.

The Archbishop's remarks:

I am delighted to welcome you all to Lambeth today for the annual award ceremony of the Archbishop's Examination in Theology. As many of you know this now comprises the Lambeth Diploma and the Lambeth MA. On this occasion, however, there is only one presentation and that is to The Revd Malcolm Rogers who has successfully obtained the Lambeth Diploma.

The Lambeth Diploma of Student in Theology was instituted here at Lambeth in 1905 by Archbishop Randall Davidson. The Archbishop's concern, and that of Miss Gladys Bevan who pioneered the idea, was to provide the opportunity for women to study and become proficient in theology, principally so that those who taught religious education were equipped with a high standard of biblical and religious knowledge fitting for their work. What was created was a comparatively rare thing: an advanced qualification which could be undertaken by people in varying circumstances: and this for women who until this time (in practice if not in theory) had been largely excluded from the field of advanced theology.

It took almost a further forty years, however, and the arrival of Archbishop William Temple to finally agree that the same opportunity should be made available to men, and to secondary school masters in particular.

Originally the Diploma could only be taken by examination but the thesis option was created for those who already had some appropriate theological qualification. As in recent years, this continues to be by far the most popular way of gaining the Diploma and shows that for the majority of candidates it is a much needed vehicle for furthering their theological study and is a wonderful incentive to research.

I therefore welcome Malcolm Rogers who is here to receive the Diploma of Student in Theology, together with his relatives and friends. I am also delighted to see so many members of the STh Association and trust that you have had an interesting meeting this morning. I should also like to take this opportunity to thank Bryan Almond, the Musical Director of the University of London Church Choir, who, with some of his members, has come to lead us in our singing.

We are gathered here to recognise and honour Malcolm who by his hard work and study has attained the Lambeth Diploma of Student in Theology by thesis. I know all too well how much work is involved in such a task and I am sure I speak for us all, when I say to Malcolm that he can rightly feel proud of his achievement.

In his thesis, entitled A Summary and Critique of the Idea of Freedom in Zizioulas' 'Being as Communion' Malcolm attempts to assess the adequacy of John Zizioulas' understanding of divine and human freedom, as expressed in his well-known book Being as Communion. This understanding is grounded in an account of God as the person of the Father-in-communion, and of human persons as incorporated into Christ, who is one with the Father and the Spirit in the Trinity. In a brief introductory chapter, Malcolm surveys three different views of freedom, which he calls "Greek" ('freedom to'), "Hebrew" ('freedom from') and "existentialist". After a passing look at Isaiah Berlin's two concepts of freedom he goes on to present Zizioulas' thought in greater detail. The freedom of the Father, the freedom of the Son, and the freedom of the Christian (in relation to Christ, church, hierarchy and doctrine) are reviewed in turn. In the final section of the dissertation there is a robust critique of Zizioulas' notion of freedom, using Maximus the Confessor as a yardstick of comparison. Zizioulas rejects the notion of pre-existent 'divine substance' (ousia) in favour of 'divine communion', which he sees as better expressing divine (and human) freedom, whereas Maximus accepts the traditional Greek language of 'divine substance' to express the divine unity, subordinating freedom-in-relation to it. Malcolm has read Zizioulas with care, and he has, with the help of Isaiah Berlin, a good grasp of some of the fundamental issues around notions of freedom. He exercises independence of judgment and develops a cogent argument.

Well done, this is an excellent piece of work.

As you can see, the Diploma has once again afforded the opportunity to study seriously the Christian biblical tradition as well as examining an area of Systematic Theology in depth. I hope Malcolm found that the insights which he gained from studying for this thesis have not only enriched his own knowledge of the faith but also, in turn, his ministry, and that the research will be of use in the wider Church. Malcolm, I congratulate you on your achievement.

Before I present the award to Malcolm I would like to make one special announcement. You will remember that last year we celebrated 100 years since Archbishop Davidson founded the Lambeth Diploma. In the following year the Lambeth Diploma Association was established, consisting of holders of the Lambeth Diploma. In more recent years it also includes those who have gained the MA by thesis. They meet on this presentation day each year for fellowship, sharing their common interest in Theology. During tea after this service, Dr Ralph Werrell, the Chairman of the Association, will present us with a gift for Lambeth Palace Library to celebrate this anniversary.

This is an appropriate opportunity to thank all those men and women who contribute so much of their time, energy and expertise to the work of the Archbishop's Examination in Theology. Special thanks are due to the Very Reverend Dr Martin Kitchen, the Director, to the Registrar, the Revd Canon Dr Maureen Palmer and to all members of the Committee, many of whom I am happy to welcome here today.

Both the Diploma and the Lambeth MA continue to provide a useful and economical means of study, especially for clergy, and we continue to receive a steady flow of applications. For the last couple of years the Committee has been involved in considering what we can offer potential candidates to bring the Archbishop's Examination in Theology in line with current Higher Education provisions. This work is nearly complete and before too long we hope to make a public announcement regarding the future direction of the Examination in Theology.

But now let us move on to today's presentation. Without further ado I am going to ask Martin Kitchen to present the successful candidate for this year's award of the Lambeth Diploma of Student in Theology.

Martin Kitchen: Archbishop, I present to you Malcolm Rogers to be awarded the Lambeth Diploma of Student in Theology.

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