Michael Harper
Encyclopedia
Michael Claude Harper was a priest of the Church of England
who became a priest of the Antiochian Orthodox Church
. He was a key leader of the British charismatic movement
from the 1960s to 1980s.
Harper was a curate at All Souls Church, Langham Place
(London) when he received what Pentecostals
and charismatics refer to as the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, a religious experience
accompanied by speaking in tongues
. This put him at odds with the church's evangelical
rector, John Stott
, and Harper left All Souls in 1964 to found the Fountain Trust
, an organisation dedicated to spreading the charismatic message.
In his days as an Anglican charismatic leader, he wrote several books, including As at the Beginning (1965), a narrative of the growth of Pentecostalism and the charismatic movement in the 20th century.
Haeper left Anglicanism in 1995 because of what he saw as the Church of England's increasing doctrinal
laxity, particularly with regard to the ordination of women
. He and his wife, Jeanne, joined the Orthodox Church. He was ordained and made the first dean of the then newly established Antiochian Orthodox Deanery of the United Kingdom and Ireland. He wrote about his views on female ordination in the 1994 book Equal and Different and related his journey to Orthodoxy in The True Light (1994). He was subsequently made an archpriest by the late Metropolitan Gabriel of Western and Central Europe. He was senior priest of the Antiochian Orthodox parish in the City of London which worships in St Botolph's Bishopsgate
.
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
who became a priest of the Antiochian Orthodox Church
Antiochian Orthodox Church
The Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch, also known as the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East and the Antiochian Orthodox Church , is an autocephalous Greek Orthodox Church within the wider communion of Orthodox Christianity...
. He was a key leader of the British charismatic movement
Charismatic movement
The term charismatic movement is used in varying senses to describe 20th century developments in various Christian denominations. It describes an ongoing international, cross-denominational/non-denominational Christian movement in which individual, historically mainstream congregations adopt...
from the 1960s to 1980s.
Harper was a curate at All Souls Church, Langham Place
All Souls Church, Langham Place
All Souls Church is an Anglican Evangelical church in central London, situated in Marylebone at the north end of Regent Street on Langham Place, just south of BBC Broadcasting House. As well as the core church membership, many hundreds of visitors come to All Souls, bringing the average number of...
(London) when he received what Pentecostals
Pentecostalism
Pentecostalism is a diverse and complex movement within Christianity that places special emphasis on a direct personal experience of God through the baptism in the Holy Spirit, has an eschatological focus, and is an experiential religion. The term Pentecostal is derived from Pentecost, the Greek...
and charismatics refer to as the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, a religious experience
Religious experience
Religious experience is a subjective experience in which an individual reports contact with a transcendent reality, an encounter or union with the divine....
accompanied by speaking in tongues
Glossolalia
Glossolalia or speaking in tongues is the fluid vocalizing of speech-like syllables, often as part of religious practice. The significance of glossolalia has varied with time and place, with some considering it a part of a sacred language...
. This put him at odds with the church's evangelical
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
rector, John Stott
John Stott
John Robert Walmsley Stott CBE was an English Christian leader and Anglican cleric who was noted as a leader of the worldwide Evangelical movement. He was one of the principal authors of the Lausanne Covenant in 1974...
, and Harper left All Souls in 1964 to found the Fountain Trust
Fountain Trust
The Fountain Trust was an ecumenical agency formed in the UK in 1964 to promote the charismatic renewal. The trust operated on the principle that it was the purpose of the Holy Spirit to "renew the historic churches". D...
, an organisation dedicated to spreading the charismatic message.
In his days as an Anglican charismatic leader, he wrote several books, including As at the Beginning (1965), a narrative of the growth of Pentecostalism and the charismatic movement in the 20th century.
Haeper left Anglicanism in 1995 because of what he saw as the Church of England's increasing doctrinal
Doctrine
Doctrine is a codification of beliefs or a body of teachings or instructions, taught principles or positions, as the body of teachings in a branch of knowledge or belief system...
laxity, particularly with regard to the ordination of women
Ordination of women
Ordination in general religious usage is the process by which a person is consecrated . The ordination of women is a regular practice among some major religious groups, as it was of several religions of antiquity...
. He and his wife, Jeanne, joined the Orthodox Church. He was ordained and made the first dean of the then newly established Antiochian Orthodox Deanery of the United Kingdom and Ireland. He wrote about his views on female ordination in the 1994 book Equal and Different and related his journey to Orthodoxy in The True Light (1994). He was subsequently made an archpriest by the late Metropolitan Gabriel of Western and Central Europe. He was senior priest of the Antiochian Orthodox parish in the City of London which worships in St Botolph's Bishopsgate
St Botolph-without-Bishopsgate
St Botolph-without-Bishopsgate is a Church of England church in the City of London, first mentioned in 1212 and dedicated to St Botolph.The nearest London Underground station is Liverpool Street.-History:...
.