Pete Owen-Jones
Encyclopedia
Peter Owen-Jones is an English Anglican clergyman, author and television presenter.
Owen Jones dropped out of public school
at the age of 16 and went to Australia to make his fortune. Back in Britain, he began his working life as a farm labourer in South Eastern England and then ran a mobile disco
before moving to London where he started in advertising as a messenger boy and worked his way up to creative director. In his late 20s and with a wife and two children, he gave up his commercial life to follow a calling to the Anglican ministry by enrolling at Ridley Hall, Cambridge. In early 1996 he gained notoriety when he conducted a service for the Newbury bypass
protestors.
In 1998, he ran three parishes in Cambridgeshire
as the Rector
of Haslingfield
(Harlton
, Great Eversden
and Little Eversden
), before resigning from his post in 2005, to relocate to the benefice of Glynde
, West Firle and Beddingham
. He was recruited by the BBC
to front a series of religious television programmes which would look at different aspects of Christian and other faiths where he has received critical acclaim from many quarters.
He is married to Jac and as of May 2010 has four children - India, 20, Jonson, 16, Harris, 15, and Eden, 13.
In his BBC documentary How to Live a Simple Life (2009) , Owen-Jones tried to live a life without money, in the footsteps of Saint Francis of Assisi. His 2010 documentary, The Lost Gospels, discussed the Apocryphal Gospels which were omitted from the canon of the New Testament, and Owen-Jones considers how their contents might have altered Christian theology if they had not been suppressed.
Owen Jones dropped out of public school
Public School (UK)
A public school, in common British usage, is a school that is neither administered nor financed by the state or from taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of endowments, tuition fees and charitable contributions, usually existing as a non profit-making charitable trust...
at the age of 16 and went to Australia to make his fortune. Back in Britain, he began his working life as a farm labourer in South Eastern England and then ran a mobile disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
before moving to London where he started in advertising as a messenger boy and worked his way up to creative director. In his late 20s and with a wife and two children, he gave up his commercial life to follow a calling to the Anglican ministry by enrolling at Ridley Hall, Cambridge. In early 1996 he gained notoriety when he conducted a service for the Newbury bypass
Newbury bypass
The Newbury bypass, officially known as The Winchester-Preston Trunk Road , is a stretch of dual carriageway road which bypasses the town of Newbury in Berkshire, England...
protestors.
In 1998, he ran three parishes in Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
as the Rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
of Haslingfield
Haslingfield
Haslingfield is a village and civil parish in South Cambridgeshire, England. The village is about six miles south-west of Cambridge, between Harston, Barton and Barrington. The population in the 2001 census was 1,550 people living in 621 households. The main streets in the village are called High...
(Harlton
Harlton
Harlton is a village and civil parish in the East of England region and the county Cambridgeshire in the United Kingdom. The village is south-west of Cambridge.-History:...
, Great Eversden
Great Eversden
Great Eversden is a village 6 miles south-west of Cambridge, England. The Prime Meridian runs through the parish just to the east of the village, separating it from Little Eversden.Great Eversden is a small village of about 85 houses...
and Little Eversden
Little Eversden
Little Eversden is a village approximately south-west of Cambridge, England. It has two main roads: Harlton Road which goes through Little Eversden and joins the A603, and High Street, which is a dead end....
), before resigning from his post in 2005, to relocate to the benefice of Glynde
Glynde
Glynde is a village in the Lewes District of East Sussex, United Kingdom. It is located two miles east of Lewes.-Estate:The estate at Glynde has belonged to four interlinked families: the Waleys , Morleys, Trevors, and Brands...
, West Firle and Beddingham
Beddingham
Glynde and Beddingham is a civil parish in the Lewes district of East Sussex.-Governance:On a local level, Glynde and Beddingham is governed by Glynde and Beddingham Parish Council. Council meetings are held every two months in the Beddingham Reading Room. Their responsibilities include footpaths,...
. He was recruited by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
to front a series of religious television programmes which would look at different aspects of Christian and other faiths where he has received critical acclaim from many quarters.
He is married to Jac and as of May 2010 has four children - India, 20, Jonson, 16, Harris, 15, and Eden, 13.
In his BBC documentary How to Live a Simple Life (2009) , Owen-Jones tried to live a life without money, in the footsteps of Saint Francis of Assisi. His 2010 documentary, The Lost Gospels, discussed the Apocryphal Gospels which were omitted from the canon of the New Testament, and Owen-Jones considers how their contents might have altered Christian theology if they had not been suppressed.
Books
- Bed of Nails: An Advertising Executive's Journey Through Theological College, Lion HudsonLion HudsonLion Hudson plc resulted from the merger in December 2003 of Lion Publishing plc and Angus Hudson Ltd. The merger created the largest independent publisher of books inspired by the Christian faith and its values in the UK. It is located in Oxford. Lion Publishing was founded in 1971 in order to...
, 1998, ISBN 9780745936284 - Small Boat, Big Sea: One Year's Journey as a Parish Priest, Lion Publishing, 2000, ISBN 0745950531
- Psalm, O Books, 2005, ISBN 1903816912
- Around the World in 80 Faiths, BBC BooksBBC BooksBBC Books is an imprint majority owned and managed by Random House. The minority shareholder is BBC Worldwide, the commercial subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation...
, 2009, ISBN 1846075068 - Letters from the Moon (2010)
Filmography
- In Search of England's Green and Pleasant Land BBC SouthBBC SouthBBC South is the BBC English Region serving West Sussex, Hampshire, Dorset, western Berkshire, Oxfordshire, south east Wiltshire and the Isle of Wight.-Television:...
- The Power and the Glory, BBC FourBBC FourBBC Four is a British television network operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation and available to digital television viewers on Freeview, IPTV, satellite and cable....
- The Battle for Britain's Soul, BBC TwoBBC TwoBBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
, a history of Christianity in Britain - The Lost Gospels, BBC FourBBC FourBBC Four is a British television network operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation and available to digital television viewers on Freeview, IPTV, satellite and cable....
, a documentary on the ancient gospels - Extreme PilgrimExtreme PilgrimExtreme Pilgrim is a British television series which was first broadcast by the BBC in January 2008. The series is presented by the Anglican vicar, Pete Owen-Jones who is researching the path of enlightenment and spirituality which he sees as having been lost by those in West.-Part One: China:The...
, BBC TwoBBC TwoBBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
, in which he lived as a Chinese Buddhist monk, a Christian monk and an Indian ascetic - Around the World in 80 FaithsAround the World in 80 FaithsAround the World in 80 Faiths is a British television series which was first broadcast by the BBC on 2 January 2009. The series is presented by the Anglican vicar, Pete Owen-Jones, who is researching the various faiths from around the world....
, BBC TwoBBC TwoBBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
, a travel documentary encountering different religions - How To Live A Simple Life, BBC TwoBBC TwoBBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
, a three part series, in which Peter tries to turn his back on consumerism
External links
- Sussex Life - Man on a Mission, January 2008
- The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
- My work space, 3 September 2005 - BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
- Around the World in 80 FaithsAround the World in 80 FaithsAround the World in 80 Faiths is a British television series which was first broadcast by the BBC on 2 January 2009. The series is presented by the Anglican vicar, Pete Owen-Jones, who is researching the various faiths from around the world....
- An interview with Pete (Adobe FlashAdobe FlashAdobe Flash is a multimedia platform used to add animation, video, and interactivity to web pages. Flash is frequently used for advertisements, games and flash animations for broadcast...
)