My Westminster work and the work I undertake in Birkenhead naturally overlaps. It did so rather dramatically a week ago.
A couple of years ago I was asked to chair the King James Bible Trust. Our single aim was to celebrate during this year the 400th anniversary of the great book’s publication.
I confess that the reason I accepted the invitation was not religious. I did so because of the role I see the King James Bible playing in developing our culture.
400 years ago was a time of great creativity and I am not sure whether an English language as we now understand it came into existence then because of a number of supreme writers, like Shakespeare. Or whether this huge talent was merely incidental.
Whatever the truth is we gained a translation of the Bible which people, as themoved around the world, they took with them. English became, as a result, one of the great world languages.
This side of the King James Bible, as well as its importance as an agent of Revelation, was celebrated last week in Westminster Abbey before Her Majesty The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh and The Prince of Wales.
A huge coach load of pupils from The University Academy of Birkenhead were present at the service and one of their number, Riona Kelly, read the longest and most difficult of the lessons.
Riona was outstanding. At a small reception afterwards The Prince of Wales asked to meet her so that he could personally thank her and comment on her extraordinary abilities.
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