My husband, Hugh Dawes, who has died aged 75 of pneumonia and dementia with Lewy our bodies, was a radical priest within the Church of England. A lifelong member of the Labour social gathering, in 2002 he stood as a councillor in Village ward, within the London borough of Southwark.
In 1987 he was appointed vicar of St James’s church in Cambridge and director of the Focus Christian Institute. He believed strongly in alternatives for a wider theological schooling among the many laity, and abhorred the tendency of clergy to speak right down to their congregations.
In 1992, Hugh printed Liberating the Religion: A Credible Christianity for At the moment, an essay in liberal understanding, advocating change to set religion free from tyrannical custom and be related in at the moment’s world. He was savagely attacked within the press by traditionalists, who known as on him publicly to resign his orders. The Impartial carried the story of the “atheist priest”.
He braved the storm and proclaimed himself a catholic modernist priest, with no intention of resigning. He was a prophetic voice, typically crying within the wilderness.
Hugh and I met in 2000 when he turned vicar at St Religion’s, north Dulwich, in south London, the place I used to be a member of the congregation. We had been married in 2004. Gifted in making eucharistic worship contextual and galvanizing, he enabled folks to specific doubts and ask questions, by no means giving simple solutions.
In 2003, Hugh, having been concerned in an American progressive Christian organisation, arrange Progressive Christianity Community Britain, which shortly targeted on sincere theological discuss between laity and clergy.
Born in London, to Iris (nee Wynn), a trainer, and William Dawes, a enterprise supervisor, Hugh grew up in Brighton, attending Brighton and Hove grammar faculty. He studied historical past at College School, Oxford. After ordination he was appointed chaplain of Gonville and Caius School after which Emmanuel School, Cambridge, from 1982, when Don Cupitt as dean was filming the tv collection The Sea of Religion. Don turned a serious affect and a good friend.
Growing early indicators of a Parkinsonism, Hugh continued liturgical ministry within the Guildford diocese from 2011 to 2018. He participated in eucharistic worship till his dying.
After his early retirement on well being grounds in 2010, Hugh and I moved to Haslemere in Surrey, the place he was proud to be one of many comparatively few Guardian readers.
Hugh is survived by me, my sons, Matthew, Andrew and Rowan, grandchildren, Freddie, Stanley, Barnaby and Lyra, and his brother, Malcolm.
