Recovering our memory: Cranmer

Who: Thomas Cranmer
When: 1489 – 1556
Where: Archbishop of Canterbury

So what?

There is very little about the Anglican Church—its offical theology, its rhythms of worship, its relationship to the monarch—that Cranmer didn’t have a hand in. He was integral to King Henry VIII’s efforts to get a divorce from his first wife, so that he could marry Anne Boleyn, who he hoped would give him a son and heir (she didn’t manage the first, but kind of achieved the second—her daughter was Elizabeth I). He became Archbishop of Canterbury under Henry and then Edward VI, and having slowly moved to committed Protestantism himself, he slowly moved England in the same direction: very cautiously under Henry (who was a Catholic who didn’t like the Pope), then quite quickly under Edward (a convinced Protestant, the son of Henry’s third wife).

There are countless interesting aspects to Cranmer’s chequered character and life, but here are just three that have great relevance for Christians today:

Cranmer’s cautious bravery: Real life is always more complex than stories (and often than history books). Cranmer was a great survivor; he was a Protestant archbishop under a king who persecuted Protestants. He understood that biblical faith would need to be preached, not imposed, and could not move much faster than the king’s own position. His life is a great example of how to deal with setbacks, and recover; how to choose your moments to fight, and when to give way; and how to make mistakes, but press on. With the benefit of 500 years and a much safer country to be a Protestant in, it’s easy to grow frustrated with Cranmer’s caution and compromise: but it was his ability to choose his battles that enabled him to continue to chart England’s reforming course. And, in the end, he was prepared to die for his faith (see below).

Cranmer’s relationship to his monarch: Like most men of his time (particularly Protestants, who rejected papal authority) Cranmer had an extremely high view of the power and position of his monarch. A number of times he obeyed his monarch instead of his Lord—the greatest example of this was when he wrote a denial of Protestant faith under Queen Mary, a militant Catholic, because to disobey his monarch’s order was unthinkable. Again, it’s easy to criticise Cranmer for this—how could he elevate a political structure above his faith in Christ? But substitute “democracy” for “monarchy”, and it’s easier to see how Christians can end up placing a system of government on a par with the Bible in how they see the world, and how they see what is “right” and “wrong”.

Cranmer’s death: In 1554, on Mary’s orders, Cranmer was arrested. After 17 months in isolation, he wrote his infamous denial of biblical faith. But Mary wanted to make an example of him, and burned him anyway. Cranmer, now a very old man, used his final words to deny his denial and preach Christ; then, as the flames leapt towards him, he held the hand which had signed that denial into the fire, so that it would burn first. He died with faith, as did hundreds of very normal men and women under Mary. Perhaps their era can lend some perspective to ours. We may be called to be rejected, mocked or unemployed for our faith. But in the UK, no-one is burning us. It certainly challenges the speed with which I compromise my faith to enjoy comfort.

Good quote: “Let us diligently search for the well of life in the books of the New and Old Testaments, and not run to the stinking puddles of men’s traditions, devised by men’s imaginations, for our justification and salvation.”

Random fact: Cranmer’s dying words were the ones of Stephen, the first Christian martyr, from Acts 7: “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit… I see the heavens open and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.”