The Rev Alison Fulford has been appointed as a judge for the 2009 Michael Ramsey Prize for Theological Writing, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has announced.Ms Fulford will complete a judging panel consisting of Fr Timothy Radcliffe OP, champion of the 2007 Michael Ramsey Prize; writer AN Wilson; New Testament expert, Canon Dr Paula Gooder lecturer; writer and broadcaster, Dr Elaine Storkey; and the Archbishop of Canterbury and his wife, Jane, also a distinguished theological writer.
Nominations are currently being processed and a shortlist of titles contending for the Prize will be announced in December 2008.
The winner of the 2009 Michael Ramsey Prize will be announced at the Hay-on-Wye Literary Festival, in May 2009.
“I am very happy to welcome Alison to our panel and am looking forward to hearing her views on the shortlisted titles,” said Dr Williams. Ms Fulford studied English literature at Cambridge University and then theology while training for ordination at Ridley Hall. She is a working mum who looks after her toddler as well as serving in the Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham as a priest. Ms Fulford was selected for the judging panel through a writing competition which was open to the general public.
The Michael Ramsey Prize, awarded every two years, and worth £15,000, aims to encourage the most promising contemporary theological writing and to identify it for a wider Christian readership.
The biennial prize was inaugurated by Archbishop of Canterbury in 2005 to commemorate Dr Ramsey, who was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1961-1974, and his commitment to increasing the breadth of theological understanding of people in general.
Dr Williams said about this proposal: "I have been clear since I came into office that a real priority had to be the encouragement of excellence in the field of theological education. The opportunity to combine this with honouring Michael Ramsey, one of the great theological writers and thinkers of the Anglican Church in living memory, was simply too good to ignore. I hope that writers and researchers will be encouraged and that the church will realize the great debt that we owe to those whose work is to deepen our understanding and strengthen our faith."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Disclaimer
No responsibility or liability shall attach itself to either myself or to the blogspot ‘Clerical Whispers’ for any or all of the articles placed here.
The placing of an article hereupon does not necessarily imply that I agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.
Sacerdos