Meet His Grace - Why You Should Read Archbishop Cranmer

There's a great deal of irony that it was while googling Sir Thomas More that I discovered religio-political commentator/blogger Archbishop Cranmer. For those of you not up on your history of the Church of England (shame, shame), Thomas Cranmer (1489-1556) was the first protestant Archbishop of Canterbury, compiled a good segment of the Book of Common Prayer, recanted his protestant convictions under Catholic queen Mary, was convicted to burning at stake, recanted his recantation, and died a martyr. Before that, he helped accomplish the divorce which Thomas More died rather than consent to (not to mentioning being part of the group that interrogated More).

Of course, I'm not talking about that Cranmer. I'm talking about his 21st Century reincarnation as an anonymous political blogger. His Grace, as he calls himself, posts regularly from a shamelessly Anglican perspective on politics in and out of the church. As is evident from the stream of testimonials on His Grace's page, he's widely read and respected in the U.K. (even Richard Dawkins has found time to emerge from his lair and call him "very nasty indeed"), and he presents a reasonable and intelligent commentary on most relevant issues, even when I don't agree with him. In particular, he has kept me up to date on the state of the church in Iraq (it's dire.)

Why read a British blogger, American political junkie? First, because even if it's taking place in St. Mary Mead, the issues are the same. Second, because England is like a snap shot of the American future, complete with liberalism gone mad. Third, because His Grace is a refreshingly unapologetic Christian voice in the blogosphere. Fourth, he's British, therefore accent, therefore tea, therefore cathedrals, therefore hobbits, therefore Benedict Cumberbatch.

His anonymity is another thing I find extremely awesome, not only because it rings of the Scarlet Pimpernel (he hints that he knows many of the high church officials/politicians he writes about, though obviously, they don't know him), but because it's something I'm far too self-centered to accomplish. Also, of course, his melodramatic, in-character turns of phrase are hilarious: "His Grace is not a benign monarch on a symbolic throne but a crusading cleric with a vibrant mission."

Check him out here.


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