Michael Scott-Joynt

The Rt Revd  Michael Scott-Joynt  MA(Cantab)[1]
Bishop of Winchester
Church	Church of England
Appointed	1995
Reign ended	2011
Predecessor	Colin James
Successor	Tim Dakin (bishop-designate)
Other posts	Bishop of Stafford 1987–1995
Orders
Ordination	1967
Consecration	1987
Personal details
Born	15 March 1943 (1943-03-15) (age 68) Bromley, Kent
Nationality	British
Denomination	Anglican
Spouse	Louise White (1965—)
Children	2 sons & 1 daughter
Alma mater	King’s College, Cambridge

Anglicanism portal

Michael Charles Scott-Joynt (born 15 March 1943) is an English ecclesiastic and prelate of the Order of the Garter. He was appointed Bishop of Winchester, one of the five senior bishoprics in the Church of England, in 1995.^[2] He had previously served as Bishop of Stafford in the Diocese of Lichfield from 1987 and before that as Canon Residentiary at St Albans.^[3] On 10 October 2010, it was announced that Scott-Joynt intended to retire and did so in May 2011.^[4]

Education and career

He was educated at King’s College, Cambridge (BA 1965, MA 1968) and Cuddesdon Theological College

He was ordained as a deacon in 1967 and priest of the Church of England in 1968. He was a curate at Cuddesdon (1967–70) and a tutor at Cuddesdon College (1967–71); he then served as Chaplain of Cuddesdon (1971–72). He was Team Vicar of Newbury, 1972–75; priest-in-charge at Caversfield 1975–79; then at Bicester 1975–79; and then at Bucknell 1976–79. He was rector of the Bicester Area Team Ministry (1979–81); Rural Dean of Bicester and Islip (1976–81); a residential canon of St Albans (1982–87); and Director of Ordinands and In-Service Training in the Diocese of St Albans (1982–87).

He was suffragan Bishop of Stafford (1987–1995) before being appointed Bishop of Winchester in 1995, a role from which he retired in 2011.

He married Louise White in 1965 and they have two sons and one daughter.

Opinions

He has attracted note for some of his more outspoken opinions. His Christmas Day sermon of 2001 was titled "This Terror Is a Judgment upon Us." In it, he called the 11 September 2001 attacks "cruelly evil as they were" a judgment upon the developed nations' promotion of their own standard of living at the expense of the global poor, and condemned the Middle East policies of the Western nations. He was also one of 52 UK bishops who signed a letter in 2003 calling for reform of arms export laws.

He chaired a Church of England committee in 2000, which urged a lifting of the ban on remarriage of divorcees whose former spouse was still living. The report insisted that the Church of England was not abandoning its position that marriage is for life, but rather acknowledging the situation of many within society whose former marriages had long ceased to have any real existence.^[5] However, he insisted at the time that this would not necessarily open the way for Charles, Prince of Wales to marry Camilla Parker Bowles. (In the event, the wedding of Prince Charles and Mrs Parker Bowles took the form of a civil marriage which was immediately followed by a service of blessing in St George's Chapel, Windsor.)

In 2003, he was signatory to an open letter from 17 Church of England bishops opposing the nomination of Jeffrey John, an openly gay priest in a long-term relationship, as suffragan bishop-designate of Reading.

Scott-Joynt is one of the Church of England's most prominent opponents of gay rights, for example voting against the Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations in the House of Lords because there was no provision for religious conscience. Scott-Joynt also argued that the introduction of civil partnership legislation in the UK threatened the uniqueness of marriage and declared he would closely question clergy in his diocese who entered a civil partnership.^[6]

In 2008, he said, in relation to the exclusion of Christians in same-sex relationships from positions of leadership (such as bishoprics like his own): "I see no future for the Anglican Communion as we know it, or for the Church of England as we know it, if either deserts this teaching."^[7]

Styles

• Michael Scott-Joynt Esq (1943–1967)
• The Revd Michael Scott-Joynt (1967–1982)
• The Revd Canon Michael Scott-Joynt (1982–1987)
• The Rt Revd Michael Scott-Joynt (1987—present)

References

1. ^ Church of England — Bishop of Winchester
2. ^ London Gazette: no. 51000. p. 9239. 20 July 1987. Retrieved 2008-05-07.
3. ^ London Gazette: no. 51000. p. 12953. 25 September 1995 1987. Retrieved 2008-05-07.
4. ^ Diocese of Winchester — Bishop Michael announces retirement in May 2011
5. ^ [Bishop Michael's Speeches: Marriage in Church after Divorce, General Synod, 9 July 200? — The following is the introduction to a debate on MARRIAGE IN CHURCH AFTER DIVORCE (GS 1449), which took place in York on Tuesday 9th July]. Retrieved 2008-05-07
6. ^ Bishop Michael's Speeches: The coming into effect of the Civil Partnerships Act 2 December 2005—A Statement by the Bishop of Winchester. Retrieved 2008-05-07
7. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/jersey/7504006.stm

Church of England titles
Preceded by John Waller	Bishop of Stafford 1987–1995	Succeeded by Christopher Hill
Preceded by Colin James	Bishop of Winchester 1995–2011	Succeeded by Tim Dakin bishop-designate

Persondata
Name	Scott-Joynt
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	15 March 1943
Place of birth	Bromley, Kent
Date of death
Place of death