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 Bishop John Robinson C of E Primary School Thamesmead

Bishop John Robinson C of E Primary School Thamesmead

Be the best we can. Join in learning, play and prayer. Remember God's word.

Bishop Robinson


Our school is named after the former Bishop of Woolwich, John Arthur Thomas Robinson. We have been learning more about his life and works, and how this impacts us as a school. 

John Robinson (1919-1983) was an English theologian, author and bishop in the Church of England. He is best known for his controversial and influential book "Honest to God," which was published in 1963.

In "Honest to God," Robinson argued that traditional Christian language and beliefs were no longer meaningful to many people in the modern world. He proposed a new way of thinking about God and Christianity, one that emphasised the idea of God; "For it is in [Jesus] making himself nothing, in his utter self-surrender to others in love, that he discloses and lays bare the ground of man's being as Love". He also discredited the understanding that God is "merely a supernatural being who sometimes intervenes in the world."

Robinson was consecrated as Bishop of Woolwich in 1959 and later served as Bishop of Durham from 1970 until his retirement in 1983. He continued to write and speak on theological and social issues until his death. He is revered by many as an important voice in church thinking of the 20th century.