{{Short description|British theologian, author and bishop}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2020}} {{EngvarB|date=February 2020}} {{Infobox Christian leader | type = bishop | honorific-prefix = The Right Reverend | name = Graham Tomlin | title = Bishop of Kensington | image = | image_size = | alt = | caption = | church = Church of England | province = | diocese = London | see = | elected = | appointed = | term = | term_start = 2015&ndash;2022 | term_end = | predecessor = Paul Williams | successor = Emma Ineson | other_post = President of St Mellitus College<br />lead, Centre for Cultural Witness (2022&ndash;present) <!---------- Orders -------- --> | ordination = 1986 (deacon) <br /> 1987 (priest) | ordained_by = | consecration = 23 September 2015 | consecrated_by = Justin Welby <!---------- Personal details ----------> | birth_name = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=y|1958|8|1}} | birth_place = <!-- City, administrative region, sovereign state (per Template:Infobox person) --> | death_date = <!-- {{Death date and age|df=y|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}} (death date then birth date) --> | death_place = <!-- as birth_place --> | buried = | nationality = British / Irish | religion = Anglican | residence = | parents = | spouse = Janet | occupation = | profession = | previous_post = | alma_mater = Lincoln College, Oxford }} '''Graham Stuart Tomlin''' (born 1 August 1958<ref>{{Who's Who | title=Tomlin, Graham Stuart | id = U284699 | volume = 2016 | edition = November 2015 online | access-date = 24 July 2016 }}</ref>) is a British theologian, author and former Church of England bishop. Since 2022, he has led the Centre for Cultural Witness; he served as Bishop of Kensington, an area bishop in the Diocese of London from 2015 until 2022. From 2007 until 2015, he was dean then principal of St&nbsp;Mellitus College and is now its president.

==Early life== Tomlin was born in 1958.<ref name="Crockford entry">{{Crockford| surname = Tomlin | forenames = Graham Stuart | id = 25870 | accessed = 22 June 2018}}</ref> His father was a Baptist minister. He was brought up a Christian but became an atheist during his teenage years. He was educated at Bristol Grammar School; the school was at first an all-boys direct grant grammar school before becoming a private school in 1976.<ref name="Consecration Order of Service">{{cite web|title=Order of Service: Ordination and Consecration of the new Bishops of Maidstone, Kensington and Edmonton|url=http://www.canterbury-cathedral.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/150923-Consecration-Maidstone-Kensington-Edmonton-new.pdf|website=Canterbury Cathedral|access-date=23 September 2015|date=23 September 2015|archive-date=25 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925125446/http://www.canterbury-cathedral.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/150923-Consecration-Maidstone-Kensington-Edmonton-new.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

He studied English literature at Lincoln College, Oxford and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree from the University of Oxford in 1980; as per tradition, this BA degree was promoted to a Master of Arts (MA (Oxon)) degree in 1983.<ref name="Crockford entry" /><ref name="bio - Anglicanism.org">{{cite web|title=Dr Graham Tomlin|url=http://www.anglicanism.org/admin/docs/pascal_apologetics.pdf|website=Anglicanism.org|access-date=6 July 2015}}{{Dead link|date=March 2026 |bot=InternetArchiveBot }}</ref> He returned to Oxford to study theology and train for ordained ministry at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford.<ref name="GOV - Suffragan Bishop for Kensington">{{cite web|title=Suffragan Bishop for Kensington: Graham Tomlin|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/suffragan-bishop-for-kensington-graham-tomlin|website=Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street|publisher=Government of the United Kingdom|access-date=6 July 2015|date=2 July 2015}}</ref> He graduated from the University of Oxford with another BA degree in 1985. He later completed a PhD in theology at the University of Exeter on St Paul, Martin Luther and Blaise Pascal.<ref name="Crockford entry" /> His doctoral thesis was titled "Foolishness and wisdom: the Theology of the Cross in Paul, Luther and Pascal".<ref>{{cite thesis |last1=Tomlin |first1=Graham Stuart |title=Foolishness and wisdom : the Theology of the Cross in Paul, Luther and Pascal. |url=https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.337750 |website=E-Thesis Online Service |publisher=The British Library |access-date=14 June 2022 |date=1996|type=Ph.D }}</ref>

==Ordained ministry== Tomlin was ordained in the Church of England as a deacon in 1986 and as a priest in 1987.<ref name="Crockford entry" /> He was curate of St Leonard's Church in Exeter<ref name="Diocese of London">{{cite web |title=The Rt Revd Dr Graham Tomlin |url=https://www.london.anglican.org/directory/graham-tomlin/ |website=Diocese of London |access-date=14 June 2019 |archive-date=24 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190724011847/https://www.london.anglican.org/directory/graham-tomlin/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> before returning to Oxford to be chaplain (1989–1994) of Jesus College and a tutor in historical theology and evangelism at Wycliffe Hall, where he eventually became the vice-principal. He was for several years a member of the Faculty of Theology of Oxford University, teaching on the Reformation and contemporary mission and culture, before moving to London in 2005.<ref name="bio - Anglicanism.org" />

He was the principal of St Mellitus College,<ref name="St Paul's">{{cite web|url=http://www.stmellitus.org/principal|title=Graham Tomlin appointed Dean of the new St Mellitus College|work=St Paul's theological centre|access-date=30 December 2010|archive-date=11 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150111023947/http://www.stmellitus.org/principal|url-status=dead}}</ref> a new church training institution set up by the bishops of London and Chelmsford, providing theological education across London, Essex, the south west, and the East Midlands. He was also principal of St Paul's Theological Centre, which is based at Holy Trinity Brompton, and a constituent member of St Mellitus College.<ref name="St Paul's Theological Centre">{{cite web|url=http://sptc.htb.org.uk/staff |title=Staff |work=St Paul's Theological Centre |access-date=30 December 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725013036/http://sptc.htb.org.uk/staff |archive-date=25 July 2011 }}</ref>

Tomlin belongs to the evangelical charismatic tradition of the Church of England.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hailes |first1=Sam |title=Graham Tomlin: How the Church sprang into action following Grenfell Tower |url=https://www.premierchristianity.com/home/graham-tomlin-how-the-church-sprang-into-action-following-grenfell-tower/2140.article |website=Premier Christianity |access-date=6 April 2021 |language=en |date=24 May 2018}}</ref>

===Episcopal ministry=== On 2 July 2015, it was announced that Tomlin would become Bishop of Kensington, an area bishop in the Diocese of London.<ref>[http://www.london.anglican.org/articles/graham-tomlin-bishop-kensington-announcement/ Diocese of London – Graham Tomlin announced as the new Bishop of Kensington] (Accessed 2 July 2015)</ref> On 23 September 2015, he was consecrated a bishop in Canterbury Cathedral by Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury.<ref>[http://www.london.anglican.org/articles/a-new-bishop-of-kensington-graham-tomlin/ Diocese of London – A new Bishop of Kensington] (Accessed 2 July 2015)</ref><ref name="Canterbury Cathedral - Consecration">{{cite web|title=Ordination and Consecration of the new Bishops of Maidstone, Kensington and Edmonton|url=http://www.canterbury-cathedral.org/2015/09/23/28711/|website=Canterbury Cathedral|access-date=23 September 2015|date=23 September 2015|archive-date=29 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160329095510/http://www.canterbury-cathedral.org/2015/09/23/28711/|url-status=dead}}</ref> in 2017 he was involved in the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire in west London, and organised the national memorial service in St Paul's Cathedral in December 2017. He was the Vice Chair of the Archbishop of Canterbury's Commission on Housing, Church and Community.

It was announced in February 2022 that Tomlin was to resign his See during August 2022, in order to lead a new Church of England ''Centre for Cultural Witness''.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Bishop Graham to step down this Summer|website=Diocese of London|url=https://www.london.anglican.org/articles/bishop-graham-to-step-down-this-summer/|access-date=17 February 2022|date=16 February 2022|archive-date=17 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220217202422/https://www.london.anglican.org/articles/bishop-graham-to-step-down-this-summer/|url-status=live}}</ref> He duly resigned his See effective 30 August 2022.<ref>{{cite web |website=Diocese of London |title=Consultation: The See of Kensington |date=7 March 2022 |url=https://www.london.anglican.org/articles/consultation-the-see-of-kensington/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220307145054/https://www.london.anglican.org/articles/consultation-the-see-of-kensington/ |archive-date=7 March 2022 |access-date=28 September 2022 }}</ref>

==Personal life== Tomlin lives in Oxford with his wife, Janet. They have two married children, Sam and Sian. He is an avid supporter of Bristol City Football Club, Manchester United, Irish rugby and English Cricket.

==Publications== Tomlin is the author of many articles and several books,<ref name="Goodreads">{{cite web|url=http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/270224.Graham_Tomlin|title=Graham Tomlin (Author of Provocative Church)|work=Goodreads|access-date=30 December 2010}}</ref> including: *''The Power of the Cross: Theology and the Death of Christ in Paul, Luther and Pascal'' (Paternoster 1999) *''Walking in His Steps: A Guide to Exploring the Land of the Bible'' (HarperCollins 2001) – with Peter Walker {{ISBN|9780551032545}} *''The Provocative Church'' (SPCK 2002) *''Luther and his World'' (Lion 2002) – also translated into Hungarian (Luther és kora = Luther and His Age) by Bea Kovács and edited by Scolar Editions Budapest, 2003. Translated into Swedish, "Luther och hans värld" By Gerd Swensson 2017, Votum. *''The Responsive Church: Listening to Our World – Listening to God'' (Inter-Varsity Press 2005) – with Nick Spencer *''Spiritual Fitness: Christian Character in a Consumer Culture'' (Continuum 2006) {{ISBN|9780826486776}} *''The Seven Deadly Sins and How to Overcome Them'' (Lion Hudson 2007) * Looking Through The Cross – The Archbishop of Canterbury's Lent Book 2014 (Bloomsbury Continuum) * The Widening Circle (SPCK) * Bound to be Free (Bloomsbury) * Why Being Yourself is a Bad Idea (SPCK, 2020) {{ISBN|9780281081790}}

==References== {{reflist|30em}}

{{S-start}} {{S-rel|en}} {{S-bef|before=Paul Williams}} {{S-ttl|title=Bishop of Kensington|years=2015&ndash;2022}} {{S-non|reason=Emma Ineson}} {{s-end}}

{{Bishops of Kensington}} {{Diocese of London}} {{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tomlin, Graham Stuart}} Category:1958 births Category:Living people Category:20th-century British Anglican priests Category:20th-century British male writers Category:20th-century British non-fiction writers Category:20th-century British theologians Category:20th-century evangelicals Category:21st-century British male writers Category:21st-century British non-fiction writers Category:21st-century British Christian theologians Category:21st-century Church of England bishops Category:21st-century evangelicals Category:Alumni of Lincoln College, Oxford Category:Alumni of the University of Exeter Category:Alumni of Wycliffe Hall, Oxford Category:Anglican writers Category:Bishops of Kensington Category:British Anglican theologians Category:British evangelicals Category:British male non-fiction writers Category:British religious writers Category:Evangelical Anglican bishops Category:Evangelical Anglican theologians Category:Fellows of Jesus College, Oxford Category:Fellows of Wycliffe Hall, Oxford Category:Holy Trinity Brompton people Category:People educated at Bristol Grammar School Category:Seminary presidents Category:Staff of St Mellitus College Category:20th-century Anglican theologians Category:21st-century Anglican theologians