Graham Tomlin is a British theologian, author and 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 Mellitus College and is now its president.
Tomlin was born in 1958. 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.
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.He returned to Oxford to study theology and train for ordained ministry at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford. 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.[2] His doctoral thesis was titled "Foolishness and wisdom: the Theology of the Cross in Paul, Luther and Pascal".
Ordained ministry
Tomlin was ordained in the Church of England as a deacon in 1986 and as a priest in 1987. He was curate of St Leonard's Church in Exeter 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.
He was the principal of St Mellitus College,[8] 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.
Tomlin belongs to the evangelical charismatic tradition of the Church of England.
Episcopal ministry
On 2 July 2015, it was announced that Tomlin would become Bishop of Kensington, an area bishop in the Diocese of London.[11] On 23 September 2015, he was consecrated a bishop in Canterbury Cathedral by Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury.[12][13] 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. He duly resigned his See effective 30 August 2022