ARCHBISHOP JUSTIN WELBY
Risk-taker and reconciler
By Andrew Atherstone
Darton Longman & Todd. 274 pages. £18.99
ISBN 978 0 232 530 728
This biography of the archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, is an updated and expanded version of Archbishop Justin Welby: The Road to Canterbury which Atherstone produced at breakneck speed in response to Welby’s somewhat unexpected appointment in March 2013.
Atherstone’s research for this volume (the extent of which is evident from the wide-ranging footnotes) covers Welby’s difficult childhood and family life, early spiritual influences, marriage, transformation from oil executive to Church of England ordinand and the journey to Lambeth Palace. The diversity of roles and experiences Welby has squeezed into 50+ years is breathtaking.
