
Show Notes
In this week's edition of the Profile we remember the late Lord Richard Harries, who was one of the most beloved and influential voices in British Christianity of his generation. Born on 2 June 1936, he served briefly as a British Army officer before answering the call to ordained ministry in the Church of England. He was consecrated Bishop of Oxford in 1987, a role he held until his retirement in 2006, when he was elevated to the House of Lords as Baron Harries of Pentregarth.
Harries was a gifted theologian, broadcaster, and writer and authored 26 books on Christian ethics, prayer, art, and faith in the public square. For more than fifty years he was a familiar voice on BBC Radio 4's Thought for the Day, where he brought The Gospel into everyday life with warmth, clarity, and humility. He was a long-standing contributor to the Church Times and a tireless advocate for interfaith dialogue, particularly between Christians and Jews.
Lord Harries died peacefully on 29 April 2026, aged 89, after a short illness.
The Profile is brought to you by Premier Christianity, the UK’s leading Christian magazine. Enjoy thought-provoking Christian content, including the latest news, inspiring interviews, and exclusive commentary on all that God is doing in the world today. Grab the next 3 issues for just £6. Subscribe today at premierchristianity.com/subscribe.
More from The Profile
Helen Thorne-Allenson is Director of Training and Resources at Biblical Counselling UK, where she helps churches to offer compassionate and theologically grounded care to those who are struggling.
At 16-years-old Terry Virgo became a Christian through his sister during the years of Billy Graham’s greatest impact on Britain. He went on to train at London Bible College at a time of the charismatic movement of the 1960s. It shaped his early faith and ministry.
Bishop of Kensington and acting Bishop of London, the Rt Revd Dr Emma Ineson has spent more than 25 years in ordained ministry and now holdsone of the Church of England's highest-ranking posts.
Theology and National Director of Alpha UK, Chloe Swart was raised as a pastor's child, she had early exposure to stories of faith and the miraculous through her parents, an influence that shaped her later academic and ministry work.
Canon Yvonne Tulloch was born into a Christian Brethren household and grew up attending church several times a day. From a young age she had a close relationship with God, married as a teenager, trained as a secretary but with her heart set on missionary work.