Paul's Appeal

Paul’s Appeal
Philemon 1.8-14

There was once a leading bishop in the Church of England who took a strong line on several of the major issues facing the church and the society of his day. Many times he went to see the Archbishop of Canterbury to put pressure on him to steer the church in a particular direction. But the archbishop had a wider picture of the church than the bishop’s rather narrow focus; and he also had a wonderfully persuasive manner. Even this bishop, a great thinker and speaker, found himself wooed and won over, again and again, by the archbishop’s gracious approach. As he talked about it afterwards he would say, ‘When I go to see the archbishop, I say to myself, “Now, you must be very careful not to give in on this one.” And when I come out, I say to myself, “Well, you know you never meant to give in on that one!”...

Taken from Paul for Everyone – The Prison Letters by Tom Wright