There might be a
concern that a Son writing the biography of his Father would tend
towards hagiography, but Gethin paints a picture of his Father, John,
that is honest about his weaknesses and flaws. That this is his
second book following on from the account he co-authored with his
Mother of her service at Bletchley Park.
That as fiancées
one was a conscientious objector and the other a government code
breaker can not have been entirely easy and yet it seems that it did
not significantly impact on their relationship.
Out of the questions
that Gethin, in writing the book, is clearly trying to work through
is why his Father decided to formally register as a conscientious
objector given as a student minister he was already exempt from
military service. Such was his commitment to the pacifist essence of
Christ's teaching that John felt compelled to make a public witness
and actively reject military service and not simply rest passively on
the exemption he already held.
Having made this
public stand early in the war, during his studies his beliefs
evolved, moving from a social gospel to a more “hard-line”
Calvinist position – and there is a certain frustration in Gethin
that despite this bold stand his Father did not continue as an
activist, and indeed during his childhood his Father hardly spoke
about being a pacifist.
But although the
emphasis of John's belief shifted there is no suggestion that he
actually rejected his pacifist or embraced militarism. There are
pointers to him remaining a bit apart from his Calvinist colleagues –
that he was not someone to adopt a “party's” beliefs as a
package, but would form his own views on each matter. There is a
“chicken and egg” question here, were his idiosyncratic beliefs
the cause or consequence of him being a bit of a loner?
It is an engaging
exploration of a man who, faced with the great tide of historical
events, was prepared and able to stand up alone for his beliefs.
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