To the Most Reverend Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury: Dear Rowan:

In your carefree professorial days, before you were summoned home to your pastoral responsibilities in Wales, you and I found ourselves pursuing a friendly disagreement over the Gulf War of 1991 in front of a politely detached audience of colleagues and students. That modest occasion was recalled by Kenneth W. Vaux, in the introduction to his own contribution to the same discussion, where he generously wrote that we ‘framed the debate with boldness and courage and stimulated a lively and respectful dialogue, not only in the university but in the wider church and society’. Did we, indeed? I recognise our intention, well enough, but for two professors to have such an edifying effect on the wider church and society would have been something of a phenomenon. But now God has placed you in a position where, for better or worse, anything you say can be relied on to excite a lively, if not always respectful, response within the wider church and society. Those of us who still enjoy our professorial freedom are bound to offer you, and those who share with you the pastoral care of the church, such assistance as we can.

There are three elements in what follows, in somewhat contrasted styles.