Andrew Thompson (priest)

Last updated

Andrew Thompson
MBE
Reverend Canon Andrew Thompson at St Andrew's Church Abu Dhabi.jpg
Reverend Canon Andrew Thompson at St Andrew's Church in Abu Dhabi, UAE
Personal
Born (1968-06-23) 23 June 1968 (age 55)
Religion Anglican
NationalityEnglish
SpouseNavina
Children3
Denomination Anglican
Education Heart of England School
ProfessionAuthor, magician and interfaith activist
Organization
ChurchSt. Margaret's Church in Uxbridge, London Diocese
Senior posting
OrdinationJune 2000
ProfessionAuthor, magician and interfaith activist

Andrew Thompson (born 23 June 1968) is an English Anglican priest, who has done extensive religious work with churches throughout the Middle East and North Africa region, currently based at St. Margaret's Church in Uxbridge, London Diocese. He is also an author, magician, and interfaith activist.

Contents

Early life and education

Thompson was born in Crawley and went to the Heart of England school in Balsall Common;[ citation needed ] he was born with a hearing impairment, which affected his speech. His parents were both officers in the Church Army, an Anglican organisation which provides evangelists for the Church of England and other places in the Anglican Communion. He studied Behavioural Sciences at the Polytechnic of Wales (now the University of Glamorgan). He has an MA by research on the subject of 'Christian and Muslim relations in Oman' from University of Gloucestershire and awarded a PhD by publication for his research on the subject of 'Christianity in the Arabian Gulf'.

Ministry

After graduating, he spent several years working with churches in the Middle East and North Africa. He then returned to the UK and served as a Youth Worker at Holy Trinity Church, Matlock Bath in the Diocese of Derby. During this time, he developed his skills in magic and used this as a teaching tool for the Christian faith and released his first book; Gospel Magic for Preachers. [1] [2]

He was ordained in Derby Cathedral by Jonathan Bailey in June 2000. He served his curacy at the Oakwood Ecumenical Church [3] from 2000 – 2004, while studying for a Master's Degree from the University of Nottingham, in which he studied the Muslim community of Derby and issues of identity, theology and cultural integration.

He then returned to the Middle East, where he was the chaplain at St Paul's Church, in Kuwait from 2006 – 2010 [4] and was made an Honorary Canon of Bahrain Cathedral. [5] [6] He sparked controversy when a newspaper article recorded a statement, in which he declared that it "was easier to be a Christian in the UAE than in the UK". [7] [8] [9] [10]

This statement was subsequently used by the UAE ambassador to the US in support of the tolerant ethos his country. [11]

In 2010, Thompson became the chaplain at St Andrew's Church, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, [12] this church is part of the Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf.

In 2020, he was appointed Team Vicar of St. Margaret's Church in Uxbridge, London Diocese.

Interfaith Work

Thompson is chairman of the board for the Al Amana Centre, [13] which is in Muscat, Oman. This is the only Muslim-Christian relations interfaith institute run by the church in the Arabian Peninsula, the centre provides scriptural reasoning and other interfaith encounters between visiting groups of Christian students, pastors, scholars and local Omani Muslims. [14] [13]

He has had the opportunity to promote a better understanding of life for Christians in the Persian Gulf region, in various contexts, including at the House of Lords in London, [15] the G20 Interfaith Summit in Australia, [16] he has spoken at the Doha Trialogues, [17] [18] in Parliament in Denmark, [19] and met Pope Francis in the Vatican as part of a delegation from the United Arab Emirates. [19] He has also attended the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C. [20] and the Religious Pluralism Conference in Athens, [21] as a representative of the Christian community in the United Arab Emirates.

Honours

Thompson was awarded an MBE in 2011, for his "services to human rights and promoting interfaith dialogue between Christians and Muslims in Kuwait". [22] In 2019, he was awarded the 'Pioneer of the Emirates Medal' [23] [24] [25] from the Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum.

Books

Christianity in Oman: Ibadism, Religious Freedom, and the Church (Christianities of the World) [26]

Christianity in Oman explores the relationship between the distinctive Islamic beliefs (Ibadism) of Oman and how they define the experience of the church with regards to religious freedom.  

Celebrating Tolerance: Religious Diversity in the UAE [27]

Published in 2019 during the UAE's 'Year of Tolerance' [28] Celebrating Tolerance is a collection of representatives of diverse faiths sharing their migration and experiences in the UAE.

Jesus of Arabia [29]

Jesus of Arabia explores the teachings of Jesus through the culture of the Persian Gulf region, the book has received favourable reviews. [30] [31] [32] and has been translated into Arabic, Korean, and soon to be in Chinese.

Christianity in the United Arab Emirates [33]

This book considers the history and significance of the Christian faith in the United Arab Emirates, the author discusses the increasing importance of Muslim-Christian relations in enabling international security, he calls for and gives examples of bridge building activities. [34] The book launch was hosted by the British Ambassador to the UAE, Dominic Jermey and was attended by Prince Andrew, Duke of York and Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, the Minister of Culture for the UAE. [35]

The Christian Church in Kuwait [36]

Gospel Magic for Preachers: Theology & Praxis [37]  

Gospel Magic. How to use Magic Tricks as Visual Aids [1] [38]

Films

Thompson has been the subject of two films:

One.

One. was directed and produced by Daniel Malak, [39] [40] it is a short documentary based on the friendship and hope for religious tolerance between a priest and an imam.

Hartom

Hartom is a documentary written and directed by Arkus Arksus, [41] based on the professional life of Andrew Thompson.

It has been screened at various film festivals and won the best producer award at the 2016 Arab Film studio, [42] as well as best documentary short at the 2017 Whatashort Independent International Film Festival in India. [41]

Personal life

Thompson is married to Navina and they have three children. [43]  

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geography of the United Arab Emirates</span> List of the United Arab Emirates geographical features

The United Arab Emirates is situated in the Middle East and West Asia, bordering the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf, between Oman and Saudi Arabia; it is at a strategic location along the northern approaches to the Strait of Hormuz, a vital transit point for world crude oil. The UAE lies between 22°50′ and 26° north latitude and between 51° and 56°25′ east longitude. It shares a 19 km (12 mi) border with Qatar on the northwest, a 530 km (330 mi) border with Saudi Arabia on the west, south, and southeast, and a 450 km (280 mi) border with Oman on the southeast and northeast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Arab Emirates</span> Country in West Asia

The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East. Located at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula, it shares borders with Oman and Saudi Arabia; as well as maritime borders in the Persian Gulf with Qatar and Iran. The United Arab Emirates is an elective monarchy formed from a federation of seven emirates. As of 2023, the UAE has an estimated population of 9.97 million. Emirati citizens are estimated to form 11.6% of the population; the remaining residents are expatriates, the majority of whom are South Asian. Islam is the official religion and Arabic is the official language. Abu Dhabi is the country's capital, while Dubai, the most populous city, is an international hub.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan</span> Sheikh of Abu Dhabi from 1966 to 2004

Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan was an Emirati royal, politician, philanthropist and the founding founder of the United Arab Emirates. Zayed served as the governor of Eastern Region from 1946 until he succeeded Sheikh Shakhbut as the ruler of Abu Dhabi in 1966, and then as the first president of the United Arab Emirates while he retained his position as Abu Dhabi's ruler from 1971 until his death in 2004. He is revered in the United Arab Emirates as the Waalid al-Ummah, credited for being the principal driving force behind uniting the seven Trucial States to found the Union of the United Arab Emirates.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan</span> President of the United Arab Emirates

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, popularly known by his initials as MBZ or MbZ, is an Emirati royal and politician who currently serves as the third president of the United Arab Emirates and the ruler of Abu Dhabi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catholic Church in the United Arab Emirates</span>

The Catholic Church in the United Arab Emirates is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia</span> Catholic Missionary Jurisdiction

The Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia is an apostolic vicariate of the Catholic Church with territorial jurisdiction for Oman, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christianity in Saudi Arabia</span>

Accurate religious demographics are difficult to obtain in Saudi Arabia, but there are approximately 2.1 million Christians in Saudi Arabia in 2020. Christians in Saudi Arabia are reported to face widespread discrimination and harassment, including both foreign-born Christians and native Christians.

The history of the Jews in the United Arab Emirates describes the historical and modern presence of Jews over the millennia in the Middle East and the recorded meetings with Jewish communities in areas that are today in the geographic territories of the United Arab Emirates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christianity in Oman</span>

Christianity is the religion of 3.63% of the population of Oman in 2020. Ninety Christian congregations exist in the country.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christianity in the United Arab Emirates</span>

According to the 2005 census, Christians accounted for 9 percent of the total population of the United Arab Emirates; estimates in 2010 suggested a figure of 12.6%.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jubail Church</span> Church in Jubail, Saudi Arabia

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Islam is the majority and official religion in the United Arab Emirates, professed by 74.5% of the population as of 2020. 63.3% are Sunni, 6.7% are Shia, while 4.4% follow another branch of Islam. The Al Nahyan and Al Maktoum ruling families adhere to the Maliki school of jurisprudence. Many followers of the Hanbali school are found in Sharjah, Umm al-Quwain, Ras al-Khaimah and Ajman. Their followers include the Al Qasimi ruling family. The other main religions present in the country include Christianity (12.9%), Hinduism (6.2%), and Buddhism (3.2%). Zoroastrians, Druze, Baha'i, Judaism, and Sikhism are also practiced by some non-nationals. 1.3% of the population is agnostic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holy See–United Arab Emirates relations</span> Bilateral relations

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yehuda Sarna</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of the East monastery on Sir Bani Yas</span> 7th century church in the U.A.E

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