Edmund Grindal: The Preacher's Archbishop

Edmund Grindal (1516-1583) enjoyed a glittering career in the Church of England under Edward VI and Elizabeth I. The first generation of English Reformers saw in him the maturity and character to handle the temptations of preferment without losing the passion to reform or the backbone to resist intimidation.
 
Yet he put it all on the line in a turbulent confrontation with Elizabeth I over the issue of freshly-prepared, locally-applied preaching. He saw this as God’s instrument for the conversion of England; she wanted it massively restricted. In his defence of biblical preaching, and the training conferences he saw as key to its growth and success, we observe the courage of a man who tried to protect the church’s doctrine from unwarranted outside interference.