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The Reverend is a style most often used as a prefix to the names of Christian clergy and ministers. There are sometimes differences in the way the style is used in different countries and church traditions. The Reverend is correctly called a style but is often and in some dictionaries called a title, form of address or title of respect.^[1][2] The style is also sometimes used by leaders in non-Christian religions such as Judaism and Buddhism.^{[citation needed]}

The term is an anglicisation of the Latin reverendus, the style originally used in Latin documents by the Roman Catholic Church. It is the gerundive of the verb revereri (to respect) which may be taken as a gerundive or a passive periphrastic, therefore meaning [one who is] to be respected/must be respected. The Reverend is therefore equivalent to The Hono(u)rable or The Venerable.^{[citation needed]}

It is paired with a modifier or noun for some offices in some religious traditions: e.g., Roman Catholic bishops are usually styled The Most Reverend (reverendissimus); Anglican bishops are styled The Right Reverend; some Reformed churches have used The Reverend Mister as a style for their clergy.

Usage[link]

In traditional and formal English usage, both British and American, it was and is considered incorrect to drop the definite article, the, before Reverend. When the style is used within a sentence, the begins with a lower-case letter. Common abbreviations for Reverend are Rev., Revd, and Rev'd. Except in formal situations, it is common in American usage not to use the when Reverend is used as a title or form of address (i.e., before a name). When the term reverend is used alone without a name as a third-person reference to a member of the clergy, it is treated as a normal English noun and therefore requires either a definite or indefinite article (e.g., We spoke to a/the reverend yesterday.).

As Reverend is traditionally an adjective it is still often considered grammatically incorrect to form the plural Reverends. Some dictionaries,^[3] however, call the word a noun, possibly because of the current widespread plural usage. When several clergy are referred to, they are often styled individually (e.g., The Reverend John Smith and the Reverend Hank Brown). In a list of clergy, however, The Revv is sometimes put before the list of names, especially in the Roman Catholic Church in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

The Reverend is traditionally used with first names (or initials) and surname (e.g., The Reverend John Smith or The Reverend J.F. Smith). Use of the prefix with the surname alone (The Reverend Smith) is considered a solecism in traditional usage (although The Reverend Father Smith or The Reverend Mr Smith are correct though somewhat old-fashioned uses). In some countries, Anglican priests are often addressed by the title of their office, such as Vicar, Rector, or Archdeacon.

In some churches, especially Protestant churches in the United States, ordained ministers are often addressed as Pastor (as in Pastor John or Pastor Smith). Some other titles, such as Canon, may be used together with the Christian name or both names, for example, Canon John or Canon John Smith. However, Pastor is more correct in some churches when the minister in question is the head of a church or congregation.^{[citation needed]}

Male Christian priests are usually addressed as Father or, for example, as Father John or Father Smith. However, in official correspondence, such priests are not normally referred to as Father John, Father Smith, or Father John Smith, but as The Reverend John Smith. Father as a title is used for Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and Old Catholic priests, and for many priests of the Anglican and Lutheran churches.

Some female Anglican or Old Catholic priests use the style The Reverend Mother and are addressed as Mother.

In the 20th and 21st centuries it has been increasingly common for reverend to be used as a noun and for clergy to be referred to as being either a reverend or the reverend (I talked to the reverend about the wedding service.) or to be addressed as Reverend or, for example, Reverend Smith or the Reverend Smith. This has traditionally been considered grammatically incorrect on the basis that it is equivalent to referring to a judge as being an honorable or an adult man as being a mister.^[4][5]

Variations[link]

The Reverend may be modified to reflect ecclesiastical standing and rank. Modifications vary across religious traditions and countries. Some common examples are:

Anglican[link]

• Deacons are styled as The Reverend, The Reverend Deacon, or The Reverend Mr/Mrs/Miss.
• Priests are usually styled as The Reverend, The Reverend Father/Mother (even if not a religious) or The Reverend Mr/Mrs/Miss.
• Heads of some women's religious orders are styled as The Reverend Mother (even if not ordained).
• Canons are often styled as The Reverend Canon.
• Deans are usually styled as The Very Reverend.
• Archdeacons are usually styled as The Venerable (The Ven).
• Priors of monasteries may be styled as The Very Reverend.
• Abbots of monasteries may be styled as The Right Reverend.^[6]
• Bishops are styled as The Right Reverend.
• Archbishops and primates are styled as The Most Reverend.

Roman Catholic[link]

• Religious sisters may be styled as Reverend Sister, though this is more common in Italy than in, for example, the United States.
• Deacons are addressed as
  • Deacon (in writing and in speaking), or sometimes The Reverend Deacon (in writing) if ordained permanently to the diaconate.
  • The Reverend Mister (in writing) if merely transitional (i.e., seminarians to be ordained to the presbyterate).
• Priests, whether in diocesan, mendicant, or monastic orders: The Reverend (in writing).
  • Protonotaries Apostolic, Prelates of Honor and Chaplains of His Holiness: The Reverend Monsignor (in writing).
  • Priests with various grades of jurisdiction above pastor (e.g., vicars general, judicial vicars, ecclesiastical judges, episcopal vicars, provincials of religious orders of priests, rectors or presidents of colleges and universities, priors of monasteries, deans, vicars forane, archpriests): The Very Reverend (in writing).
• Abbots of monasteries: The Right Reverend (in writing).
• Abbesses of convents: The Reverend Mother Superior, with their convent's name following (e.g., The Reverend Mother Superior of the Poor Clares of Boston in written form, while being referred to simply as Mother Superior in speech.^[7]
• Bishops and archbishops: The Most Reverend.
  • In some countries of the Commonwealth, such as the United Kingdom (but not in Northern Ireland), only archbishops are styled The Most Reverend and other bishops are styled The Right Reverend.

Cardinals are styled as His Eminence, Patriarchs as His Beatitude and the Pope as His Holiness (and addressed as Your Eminence, etc.)

None of the clergy are usually addressed in speech as Reverend or The Reverend alone. Generally, Father is acceptable for all clergy, though in some countries this is customary for priests only. Deacons may be addressed as Deacon or Father Deacon, honorary prelates as Monsignor; bishops and archbishops as Your Excellency (or Your Grace in Commonwealth countries).

Orthodox[link]

• A deacon is often styled as The Reverend Deacon (or Hierodeacon, Archdeacon, Protodeacon, according to ecclesiastical elevation), while in spoken use the title Father is used (sometimes Father Deacon).
• A married priest is The Reverend Father; a monastic priest is The Reverend Hieromonk; a protopresbyter is The Very Reverend Father; and an archimandrite is either The Very Reverend Father (Greek practice) or The Right Reverend Father (Russian practice). All may be simply addressed as Father.
• Abbots and abbesses are styled The Very Reverend Abbot/Abbess and are addressed as Father and Mother respectively.
• A bishop is referred to as The Right Reverend Bishop and addressed as Your Grace (or Your Excellency).
• An archbishop or metropolitan, whether or not he is the head of an autocephalous or autonomous church, is styled The Most Reverend Archbishop/Metropolitan and addressed as Your Eminence.
• Heads of autocephalous and autonomous churches with the title Patriarch are styled differently, according to the customs of their respective churches, usually Beatitude but sometimes Holiness and exceptionally All-Holiness.

Protestant[link]

In some countries, such as the United States, the term Pastor (such as Pastor Smith in more formal address or Pastor John in less formal) is often used rather than the Reverend or Reverend. The Reverend, however, is still often used in more formal or official written communication. The United Methodist Church in the United States often addresses its ministers as Reverend (Reverend Smith).

Among Southern Baptists in the United States, Reverend is formally written but the pastor is usually orally addressed as Brother (Brother Smith), as New Testament writers describe Christians as being brothers and sisters in Christ. ^{[Mat. 12:50]}

Lutheran[link]

• Deacons: Commonly styled Deacon and their last name (such as Deacon Smith)
• Elders: Commonly styled Elder and their last name (such as Elder Smith)
• Pastors: The Reverend is usually written, but the person is commonly orally addressed as Pastor Smith or "Pastor John"; the latter frequently used by members of their congregation.
• Priests:^[8] The formal style for a priest is either The Reverend or The Very Reverend, but for male priests the title Father and the person's last name are frequently used (such as Father Smith).
• Bishops are styled as The Right Reverend.
  • In America the style The Reverend Bishop or simply Bishop and the person's last name are more frequently used.
• Archbishops are styled as The Most Reverend.

Methodist[link]

In some Methodist churches, especially in the United States, ordained and licensed ministers are usually addressed as Reverend or Pastor, unless they hold a doctorate, in which case they are often addressed in formal situations as The Reverend Doctor. In informal situations Reverend or simply Pastor is used. Also, Brother or Sister is used in some places. Use of these forms of address differs depending on the location of the church or Annual Conference.

Methodist bishops are referred to as Bishop, not Reverend Bishop, Your Grace or other forms of address used in other episcopal (bishop-led, connectional) churches. The reason for this is that bishops in Methodist polity are not ordained to the higher office but remain elders who are simply appointed to the ministry of a bishop.^{[citation needed]}

Presbyterian[link]

The moderators of the General Assemblies of the Church of Scotland, the Presbyterian Church in Ireland and the United Church of Canada, when ordained clergy, are styled The Right Reverend during their year of service and The Very Reverend afterwards. Church ministers are styled The Reverend. Moderators of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) are styled simply The Reverend. By tradition in the Church of Scotland, the ministers of St Giles' Cathedral, Edinburgh, (also known as the High Kirk of Edinburgh) and Paisley Abbey are styled The Very Reverend. In Presbyterian courts where elders hold equal status with ministers it is correct to refer to ministers by their title (Mr, Mrs, Dr, Prof etc.). Traditionally in Scotland ministers are referred to in their communities in this way and this is an entirely correct form of address

Restoration Movement[link]

Like some other groups that assert the lack of clerical titles within the church as narrated in the New Testament, congregations in the Restoration Movement (i.e., influenced by Barton Warren Stone and Alexander Campbell), often disdain use of The Reverend and instead use the more generalized designation Brother. The practice is universal within the Churches of Christ and prevalent in the Christian Churches and Churches of Christ but has become uncommon in the Disciples of Christ, which use The Reverend for ordained ministers.^[9]

Latter Day Saints Movement[link]

Community of Christ[link]

Internally, members of the priesthood do not use The Reverend as a style, but are generally known as "brother" or "sister" or by their specific priesthood office ("deacon", "teacher" or "priest" are often appended after the person's name, instead of, for example, "Deacon John Adams" or "Deacon Adams", and generally only in written form; in contrast, elders, bishops, evangelists, apostles, etc. are often, for example, known as "Bishop John Smith" or "Bishop Smith"). Any member of the priesthood who presides over a congregation can, and often is, known as "pastor" or (if an elder), "presiding elder". Such use might only be in reference to occupying that position ("she is the pastor") as opposed to being used as a style ("Pastor Jane"). Priesthood members presiding over multiple congregations or various church councils are often termed "president". Externally, in ecumenical settings, The Reverend is sometimes used.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints[link]

The Reverend is not used, but the term "elder" is often used (for those who are elders) regardless of seniority (depending on the context).

Other religions[link]

Buddhist[link]

Virtually all Japanese Buddhist traditions, especially Jodo Shinshu, which have carried over to the West style priests as The Reverend rather than Venerable, the religious style often used by Chinese and Tibetan Buddhists. This was a practice borrowed from Christianity and has been in use since the early 20th century.

Judaism[link]

Most Jewish ministers of religion have the title Rabbi, which denotes that they have received rabbinical ordination (semicha). They are addressed as Rabbi or Rabbi Surname. It is, however, not essential to be a rabbi to practice as a Jewish minister of religion. In particular, few cantors (chazzanim) are rabbis but many have authority to perform functions such as witnessing marriages. In this case they often use the style The Reverend; more usually, however, a cantor is called Cantor or Cantor Surname.

Oxford University[link]

The Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University is formally styled The Reverend the Vice-Chancellor even if not a member of the clergy.

Notes and references[link]

Jim Wallis

Jim Wallis (born June 4, 1948) is a Christian writer and political activist. He is best known as the founder and editor of Sojourners magazine and as the founder of the Washington, D.C.-based Christian community of the same name. Wallis is well-known for his advocacy on issues of peace and social justice. Although Wallis actively eschews political labels, he describes himself as an evangelical and is often associated with the evangelical left and the wider Christian left. He works as a spiritual advisor to President Barack Obama.^[1] He is married to the Rev. Joy Carroll, who was one of the first female priests in the Church of England.^[2] He is also a leader in the Red-Letter Christian movement.^[3]

Early life[link]

Born in Detroit, Michigan and raised in a traditional evangelical Plymouth Brethren family,^[4] as a young man Wallis became active in Students for a Democratic Society^[5][6] and the civil rights movement. Wallis graduated from Michigan State University and attended Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Illinois, where he joined with other young seminarians in establishing the community that eventually became Sojourners. The journal Sojourners originated in Deerfield, Illinois as The Post American in 1971.

Theology[link]

Wallis wrote in 1974 that, "The new evangelical consciousness is most characterized by a return to biblical Christianity and the desire to apply biblical insights to the need for new forms of sociopolitical engagement."^[7]

A reviewer of Wallis' 1976 book Agenda for Biblical People summarized the Christological basis of Wallis' political theology:

"Christ's life, death, and resurrection have brought victory over 'the powers.' He shattered the myth of their absolute authority by demonstrating his freedom in relation to them. He challenged their rule and would not submit to them. Indeed, the fallen powers were so exposed and threatened by Christ's actions that they acted in collusion to kill him. The cross symbolizes that freedom in which death is swallowed up in victory. Christ's resurrection vindicates his manner of life and death, seats his victory, and allows others to live freely and humanly in the midst of 'the powers' by their 'being in Christ.' This must be the proclamation and witness of the church of Jesus Christ. The church is a new force in history which is a sign to 'the powers' that their dominion has been broken. The very presence of a body of people who exercise their moral independence is an essential element for Wallis because 'without a visible and concrete demonstration of independence, all the church's outward attacks upon the institutions of the world will be doomed to failure.'"^[8]

Writing in Sojourners in 1980, Wallis said, "Proclamation of the gospel, charismatic gifts, social action, and prophetic witness alone do not finally offer a real threat to the world as it is, especially when set apart from a community which incarnates a whole new order. It is the ongoing life of a community of faith that issues a basic challenge to the world as it is, and offers a viable and concrete alternative. The church must be called to be the church, to rebuild the kind of community that gives substance to the claims of faith."^[9]

Wallis has been quoted as saying, "I would suggest that the Bible is neither “conservative” nor “liberal” as we understand those terms in a political context today… It is traditional or conservative on issues of family values, sexual integrity, and personal responsibility, while being progressive, populist, or even radical on issues like poverty and racial justice."^[10] Speaking to a conference of clergy from the Anglican Diocese of Liverpool (The Hayes Conference Centre, Swanwick, Derbyshire, UK, 23 June 2009) Wallis said, "The press don't get it - they say, 'Have you replaced the religious right with the religious left?'" Rather, he says that his Christian commitment does not allow him to align with any political wing - on some issues, his views would be counted as coming from the left, on others, from the right. "Don't go left, don't go right: go deeper."

Political and social influence[link]

Wallis was invited by Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) to give the Democrats' weekly radio address on Saturday, December 2, 2006. He spoke about the importance of moral leadership in Washington, and touched on a variety of social concerns.^[11] In February 2007 he wrote in Time about the post-Religious Right era and the resurgence of mainstream Christianity, with evangelicals "deserting the Religious Right in droves".^[12] Wallis has served on the Advisory Council to President Barack Obama's Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.^[13] He serves as a spiritual adviser to President Obama.^[1]

In addition to President Obama, Wallis has developed personal friendships with former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown^[14] and former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. In his 2010 book Rediscovering Values, Wallis writes, "I consider Rudd one of the most hopeful young political leaders in the world today, a committed Christian who seeks to apply his faith to his public service; we consider each other good friends."^[15]

Wallis has appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, discussing faith and politics.^[16]

He has appeared on the Democracy Now! show.^{[17][18] [19][20][21]}

In discussing the 2004 American presidential elections, Wallis said "Jesus didn’t speak at all about homosexuality. There are about 12 verses in the Bible that touch on that question. Most of them are very contextual. There are thousands of verses on poverty. I don’t hear a lot of that conversation."^[22] Regarding same-sex marriage, Wallis has made the following remarks: "I don't think the sacrament of marriage should be changed. Some people say that Jesus didn't talk about homosexuality, and that's technically true. But marriage is all through the Bible, and it's not gender-neutral. I have never done a blessing for a same-sex couple. I've never been asked to do one. I'm not sure that I would. I want churches that disagree on this to have a biblical, theological conversation and to live with their differences and not spend 90 percent of their denominational time arguing about this issue when 30,000 children are dying every single day because of poverty and disease."^[23]

Wallis is listed as a supporter of the Consistent Life Ethic, an ideology that includes opposition to abortion, euthanasia and the death penalty.^[24] In a 2008 interview with Christianity Today, Wallis expressed strong support for abortion reduction, adding that "I don't think that abortion is the moral equivalent issue to slavery that Wilberforce dealt with. I think that poverty is the new slavery. Poverty and global inequality are the fundamental moral issues of our time. That's my judgment."^[25] A 2008 Newsweek article states that "Jim Wallis devoted a significant chunk of his latest book, 'The Great Awakening,' to outlining his views on abortion. The evangelical leader wrote in favor of 'protecting unborn life in every possible way, but without criminalizing abortion.'" Wallis added, "Everybody tends to agree that preventing unwanted pregnancies is a good thing. I'm saying, let's take it to the next step and say that abortion reduction is a good thing too. It's about providing options—not taking away a woman's right to choose, but making things like adoption easier."^[26]

In August 2009, he signed a public statement encouraging all Christians to "read, wrestle with, and respond to Caritas in Veritate", the social encyclical by Pope Benedict XVI.^[27] A few months earlier, it was speculated that Wallis might have been chosen for the post of Vatican ambassador, but theologian Miguel H. Diaz was selected instead.^[28]

Wallis supported President Obama's health care legislation, and reportedly signed a letter urging that the legislation be passed even if it did not contain language explicitly banning federal funding for abortion.^[29][30][31] In 2009, Wallis made the following comments regarding Sarah Palin within the context of the health care reform debate in the United States: "Sarah, you're the one who is acting in an 'evil' way. After listening to your policy pronouncements during the campaign, many Americans decided, generously, that you weren't ready yet for high political office. Others thought you just weren't very smart. But this statement last week really does clear up the question for me. You are speaking like a demagogue in the worst tradition of those who knowingly distort and deceive, for their own political purposes. You want to stoke people's worst fears and then, hopefully, they will look to someone like you to be their leader. You're not stupid after all. You know that neither President Obama, nor anyone else in this health-care debate, would deny health care for your parents or child, and that none of the ideas being debated would suggest that. But people are confused and concerned, so you see your chance to prey upon their misunderstandings. Politics for people like you is really all about you, your fame and power, and your taste of it during the last election has revealed what kind of politician you truly are. Please don't invoke your 'Christian faith' anymore and embarrass the people of God even further. May your efforts to scare Americans during this important debate fail. May your political future also fail, and may your star fall as fast as it rose just a few months ago -- because we now know who you really are."^[5]

In 2010, Wallis admitted to accepting money for Sojourners from philanthropist George Soros after initially denying having done so. When conservative writer Marvin Olasky pointed this out, and that Soros also financed groups supporting abortion, atheism, and same-sex marriage, in a WORLD magazine column, Wallis said Olasky "lies for a living"; he subsequently apologized to Olasky for the comments.^[32][33] In 2011, Wallis acknowledged that Sojourners had received another $150,000.00 from Soros' Open Society Foundation.^[34]

In 2010, expressing concern about the growing polarization in American politics, Wallis and other Christian leaders signed on to a document entitled "A Covenant for Civility."^[35]

In regard to the 2011 United States budget proposal, Wallis described Congressman Paul Ryan and his congressional allies as "bullies" and "hypocrites."^[36]

Wallis made supportive comments regarding the Occupy London movement in a blog post entitled "Occupy St. Paul's: Thanks Be to God."^[37] Regarding the Occupy Wall Street movement, Wallis wrote, "The Occupiers' desire for change and willingness to take action to do something about it should be an inspiration to us all."^[38]

Activism[link]

Wallis has been arrested 22 times for acts of civil disobedience.^[13] He was involved in antiwar activism during the Vietnam War, and wrote in 1974 that it was a "brutal, criminal war."^[39] Wallis has received criticism for calling the United States "a fallen nation" in his 1976 book Agenda for Biblical People.

Writings and Awards[link]

Wallis' writings are regularly published as op-eds in major media outlets. He is also the convener of Call to Renewal, an interfaith effort to end poverty. He has written a wide variety of books including The Great Awakening. Reviving Faith & Politics in a Post-Religious Right America (2008), God's Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It (2005), Faith Works: How Faith Based Organizations Are Changing Lives, Neighborhoods, and America (2000), The Soul of Politics: Beyond "Religious Right" and "Secular Left" (1995) and Call to Conversion (1981, revised 2005).

In 1995 Jim Wallis received the Pacem in Terris Peace and Freedom Award.

For his work in advocating for peace and social justice in urban America and for his role as founder of Sojourners Magazine and the Call to Renewal, Jim Wallis was awarded the Peace Abbey Courage of Conscience award in Sherborn, Massachusetts, on June 2, 2000.^[40]

Personal life[link]

Wallis is married to the Rev. Joy Carroll, upon whom the title character in the BBC sitcom The Vicar of Dibley was partially based.^[2] They have two sons. Wallis has coached their Little League teams.^[41]

Publications[link]

• Agenda for Biblical People, Harper & Row (1976) ISBN 978-0-06-069236-0.
• The Call to Conversion, Harper & Row (1981) ISBN 978-0-06-069242-1, HarperCollins (Rev. ed., 2005) ISBN 978-0-06-084237-6.
• Waging Peace: A Handbook for the Struggle to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (editor), Harper & Row (1982) ISBN 978-0-06-069240-7.
• The Soul of Politics: A practical and prophetic vision of change, Fount/HarperCollins (1994) ISBN 978-0-15-600328-5, Tandem Library ISBN 978-1-4177-0619-8.
• Who Speaks for God? A New Politics of Compassion, Community and Civility, Delacorte (1996) ISBN 978-0-385-31690-3, Random House (1997) ISBN 978-0-385-31693-4
• Faith Works: Lessons from the Life of an Activist Preacher, Random House (2000) ISBN 978-1-879290-23-5 (Rev. ed. with new subtitle: How to Live Your Beliefs and Ignite Positive Social Change, 2005)
• God's Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It HarperOne (2005) ISBN 978-0-06-055828-4.
• Living God's Politics: A Guide to Putting Your Faith into Action HarperOne (2006) ISBN 978-0-06-111841-8.
• The Great Awakening: Reviving Faith and Politics in a Post-Religious Right America HarperOne (2008) ISBN 978-0-06-055829-1.
• Rediscovering Values: On Main Street, Wall Street, and Your Street, Howard Books (2010) ISBN 978-1-4391-8312-0.

See also[link]

• Christian radicalism
• Engaged Spirituality
• Evangelical left
• Progressive Christianity
• Social Gospel

References[link]

External links[link]

• Sojourners
  • Official biography
• Sojourners on YouTube
• God's Politics, a blog by Jim Wallis and friends
• Appearances on C-SPAN
• Jim Wallis on Charlie Rose
• Jim Wallis at the Internet Movie Database
• Jim Wallis collected news and commentary at The New York Times
• Works by or about Jim Wallis in libraries (WorldCat catalog)

Interviews and statements

• Interview with Jim Wallis
• Jim Wallis Talk from an Off The Map live event
• Jim Wallis featured in the documentary The Ordinary Radicals
• "Where Jim Wallis Stands", Christianity Today, May 2008.
• "Progressive Evangelical Politics", Inner Compass interview with Wallis, October 2008, video
• How Obama's Faith Council Worked: Six Points of Consensus Jim Wallis, God's Politics blog
• Jim Wallis: Glenn Beck Is Wrong, Social Justice Is At The Heart Of Gospel video by MSNBC
• Left Behind: The Evangelical Left and the Limits of Evangelical Politics, 1965-1988, Vol. 1 David R. Swartz, doctoral dissertation, Graduate Program in History, University of Notre Dame, July 2008. (pdf)

Jim Carrey
Carrey at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival
Born	James Eugene Carrey (1962-01-17) January 17, 1962 (age 50) Newmarket, Ontario, Canada
Occupation	Actor, comedian, producer
Years active	1979–present
Height	6' 2"
Spouse	Melissa Womer (1987–1995) Lauren Holly (1996–1997)
Partner	Jenny McCarthy (2005–2010) Anastasia Vitkina (2011–present)
Children	1
Website
JimCarrey.com

James Eugene "Jim" Carrey (born January 17, 1962) is a Canadian-American actor, comedian, and producer. Carrey has received four Golden Globe Award nominations, winning two. Known for his highly energetic, slapstick performances, he has been described as one of the biggest movie stars in Hollywood.^[1]

Carrey first gained recognition in 1990 after landing a recurring role in the sketch comedy In Living Color. His first leading roles in major productions came with Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994), Dumb and Dumber (1994), The Mask (1994), and Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995). In 1997, he gave a critically acclaimed performance in Liar Liar, which earned him a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actor. He then starred in the critically acclaimed hits The Truman Show (1998) and Man on the Moon (1999), both garnering him two Golden Globe Awards for Best Actor.

In 2000, he gained further recognition for his portrayal of the The Grinch in How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Three years later, Carrey starred in the major blockbuster film Bruce Almighty (2003). The following year he starred in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), for which he received another Golden Globe nomination in addition to a BAFTA Award nomination. He then starred in popular productions Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004), Fun with Dick and Jane (2005), Yes Man (2008), A Christmas Carol (2009), and Mr. Popper's Penguins (2011).

He is set to star in Burt Wonderstone in 2013 as Steve Gray, in addition to reprising his role as Lloyd Christmas in Dumb and Dumber 2 in 2014. He is also set to star as Mr. Applegate in a film adaption of the broadway musical Damn Yankees.

Early life[link]

Carrey was born in Newmarket, Ontario, the son of Kathleen (née Oram), a homemaker, and Percy Carrey, a musician and accountant.^[2][3] He has three older siblings, John, Patricia, and Rita. He was raised Roman Catholic.^[4][5] His mother was of French,  Irish,  and Scottish descent^[6] and his father was of French Canadian ancestry (the family's original surname was Carré).^[7][8] After his family moved to Scarborough, Ontario, when Carrey was 14 years old, he attended Blessed Trinity Catholic School, in North York, for two years, enrolled at Agincourt Collegiate Institute for another year, then briefly attended Northview Heights Secondary School for the remainder of his high school career (all together, he spent three years in Grade 10).

Carrey lived in Burlington, Ontario, for eight years and attended Aldershot High School, where he once opened for 1980s new wave band Spoons. In a Hamilton Spectator interview (February 2007), Carrey remarked, "If my career in show business hadn't panned out I would probably be working today in Hamilton, Ontario at the Dofasco steel mill." When looking across the Burlington Bay toward Hamilton, he could see the mills and thought, "Those were where the great jobs were."^[9] At this point, he already had experience working in a science testing facility in Richmond Hill, Ontario.

Career[link]

Early work[link]

While struggling to obtain work and making a name for himself, Carrey's father decided to help the young comedian put together a stage act, driving him to Toronto to debut at comedy club Yuk Yuk's.^[10] Unfortunately, Carrey's impersonations bombed and this gave him doubts about his capability as a professional entertainer. His family, at the time, were struggling financially meaning it was difficult for them to support Carrey's ambitions. Eventually, the family's financial problems were soon dealt with and they moved into a new home.^[10] With a now more domestic stability, Carrey worked up the nerve to return to the stage with a more polished act. In a short period of time, Carrey went from open mic nights to regular paid shows; a growing reputation building in the process. One reviewer in the Toronto Star raved that Carrey was "a genuine star coming to life."^[11] Carrey was soon noticed by comedian Rodney Dangerfield, who signed the young comedian to open Dangerfield's tour performances.^[12] He eventually brought Carrey to Las Vegas, after which he decided to move to Hollywood. Carrey began performing at The Comedy Store and in 1982, appeared on the televised stand-up show An Evening at the Improv.^[13] The following year, he debuted his act on The Tonight Show.^[14]

Despite his increasing popularity as a stand-up comedian, Carrey turned his attention to the film and television industries, auditioning to be a cast member for the 1980–1981 season of NBC's Saturday Night Live. Carrey was not selected for the position (although he did host the show in May 1996, and again in January 2011^[15] ). He was, after a period of time, cast in seveal low-budget films: Rubberface (1981) playing a struggling young comic, and Copper Mountain (1983) playing a sex-starved teen, the latter including his impersonation of Sammy Davis Jr. Since the film had a less than one hour runtime consisting largely of musical performances by Rita Coolidge and Ronnie Hawkins, it was not considered a full-length feature film.

In 1984, Carrey was soon cast, surprisingly, as the lead in the NBC sitcom The Duck Factory, in which he played a quirky young artist alongside Jay Tarses. However, the show was unceremoniously cancelled during its first season. Despite the sudden cancellation, Carrey landed supporting roles in several low-budget films: Once Bitten (1985), Peggy Sue Got Married (1986), and The Dead Pool (1988). When Carrey returned to stand-up, he retired his old act vowing that he didn't want to be famous for imitating other people; "Some nights it was a melee, literally, where I'd be standing trying to defend myself for what I was doing. People would be screaming at me to do my old act, and getting actually violent and angry at me,".^[14] While many thought he was "crazy" for retiring his old act, others were increasingly interested in what Carrey was attempting to do, Judd Apatow in particular. The pair struck up a friendship and soon began writing material together.

Carrey continued to land small roles in film and television productions, which led to a friendship with fellow comedian Damon Wayans, who co-starred with Carrey as an extraterrestrial in 1989's Earth Girls Are Easy. Damon soon introduced Carrey to his brother Keenen, who at the time, was creating a sketch comedy show known as In Living Color, for the new Fox network. Carrey eventually landed a recurring role in the show which first aired on April 15, 1990. By the third season, Carrey was one of the few remaining original cast members and was ready to move onto bigger things, after agreeing to take on his first lead role in a Hollywood blockbuster film.

Rise to fame[link]

Carrey did not experience true stardom until landing the lead role in the slapstick comedy Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994), which premiered only months before In Living Color ended. Despite agreeing to play the title character, Carrey would only take the role if he was allowed to rewrite the script, mostly to suit his over-the-top visions. The film, while dismissed by most critics, was an international hit, and transformed Carrey into a bankable box-office star overnight. In that same year, he landed two lead roles in The Mask and Dumb and Dumber, respectively. The Mask garnered him his first Golden Globe Award for Best Actor nomination, with Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times praising him for his "joyful performance".^[16] Well-received by critics, Dumb and Dumber was a commercial success, grossing over $270 million worldwide,^[17] and again boosting Carrey's fanbase.

Carrey in Madrid, Spain on December 13, 2008.

In 1995, Carrey starred in the Joel Schumacher-directed superhero film Batman Forever, in which Batman tries to stop Two-Face and the Riddler (played by Carrey) in their villainous scheme to drain information from all the brains in Gotham City. The feature received reasonable reviews upon release with most criticism aimed towards the movie's "blatant commercialism", as stated by Peter Travers.^[18] In that same year, Carrey reprised his role as Ace Ventura in Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls. Like the original film, it was well-received by the public but heavily criticised by critics. However, it was a huge box-office success, earning $212 million worldwide in addition to breaking records, with a $40 million opening weekend.^[19] Carrey earned $20 million for his next film, The Cable Guy (1996). Directed by Ben Stiller, Carrey played a lonely, slightly menacing cable TV installer who infiltrates the life of one of his customers (played by Matthew Broderick). The film tested Carrey's boundaries of his tried and true "hapless, hyper, overconfident" characters that he is known for regularly playing. However, it did not fare well with critics, many reacting towards Carrey's change of tone to previous films.^[20] Despite the reviews, The Cable Guy grossed $102 million worldwide.^[21]

He soon bounced back in 1997 with the critically acclaimed comedy Liar Liar, playing Fletcher Reede, an incredibly successful lawyer who has built his career on lying, regularly breaking promises that he makes to his son Max. Max soon makes a birthday wish that for just one day, his dad can't tell a lie. Carrey was praised for his performance, earning a second Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actor. Janet Maslin of The New York Times said, "Well into his tumultuous career, Mr. Carrey finally turns up in a straightforward comic vehicle, and the results are much wilder and funnier than this mundane material should have allowed."^[22]

Critical acclaim[link]

The following year he decided to take a pay cut to play the serious role of Truman Burbank in the satirical comedy-drama film The Truman Show (1998).^[23] The film was highly praised and brought Carrey further international acclaim, leading many to believe he would be nominated for an Oscar.^[24] However, he did pick up his first Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama. The Truman Show was a commercial success also, earning $264 million worldwide against a budget of $60 million.^[25][26] According to a Film4 critic, the film, "...allows Carrey to edge away from broad comedy." but nonetheless called it "A hilarious and breathtakingly conceived satire..."^[27] That same year, Carrey appeared as a fictionalized version of himself on the final episode of Garry Shandling's The Larry Sanders Show, in which he deliberately ripped into Shandling's character. In 1999, Carrey had the lead role in Man on the Moon. He portrayed comedian Andy Kaufman to critical acclaim,^[28] with many believing that Carrey would finally be nominated for Best Actor. He again received his second Golden Globe Award for the second consecutive year. Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times commented on Carrey's performance stating, "A brilliant, almost terrifying impersonation."

In 2000, Carrey reteamed with the Farrelly Brothers, who had directed him in Dumb and Dumber, in the comedy classic, Me, Myself & Irene, a film that received mixed reviews^[29] but enjoyed box office success. Carrey played the role of state trooper Charlie Baileygates, who has multiple personalities and romances a woman portrayed by Renée Zellweger. That same year, Carrey starred in the second highest grossing Christmas film of all time, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, playing the title character, for which he received praise and criticism.^[30] The film garnered him his third Golden Globe Award nomination in addition to countless other nominations and several wins.

For his next feature film, Carrey starred opposite Jennifer Aniston and Morgan Freeman in Tom Shadyac's international hit comedy Bruce Almighty (2003). Carrey played a TV newsman who unexpectedly receives God's omnipotent abilities when the deity decides to take a break. The film received mixed reviews upon release^[31] but despite this was a financial success, earning over $484 million worldwide, and going on to become the seventeenth highest-grossing live action comedy of all time. The film has since gained a cult following.^[19][32] In 2004, Carrey starred in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. The film received overwhelming acclaim upon release; Carrey was highly praised for his portrayal of Joel Barish, in addition to his co-star Kate Winslet, who received an Oscar nomination. According to CNN's reviewer Paul Clinton, Carrey's performance was "the best, most mature and sharply focused performance ever."^[33] He received his fourth Golden Globe Award nomination, and was also nominated for his first BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role.

Carrey at the Yes Man premiere in 2008

Carrey's next appearance was in the 2004 black comedy drama film Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, which was based on the popular children's novels of the same name. The film received a positive reception, with Desson Thomson from The Washington Post commenting on Carrey's approach to the character of Count Olaf, stating "Olaf is a humorless villain in the book. He's not amusing like Carrey at all. To which I would counter: If you can't let Carrey be Carrey, put someone boring and less expensive in the role. In his various disguises he's rubbery, inventive and improvisationally inspired. I particularly liked his passing imitation of a dinosaur."^[34][35] That same year, Carrey was inducted into the Canadian Walk of Fame.^[36] In 2005, Carrey starred in a remake of Fun with Dick and Jane, playing Dick, a husband who becomes a bank robber after he loses his job. The film was dismissed by most critics but did manage to become a box office hit.

Continued success[link]

In 2007, Carrey reunited with Joel Schumacher, director of Batman Forever, for The Number 23, a psychological thriller co-starring Virginia Madsen and Danny Huston. In the film, Carrey plays a man who becomes obsessed with the number 23, after finding a book about a man with the same obsession. The film was lauded by critics and did not fare well at the box office. The following year Carrey provided his voice for Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who! (2008). Carrey voiced the beloved elephant for the CGI-animated feature, which received overwhelmingly positive reviews and delivered family crowds en masse. The film was also a box office success raking in over $290 million worldwide.^[37] Later in the year, Carrey returned to live action comedy, starring opposite Zooey Deschanel and Bradley Cooper in Yes Man (2008). Carrey played down-and-out man, Carl Allen, who had gone nowhere in life, thanks to always saying no to everything, until he signs up for a self-help program that teaches him the power of saying yes. Despite reviews being mixed, Rene Rodriquez of The Miami Herald stated, "Yes Man is fine as far as Jim Carrey comedies go, but it's even better as a love story that just happens to make you laugh."^[38] The film had a decent performance at the box office, earning $225 million worldwide.

Since 2009, Carrey's work has included a leading role in Glenn Ficarra and John Requa's I Love You Phillip Morris, premiering in January 2009 at the Sundance Film Festival before receiving a wide release in February 2010. Carrey portrayed Steven Jay Russell, a con artist, imposter and multiple prison escapee who falls in love with his fellow inmate, Phillip Morris (played by Ewan McGregor). The film received largely positive reviews with Damon Wise of The Times giving the film four stars out of five, stating, "I Love You Phillip Morris" is an extraordinary film that serves as a reminder of just how good Carrey can be when he's not tied into a generic Hollywood crowd-pleaser. His comic timing remains as exquisite as ever."^[39]

For the first time in his career, Carrey portrayed multiple characters in Disney's 3D animated take on the classic Charles Dickens tale, A Christmas Carol (2009), voicing Ebenezer Scrooge and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future. Directed by Robert Zemeckis, the film also starred Robin Wright Penn, Bob Hoskins, Colin Firth, Gary Oldman and Cary Elwes. The film received reasonable reviews and was a financial success. In 2011, Carrey landed the lead role in Mr. Popper's Penguins, playing Thomas "Tom" Popper Jr. a realtor who becomes the caretaker of a family of penguins. The film received a mixed reception upon release.^[40] He is set to star alongside former co-star Steve Carell in the Don Scardino-directed comedy film Burt Wonderstone (2013). Carrey will play Steve Gray, a dangerous street magician who overshadows Burt Wonderstone (played by Carell), a formerly successful magician whos partnership with another magician ends; Gray must convince Burts old partner to return to the act. Carrey entered negotiations for the role in October 2011. Principal photography began on January 10, 2012 and concluded on March 13. The film is currently in post-production.

On April 1, 2012 it was confirmed that Carrey, along with Jeff Daniels, would return for Dumb and Dumber 2. Bobby and Peter Farrelly are scheduled to direct and write the script, with the movie going into production in September 2012.^[41]

As of April 2012, Carrey's films have grossed over $4.6 billion worldwide, unadjusted for inflation.^[42]

Personal life[link]

Relationships[link]

Carrey with his family at the Horton Hears a Who! premiere in 2008.

Carrey has been married twice. His first marriage was to former actress and Comedy Store waitress Melissa Womer, whom he married on March 28, 1987. The two divorced in 1995. A year later Carrey married his Dumb and Dumber co-star Lauren Holly, on September 23, 1996; the marriage lasted less than a year.^[43] In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Carrey was involved in a series of relationships, including Laurie Holden, January Jones, and Anine Bing. In addition, Carrey had a much-publicized yet short-lived romance with his Me, Myself and Irene co-star Renée Zellweger, whom he dated, and at one point engaged, from 1999 to 2000.^[44]

Carrey met model and actress Jenny McCarthy in 2005 and made their relationship public in June 2006. In April 2010, the two ended their near five-year relationship.^[45] Despite the split and media circulations, McCarthy stated in October 2010 that, "Jim and I are still good friends".^[46]

Family[link]

Carrey has one child, a daughter named Jane Erin Carrey (born September 6, 1987 in Los Angeles County) from his first marriage.^[47] Carrey announced via his Twitter account on February 27, 2010, in Los Angeles^[48] that his daughter had given birth to her first child with musician husband Alex Santana. He announced that his grandson's name was Jackson Riley Santana.

Citizenship[link]

Carrey received U.S. citizenship in October 2004 and remains a dual citizen of both the United States and his native Canada.^[49]

Beliefs[link]

Carrey has been a critic of the scientific consensus that no evidence links the childhood MMR vaccination to the development of autism, and wrote an article questioning the merits of vaccination and vaccine research for the Huffington Post.^[50] With former partner Jenny McCarthy, Carrey led a "Green Our Vaccines" march in Washington, D.C., to advocate for the removal of toxins from children's vaccines, out of a belief that children had received "too many vaccines, too soon, many of which are toxic".^[51]

Filmography[link]

Actor[link]

Producer[link]

Other appearances[link]

Other accolades[link]

References[link]

Further reading[link]

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Jim Carrey

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Jim Carrey

• Official website
• Jim Carrey at the Internet Movie Database
• Jim Carrey's channel on YouTube
• Jim Carrey on Twitter

Reverend and The Makers are an indie pop band based in Sheffield, England and signed to Wall of Sound. The band is fronted by Jon McClure, nicknamed "The Reverend". The band's debut album The State of Things (2007) has helped them gain success in Britain, as well as spawning UK Top 10 single "Heavyweight Champion of the World". The band released their second album, A French Kiss in the Chaos (2009) which led to the band being invited to support Oasis on their last ever tour, playing venues such as Wembley Stadium. The band's third studio album is set to be released in 2012 after a two year break from music, and will be entitled @Reverend_Makers, and will be released on 18 June 2012.

History[link]

Early years[link]

In late 2005, McClure brought several musicians together for Reverend and The Makers. Like his previous bands, The Makers included co-songwriter Ed Cosens, this time playing (bass). The rest of The Makers consisted of Dave Sanderson (guitars), Joe Moskow (keyboards), Richy Westley (drums, formerly of Hoggboy) and Laura Manuel (vocals), and occasionally Simon Stafford on trombone. Sanderson was dismissed in July 2006 after the band completed their first headline UK tour and replaced by Gledhill guitarist Tom Jarvis.

Late in 2005, fellow Sheffield band Arctic Monkeys released their debut single, and McClure was hounded by major record labels, reportedly offering him sums of up to £150,000 to make an album like Arctic Monkeys.^{[citation needed]} McClure declined the offer, and decided to do everything his own way, managing to sell out The Plug in Sheffield twice, a venue with a capacity of 1,000 people, while still unsigned. It was not until the following year that McClure met Mark Jones in a club in London when he asked him for a lighter. The two got talking and Mark Jones came to see Reverend and the Makers at the next show. Jones reportedly proclaimed the band as the "best band in the world" and signed them to his label Wall of Sound Records.

Reverend and The Makers released a 9-track demo in 2006, entitled "Ten Songs". The artwork included a tracklist with ten songs, track 10 being "Paris at Night". However this song was not made available for download; it only surfaced on the internet in August 2007. The demos were recorded at 2Fly Studios, and produced by Alan Smyth, McClure acknowledges the work Smyth put into the demos by accrediting the debut single; "Heavyweight Champion of The World" as McClure/Cosens/Smyth. Reverend and the Makers' music is a mix of indie guitar pop, electronica and a touch of Madchester-esque funk. Some of the internet demos feature members of other notable Sheffield musicians such as Alex Turner (Arctic Monkeys), Tim Hampton (Bromheads Jacket) and Mike Hughes (Little Ze). One of Reverend's inspirations is Manchester performance poet John Cooper Clarke and Reverend often performs his own poems, of a similar style, in between songs during his live sets. One of the B-sides to the debut single "Heavyweight Champion of the World" is a poem entitled "Last Resort" in which John Cooper Clarke and McClure read alternate stanzas. This poem was also duetted live when the band played live at Shoreditch's Spread Eagle in the first tour in May 2006.

In April 2006, Reverend and The Makers were support to the Arctic Monkeys on their sold out UK tour, exposing the band to larger audiences and bigger venues. This was followed by their own first UK tour in May and June, selling-out dates in Shoreditch, London and The Plug in home-town Sheffield on the final night. A second tour followed in October 2006, showing great progression as a band. The sound was much tighter and far more advanced than on their previous tour.

[edit] Debut album, The State Of Things, and breakthrough (2007–08)

This article may be in need of reorganization to comply with Wikipedia's layout guidelines. Please help by editing the article to make improvements to the overall structure. (December 2009)

Performing at Summer Sundae in 2008

In 2008, Reverend and The Makers set a date for their first release and undertook a UK tour, including several festivals over the summer period including Glastonbury Festival, Carling Weekend, T in the Park and T4 on the Beach as well as supporting the Red Hot Chili Peppers at Hampden Park, Glasgow. In January 2008, Reverend and The Makers toured Australia.^[1]

Their first release was "Heavyweight Champion Of The World" on 28 May 2007 and featured the B-Sides "18–30" and "The Last Resort" featuring John Cooper Clarke. The single takes its name from a line in A Kestrel for a Knave a novel by Barry Hines and a favourite book of McClure. The single is available on both CD and 7" vinyl formats, including a limited edition "White Vinyl" release. The single was released for download on 6 May and reached #38 in the UK single chart on download only. The album, entitled The State Of Things, was recorded over the Christmas period and was released on Wall of Sound on 17 September 2007. The album features songs co-written and performed with Alex Turner of Arctic Monkeys and one track co-written and with guest vocals from Tim Hampton of Bromheads Jacket, other tracks include vocals by Steve Edwards.

Split rumours (2008)[link]

In June 2008, drummer Richy Westley left the group to form his own band Strange and Partners. In August 2008 frontman Jon McClure said he would quit music after their next album,^[2] although a month later he changed his mind.^[3] The inconsistency of McClure's actions has led many critics in the music press to report negatively towards the move.^{[citation needed]} Welsh band Future Of The Left joked of their delight at the band's split at live shows on their tour at the time, as can be heard on their live album Last Night I Saved Her From Vampires.^[4] McClure has a new project, Mongrel, with a single "Hit From the Morning Sun" due to be released in February 2009.^[5]

[edit] Second album, A French Kiss In The Chaos (2009–10)

Early 2009, it was announced that Tom Jarvis has left the band, and has been replaced by Tom Rowley (ex-Milburn), Rowley was already a good friend of McClure, and contributed to the first album by co-writing the tracks "Bandits" and "Miss Brown".

The band supported Oasis, along with Kasabian and The Enemy for their sold out summer tour in 2009. The band released their follow up to 2007's The State of Things, with A French Kiss in the Chaos. The album was released in June and the opening single, "Silence Is Talking" was featured during the band's three night run at Wembley Stadium. The band released a second single, "No Soap (in a Dirty War)" in October.

McClure was in the media spotlight for his personal views in July 2009, after an interview in which he commented on Jade Goody's death earlier in the year; "it's sad she died and it's good more girls are getting smear tests but let's not forget she was a talentless racist".^[6] He has also been in the media recently speaking out about the UK's involvement in the Iraq War, requesting that fellow musicians, particularly the Arctic Monkeys, his contemporaries from Sheffield, focus on real issues and to "not write songs about girls at bus stops any more like me and Monkeys used to do, let's start talking about what's happening man as otherwise you know where we gonna go, we're going down the toilet aren't we?".^[7]

In December, it was announced via McClure's Twitter that Andy Nicholson, his fellow member in Mongrel and ex-Arctic Monkeys bassist would join the band for their third album. NME published the story on its website soon after.

[edit] Hiatus and @Reverend_Makers (2010–)

McClure announced via his Twitter in July 2011 that "the recording of the Reverend and The Makers 3rd album is underway".^[8]

In August 2011, the band posted a new track called "Riot" on their YouTube page, in response to the 2011 England Riots.

It was announced in January 2012 that the band had completed work for the third album, scheduled for a release later that year. The band also revealed that they will be supporting Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds on their UK Arena tour in spring.^[9] Details on the album are sketchy, but McClure has stated it will be produced by Jason Cox and James Dring (Gorillaz) and Youth (The Verve, U2) and will move away from the political-minded nature of the band's second album.^[10] The band also announced they had signed to Cooking Vinyl Records. McClure also stated that ex-Milburn frontman Joe Carnall was to join the band, as has Ryan Jenkinson.

In February 2012, the band played their first gig for two years in Coventry.^[11] Just days after, they released their lead single off their third album "Bassline" via their Facebook page.^[12] The band also announced their third album would be entitled @Reverend_Makers due to "nothing representing the modern times more than the '@' symbol", according to McClure.^[13] The album is set for a 18 June release, according to Amazon.^[14] The band appeared on Soccer AM in May 2012 and stated the next released single would be "The Wrestler" (which was released on 14 May 2012).

Tours[link]

On 30 April 2007 Reverend and The Makers performed "Heavyweight Champion Of The World" and a cover of Kelis's "Trick Me" on Radio 1's Live Lounge with Jo Whiley. In October 2007, supported by The Ting Tings, they made a tour of universities in the UK.^[15] Former Arctic Monkeys's bassist Andy Nicholson made guest appearances to play bass for a couple of songs. On 8 December 2007 they supported Ian Brown on the final leg of his tour, and supported The Verve on 11 and 13 December. They also supported in Dublin on 28 October in the Big Top venue in the Phoenix Park.

On 12 February 2008 they performed on Lily Allen's talk show Lily Allen and Friends. In March 2008 the band released an EP consisting of three remixes of "Sundown On The Empire", three for the track "18–30" and one for "The Machine" for a total of seven tracks. On 26 July 2009, they played in their home city of Sheffield, closing the Tramlines Festival with an 80 minute gig.

In the summer of 2009 they have supported Oasis on the largest stadium tour in the UK and Ireland. On 1 September 2009, they performed a secret free gig at Tate Modern, London.^[16] They were introduced by Sara Cox and supported by Stornoway.^[17] The gig was to celebrate the launch of new climate change campaign—"10:10".^[18] In November 2009, the band will be supporting Kasabian on their nationwide tour. For the past 2 years, the band have played New Year's Eve shows at KOKO in Camden, London.

Other activities[link]

European Open Championship[link]

McClure agreed for the World Traditional Karate Association to use "Heavyweight Champion Of The World" as the official song for the first ever unified European Open Championship of Martial Art at The Ponds Forge International Sports Center in his hometown of Sheffield, on the 18th August 2012

Reverend Soundsystem Club Nights[link]

Reverend hosted a monthly clubnight on the first Saturday of every month named "Reverend Soundsystem" at The Plug in Sheffield, and has also hosted one event at Manchester's Po Na Na. The Soundsystem has featured a number of guest DJs such as Mani (The Stone Roses/Primal Scream), Peter Hook (New Order), the late Tony Wilson (Factory Records), Andy Nicholson (ex-Arctic Monkeys), Chris McClure (face of the Arctic Monkeys debut album cover (Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not) and brother of Jon), Terry Hall (The Specials), Milburn, Bez and Arctic Monkeys as well as live performances from The Sunshine Underground, Gas Club, Stoney, 747s, The Hosts and White Rose Movement. The event no longer takes place at The Plug.

Reverend Mixtape[link]

At the Leadmill venue in Sheffield on 27 May 2007, approximately 200 CDs entitled And Whilst the World Was Asleep We Were Listening To... were handed out to the fans. It was reported that more copies would be available later in the year in independent record shops. The cover featured a poem by McClure on the back "Just Like His Dad" which is a b-side to the single "He Said He Loved Me". The mixtape features songs from Cymande, Pixeltan, The Clash and Love. The CD opens with an alternative version of "The Last Resort" which only features McClure's verses and has a synth backing.

For the fans[link]

Jon McClure puts on an acoustic gig in the car park of most venues. These sets normally last between 30–45 minutes and this is the type of thing that McClure is becoming synonymous with amongst his fans. He also invited fans to a "backing singer evening" to help record vocals on an upcoming single. He is heavily involved in the Instigate Debate group, and offers to carry out private gigs in fans homes to anyone who contributes. On 13 May 2009, it was revealed that McClure was going to be one of the curators of the new Tramlines festival in Sheffield along with Matt Helders from Arctic Monkeys and Toddla T.^[19]

Reverend Soundsystem (RSS)[link]

Reverend Soundsystem is a side project made up of Jon(The Reverend)McClure, Marcus 'Matic Mouth' Smith, Laura McClure and Jimmy Welsh (Ocelot).

Reverend Soundsystem is currently on tour as part of the university fresher’s Boxfresh clothing tour, alongside Ocelot.

LIES[link]

Lies is a series of short films based on stories/poems written by Jon McClure. The films are part of local independent film production, Kestrel Filmworks with sponsorship from Boxfresh. Lies is a tongue in cheek look at Lies told to Jon and his brother Chris throughout their childhood. In total there are six films.

Film Maker: Hesky Tucker

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

• The State of Things (17 September 2007) UK #5
• A French Kiss in the Chaos (27 July 2009) UK #19
• @Reverend_Makers (upcoming) (18 June 2012)

Live albums[link]

• Reverend and the Makers: Live in the UK (October 2009)

Singles[link]

• "Heavyweight Champion of the World" (28 May 2007) UK #8, UK Indie #1
• "He Said He Loved Me" (3 September 2007) UK #16, UK Indie #1
• "Open Your Window" (19 November 2007) UK #65, UK Indie #1
• "Sundown On the Empire / 18-30 / The Machine - Remixes" (16 March 2008)
• "Silence Is Talking" (13 July 2009) UK #14 UK Indie #1
• "No Soap (In A Dirty War)" (14 September 2009) UK #84 UK Indie #3
• "Bassline" (13 February 2012) [Free download]
• "The Wrestler" (14 May 2012)

Other releases[link]

• And Whilst the World Was Asleep We Were Listening To... limited edition CD Mixtape (27 May 2007)
• 'Ten Songs (Demo EP)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Site
• Sonorika.com Page
• Interview with Jon McClure – Reverend And The Makers – 2008 on ilikemusic.com
• No Soap in a Dirty War Review
• Interview with the Reverend for www.4ortherecord.com

Jesus
Jesus as Good Shepherd (stained glass at St John's Ashfield)
Born	7–2 BC/BCE[1] Judaea[2]
Died	30–36 AD/CE[3][4][5][6][7] Judaea
Cause of death	Crucifixion[8]
Ethnicity	Jewish[9]
Home town	Nazareth, Galilee[10]

Jesus ( /ˈdʒiːzəs/; Greek: Ἰησοῦς; 7–2 BC/BCE to 30–36 AD/CE), also referred to as Jesus Christ or simply Christ, is the central figure of Christianity and most Christian denominations venerate him as God the Son incarnated. In Islam, Jesus (in Arabic: عيسى‎ in Islamic usage, commonly transliterated as Isa) is considered one of God's important prophets.^[11][12]

Most modern historians agree that Jesus existed and was a Jewish teacher from Galilee in Roman Judaea, who was baptized by John the Baptist, and was crucified in Jerusalem on the orders of the Roman Prefect, Pontius Pilate.^{[13][14][15][16][8]} Scholars have offered competing descriptions and portraits of Jesus, which at times share a number of overlapping attributes, such as a rabbi, a charismatic healer, the leader of an apocalyptic movement, a self-described Messiah, a sage and philosopher, or a social reformer who preached of the "Kingdom of God" as a means for personal and egalitarian social transformation.^{[17][18][19][20]} Scholars have correlated the New Testament accounts with non-Christian historical records to arrive at an estimated chronology of Jesus' life.^{[3][5][21][22][23][24][25][26][27]}

Christians traditionally believe that Jesus was born of a virgin, performed miracles, founded the Church, died sacrificially by crucifixion to achieve atonement, rose from the dead, and ascended into heaven, from which he will return.^[28] The majority of Christians worship Jesus as the incarnation of God the Son, and the Second Person of the Holy Trinity.^[29] A few Christian groups, however, reject Trinitarianism, wholly or partly, believing it to be non-scriptural.^[29][30] Most Christian scholars today present Jesus as the awaited Messiah promised in the Old Testament and as God,^[31] arguing that he fulfilled many Messianic prophecies of the Old Testament.^[32]

In Islam, Jesus is a bringer of scripture, and the product of a virgin birth, but not the victim of crucifixion.^[33] Judaism rejects the belief that Jesus was the awaited Messiah, arguing that he did not fulfill the Messianic prophecies in the Tanakh.^[34] Islam and the Bahá'í Faith use the title "Messiah" for Jesus,^[35][36] but do not teach that he was God incarnate.

Etymology of name[link]

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"Jesus" is a transliteration, occurring in a number of languages and based on the Latin Iesus, of the Greek Ἰησοῦς (Iēsoûs), itself a hellenization of the Hebrew יְהוֹשֻׁעַ (Yĕhōšuă‘, Joshua) or Hebrew-Aramaic יֵשׁוּעַ (Yēšûă‘), both meaning "Yahweh delivers" or "Yahweh rescues". In Arabic, it is عيسى‎.^[37][38]

The etymology of the name Jesus in the context of the New Testament is generally expressed as "Yahweh saves",^[39][40][41] "Yahweh is salvation"^[42][43] and at times as "Jehovah is salvation".^[44] The name Jesus appears to have been in use in Judaea at the time of the birth of Jesus.^[44][45] Philo's reference (Mutatione Nominum item 121) indicates that the etymology of Joshua was known outside Judaea at the time.^[46]

In the New Testament, in Luke 1:26-33, the angel Gabriel tells Mary to name her child "Jesus", and in Matthew 1:21 an angel tells Joseph to name the child "Jesus". The statement in Matthew 1:21 "you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins" associates salvific attributes to the name Jesus in Christian theology.^[47][48]

"Christ" ( /ˈkraɪst/) is derived from the Greek Χριστός (Khrīstos), meaning "the anointed" or "the anointed one", a translation of the Hebrew מָשִׁיחַ (Māšîaḥ), usually transliterated into English as "Messiah" ( /mɨˈsaɪ.ə/).^[49][50] In the Septuagint version of the Hebrew Bible (written well over a century before the time of Jesus), the word "Christ" (Χριστός) was used to translate the Hebrew word "Messiah" (מָשִׁיחַ) into Greek.^[51] In Matthew 16:16, the apostle Peter's profession "You are the Christ" identifies Jesus as the Messiah.^[52] In postbiblical usage, "Christ" became viewed as a name, one part of "Jesus Christ", but originally it was a title ("Jesus the Anointed").^[53][54][55]

Chronology[link]

Judaea and Galilee at the time of Jesus.

Although a few scholars have questioned the existence of Jesus as an actual historical figure,^[56], and some early Christian sects denied that Jesus existed as a physical being (see below), most scholars involved with historical Jesus research believe his existence, but that the supernatural claims associated with him cannot be established using documentary and other evidence.^{[57][58][59][16][60][61]} As discussed in the sections immediately below, the estimation of the year of death of Jesus places his lifespan around the beginning of the 1st century AD/CE, in the geographic region of Roman Judaea.^{[62][63][64][65][66]}

Roman involvement in Judaea began around 63 BC/BCE and by 6 AD/CE Judaea had become a Roman province.^[67] From 26-37 AD/CE Pontius Pilate was the governor of Roman Judaea.^[68] In this time period, although Roman Judaea was strategically positioned in the Near East, close to Arabia and North Africa, it was not viewed as a critically important province by the Romans.^[69][70] At the time the Romans were highly tolerant of other religions and allowed the local populations such as the Jews to practice their own faiths.^[67]

Year of birth[link]

Two independent approaches have been used to estimate the year of the birth of Jesus, one by analyzing the Nativity accounts in the Gospels of Luke and Matthew along with other historical data, the other by working backwards from the estimation of the start of the ministry of Jesus, as also discussed in the next section.^[5][22]

In its Nativity account, the Gospel of Matthew associates the birth of Jesus with the reign of Herod the Great, who is generally believed to have died around 4 BC/BCE.^[22][71] Matthew 2:1 states that: "Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king" and Luke 1:5 mentions the reign of Herod shortly before the birth of Jesus.^[22] Matthew also suggests that Jesus may have been as much as two years old at the time of the visit of the Magi and hence even older at the time of Herod's death.^[72] But the author of Luke also describes the birth as taking place during the first census of the Roman provinces of Syria and Iudaea, which is generally believed to have occurred in 6 AD/CE.^[73] Most scholars generally assume a date of birth between 6 and 4 BC/BCE.^[74] Other scholars assume that Jesus was born sometime between 7–2 BC/BCE.^[75]

The year of birth of Jesus has also been estimated in a manner that is independent of the Nativity accounts, by using information in the Gospel of John to work backwards from the statement in Luke 3:23 that Jesus was "about 30 years of age" at the start of his ministry.^[3][5] As discussed in the section below, by combining information from John 2:13 and John 2:20 with the writings of Flavius Josephus, it has been estimated that around 27-29 AD/CE, Jesus was "about thirty years of age".^[76][77] Some scholars thus estimate the year 28 AD/CE to be roughly the 32nd birthday of Jesus and the birth year of Jesus to be around 6-4 BC/BCE.^[3][5][78]