25/07/2023
Reverend Canon John Knight 1936 – 2022
A comment from his publisher, Trevor Boys
This post is dedicated to the Reverend Canon John Knight who died in the Autumn of 2022. John was born at Penzance, England in 1936 and emigrated to Southern Rhodesia (later Zimbabwe) as a baby. He went on to complete his schooling at St. John’s College, Johannesburg, South Africa. After attending Leeds University and Mirfield Theological College in England from 1956 to 1961, he returned to Rhodesia and was ordained into the Ministry. Over the next 25 years he held a number of appointments, including Administrator of over 300 Church Schools for seven years before given the role of setting up the new Diocese of Manicaland and appointed Dean of Mutare Cathedral. He served as Dean for a number of years before being forced to leave his homeland by the Mugabe regime at the age of 50.
For the next 31 years he served in the Peterborough Diocese before retiring at the age of 81. During that time he preached on occasion at Daventry United Reformed Church where I was an Elder. John had long desired to reissue his first book “Rain in a Dry Land” which Hodder had published originally in 1987 to critical acclaim. When John made it clear that this was his Intention he was directed to me, and I set up Onley publishing to facilitate this. I found John not only to be a devout man of God but also a genial and humorous host and prolific storyteller. As our friendship grew I was able to help him with the publication of several other books, notably 2016 he received the gift of Maundy Money from Her Majesty the Queen for services to Church and Community, and in 2019 was presented with the Alphege Award for a lifetime of Evangelism and Witness by the Archbishop of Canterbury at Lambeth Palace.
John has written several books which have been received by an enthusiastic readership. In 1987 Hodder published “Rain in a Dry Land”, an extraordinary testimony to the power of God at work in a war-torn land, to critical acclaim. A new edition was published in 2011. Following this came “To Reign or Not to Reign” which was John’s response to the doubt and unbelief so prevalent in the Western Church. “Who Holds Your Reigns” was published soon afterwards, being John’s account of his experiences walking the Camino de Santiago, and leading groups on pilgrim routes across the Pyrenees and Northern Spain which attract many thousands of pilgrims every year.
In 2019 we were able to offer three more books. “What St. Paul Really said About Women” which exposed the misinterpretation of the role of women so frequently embraced by contemporary Christian churches. “The Awesome Visitations of God” looking at those visitations recorded in the Bible and elsewhere which reveal God’s continual and extraordinary love and support for His creation. An eye-opening account. Then “Revelation Revealed” which challenges the commonly held disbelief in many churches of ‘End Time Theology’, exploring as it does the meaning behind John’s visions, which he believed to be of vital importance for our present generation to both hear and understand.
In 2020 a fourth addition to his autobiographical books entitled “A Criss-Crossed Life — 80 years of Nuns, Monks and Me”, was published, giving an enchanting kaleidoscope of people, places and events that have influenced and moulded him, and bringing to light many other incidents in his life.
As he became older, John developed cancer and other ailments and his mobility became badly affected. Although he had two other books which he wanted to write he was quite ready to “go home” and during his last months we grew ever closer, often praying together and taking communion.
All John’s books are available from Amazon UK or as eBooks and stand as a testimony to his commitment, discipleship and indomitable sense of humour and I am very proud to have known, loved and worked with him.
Trevor P. Boys
