Remembering David Winter

We were very sorry to hear that Revd Canon David Winter, the author, broadcaster and priest, and a trustee of the Christian Evidence Society, died at the age of 96 on 23 August.

David joined the BBC as a radio producer in 1971 and became head of religious broadcasting in 1987. When he eventually left the BBC, it was to become an Anglican priest. He was a regular contributor to Radio 4’s ‘Thought for the Day’, and was the author of over 20 books relating the Christian faith to life today.

David was a trustee of the Christian Evidence Society from 1994 to 2012. He joined with several other people who contributed extensive media experience, and his expertise was especially valuable as the Society published booklets and funded innovative radio programmes with Premier Radio in the 1990s and 2000s. Thanks to his contribution, the Society found ground-breaking new ways to communicate the Christian faith to modern audiences.

As part of the Society’s commitment to making the case for faith, David authored one of our booklets, Evidence for Life After Death. The booklet, which was based on his bestselling book, Hereafter, published in 1972, sold thousands of copies through church bookstalls, and continues to be downloaded and read on this website.

In the booklet he discussed ‘the single most important question in the world: is there life beyond death?’ and concluded with these words:

‘Over everything on earth hangs the dark shadow of time. We never seem to have enough of it to do all the things we should like to do, to become the people we ought to be or to get to know others as we should like to know them. But in the life beyond death all of these are no more. ‘God himself will be with them,’ says John in the book of Revelation. ‘He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away.’

Major Nigel Bovey, former vice chair of the Society, said: ‘Canon David Winter was an innovative visionary who saw how secular media could be a vehicle for broadcasting the Christian gospel. He was a great inspiration and encourager. It was a privilege and joy to serve on the board of the Christian Evidence Society with him.’

Photos by Brooks deCillia and Church Times