There was probably a time when if an actor met the Archbishop of Canterbury, we would be forgiven for presuming that the Archbishop would offer his opinion on matters spiritual while the actor listened attentively, hoping to learn something. Not so today, of course: when Russell Crowe paid a visit to Justin Welby, it was the actor whose exposition – albeit from a prior interview – on the meaning of the Flood was reported by Christianity Today, not the archbishop’s. It’s all about the environment and our treatment of animals, apparently.

All that was missing to make the visit complete was Justin Welby explaining how to pursue a career as an an actor.

From here:

The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby welcomed Hollywood actor Russell Crowe to his official residence on Tuesday ahead of the UK release of Noah on Friday.

The Archbishop’s office said the two men discussed faith and spirituality during the short private meeting at Lambeth Palace.

[….]

“The great thing about this film, whether you’re somebody of faith or not, is that you come out of this movie and you want to talk…about our stewardship of the earth, our relationship to animals, what is spirituality, who am I in this world, all these fantastic subjects for conversation.”