 Although Lang was a bishop in England for longer than anyone else in the twentieth century , Hastings says that " of no other is it so hard to address his true significance " . According to biographer Lockhart he was a complex character in whom " a jangle of warring personalities ... never reached agreement among themselves . " Lockhart writes that while Lang 's many years of high office saw progress in the cause of Christian reunion , the mark he left on the Church was relatively small ; many believed it could have been larger and deeper . While Lang 's oratorical and administrative gifts were beyond doubt , Hastings nevertheless claims that as Archbishop of Canterbury , Lang displayed no effective leadership or guidance , turning away from reform and content to be the " final sentinel to the ancien régime " . Wilkinson says that Lang dealt conscientiously with problems as they arose , but without any overall strategy . 
