Alan_Wilson_(bishop)

Alan Wilson (bishop)

Alan Wilson (bishop)

Bishop of Buckingham (2003–2024)

This article is about the Anglican bishop. For other uses, see Alan Wilson (disambiguation).

Alan Thomas Lawrence Wilson (27 March 1955 – 17 February 2024) was a British Anglican bishop. He served as the area Bishop of Buckingham in the Diocese of Oxford from October 2003 until his death in February 2024.

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Early life and education

Alan Thomas Lawrence Wilson was born on 27 March 1955 in Redford Barracks in Edinburgh, Scotland.[1] He was educated at Sevenoaks School, then an all-boys private school in Kent.[2] He studied history at St John's College, Cambridge, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in 1977;[2][3] as per tradition, this was promoted to a Master of Arts (MA Cantab) degree in 1981.[2] From 1977 to 1979, he trained for ordained ministry at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford.[4]

Ordained ministry

Wilson was made a deacon at Petertide (1 July) 1979 by Eric Wild, Bishop of Reading, at St Peter's, Didcot,[5] and ordained a priest the Petertide following (29 June 1980) by Patrick Rodger, Bishop of Oxford, at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford.[6] From 1979 to 1981 he was an honorary assistant curate of Eynsham[1] (where he met his future wife) and also held an academic position funded by the University of Oxford.[7] From 1981 to 1982, he was an assistant curate in the same parish, his academic position having ended.[1]

His Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil) degree, for which he studied as a student of Balliol College, Oxford, was awarded in 1989.[1] He had completed his thesis in 1988. The official title of his thesis is "The theology of church and party of some London ritualistic clergy and parishes, 1880–1914, with special reference to the Church Crisis of 1898-1906", although it bears the unofficial title "The authority of church and party among London Anglo-Catholics, 1880–1914, with special reference to the Church Crisis, 1898–1904".[8]

Wilson spent the following years of his ministry in a variety of positions, including as a prison chaplain.[9] He was vicar of St Michaels, Sandhurst,[10] Rural Dean of Sonning and an honorary canon at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford.

Episcopal ministry

On 9 October 2003, Wilson was consecrated a bishop by Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, at Westminster Abbey.[11] He then became Bishop of Buckingham, an area bishop in the Diocese of Oxford.[3]

Views

On 11 February 2017, fourteen retired bishops signed an open letter to the then-serving bishops of the Church of England. In an unprecedented move, they expressed their opposition to the House of Bishops' report to General Synod on sexuality, which recommended no change to the church's canons or practices around sexuality.[12] By 13 February, Wilson (the only serving bishop) and nine further retired bishops had added their signatures;[13] on 15 February, the report was rejected by synod.[14]

In 2023, he was one of 44 Church of England bishops who signed an open letter supporting the use of the Prayers of Love and Faith (i.e. blessings for same-sex couples) and called for "Guidance being issued without delay that includes the removal of all restrictions on clergy entering same-sex civil marriages, and on bishops ordaining and licensing such clergy".[15]

Death

Wilson died on 17 February 2024, at the age of 68.[16] He had been married from 1984, and is survived by his wife, Lucy, and five adult children.[17]

Selected works

  • Wilson, Alan (2014). More perfect union: understanding same-sex Christian marriage. London: Darton,Longman & Todd Ltd. ISBN 978-0232531251.
  • Wilson, Alan (with Rosie Harper) (2019), To Heal and Not to Hurt - A fresh approach to safeguarding in the Church. London: Darton, Longman and Todd Ltd. ISBN 978-0-232-53394-1

Styles

See also

References

  1. [1]
    Crockford's Clerical Directory (97th edn, London, 2001), p. 829.
  2. [2]
    "BUCKINGHAM, Area Bishop of,". Who's Who 2017. Oxford University Press. November 2016. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
  3. [3]
    "Bishop Alan". Diocese of Oxford. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
  4. [4]
    "Alan Thomas Lawrence Wilson". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
  5. [5]
    "Petertide ordinations". Church Times. No. 6073. 6 July 1979. p. 17. ISSN 0009-658X. Retrieved 23 July 2017 – via UK Press Online archives.
  6. [6]
    "Petertide ordinations". Church Times. No. 6125. 4 July 1980. p. 5. ISSN 0009-658X. Retrieved 23 July 2017 – via UK Press Online archives.
  7. [7]
    Christine Zwart, God in the Life of Alan Wilson, Oxford Diocese website, 9 October 2003. Retrieved 13 October 2008.
  8. [8]
    "Wilson, Alan (Alan Thomas Lawrence), (1988). The authority of church and party among London Anglo-Catholics, 1880-1914, with special reference to the Church Crisis, 1898-1904. DPhil. University of Oxford". Oxford Research Archive. University of Oxford.
  9. [9]
    Interview with Bishop Alan.
  10. [10]
    "History - Past Clergy". stmichaels-sandhurst.org.uk. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
  11. [11]
    Kershaw, Simon (9 October 2003). "ordination of bishops". As I was going to St Ives: jottings by Simon Kershaw. Thinking Anglicans. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
  12. [12]
    Retired Bishops' Letter — The Letter Archived 12 February 2017 at the Wayback Machine (Retrieved 11 February 2017; the fourteen bishops were David Atkinson, Michael Doe, Tim Ellis, David Gillett, John Gladwin, Laurie Green, Richard Harries, Stephen Lowe, Stephen Platten, John Pritchard, Peter Selby, Tim Stevens, Martin Wharton, and Williamson.)
  13. [13]
    Retired Bishops' Letter — New Signatures Archived 18 February 2017 at the Wayback Machine (Retrieved 17 February 2017; the nine bishops were Gordon Bates, Ian Brackley, John Davies, Peter Maurice, David Rossdale, John Saxbee, Martin Shaw, Oliver Simon, and David Stancliffe.
  14. [14]
    The Grauniad — Church of England in turmoil as synod rejects report on same-sex relationships (Retrieved 17 February 2017)
  15. [15]
    Martin, Francis (1 November 2023). "Don't delay guidance allowing priests to be in same-sex marriages, say 44 bishops". Church Times. Archived from the original on 2 November 2023. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  16. [16]
    "Death announced of Alan Wilson, Bishop of Buckingham". Diocese of Oxford. 17 February 2024. Archived from the original on 17 February 2024. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  17. [17]
    "Biography and Contact". Bishop Alan's blog. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
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