Henry Parsley
The Right Reverend Henry Nutt Parsley, Jr (born October 29, 1948 in Memphis) is the 10th Episcopal Bishop of Alabama and the Chancellor and member of the Board of Regents of the University of the South at Sewanee, Tennessee. As Diocesan Bishop, Parsley oversees 92 Episcopal churches, 8 campus ministries and over 35,000 parishioners in Alabama, excluding the Gulf Coast region.
Early life
Parsley was born in Memphis. He received his Bachelor's in English (Magnum cum Laude) in 1970 from Sewanee. That summer he married the former Rebecca Knox Allison of New Orleans and went to New York City to pursue his Master of Divinity from the General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1973 and was ordained as a deacon. He also studied spirituality and soteriology at Oxford and has received Doctoral degrees in Divinity from Sewanee (1998) and the General Theological Seminary (1998).
Priesthood
He rose to the rank of priest in April, 1974 and was assigned to Christ Church in Charlotte, North Carolina where he served 10 years. He also served as rector of St Paul's Church in Summerville, North Carolina and All Saints Church and Day School in Florence, North Carolina. He was assistant rector of St Philip's Church in Charleston, South Carolina and of Trinity Church in Myrtle Beach.
Bishophood
Parsley served as a deputy to the General Convention in 1982, 1985 and 1994. He was consecrates as Bishop Coadjutor of Alabama in January 1996 before assuming his current position two years later.
In 1997 he served on the Legislative Committee on Ministry for the General Convention in Philadelphia. He currently chairs the Standing Commission on Stewardship and Development, the Theology Committee, and the Church Pension Fund's Abundance Committee. He also serves on the Planning Committee of the House of Bishops.
In 2003 Parsley was one of 43 in the House of Bishops who voted against the ordination of V. Eugene Robinson, an openly gay priest, as Bishop Coadjutor for the Diocese of New Hampshire. The Bishops' resolution to concur with the approval of the House of Deputies passed with 62 "yes" votes. His position on the issue of sexuality in the church is nuanced and he has demonstrated a desire to prevent a split in the worldwide church while calling for renewed focus on the gospel as the source of doctrine. He has expressed faith in the consultative process as a means of resolving complicated issues.
In 2006, Parsley was one of seven nominees for the office of Presiding Bishop over the 2.3 million-member Episcopal Church of the United States of America. At the General Convention at Trinity Cathedral in Columbus, Ohio, Parsley received the second-highest total of 82 out of 188 votes cast in the fifth and deciding ballot. The Right Reverend Katharine Jefferts Schori was elected with a majority of 95 votes, and confirmed by the House of Deputies for a 9 year term.
Parsley and his wife have one son, Henry Nutt III, born in 1974.
References
- Garrison, Greg (June 18, 2006) "Episcopalians to get new leader." Birmingham News.
External links
- The Episcopal Diocese of Alabama website.
- 2006 Presiding Bishop candidates at episcopalchurch.org