Bill Phipps
Encyclopedia
William "Bill" Phipps is a Canadian
church
leader and social justice
activist. He was Moderator
of the United Church of Canada
from 1997 to 2000.
to the ministry in 1969. While studying theology in Chicago (McCormick Theological Seminary
) he worked for noted social activist Saul Alinsky
. In his career, Phipps has worked as a poverty lawyer, community organizer and pastor. From 1974 to 1983, he was minister at Trinity-St. Paul's United Church
in downtown Toronto
, Ontario
. After leaving Trinity-St. Paul's United, he moved to Alberta to work in church administration.
was God
", that he didn't consider the resurrection
a scientific fact, and that he was agnostic on the question of an afterlife
. What is important, Phipps argued, is not notions of the afterlife but fighting poverty
and suffering on earth. "Your soul is lost unless you care about people starving in the streets," according to Phipps. He said that what is important is not so much whether or not the Bible
is a literal historical record but the teachings and example of Jesus. This sparked great debate in the church, with some congregations passing motions asserting their faith in Jesus' literal resurrection.
During his term as moderator, he apologized to Canada's indigenous First Nations for abuse in church-run residential school
s earlier in the century.
Phipps' predecessor was Marion Best
and his successor was Marion Pardy
.
, Alberta
.
In the spring of 2001, he was part of an Ecumenical mission to Africa
.
candidate in the Calgary Southwest
by-election
contested by newly-elected Canadian Alliance
leader Stephen Harper
. Phipps challenged Harper's conservative economic and social views. During the campaign, Harper commented he "despise[d]" the cleric http://www.yourlibrary.ca/community/richmondreview/archive/RR20020522/yourview.html, and declined to debate him. In the election, Phipps came in second with just over 20% of the vote.
In 2003, Phipps supported Bill Blaikie
in that year's NDP leadership election
.
Phipps is currently active with the Interfaith
community's Faith and the Common Good project in Canada.
. He was nominated for the award by David Swann
.
sharply attacking the Roman Catholic Bishop
of Calgary, Frederick Henry
. The occasion was the laying of two human rights complaints against the bishop for reaffirming the traditional Catholic teaching on homosexuality in a letter to the Catholics of his diocese
. There was some objection to the strength of Henry's statements.
Phipps was quoted as saying the following:
Phipps' views contrasted with those of the Alberta Civil Liberties Association, and conservative Jewish
, Muslim
, Sikh
and Mormon
leaders who saw the issue as one of religious freedom.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
church
Church Body
A local church is a Christian religious organization that meets in a particular location. Many are formally organized, with constitutions and by-laws, maintain offices, are served by pastors or lay leaders, and, in nations where this is permissible, often seek seek non-profit corporate status...
leader and social justice
Social justice
Social justice generally refers to the idea of creating a society or institution that is based on the principles of equality and solidarity, that understands and values human rights, and that recognizes the dignity of every human being. The term and modern concept of "social justice" was coined by...
activist. He was Moderator
Moderator of the United Church of Canada
The Moderator of the United Church of Canada is the presiding leader of the United Church of Canada, Canada's largest Protestant denomination. The church is highly decentralized and non-dogmatic and the moderator has only limited power...
of the United Church of Canada
United Church of Canada
The United Church of Canada is a Protestant Christian denomination in Canada. It is the largest Protestant church and, after the Roman Catholic Church, the second-largest Christian church in Canada...
from 1997 to 2000.
Early life and ministry
He was trained as a lawyer before entering theological college, and was ordainedOrdination
In general religious use, ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart as clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies. The process and ceremonies of ordination itself varies by religion and denomination. One who is in preparation for, or who is...
to the ministry in 1969. While studying theology in Chicago (McCormick Theological Seminary
McCormick Theological Seminary
McCormick Theological Seminary is one of eleven schools of theology of the Presbyterian Church . It shares a campus with the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, bordering the campus of the University of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois...
) he worked for noted social activist Saul Alinsky
Saul Alinsky
Saul David Alinsky was a Jewish American community organizer and writer. He is generally considered to be the founder of modern community organizing, and has been compared in Playboy magazine to Thomas Paine as being "one of the great American leaders of the nonsocialist left." He is often noted...
. In his career, Phipps has worked as a poverty lawyer, community organizer and pastor. From 1974 to 1983, he was minister at Trinity-St. Paul's United Church
Trinity-St. Paul's United Church
Trinity-St. Paul's United Church is a church belonging to the United Church of Canada in Toronto, Ontario. It is located at 427 Bloor Street West, just west of Spadina Avenue. The church is formed of a mix of three different former congregations and houses a fourth.Today, Trinity-St. Paul's has a...
in downtown Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. After leaving Trinity-St. Paul's United, he moved to Alberta to work in church administration.
Moderator of the United Church of Canada
A theological liberal, Phipps engendered controversy when shortly after becoming moderator he said "I don't believe JesusJesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
was God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
", that he didn't consider the resurrection
Resurrection
Resurrection refers to the literal coming back to life of the biologically dead. It is used both with respect to particular individuals or the belief in a General Resurrection of the dead at the end of the world. The General Resurrection is featured prominently in Jewish, Christian, and Muslim...
a scientific fact, and that he was agnostic on the question of an afterlife
Afterlife
The afterlife is the belief that a part of, or essence of, or soul of an individual, which carries with it and confers personal identity, survives the death of the body of this world and this lifetime, by natural or supernatural means, in contrast to the belief in eternal...
. What is important, Phipps argued, is not notions of the afterlife but fighting poverty
Poverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
and suffering on earth. "Your soul is lost unless you care about people starving in the streets," according to Phipps. He said that what is important is not so much whether or not the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
is a literal historical record but the teachings and example of Jesus. This sparked great debate in the church, with some congregations passing motions asserting their faith in Jesus' literal resurrection.
During his term as moderator, he apologized to Canada's indigenous First Nations for abuse in church-run residential school
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
s earlier in the century.
Phipps' predecessor was Marion Best
Marion Best
Dr. Marion Best was the 36th Moderator of the United Church of Canada from 1994-1997. Best succeeded Stan McKay as the spiritual leader and chief officer of the church....
and his successor was Marion Pardy
Marion Pardy
The Very Reverend Dr. Marion Pardy was the 37th Moderator of the United Church of Canada .Pardy was born May 9, 1942 in Gander, Newfoundland and in 1961 she left Gander to work at Albert College in Belleville, Ontario. She went there to complete entrance requirements at night school for Covenant...
.
Later career
From 1993 till his retirement in 2007, Phipps was Minister at Scarboro United Church in CalgaryCalgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
.
In the spring of 2001, he was part of an Ecumenical mission to Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
.
Politics
In 2002, Phipps was the New Democratic PartyNew Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
candidate in the Calgary Southwest
Calgary Southwest
Calgary Southwest is a federal electoral district in Alberta, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1988. The district is in the southwest part of the City of Calgary, south of Glenmore Trail, and west of the Canadian Pacific railway.The seat is held by Prime...
by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
contested by newly-elected Canadian Alliance
Canadian Alliance
The Canadian Alliance , formally the Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance , was a Canadian conservative political party that existed from 2000 to 2003. The party was the successor to the Reform Party of Canada and inherited its position as the Official Opposition in the House of Commons and held...
leader Stephen Harper
Stephen Harper
Stephen Joseph Harper is the 22nd and current Prime Minister of Canada and leader of the Conservative Party. Harper became prime minister when his party formed a minority government after the 2006 federal election...
. Phipps challenged Harper's conservative economic and social views. During the campaign, Harper commented he "despise[d]" the cleric http://www.yourlibrary.ca/community/richmondreview/archive/RR20020522/yourview.html, and declined to debate him. In the election, Phipps came in second with just over 20% of the vote.
In 2003, Phipps supported Bill Blaikie
Bill Blaikie
William Alexander "Bill" Blaikie, PC is a Canadian politician. He has been a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba since April 2009, representing the Winnipeg division of Elmwood as a member of the New Democratic Party of Manitoba, and Minister of Conservation and Government House Leader...
in that year's NDP leadership election
New Democratic Party leadership election, 2003
The New Democratic Party leadership election of 2003 was held to replace New Democratic Party of Canada leader Alexa McDonough, after her retirement...
.
Phipps is currently active with the Interfaith
Interfaith
The term interfaith dialogue refers to cooperative, constructive and positive interaction between people of different religious traditions and/or spiritual or humanistic beliefs, at both the individual and institutional levels...
community's Faith and the Common Good project in Canada.
Awards and honours
On November 2, 2005, Phipps was awarded the Alberta Centennial MedalAlberta Centennial Medal
The Alberta Centennial Medal is a commemorative medal celebrating Alberta’s first 100 years of confederation.-Purpose:This medal is meant to pay tribute to Albertans whose achievements have benefited their fellow citizens, their community and their province....
. He was nominated for the award by David Swann
David Swann
David Swann, MLA is a medical doctor and Alberta Liberal Member of the Legislative Assembly for Calgary Mountain View. He was until recently the leader of the Alberta Liberal Party and Leader of the Opposition in the Alberta Legislature....
.
The Frederick Henry controversy
Phipps was in the news again on April 1, 2005, when he was quoted in the Calgary HeraldCalgary Herald
The Calgary Herald is a daily newspaper published in the Canadian city of Calgary, Alberta.- History :The paper was first published on August 31, 1883 by Andrew Armour and Thomas Braden as The Calgary Herald, Mining and Ranche Advocate and General Advertiser. It started as a weekly paper with only...
sharply attacking the Roman Catholic Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
of Calgary, Frederick Henry
Frederick Henry (bishop)
Frederick Bernard Henry is the seventh and current Roman Catholic bishop of the diocese of Calgary, in the province of Alberta, Canada.-Biography:...
. The occasion was the laying of two human rights complaints against the bishop for reaffirming the traditional Catholic teaching on homosexuality in a letter to the Catholics of his diocese
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
. There was some objection to the strength of Henry's statements.
Phipps was quoted as saying the following:
- "He portrays himself as a victim. Well, please."
- "Why are we focusing on one bishop who loves the spotlight?"
- "This is about a group who have been maligned, who have been beaten up physically, mentally and spiritually."
Phipps' views contrasted with those of the Alberta Civil Liberties Association, and conservative Jewish
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
, Muslim
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
, Sikh
Sikhism
Sikhism is a monotheistic religion founded during the 15th century in the Punjab region, by Guru Nanak Dev and continued to progress with ten successive Sikh Gurus . It is the fifth-largest organized religion in the world and one of the fastest-growing...
and Mormon
Mormonism
Mormonism is the religion practiced by Mormons, and is the predominant religious tradition of the Latter Day Saint movement. This movement was founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. beginning in the 1820s as a form of Christian primitivism. During the 1830s and 1840s, Mormonism gradually distinguished itself...
leaders who saw the issue as one of religious freedom.