James Pike


James Pike
Bishop of California
Pike in 1966
ChurchEpiscopal Church
SeeCalifornia
ElectedFebruary 4, 1958
In office1958–1966
PredecessorKarl M. Block
SuccessorC. Kilmer Myers
Orders
OrdinationDecember 21, 1944 (deacon)
November 1, 1946 (priest)
by Angus Dun
ConsecrationMay 15, 1958
by Henry Knox Sherrill
Personal details
Born(1913-02-14)February 14, 1913
Diedc. September 2, 1969(1969-09-02) (aged 56)
Wadi Mashash, Israel
DenominationAnglican (prev. Roman Catholic)
Spouse
  • Jane Alvies (m. 1938; civilly div. 1941)[1]
  • Esther Yanovsky (m. 1942;[2] div. 1966)
  • Diane Kennedy
    (m. 1968)
    [3]
Alma mater

James Albert Pike (February 14, 1913–c. September 3–7, 1969)[4] was an American Episcopal bishop, accused heretic, writer, and one of the first mainline religious figures to appear regularly on television.

Pike's outspoken, and to some of his fellow bishops, heretical,[5] views on many theological and social issues made him one of the most controversial public figures of his time. He was an early proponent of the ordination of women and racial desegregation within mainline churches.[6] The chain smoking Pike was the fifth Bishop of California and, a few years before he began to explore spiritualism and psychic phenomena in an effort to contact his deceased son, became a recovering alcoholic.[7]

  1. ^ Robertson 2004, pp. 28, 31, 93.
  2. ^ Robertson 2004, p. 35.
  3. ^ Robertson 2004, p. 206.
  4. ^ Armentrout & Slocum 2000, p. 401.
  5. ^ Pitts, Edward H. (October 11, 1966). "Pike Demands a Trial". Christianity Today. p. 53. Archived from the original on October 25, 2020. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  6. ^ Maudlin, Michael G. (2004). "Be Careful What You Pray For". Books & Culture. Carol Stream, Illinois: Christianity Today. Archived from the original on November 18, 2018. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
  7. ^ Robertson 2004, p. 126.