Alan Thomas Lawrence Wilson (27 March 1955 – 17 February 2024) was a British Anglican bishop. He served as the areaBishop of Buckingham in the Diocese of Oxford from October 2003 until his death in February 2024.
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]
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. ISBN978-0232531251.
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
^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.