Michael Ingham
The Right Reverend
Michael Ingham is
bishop of the
Diocese of New Westminster in the
Anglican Church of Canada. The diocese includes the
Greater Vancouver region, the
Fraser Valley and the
Sunshine Coast. He has been bishop since January 1994. Before this he was Dean of New Westminster and Rector of
Christ Church Cathedral in Vancouver.
Although a highly respected churchman and theologian, Bishop Ingham has been the subject of extensive
media coverage and controversy due to a decision to institute the
blessing of same-sex unions within the diocese. This has led to heated debate within the
Anglican Communion and in other churches within the
Lower Mainland of BC and will be one of the subjects of the forthcoming
Lambeth Conference of Anglican Bishops.
Ingham was born in
Yorkshire, England in 1949. He studied at the
University of Edinburgh in
Scotland, receiving an
M.A. in
Politics and
Philosophy and a
B.D. (First Class) in
Theology, while training for the priesthood in the
Scottish Episcopal Church. He left before ordination, however, to do postgraduate work in contemporary American theology at
Harvard University. He also spent a semester at the
Hebrew University in Jerusalem, studying
Judaism.
Following ordination as a priest in
Ottawa in 1974, he served parishes in Ottawa,
Burnaby and
West Vancouver. From 1989 to 1992 he was the Principal Secretary to the
Primate of Canada in
Toronto, and in that role travelled throughout the
Anglican Communion.
Ingham is the author of two books.
Rites For A New Age, an introduction to the
Book of Alternative Services, was published in 1986, and
Mansions Of The Spirit, an introduction to inter-faith dialogue, appeared in 1997. He has also written many articles and book reviews, and speaks frequently to lay and professional groups across
North America on current theological issues. In 1998 he received the degree of
Doctor of Divinity from the
Vancouver School of Theology.
Ingham is married to Gwen and they have two daughters.
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The Right Reverend Michael Ingham - Short Biography
