James Parker Dees was an American

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

. He was the founder and first

of the

Orthodox Anglican Church The Orthodox Anglican Communion (OAC) is a communion of churches established in the United States, in 1964 or 1967, by James Parker Dees. It was formed outside of the See of Canterbury and is not part of the Anglican Communion. The OAC adheres to ...

and the Orthodox Anglican Communion. He was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

as a deacon in the Episcopal Church on June 29, 1949; and as a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

by Thomas Henry Wright, Bishop of East Carolina, at the Church of the Holy Cross, in Aurora, North Carolina, on January 19, 1950. As a member of the Diocese of North Carolina, he served in charges in Aurora, Beaufort, and Statesville. His concerns about advancing liberalism caused him to withdraw from the denomination in 1963. Dees was discouraged from joining the

Reformed Episcopal Church The Reformed Episcopal Church (REC) is an Anglican Church. It was founded in 1873 in New York City by George David Cummins, a former bishop of the Episcopal Church (United States), Protestant Episcopal Church. The REC is a founding member of the ...

by fundamentalist leader

Carl McIntire Charles Curtis McIntire Jr. (May 17, 1906 – March 19, 2002), known as Carl McIntire, was a founder and minister in the Bible Presbyterian Church, founder and long-time president of the International Council of Christian Churches and the Am ...

because of the REC's alleged association with groups perceived as being

neo-evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...

. The decision to form a new jurisdiction was made. Dees founded the Anglican Orthodox Church on November 17, 1963 - the first religious body to withdraw from PECUSA in the modern era. On Passion Sunday, March 15, 1964, Dees was

consecrated Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...

a bishop by Wasyl Sawyna of the Holy Ukrainian Autocephalic Orthodox Church of North and South America, assisted by Orlando Jacques Woodward of the United Episcopal Church (1945) Anglican/Celtic Rite. Dees received the honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity from

Bob Jones University Bob Jones University (BJU) is a private university in Greenville, South Carolina, United States. It is known for its Conservatism in the United States, conservative and Evangelicalism in the United States, evangelical cultural and religious posit ...

in 1965.Sword of the Lord (July 2, 1965) 5. In 1967, Dees founded the Orthodox Anglican Communion. Later, the Cranmer Seminary, the theological college of the jurisdiction and the communion, was founded. Dees died during heart surgery on December 25, 1990. Dees' successor as presiding bishop of the Anglican Orthodox Church was Jerry Ogles.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dees, James Parker 1990 deaths Presiding Bishops of the Anglican Orthodox Church 1915 births University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni Virginia Theological Seminary alumni People from Greenville, North Carolina 20th-century American clergy Founders of academic institutions