Steven Charleston (born February 15, 1949) is a retired American
Episcopal bishop and academic. He was bishop of the
Episcopal Diocese of Alaska from 1991 to 1996, and dean of
Episcopal Divinity School, from 1999 to 2008.
Early life and education
Charleston was born and grew up in
Oklahoma
Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...
and is a citizen of the
Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma
The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma (Choctaw language, Choctaw: ''Chahta Okla'') is a Indian reservation, Native American reservation occupying portions of southeastern Oklahoma in the United States. At roughly , it is the second-largest reservation ...
. In 1971 he received a bachelor's degree in religion from
Trinity College in
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...
, followed by a master's degree in divinity from Episcopal Divinity School in 1976.
Ordained ministry
He later worked in Native American ministries and held various teaching positions.
In 1999, following the divisions exposed by the previous year's
Lambeth Conference
The Lambeth Conference convenes as the Archbishop of Canterbury summons an assembly of Anglican bishops every ten years. The first took place at Lambeth in 1867.
As regional and national churches freely associate with the Anglican Communion, ...
, he was the author of the
Cambridge Accord: an attempt to reach agreement on at least the
human rights
Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...
of
homosexual
Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between people of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" exc ...
people, notwithstanding controversy within the
Anglican Communion
The Anglican Communion is a Christian Full communion, communion consisting of the Church of England and other autocephalous national and regional churches in full communion. The archbishop of Canterbury in England acts as a focus of unity, ...
about the
churches' views of homosexuality.
As of 2017 Charleston was adjunct professor of Native American ministries at
Saint Paul School of Theology, based at
Oklahoma City University
Oklahoma City University (OCU) is a private university historically affiliated with the United Methodist Church and located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
The university offers undergraduate bachelor's degrees, graduate master's degrees and docto ...
.
Via the web at the same time he described himself as a "Native American elder, author, and retired Episcopal bishop", and maintained a public presence through his Facebook page of daily spiritual reflections. He has
self-published several volumes of these reflections, plus two novels of a planned trilogy, through his company Red Moon Publications.
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
*
* Self-published annual collections of Charleston's daily reflections:
**
**
**
**
**
**
*Self-published novels:
**
**
**
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Charleston, Steven
1949 births
Living people
Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma people
Native American Episcopalians
American Episcopalians
Trinity College (Connecticut) alumni
Episcopal Divinity School alumni
Episcopal bishops of Alaska