Pike, James Albert (1913-1969), was a controversial American clergyman. He became an Episcopal bishop, a peak of his profession, and then began to question some of the basic teachings of his church.
Pike was born on Feb. 14, 1913, in Oklahoma City. He was raised a Roman Catholic but drifted away from formal religion. In 1944, Pike joined the Episcopal Church. He was ordained a priest in 1946, and in 1952 he became dean of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City. There, Pike gained a national reputation as a theologian and preacher with his vigorous support of the church and attacks on social injustice. In 1958, he was elected bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of California.
In 1960, Pike publicly expressed discontent with several Episcopal doctrines, including those on the Trinity and the virgin birth. He resigned as bishop in 1966 and in 1969 announced that he was leaving the church. Pike said he still believed in God, Christ’s Resurrection, and life after death. However, Pike’s religious practice during this period included mysticism and attempts to communicate with the dead as well as traditional Christian elements. In 1969, Pike went to Israel to investigate the origins of Christianity. He died there on Sept. 3, 1969, in the Judean desert.
