Stringfellow, William

William Stringfellow (1928-1985) was an American lawyer and Episcopal lay theologian. He received his law degree from Harvard University. As a member of the group ministry at the well-known East Harlem Protestant Parish, he lived in Spanish Harlem while practicing law. Stringfellow was an active proponent of civil rights and of racial and social justice. He wrote several books, including Dissenter in a Great Society, Free in Obedience, and A Private and Public Faith .

James A. Pike (1913-1969) was an American Episcopal bishop whose then-controversial views included favoring the ordination of women, racial desegregation, and the acceptance of LBGT people within mainline churches. In the mid-1960s, Stringfellow defended Pike against charges of heresy lodged against him by his fellow Episcopal bishops, on the grounds that they were politically motivated, and in 1967 he co-authored a book entitled The Bishop Pike Affair .