Wallace Benn


Wallace Parke Benn is a bishop of the Church of England. He was the area Bishop of Lewes in the Diocese of Chichester from 1997 until his retirement in October 2012.

Early life and education

Benn was born in Bray, County Wicklow on 6 August 1947. He was educated at St. Andrew's College, Dublin, then an all-boys school in Dublin. He studied at University College, Dublin, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1969. In 1969, he entered Trinity College, Bristol, an Evangelical Anglican theological college, to train for ordained ministry. During this time he also studied for a diploma in theology which was validated by the University of London.

Career

Ordained ministry

Benn was ordained in the Church of England as a deacon in 1972 and as a priest in 1973. His ordained ministry began with curacies at St Mark's New Ferry, Wirral and St Mary's Cheadle, after which he was Vicar of St James the Great, Audley, Staffordshire and finally St Peter's Harold Wood.
On 1 May 1997, Benn was consecrated a bishop. He then served as the Bishop of Lewes, an area and suffragan bishop of the Diocese of Chichester. He retired from full-time ministry on 31 October 2012. Since 2013, he has held Permission to Officiate in the Diocese of Peterborough.

Author

Benn has written two books and numerous pamphlets, including The Last Word: Jesus' Teaching in The Upper Room and Jesus Our Joy: Learning about True Spirituality.

Views

Benn has been described as a complementarian evangelical. He is a council member of Reform, a conservative evangelical grouping in the Church of England opposed to women priests and to the consecration of women as bishops. In 2008, he attended the Global Anglican Future Conference held in Jerusalem.

Personal life

In 1978, Benn married Lindsay Develing. Together they have two children: one son and one daughter.
In 2002, Benn appeared on the popular BBC television motoring series Top Gear, placing third in the first "Fastest Faith" competition.

Styles