Anne Holmes Redding (born October 22, 1951) is a former

Episcopal Episcopal may refer to: *Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church *Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese *Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name ** Episcopal Church (United State ...

priest, who was

defrock Defrocking, unfrocking, degradation, or laicization of clergy is the removal of their rights to exercise the functions of the ordained ministry. It may be grounded on criminal convictions, disciplinary problems, or disagreements over doctrine or d ...

ed in April 2009 for having become a

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

in March 2006. She grew up in

Cheyney, Pennsylvania Cheyney is an unincorporated community that sits astride Chester and Delaware counties in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It corresponds to the census-designated place known as Cheyney University, which had a population of 988 at the 2010 census ...

. Her father,

Louis L. Redding Louis Lorenzo Redding (October 25, 1901 – September 28, 1998) was a prominent lawyer and civil rights advocate from Wilmington, Delaware. Redding, the first African American to be admitted to the Delaware bar, was part of the NAACP legal ...

, was a prominent

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life of ...

lawyer in

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

. Redding identifies with both faiths "100 percent", explaining that this is possible in the same way that she can be both an

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

and a woman. Her remarks have evoked excitement and controversy among both the Episcopal and Muslim communities. She continues to worship in the Episcopal Church, as well as with Al-Islam Center of

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

. Redding was placed under pastoral direction by

Geralyn Wolf Geralyn Wolf (born April 30, 1947) is an American bishop who was the twelfth diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Rhode Island in the Episcopal Church. Wolf was consecrated as bishop on February 17, 1996. Biography Wolf born in Brooklyn, New Y ...

of the

Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island The Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, encompassing the state of Rhode Island. It is one of seven New England dioceses that make up Province 1. The former Episcopal seat of the ...

, which has disciplinary authority over her, in July 2007. Following the 15 months of pastoral direction and six months of inhibition, Redding was deposed ("defrocked") by Wolf on April 1, 2009, one week after her 25th ordination anniversary.Episcopal Priest Ann Holmes Redding has been defrocked , Seattle Times Local News Web site (accessed Apr. 2, 2009)
Redding is a graduate of

Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...

(AB, 1976), the

General Theological Seminary The General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church (GTS) is an Episcopal seminary in New York City. Founded in 1817, GTS is the oldest seminary of the Episcopal Church and the longest continuously operating Seminary in the Anglican Communi ...

(M Div, 1983), and Union Theological Seminary (PhD, 1999). She has taught at

Pacific Lutheran University Pacific Lutheran University (PLU) is a private Lutheran university in Parkland, Washington. It was founded by Norwegian Lutheran immigrants in 1890. PLU is sponsored by the 580 congregations of Region I of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Ame ...

Payne Theological Seminary Payne Theological Seminary is an African Methodist Episcopal seminary in Wilberforce, Ohio. It is the oldest free-standing African-American seminary in the United States. Incorporated in 1894 by the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, it ...

, and the

Interdenominational Theological Center The Interdenominational Theological Center (ITC) is a consortium of five predominantly African-American denominational Christian seminaries in Atlanta, Georgia, operating together as a professional graduate school of theology. It is the largest f ...

, among other institutions. At the time she became a Muslim, she was Director of Faith Formation and Renewal at

St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral, Seattle St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral in Seattle, Washington, is the seat of the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Olympia. St. Mark's was founded as a mission church of Trinity Parish Church. History Plans for the building, located on the west sid ...

, where she continued to work until she was laid off (along with two colleagues) in March 2007. She was visiting assistant professor at the School of Theology and Ministry at

Seattle University Seattle University (SeattleU) is a private Jesuit university in Seattle, Washington. Seattle University is the largest independent university in the Northwestern United States, with over 7,500 students enrolled in undergraduate and graduate prog ...

from September 2007 through June 2008. Redding has continued to speak, preach, teach, and write since the convergence of Islam and Christianity in her faith and practice. Venues include

Riverside Church Riverside Church is an interdenominational church in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, on the block bounded by Riverside Drive, Claremont Avenue, 120th Street and 122nd Street near Columbia University's Mornings ...

in New York City,

Oberlin College Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio. It is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational liberal arts college in the United S ...

in Ohio, the

Claremont School of Theology Claremont School of Theology (CST) is an American graduate school focused on religion and theology and located in Claremont, California. CST is fully recognized and approved as one of thirteen official theological schools of the United Methodis ...

in California, and the Center for Spiritual Living, St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, Seattle First Baptist Church, and Westside Unitarian Church in Seattle. She is the co-author, with Jamal Rahman and Katheen Schmitt Elias, of ''Out of Darkness Into Light: Spiritual Guidance in the Quran with Reflections from Christian and Jewish Sources'' (Morehouse Publishing, 2009).

References

External links

* http://www.religioustolerance.org/bemultfaith1.htm Converts to Islam American Episcopal clergy 1951 births Living people African-American Muslims Brown University alumni General Theological Seminary alumni Union Theological Seminary (New York City) alumni Pacific Lutheran University faculty Interdenominational Theological Center faculty Seattle University faculty Muslims from Pennsylvania {{US-reli-bio-stub