the faculty of Episcopal Divinity School, where he served as associate professor of Pastoral theology and founded the program in Congregational Studies. Bishop of Pennsylvania Bennison was elected Bishop Coadjutor of the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania at a special convention held on October 19, 1996, at the Cathedral Church of the Savior in Philadelphia and was consecrated as a bishop on February 27, 1997 at the Deliverance Evangelistic church in Philadelphia. He was made the diocesan bishop on May 16, 1998. Controversies Bennison's tenure as Bishop of Pennsylvania was marked by controversies. Early in his episcopacy, Bennison became an important figure in the ongoing tension between liberal and conservative factions in the Episcopal Church. Theological disagreements with conservative Anglo-Catholic parishes led to extended legal battles over control of church property. In the latter years of his episcopacy, Bennison faced opposition from liberals and conservatives alike regarding diocesan finances and the purchase of a multimillion-dollar 434 acre waterfront site on the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland that was developed as "Wapiti", a summer camp for youth and a diocesan conference center. Disputes with traditionalist Anglo-Catholic parishes In 1994–1995, seven Anglo-Catholic priests opposed to the ordination of women made an agreement with the 14th bishop of Pennsylvania, Allen Bartlett, known as the "Parsons Plan." Under the terms of this plan, Donald Parsons, the retired bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Quincy, would make episcopal visitations to several traditionalist parishes until the next General Convention. This arrangement was similar to the role of a provincial episcopal visitor in the Church of England. In 1997, the General Convention adopted a resolution stating that "no member of this Church shall be denied a place in the life and governance of this Church on account of their sex or their theological views on the ordination of women," after which Bishop Bartlett decided not to renew the Parsons Plan. He retired later that year. Despite differences in churchmanship, traditionalist leaders in the diocese supported Charles Bennison's election under the impression that he would continue the provisions of the Parsons Plan. These leaders assert that they cast their votes for him after he gave them solemn assurance that he would continue the "Parsons Plan." After his installation as Bishop, he announced that he had "changed his mind" and would no longer consider the Parsons Plan. When Bennison elected not to reinstitute the arrangement, several crises arose in the diocese,