William Frederick Allen Phipps (May 4, 1942 – March 4, 2022) was a Canadian ordained minister of the United Church of Canada, lawyer and social activist. He served as the 36th Moderator of the United Church of Canada from 1997 to 2000, and engendered controversy for expressing support for gay ordination and not believing in a physical Resurrection of Jesus. Early life and ministry Phipps was born in Toronto, the son of Cora Stinson and Reginald Phipps. He graduated from Osgoode Law School in 1965, but felt a call to ministry rather than the law, and enrolled at McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago. During his studies, he worked with community activist Saul Alinsky, and marched with Martin Luther King. After graduation in 1968, Phipps moved to Toronto to article for his law degree and opened the first Poverty law office in Canada. He was ordained by the United Church of Canada in 1969, and became the minister first of Thorncliffe United Church, and then Trinity-St. Paul's United Church. During his time in Toronto, he advocated for LGBTQ rights, the poor, and homelessness. In 1986, he moved to Edmonton, Alberta to work in church administration for seven years. In 1993, he moved to Calgary to become the minister of Scarboro United Church. Moderator of the United Church of Canada Controversy Phipps was elected to the post of Moderator at the 36th General Council of the United Church in August 1997. Shortly after being installed, Phipps was interviewed by many journalists and newspapers, including the editorial board of the Ottawa Citizen. The subsequent editorial published by the Citizen, which criticized his views on the ordination of gays, economic justice for the poor, and especially his theological views, ignited nation-wide controversy, During the interview, Phipps had questioned the Resurrection of Jesus as a scientific fact, added he was undecided on the question of the afterlife, and "I don't believe Jesus was God." Although several contemporary theologians and scholars were surprised by the fierce backlash, saying that Phipps' theological views were not considered radical, the controversy resulted in discussions and debates in United Church congregations across the country. As the Globe & Mail noted in his obituary, "Some called him saint; others, a heretic." In an interview with Maclean's, Phipps further explained his views on the Resurrection of Jesus, saying, "There’s no question that Jesus’ followers [...] believed with all their being that Jesus