Education and career Allison was born and raised in
Columbia, South Carolina. He attended the
University of the South and, after having his studies briefly interrupted by service in the
United States Army during
World War II after which he was discharged with the rank of
Master Sergeant, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1949. He then studied at
Virginia Theological Seminary, from which he graduated with a Bachelor of Divinity degree in 1952. He was ordained deacon in June 1952 and priest in May 1953 by Bishop
John J. Gravatt. Allison later studied at
Oxford University and received the
Doctor of Philosophy degree in 1956. He then taught church history at the School of Theology at the
University of the South and at
Virginia Theological Seminary. He served as rector of
Grace Episcopal Church in
New York City before being elected as a bishop of the
Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina. He was consecrated a bishop on 25 September 1980 by Bishop
John Allin and was appointed coadjutor bishop of the Diocese of South Carolina in 1980, becoming the twelfth diocesan bishop on January 2, 1982. He retired in 1990 but has continued preaching, speaking, and writing.
Anglican realignment Starting from the 1980s, Bishop Allison grew increasingly critical of the liberal tendencies inside the Episcopal Church. In 1990, during a meeting of the
House of Bishops at the
Kanuga Conference Center in
Hendersonville, he openly attacked liberals in the Church, accusing them of
apostasy. After the clash, a Holy Eucharist was celebrated, during which Allison refused to share the
consecrated bread and wine with the rest of the House of Bishops, in a sign of broken communion. He resides in
Georgetown, South Carolina, where he serves as a retired bishop of the
Anglican Diocese of South Carolina. ==Writings==