Leighton Parks was an influential and outspoken American Protestant Episcopal clergyman who became a leading voice for theological modernism in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Born in New York City, Parks graduated from the General Theological Seminary in 1876 and was ordained as a priest the following year. He began his ministerial career in earnest as the third rector of Emmanuel Church in Boston, serving from 1878 to 1904, before moving on to lead the prestigious St. Bartholomew's Church in New York City.
Throughout his career, Parks was celebrated and criticized for his direct, uncompromising preaching style, which he delivered to some of the wealthiest congregations in the United States. A militant defender of theological modernism, he famously denied the Virgin birth and openly challenged the bishops of his church to unfrock him for heresy. His outspoken nature extended beyond internal church doctrine; he drew national attention for his sharp criticisms of the Roman Catholic Church and his attacks on conservative elements within his own denomination, which famously prompted high-society figures like Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt Sr. to leave his parish.
In addition to his fiery sermons, Parks was an author who published collections of his addresses, including The Winning of the Soul and Other Sermons (1893) and Moral Leadership and Other Sermons (1914). He also played a role in the cultural life of his parishes, notably founding a dinner meeting for New York church musicians in 1908 that evolved into the long-standing St. Wilfrid Club. Parks spent his final years in London, where he passed away in 1938.
