Episcopalians in the Diocese of Washington will vote today
for their next bishop in an election conservatives say is "basically
unfair" because it does not include a candidate with their views.
In a Jan. 22 letter to outgoing Washington Bishop Jane Dixon, the American
Anglican Council of Washington said the very process of setting up requirements
for a future bishop is flawed because it screens out alternative candidates.
The point of contention was a sentence added at the last minute to the diocesan
profile of its ideal bishop before it was published in June. The new sentence
stressed that all candidates must be "firmly committed to the full
inclusion of women and gay and lesbian people in the life of the church,"
language conservatives said was code for ordination of women and homosexuals.
All conservative Episcopal groups oppose the ordination of homosexuals. Some
oppose ordination of women as well. An ad hoc committee formed last summer
tried to find two centrist candidates who reflected their views more closely
but, because of the language on homosexuality, they withdrew, says Brad Hutt,
AAC vice president.
"They felt there would be a hostile environment against them if they
ran," he says.
One of the leading candidates for the spot, the Rev. Mark Anschutz, found it
necessary to clarify his position on homosexuality last fall.
Mr. Anschutz, who pastors the 6,700-member St. Michael's and All Angels
Episcopal Church in Dallas, was originally against ordination of homosexuals
when the parish hired him back in 1992, said Whitey Lingerfelt, who was on the
original calling committee.
"When I asked him what his position on human sexuality in the church was,
he said, 'I can find no scriptural basis or the ordination of practicing gays
or the blessings of same-sex unions,'" Mr. Lingerfelt remembers.
"Mark is a good guy. He is a very personable and a good preacher, but we
conservatives could tell over the years there was a difference in his thinking.
"Then when the diocese rewrote the qualifications, we thought he would
withdraw his name. It was very clear they were looking for someone who is very
liberal and who would support the gay/lesbian issues.
"So he called a special meeting in November and said that he apologized to
the gays and lesbians for his 'homophobic' ideas on them and that St. Paul was
wrong in his theology. That is, if you are born with those genes, God should
love you and all. I hardly thought our rector was a better authority on
Scripture than St. Paul."
Mr. Anschutz could not be reached yesterday for a response. The Rev. Michael
Hopkins, a member of the diocesan search committee and president of the
2,800-member Episcopal homosexual caucus Integrity, said the profile change had
"overwhelming" support throughout the diocese.
Today's election is expected to last through several ballots, culminating
tomorrow. A majority of both clergy and lay delegates must approve the new bishop.