The Gay Bishop
by Noel Preston, M.D.

   I stopped going to the Episcopal Church several years ago. For one thing, it looked as if the gays had hijacked it, just as the Christian Right has hijacked the Republican Party. The main reason I stopped going though, was because as the father of four daughters I didn't like its policies about weddings: no weddings in Lent or Advent, no stately "Here Comes the Bride" music before the ceremony or joyful Lohengrin wedding march afterwards, no chance for an off-site wedding to spare Catholic family members the stress of going to a Protestant church, and especially no church weddings for divorced people who wanted to marry someone else. Never mind that Handel's Water Musick, written for George I's barge to float drunkenly down the Thames River whilst courtly knights and maidens frolicked wantonly below decks, is approved for weddings, but Mendelssohn's Wedding March isn't (I can never hear The Hornpipe Musick now without breaking into a smile). Never mind that many of today's Episcopal priests and bishops are themselves divorced and remarried, having gone just down the street to get hitched at a friendly local Methodist or Presbyterian church.
   And now the Episcopalians in New Hampshire have overwhelmingly elected an openly gay man as their Bishop, the national Episcopal church has approved their decision, and some individuals, some churches, even some dioceses are considering leaving the national church and forming their own Episcopal Church. There are more Episcopalians in Africa than there are in North America, and the African Episcopalians are furious. They are telling (not asking, telling) the Archbishop of Canterbury they will pull out of the Anglican Communion if the American branch of the Church persists in installing a gay man as one of its bishops. I don't think the Archbishop knows what he's going to do, and I'm sort of in doubt myself.
   Episcopalians are taught that a priest is an imperfect man or woman, not any better than the rest of us. But, by being ordained and sanctifying him/herself before the Eucharist, or Communion Service, the priest becomes God's instrument to bring Truth, Healing, Absolution, and all sorts of good things to the people. That means someone could be a good priest even if he/she were lazy, dishonest, lecherous, alcoholic, or gay.
   At the same time, people expect their clergy to be People Who Set a Good Example, or role models, for our children and ourselves. I know, from having some in my own family, that homosexuals can be good, loving people. To my surprise, I even wrote an article in favor of same-sex couples being able to adopt the children of one of the partners. I agree that some, if not most, homosexuals are gay not as a matter of choice, but as a matter of genetics, and yes, homosexuals can be People Who Set a Good Example, too. I know that God can speak and work through any medium, however imperfect, and that if God can speak through an alcoholic priest, he can speak through a gay one, too.
   And so, homosexuality may indeed be something that people don't choose, any more than they would choose to have diabetes or cancer. But, like diabetes or cancer, homosexuality is contrary to good health and goes against nature. We are not meant to have diabetes or cancer, and we are not meant to have sex with people of our own sex. And yet, there are priests who have diabetes, and priests who have cancer, and priests who have sex with other men. And they may be very good priests.
   But there's still something wrong, something "icky," about this. Purpose defines Physiology, and Function determines Form and Structure. We have red blood cells to carry oxygen, and white blood cells to kill germs. We have an arched and hinged foot with toes so that we can walk upright. And men have sperm and women have eggs. Sperm is designed to unite with Egg, not bounce off the rectal mucosa. Sperm on the rectal mucosa is not the union of X and Y, male and female, to create new life or for Man and Woman to delight in each other. It is a perversion of nature (look it up in the dictionary), and there is no other way to describe it.
   And that's why I can't accept having an openly gay bishop. Priests and bishops may have individual personal flaws, but at least in my opinion they should represent God to the people and represent the people to God. They should represent humankind in its natural condition, and homosexuality is not natural. That means the Episcopalians should not install an openly gay man as Bishop of New Hampshire or anywhere else. And if they persist in his installation, I must regretfully conclude there is no place for me in a church that performs same-sex commitment ceremonies, but will not allow me or any other divorced person to marry under its roof. Now that's really unnatural!
   When I was detained in Canada on September 11, our Canadian host told me the only church in Canada that not only hadn't lost membership but had gained membership was the Salvation Army. It wasn't concerned with all this stuff about old or new prayer books or women clergy or gay rights. It was just people trying to help other people get out or stay out of trouble. And what could be more natural than that?

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E. Noel Preston, M.D. is a pediatrician in solo practice in Peachtree Corners. 6063 Peachtree Parkway, Suite 202-A, Norcross. (770) 448-1553.

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