THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, August 30, 1994 TAG: 9408300008
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A14 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Medium: 52 lines
I was present at the Bishop's Day meeting and can attest that, as the Rev. Ross F. Keener Jr. said, Bishop Frank H. Vest Jr. did not throw open the ministry's door to homosexuals, or to anyone else for that matter (news, Aug. 16).
In saying that the bishop believed that God's love can transcend a person's sexual behavior, Atwood C. Cherry, senior warden at the Rev. Mr. Keener's church, quite correctly summed up the bishop's position which, as I understood it, is that he would not disqualify a person solely on the basis of sexual orientation.
I am convinced that his is the correct Christian position; therefore, if I am convinced that someone has been called to serve God, I ask: ``Who am I to ask whether he or she is homosexual? '' The bishop's sobering responsibility is to determine if candidates for the priesthood are truly called to serve God and his church.
The bishop's job would, indeed, be a great deal easier if that decision could be made not on the basis of prayerful judgment but on the basis of a simple list of ``dos and don'ts.''
The priesthood, like marriage, ``is not to be entered unadvisedly or lightly, but reverently, deliberately, and in accordance with the purposes for which it was instituted by God.'' The bishop's position does not detract one iota from this injunction.
Those who attack the bishop use the terms ``traditionalist'' and ``concerned'' to describe themselves and those who share their views as if it were a fact that the terms apply only to them. I strongly object to this practice and vigorously object that the press sanctions and goes along with it. It is the same deceitful tactic that is used by others to corner the market on the term ``fundamentalist.''
Having been born an Episcopalian, regularly receiving the sacraments, caring enough to write this letter and now serving as senior warden of my parish, I consider myself a ``traditionalist'' and a ``concerned'' person whose beliefs, and those of the Episcopal Church, are sound and quite ``fundamental'' to the word of God as taught by Jesus Christ. The terms certainly describe the bishop.
The Christian tradition is love of God and love of your neighbor. It is this love which the bishop seeks to follow in his ministry. It is hardly ``traditional,'' ``concerned'' or ``fundamental'' for anyone to limit the love of God.
JOHN DAVID SPANGLER
Chincoteague, Aug. 16, 1994 by CNB