When Episcopal bishops voted to approve the appointment of an actively homosexual bishop at a convention several weeks ago, the church's liberal establishment pooh-poohed opposition as momentary homophobia. They said it would disappear as quickly as the complaints about the ordination of women priests had disappeared in the 1970's.
Boy, have they been proved wrong. When Bishop Lee of Virginia, who voted in favor of the gay bishop, held a series of meetings with clergy and lay people in Virginia in the past few weeks, he and fellow bishops got an earful.
Why was the church abandoning scripture, people asked? How could it be okay to be a homosexual priest in New Hampshire, but not in Virginia?
Lee sat stolidly through the complaints and then fired back. He'd sue any church that wanted to split with ECUSA and take its property.
So much for inclusiveness.
I'm David Aikman.
