Posted on 04/29/2005 1:14:08 PM PDT by newheart
Darien, Conn.
ONE rarely hears of God-fearing, Bible-loving Episcopal priests being banished to purgatory, but that is where the Rev. Christopher Leighton of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in upscale Darien finds himself residing these days.
Purgatory is, in his case, a chalet-style suburban church with a matching rectory in a sylvan setting that might seem downright heavenly were he not in imminent danger of being evicted from his pulpit and his home of seven years. He loves both and wants to leave neither. According to him, God wants him to stick around and fight the good fight, too.
In this age-of-litigation ecclesiastical tableau, picture St. Paul's as Eden, Father Leighton and his wife, Janet, as Adam and Eve, and Bishop Andrew D. Smith, head of the Connecticut Episcopal Diocese, as a disgruntled boss who wields the rather God-like power to expel Father Leighton from the premises.
It's a real nail-biter, and divine intervention is welcome.
The crux of the feud is theological, but sex, money, and power are components. In 2003, Bishop Smith and the diocese voted to support the ordination of the church's first openly gay bishop, V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire.
Father Leighton, a traditionalist, and his congregation opposed it, as does the Worldwide Anglican Communion, which placed the American branch of the church on a sort of probation for violating a tradition stipulating that church leaders should be married heterosexuals or celibate. St. Paul's, along with five other parishes, stopped forwarding dues to the diocese and requested supervision from a different bishop.
After a series of unproductive meetings, Bishop Smith, who initially indicated that Father Leighton and his colleagues would be censured on April 15, was spending this week in seclusion and spiritual reflection.
"It's like having a sword hanging over your head," says Father Leighton, who has brought his wife along not just for moral support - "She prays for me" - but as a chaperone authorized to "throw a shoe at" him if he sputters anything outrageous. For the record, she is not wearing spike heels, and after an hour or so, he decides he can converse solo and she departs with shoes intact.
"Believe me," members of the clergy "do not like conflict," he says. "But they've moved too far, too fast, and too much against the Scripture: I don't see gay marriage as part of God's plan. If they believe God is leading them to promote noncelibate gays as leaders of the church, at least give it time. Don't push it. But this is an oppressive regime: it's his way or the highway. It's 'you will obey, or else.' Do I look tired?"
Impossible to miss those bags under the priest's eyes: stress has struck. To compensate, he has ratcheted up the gallows humor; being defrocked would be, he says, "a career-ending injury" for "a fat athlete" who replaced football and running with walking because of bad knees.
He would even miss the white acetate clerical collar beneath his navy pinstripe suit: "It's kind of like a dog collar. The Lord keeps me on a short leash," he jokes. Not that losing the job he was ordained for 25 years ago is a laughing matter.
"I'm praying my way through it," he adds, fidgeting on a wooden chair in the small office where he keeps an unwieldy houseplant called "Little Shop of Horrors," a collection of crosses worn as pendants that he refers to as "bling," and a cork bulletin board featuring an Internet-doctored photograph of Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez with a ladies' purse on his arm. The Boston-born reverend is a Red Sox fan.
For a fellow whose quarrel with the local diocese stems from his being overly orthodox, he sure exhibits unorthodox traits: prior to turning to God, he revered Jimi Hendrix; he installed a live band rather than a pipe organ at St. Paul's; he subscribes to Food and Wine magazine for its recipes; he compiled a Lettermanesque Top 10 list entitled "The Top 10 Reasons You Know You're in a Bad Church." On the list: When there's a two-drink minimum at communion. No, he does not offer his fancy Fairfield County parishioners a communion wine list.
Father Leighton, a ruddy-faced boomer of 50 and already a twice-blessed grandpa, is the most garrulous of the half-dozen priests, whose nom de célèbre is "the Connecticut Six," awaiting Bishop Smith's judgment: "They're the Ten Commandments, not the Ten Suggestions. I'd like the bishop to reconsider. I may be out of step with the times, but I'm not out of step with the majority of Christians."
FATHER LEIGHTON grew up in a religious household; his mother wanted him to become a priest, and his father, a lawyer, agreed. But he balked. At the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, he wanted to be a poet. After graduation, though, he chose sermons over sonnets: "It became clear that my mother was right, and God was calling me." He attended Trinity Episcopal School for the Ministry in Pittsburgh, where "instead of questioning, challenging, and changing the Bible, you articulated it from the classical Anglican position." He was a priest in Pittsburgh for 15 years, and spent four years at St. James's Episcopal Church in Cambridge, where his flock included William F. Weld, then the governor, who contributed to his cross collection after a trip to the Holy Land.
If Father Leighton is defrocked, reinforcements are on the way: two of his four children have opted for the Anglican ministry. He swears he didn't influence them; blame his mother.
Traditional Anglican ping, continued in memory of its founder Arlin Adams. Traditional Anglican ping, continued in memory of its founder Arlin Adams. Apologies for the doppelpinger. Beats me.
Sadder = There are 6 Episcopal priests in Connecticut suffering under the meretricious auspices of Smith, Curry and Ramos.
Saddest = They are the only 6 in the entire Diocese to take a stand.
*sigh*
Sounds to me that if these six would only disavow female ordination/consecration, they'd be more than welcome in the Continuing Church and be done with the fakirs.
In Christ,
Deacon Paul+
Times is giving this whole issue of the CT 6 a lot of ink..and space..and what's more, surprisingly, for the Times, a fairly even-handed coverage..
Thank you!
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