Rosemarie has made several useful points in reply to my suggestion that gay bishops should not be condemned out of hand. Yes, of course God loves even the cruel sadist, the bank robber and the child molester, and of course we should not make such people bishops just to affirm God's love for all human conditions.
And of course, as 1 Tim. 3 says, bishops (and all the clergy, and all the church) are to lead "a model life", one which others can follow, whether those others are children, or people outside the church, or new believers, or mature Christians.
But appointing a gay bishop (or priest, or indeed a gay teacher or sports trainer - where should one stop?) is not "providing a situation where homosexual activity would be 'the normal thing'." Few gay people would proselytize in this sort of way, and a bishop would hardly be in a position to do so. Most of us recognize that there are a range of "normal things", and to demand that all Christian leaders be married with two children is to forget what a wonderfully varied world God has put us in. (If Rosemarie's children were to grow up gay, would she love them less, I wonder.)
My argument is that appointing a gay bishop would assist those who, perhaps because of their sexuality, are struggling with their faith. Such an appointment would "provide a situation where Christian activity would be 'the normal thing'." It would show people that no matter how we are made, we can serve Christ in the fullest way our talents allow.
Rosemarie implies that there would be nothing wrong in gay bishops who concealed their orientation - and at times concealment may be the best way of showing love for our neighbour. But this is a dangerous line to follow, and leads on to questions of what really is allowed and what is not, of which relationships are right and which are wrong, and of whether "being fruitful and multiplying" is the only context in which people can share their lives. Plucking passages from the epistles does not always help in answering these.
Western Christian culture is passing through a difficult phase. Questions like these need to be aired, and we need to be open to the Holy Spirit, who we trust will "lead us into all truth." Like Rosemarie, I pray that the leaders of the church will be empowered to guide and support the whole body of Christ, that by God's grace, we may all reach the glory of the kingdom.
Hector Davie