On an evening in mid-March, I was sitting down to eat supper when the telephone rang. I was told that Bishop Walter Righter had ordained a practicing homosexual in 1990, and that I had the opportunity to help Fr. So-and-So to do something about this. Could he put me down for $50? I told the caller that I had no problem with Bishop Righter's actions, and he thanked me for my time.

Ten bishops have accused Bishop Righter of violating his ordination vows when he, as an assistant bishop in the Diocese of Newark, ordained a practicing homosexual to the diaconate [TLC, Feb. 19]. The statute of limitations is about to run out on Bishop Righter, so the 10 other bishops have made a decision to charge him. If 25 percent of the bishops of the Episcopal Church agree, he will be brought to trial.

I am sorry to see all this unfold, for several reasons. First, I am upset that there are several quasi-Episcopal organizations whose sole purpose is to make trouble for the church. While most clergy and laity are doing what they can to carry out the mission of the church in our own small ways, Fr. So-and-So and his confreres are not celebrating the sacraments, teaching Sunday school, visiting the sick, counseling the dying, operating soup kitchens, nor providing financial support for work overseas. If Episcopalians are happy with the church, donations to organizations that work against the church go down. These organizations are financially motivated to spread unhappiness - hence my dinnertime phone call.

Second, the church has been ordaining practicing homosexuals for a very long time, perhaps 19 or 20 centuries. Unlike the ordination of women, which has only been done for a generation, the ordination of homosexuals is not new at all. My fieldwork supervisor was a remarkable parish priest, who taught me more about ministry than anyone else. He was also a practicing homosexual. It would have been a tremendous loss to the church if he had never been ordained. I suspect most of the bishops of the Episcopal Church have ordained practicing homosexuals - including those 10 who have brought charges against Bishop Righter.

Third, who decided that God was suddenly extremely upset over issues of sexuality? Scripture has seven references that can be construed to refer to homosexuals acts, and not one comes from the gospels. There are 22 that command us to tithe. There are more than a hundred that command us to keep the sabbath, including Exodus 31:15: "Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the Lord; whoever does any work on the sabbath day shall be put to death." In the good old days, people didn't skip church because they had out-of-town guests! Leviticus 19 tells us we should not crossbreed cattle, rotate crops, or wear garments made of blended material. Title IV, Canon 1 of the Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Church lists "Violation of Rubrics of the Book of Common Prayer" as cause for ecclesiastical trial. Fortunately for those of us who sing a hymn after the blessing, I haven't seen this section of the canons invoked lately.

Fourth, I'm appal-led at the lack of compassion and common decency which leads 10 bishops to attack a retired bishop in his '70s. What kind of values are they promoting? In our attempts to be righteous - something Jesus was very critical of, by the way - we don't seem to care whom we hurt. The Presiding Bishop, who is a very spiritual and compassionate person, is frequently subject to personal attack by the righteous.

Fifth, we should hear the words of Elizabeth Templeton, a Presbyterian, who told the bishops at Lambeth 1988:

"As an invited guest, I feel sad that you are under some pressure to renounce this remarkable openness of being, to tighten up the structure of dogma, ministry, pastoral ministry, for I find your costly openness a gift to the other churches and a gift to the world."

If we are to remain a catholic church, we need to be inclusive, open to all sorts and conditions. Unlike the Roman Catholics, we do not restrict priesthood to single men. We include men and women, single, married and divorced, with and without children or grandchildren. By being inclusive in ordination, we are able to reach out more effectively to every class of lay person.

Sixth, in our 2,000-year history, we have been wrong many times before. The church has been closed to Samaritans and other gentiles. We have thought slavery and segregation acceptable. We have discriminated against women, not even allowing them to serve on vestries. We have kept baptized children from communion. We have been wrong every time we have sought to exclude some class of human beings from membership and from ordination. Four out of the 10 bishops charging Bishop Righter are also opposed to the ordination of women. They want to be allowed to ordain whom they want in their dioceses, but don't think Bishop Righter should have that option.

Queen Elizabeth I knew that a rigid church would not work. The Elizabethan Settlement, perhaps the strongest element of our Anglican heritage, promoted tolerance as the way to unity. We seem to be losing this tolerance. It's a shame, because tolerance is a vital part of our identity.

I'm going to write a check for $50, and send it to Bishop Righter. I thank my caller for reminding me. q