I read with great interest the Viewpoint Mr. Hancock so eloquently expressed. While I agree with many of his points concerning sexual morality, my reflections on the New Testament reading (Gal. 3:23-29) of the previous Sunday (June 21) compelled me to respond to his treatment of other matters.

As a convert to the Episcopal Church, I was grounded on the pillars of scripture, reason and tradition. While understanding that scripture is always foremost, I am disturbed that Mr. Hancock would dispose of tradition and reason in so cavalier a fashion.

At baptism, we pray as a community that the persons being baptized have an "inquiring and discerning heart," which acknowledges the fact that we have been blessed by our Creator with "memory, reason and skill." Yes, it's true that at times we have used tradition and reason clumsily and even badly. But let's not throw out the baby with the bath water because our imperfect use of tradition and reason is sometimes flawed and untidy. Scripture alone without faith-based and prayer-based deployment of tradition and reason can easily equate to "checking our brains at the door" syndrome, and this can also lead to us into becoming a "hollow, pagan cult."

With reference to Mr. Hancock's view of the role of women in the church, he asserts, "There is no scriptural record of either a call by Jesus or sanctification by the Holy Spirit of a female apostle." I would argue the Jesus principally operated in the realm of "the doable" during his earthly ministry. Jesus operated in a culture where women were second-class citizens at best. His earthly ministry would have been a non-starter had he openly recruited and formally named women as apostles. But I believe he left some broad hints concerning the role of women. The story of the Samaritan woman at the well comes to mind. His bold engagement and theologically substantive discussion with her flies in the face of the prejudices of the day.

If we are truly made in the image and likeness of God, then God embodies the best of both maleness and femaleness. The reading from Galatians forcefully reminds us, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male or female, for all of you are one in Christ Jesus." I believe that it's time to put the ordained ministry gender issue behind us once and for all. I don't think God discriminates on this basis and neither should we.

Michael A. Foughty

Alexandria, Va.