Pastor Apologizes for Anti-Gay Remarks
Washington Post Staff Writer
The Washington Post
Saturday, March 24, 2001; Page B03
After using an offensive term to refer to lesbians and suggesting that homosexuality is sinful, one of Washington's most prominent preachers has apologized for remarks he made during a recent sermon.
The Rev. H. Beecher Hicks Jr., pastor of Metropolitan Baptist Church in Northwest Washington, acknowledged in a letter this week that he used "unacceptable" language during a program this month at National City Christian Church, also in Northwest. His audience consisted mainly of African American ministers from out of town and some openly gay church workers, who complained to National City's pastor.
"He made a passing remark -- it was not a good remark -- and almost as soon as he made it, he knew he had overstepped some boundaries there," said the Rev. Alvin O. Jackson, pastor of National City, who described Hicks's letter of apology as "very gracious."
The letter will be read at National's worship services tomorrow by a member of the board of the church, which takes pride in being a place of worship that welcomes gay men and lesbians.
Hicks said that the context of his March 7 remarks had been misunderstood but that he regretted his choice of words. "I intended no denigration," he said in an interview. "It was more a mistake of words."
In his letter, which is addressed to Jackson, Hicks wrote that he had used words "that were hurtful and pejorative. Whether in a sermon or any public platform, the use of epithets is unacceptable. In this instance using such words masked the larger context and intent of my comment that when our lives are examined, all of us are candidates for the grace and mercy of God."
Hicks asked Jackson to convey his "profound apology for the insensitivity of my language" to his congregation and apologized to Jackson "for any discomfort I may have caused to you or your fine ministry."
Hicks's offending comments, which were first reported by the Washington Blade newspaper, came during a worship service at a retreat for black ministers of Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), the Indianapolis-based denomination for which Jackson's church serves as the national cathedral.
"I was stunned and embittered," said Tyrone Fowlkes, an openly gay employee of the denomination's headquarters who heard Hicks's sermon.
Bridget Robinson, a lesbian who also works for the denomination in Indianapolis, said she was "shocked and overwhelmed" when she heard Hicks's comments. "What has upset me is . . . that in a Christian-based setting such comments would be uttered from the pulpit."
She and Fowlkes wrote a letter to the organizer of the retreat March 13 objecting to Hicks's "attempt to categorize us along with prostitutes and drug-addicts" because "our sexuality is not a symptom of compulsion or dysfunction." They added that his comments should not "go unchallenged."
Hicks's remarks, Fowlkes added, demonstrate "the quickness of some black ministers to trivialize homosexuals . . . [and] that the black church in much the same way as the mainline church has not come to deal with the issues of sexuality in a healthy way."
Philip Pannell, Mayor Anthony A. Williams's special assistant for gay, bisexual and transgendered affairs and a member of National City, said Hicks's remarks "brought pain" to the congregation. He described it as "a very welcoming and affirming church, particularly in terms of same-gender orientation."
Hicks's words, he added, were "not something that Christ would have done."
Although Jackson said in a sermon Sunday that he condemned Hicks's remarks "with every fiber of my being," he does not condemn his pastoral colleague. "Reverend Hicks is a good friend and colleague of mine. I still have a great deal of respect for [him] and for Metropolitan. . . . I know he's conflicted about [homosexuality], and he's struggling with this issue."
There still is "a lot of homophobia in the African American community," Jackson added. "Our tendency is to deny there is a problem. Even though gay people are part of our congregation and there is a lot of love for them, we just have not been able to honestly address this issue."
This month, Williams (D) and his Office of Religious Affairs issued statements inviting city clergy who minister predominantly to gays to join the mayor's Faith Advisory Council. The 70-member council has not had openly gay members "because the door wasn't really open," Pannell said. "The mayor has opened that door."