| Oxnam defined the role of a capital-area bishop BY MELISSA LAUBERUMCONNECTION STAFF United Methodist bishops have a long, and sometimes controversial, relationship with Washington, D.C., and the powers that shape the national agenda. The denominations episcopal leaders were integral players in the battle to end the 12-hour workday and seven-day workweek. They also fought in the nations capital for temperance and the establishment of Prohibition, and stood out during the Cold War as prophets for peace. But one of the most dramatic bishop-versus-state stories occurred in the early 1950s when Bishop G. Bromley Oxnam stood up against members of the government who were attempting to define who was a good American and ferreting out the Communist menace. According to the history, Those Incredible Methodists, during the McCarthy era an hysterical fear of Communism spread over the nation. The communist threat, many believed, could destroy freedom, liberty and all that Americans held dear. The House Committee on Un-American Activities conducted hearings to discover communist sympathizers lurking on the American landscape. At the hearings, Rep. Donald L. Jackson, a member of the committee, assailed Bishop Oxnam as a man who served God on Sunday and the Communist front for the balance of the week. According to the April 5, 1953, Washington Post, Jackson assailed Bishop Oxnam in one of the most violent attacks on a clergyman ever made in Congress. The red scare took its toll as people lost their jobs and reputations when they were called before the Committee on Un-American Activities. Bishop Oxnam, who was serving as bishop of the Washington Area, was called before the committee in July 1953. But the night before he was to appear, an unusual event occurred. It was the only time in my life Ive been grateful for alcoholic beverages, said the Rev. Ed Schell, a Baltimore-Washington Conference pastor and historian who stood in line at the capital to watch the hearings. Rep. Jackson was at a bar, Schell reported, and, with his tongue loosened by alcohol, proceeded to tell those in the establishment exactly how he was going to get that commie bishop the next day. A patron of the bar went straight to Oxnam and told him of the conversation. The bishop prepared a briefcase full of documents that refuted each of the charges made by the committee, Schell said. Oxnams history-making appearance was applauded by members of the Baltimore Conference who passed a resolution in June 1954 praising their bishop. The leadership he gave at a crucial moment was the beginning of the end of the unfortunate and tragic situation which was developing in American life, the members proclaimed. Oxnams picture appeared on the cover of Time magazine. Today Oxnams briefcase is on display at Lovely Lane Museum in Baltimore as part of an exhibit on bishops that served this area. The museum is located at 2200 St. Paul Street. In the near future, it will be replaced with a new exhibit on Methodism during war and peace. For more information, call (410) 889-4458. | 
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