John Bryson Chane

John Bryson Chane is the eighth bishop of Washington in the Episcopal Diocese of Washington. In his capacity as bishop, he also served as interim dean of Washington National Cathedral while it searched for a new dean. A Boston native, he previously was dean of St. Paul's Cathedral, San Diego and served in congregations in Southborough, Massachusetts, Erie, Pennsylvania and Montvale, New Jersey. He received a Bachelor of Arts from Boston University and a Masters of Divinity from Yale Divinity School. He later received honorary doctorates from Virginia Theological Seminary and Berkeley Divinity School at Yale University.

He has appeared on ABC's "Good Morning America" and on NPR, PBS, BBC, Fox News, and ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX affiliates in Washington. He has also been featured in "The Washington Post" and "Washingtonian" magazine. He has spoken for the Washington Press Club.

On the side, he has a band called The Chane Gang.

In February 2006, Peter Akinola, Primate of Nigeria, issued a communique on behalf of his Church of Nigeria Standing Committee stating "The Church commends the law-makers for their prompt reaction to outlaw same-sex relationships in Nigeria and calls for the bill to be passed since the idea expressed in the bill is the moral position of Nigerians regarding human sexuality." The bill in question, as well as criminalising same-sex marriage, also proposed to criminalise "Registration of Gay Clubs, Societies and organizations" and "Publicity, procession and public show of same-sex amorous relationship through the electronic or print media physically, directly, indirectly or otherwise", on penalty of up to 5 years imprisonment. The proposed legislation was formally challenged by the United States State Department as a possible breach of Nigeria's obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Chane, writing in the "Washington Post", said::"The archbishop's support for this law violates numerous Anglican Communion documents that call for a "listening process" involving gay Christians and their leaders. But his contempt for international agreements also extends to Articles 18-20 of the United Nations Universal Declaration on Human Rights, which articulates the rights to freedom of thought, conscience, religion, association and assembly. Surprisingly, few voices -- Anglican or otherwise -- have been raised in opposition to the archbishop. When I compare this silence with the cacophony that followed the Episcopal Church's decision to consecrate the Rt. Rev. Gene Robinson, a gay man who lives openly with his partner, as the bishop of New Hampshire, I am compelled to ask whether the global Christian community has lost not only its backbone but its moral bearings."