BAKERSFIELD, Calif -- A local episcopal leader said he's being blackballed by the radical left wing of his church because of his traditional understanding of scripture.

Rev. Mark Lawrence of St. Paul's Episcopal Parish in Central Bakersfield was recently elected as bishop of the Diocese of South Carolina, but the presiding bishop, Katharine Schori invalidated the election.

Lawrence does not dispute the move by Schori because some of the votes cast were reportedly submitted improperly.

However, Lawrence said the split in the church over conflicting views of the Bible on gays and other issues makes theological conservatives a "minority" within the 2.3 million member Episcopal Church.

Lawrence, a former Valley Champion wrestler for Bakersfield High School in the 1960's, and a reverend for a quarter century, said he isn't going to change his views to cater to the radical left's recent innovations.