Product Description

Gene Robinson is bishop of the tiny, rural Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire, but he's at the center of a storm of controversy raging in the Episcopal Church and throughout the worldwide Anglican Communion involving homosexuality, the priesthood, and the future of the Communion. This book offers an honest, thoughtful portrait of Robinson, the faith that has informed his life, and the controversy that continues to rock his Church.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #49657 in Books
• Published on: 2008-04-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 192 pages

From Publishers Weekly
In this meandering but charming book, Robinson, the controversial gay Episcopal bishop of New Hampshire, addresses sexuality and theology. He argues that the cause for which the planets seem to be aligned today is full civil rights of GLBT people. Many of the arguments he rehearses are familiar: the church today faces a struggle similar to the civil rights movement of the 1960s; the way we think about sexual orientation today was unknown in biblical times; and so forth. More original is Robinson's discussion of the vulnerability of sex, and his support for abstinence outside of committed relationships, because sex in other contexts is likely to hurt people. But this book goes beyond sex to Christian theology. Robinson reviews his beliefs in the Incarnation and in forgiveness. He insists that the God he knows is a God of radical inclusion, who wants to lift up all the oppressed, including women, minorities and the poor. That good news, Robinson admits, actually makes him somewhat uncomfortable, since he knows that he is among the world's most privileged people. Sometimes Robinson's prose is a bit florid, but his passion will draw in many mainline Protestant readers. (Apr. 7)
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About the Author
Gene Robinson, elected bishop in 2003 amid great controversy, is the first openly gay bishop elected to serve in the Anglican Communion. His episcopate - and his entire ministry - have been marked by service to the poor and marginalized, and devotion to prison ministry.

Customer Reviews

missed opportunity
When the openly gay priest Gene Robinson consented to his election as the ninth Anglican bishop of the Diocese of New Hampshire in 2003, he chose to become both the lightening rod and the standard bearer of the most controversial issue in Christianity today. That's why he wore a bullet-proof vest at the ceremony and why bomb-sniffing dogs cleared the building. Never again will he be just another bishop or a mere private citizen, despite his complaints about being labeled a single-issue priest. He knows that he will "never again be in a 'small room.' Because of the high level of media attention, followed by the close scrutiny of those who oppose me, I'm never in a trusting, safe environment where I can let my guard down. Someone is always watching and will use anything I say against me" (46).

Whether by Robinson's choice or unfortunate necessity, in this book you learn precious little of the personal from this very public figure. He does mention in passing his roots in a poor, uneducated, and deeply Christian family in rural Kentucky where his parents were tenant farmers; his first marriage by which he had two children; his treatment for alcohol dependence; and his twenty-year commitment with his current partner Mark Andrews. But all these are brief mentions. True to his word, he never lets his guard down. If you want to learn more about Gene Robinson the man you'll do better starting at the Wikipedia article. Perhaps my expectations before reading this book were misplaced, but in my own experience the power of personal story far surpasses the tedium of theological wrangling. I wanted to learn more about Gene Robinson's personal story.

The twenty-three short chapters in 175 pages treat a broad panoply of Christian themes, many of which read more like unedited sermons than successive chapters in a book. For example, a chapter on the Good Samaritan is followed by a four-page chapter on why for Christians "religion and politics must mix," which is followed by an anecdotal chapter about a trip to Hong Kong. Even when he speaks about gays in the church the treatment is so short for such complex issues that I found it frustrating. Just what, for example, are the implications pro and con of separating the civil rights of marriage by the state and the Christian rites of blessing a marriage by the church?

This book and Robinson's many public interviews about it were timed to coincide with and maximize exposure of the global Anglican church's summer 2008 Lambeth Conference that gathers all its bishops every ten years -- and from which Robinson has been excluded as an official participant but invited in a "diminished status" (168); and his decision to marry his partner Mark Andrews in a June 2008 civil union that will then be blessed in his church. That's not a bad thing for a person who's leading an important cause. But this book will attract readers more because of who wrote it than what he says. In my own reflections of Christian gays I was more deeply influenced by Mel White's Stranger at the Gate; To Be Gay and Christian in America (New York: Plume, 1994); Carol Curoe and Robert Curoe, Are There Closets in Heaven? A Catholic Father and a Lesbian Daughter Share Their Story (Minneapolis: Syren Book Company, 2007); and then the documentary film For the Bible Tells Me So (2007) about five Christian families whose gay children went public -- one of whom is none other than Gene Robinson.

Great guy, not-so-great book
In every interview I've ever heard, and in the documentary, "For the Bible Tells Me So," Gene Robinson comes across as a grounded, prayerful, thoughtful man. I appreciate his courage and, as an Episcopal priest, continue to rejoice at his 2003 consecration. I had looked forward to reading his book.

Yet I've found it disappointing and haven't been able to finish it. I think this is because, in the words of the book's subtitle, Gene has been "swept to the center." Probably this is an inevitable destination for the first openly gay bishop of our time, but I longed to hear a more radical theology, one that takes the experience of the sexually marginalized as a starting point for a strong, yet loving critique of Christianity.

What I found instead was a nice, moderate theology that makes this a great book for a teen just coming out to give her or his parents, but breaks little new ground.

A Leader in the Church
Gene Robinson's book answers many questions about his life and his calling as a bishop in the Episcopal Church. He is a gentle man with a rare sense of humor. I was present (and voted for him) at General Convention. I recommend this short book (it's only 174 pages!) to those who are willing to listen to what it is like for a gay man in a monogamous relationship in the church.