AmosL
06-09-2008, 07:39 AM
Robinson, Gene. “In the Eye of the Storm: Swept to the Center by God”, Seabury Books, 2008.
The Bishop’s Tale
Amos Lassen
We knew that this book would be coming---after all, Gene Robinson’s election to an Episcopal Bishopric was big news. Robinson moved into a stormy controversy when he consented to his election as the ninth Anglican bishop of the diocese of New Hampshire in 2003. He became the leader in the most controversial issue in Christianity today as an openly gay man.
I was expecting to get a bit of a personal look at Robinson in his book but in actuality there is very little. We do learn that he came from a poor, religious and uneducated family somewhere in rural Kentucky. We learn that he had been married and fathered two children, that he had a bout with alcoholism and we hear about his 20 year commitment with is present partner, Mark Andrews, but that is about it and we heard all of that on news reports. He is, after all, the first openly gay bishop and the media has caused him to become a larger-than-life figure, so it is only natural that we would want to know more about him.
There is a great deal that departs from the classic understandings of the doctrines of Christianity and how the Church has interpreted what the Bible says about sexuality. As we all know the Bible has quite a lot to say about many things that I do not necessarily agree with. It certainly justifies racism, slavery and the degradation of women. In the first section of the book is Robinson’s defense of homosexuality according to his faith. There is not much new in his arguments, they are the ones we always hear. He claims that most of the Bible’s teaching about homosexuality is non-traditional and has been misinterpreted. Robinson says that the Scriptures are not totally free from error. The Old and New Testaments are the word of God but they have been dictated to man and directed through human media.
Robinson’s discussion of the vulnerability of sex is the most interesting aspect of the book and his claim that God wants to raise the oppressed gives hope to all.
I found the book to be a bit disjointed—twenty-three short chapters which are more like sermons; there is little if no transition between them. There is really nothing new here and the book only gains power at the end when Robinson writes that we need to live “in communion” with both those that agree and disagree. Have we not always known and done just that?
There is no question in my mind that Robinson has done a great deal for the entire gay community just by allowing himself to be who he is. I may not agree with what he says and I may not find his book to be what I wanted, but I do respect the man. He is fascinating and brave.
The Bishop’s Tale
Amos Lassen
We knew that this book would be coming---after all, Gene Robinson’s election to an Episcopal Bishopric was big news. Robinson moved into a stormy controversy when he consented to his election as the ninth Anglican bishop of the diocese of New Hampshire in 2003. He became the leader in the most controversial issue in Christianity today as an openly gay man.
I was expecting to get a bit of a personal look at Robinson in his book but in actuality there is very little. We do learn that he came from a poor, religious and uneducated family somewhere in rural Kentucky. We learn that he had been married and fathered two children, that he had a bout with alcoholism and we hear about his 20 year commitment with is present partner, Mark Andrews, but that is about it and we heard all of that on news reports. He is, after all, the first openly gay bishop and the media has caused him to become a larger-than-life figure, so it is only natural that we would want to know more about him.
There is a great deal that departs from the classic understandings of the doctrines of Christianity and how the Church has interpreted what the Bible says about sexuality. As we all know the Bible has quite a lot to say about many things that I do not necessarily agree with. It certainly justifies racism, slavery and the degradation of women. In the first section of the book is Robinson’s defense of homosexuality according to his faith. There is not much new in his arguments, they are the ones we always hear. He claims that most of the Bible’s teaching about homosexuality is non-traditional and has been misinterpreted. Robinson says that the Scriptures are not totally free from error. The Old and New Testaments are the word of God but they have been dictated to man and directed through human media.
Robinson’s discussion of the vulnerability of sex is the most interesting aspect of the book and his claim that God wants to raise the oppressed gives hope to all.
I found the book to be a bit disjointed—twenty-three short chapters which are more like sermons; there is little if no transition between them. There is really nothing new here and the book only gains power at the end when Robinson writes that we need to live “in communion” with both those that agree and disagree. Have we not always known and done just that?
There is no question in my mind that Robinson has done a great deal for the entire gay community just by allowing himself to be who he is. I may not agree with what he says and I may not find his book to be what I wanted, but I do respect the man. He is fascinating and brave.