A Little Book That’s Well Worth Reading

By Eric Von Salzen

When Abe Lincoln met Harriet Beecher Stowe, the author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, he famously said, “So you’re the little woman who wrote the book that started this Great War!”

One might say something like that on meeting Gene Robinson: So you’re the little man who started this great – well, not war, and let’s hope not even this great schism; let’s just say this great debate – in the Episcopal Church.

And now he’s written a book. In The Eye Of The Storm: Swept To The Center By God, Seabury Books, New York, 2008, (written according to the dust jacket, not by the Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson, but by plain old Gene Robinson). I commend it to your attention not only because it’s written by a central figure in the great debate, but also because it’s an intelligent and often moving discussion of issues that face our church and our society.

I met Bishop Robinson a couple of months ago, when he spoke at our church in Fort Lauderdale. At the reception in the Parish House before his talk, I had the pleasure of chatting informally with him about this and that, and I found him charming, personable, and witty. In that conversation he mentioned that he had a book coming out the next month. Well, “mention”, may not be the right word. He wanted me to remind the Rector, when introducing him, not to forget to say that Bishop Robinson had a book coming out next month.

I described myself to him as a politically conservative and theologically orthodox straight guy who supports inclusion of gays and lesbians in our church. Bishop Robinson responded that people would be surprised to learn how orthodox he is.

In the Introduction to his book, Bishop Robinson makes the same point:

“It might surprise readers (I hope it will) to learn just how ‘orthodox’ I am. Perhaps both my supporters and my critics will be surprised at just how theologically conservative I am. Just because I favor taking a second look at what holy scripture actually says – and doesn’t say – about homosexuality as we understand it today, it doesn’t follow that I believe everything in scripture is up for grabs.”

This book certainly shows that Bishop Robinson is no Bishop Spong theologically. “Christians believe”, says Robinson, that the “life, death, and resurrection” of Jesus “offers the perfect revelation of God.” Throughout his book, Robinson grounds his positions on this belief, as he understands it. Like the good preacher he is, he uses Biblical references and analogies to illustrate his points.

But if one were hoping to find that the Bishop of New Hampshire is a closet conservative, one would be disappointed. Robinson says “I believe that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah”, but then hastily adds that “I don’t believe he is the sole revelation of God’s self to the world”, that he respects and reveres “all those who have come to know God through other faith journeys.” Oh well. The politically correct you will always have with you.

Most readers of this book will want to know how Bishop Robinson justifies inclusion of gays and lesbians in the church when many Christians believe that scripture commands otherwise. I won’t try to summarize here his discussion of this issue – I wouldn’t be able to do it justice. But do take the time to read what he has to say. He treats the scriptures with profound respect, not simply as obstacles to enlightenment as some “liberals” do, but as the basis for inclusion. If I had not already been convinced, Bishop Robinson would have convinced me.

Many in our church who hold no ill will toward gays and lesbians and would like to see them fully included in the church, want inclusion the way St. Augustine once wanted chastity – “not yet”. Bishop Robinson’s book is a compelling lesson about the costs that delaying inclusion imposes on the excluded. He describes the pain, the fear, the guilt of having to be “in the closet”, and the tremendous relief and joy of coming out. He likens it to the raising of Lazarus:

“Years ago, my sexuality seemed like an immovable stone in my way, a burden so huge that it seemed to threaten everything I held dear. Accepting that I was gay was impossible enough; affirming and embracing it was beyond comprehension. And then just as surely as Jesus called to his friend Lazarus to ‘Come out’ of his tomb, Jesus called me to come out of my tomb of guilt and shame, to accept and love that part of me that he already accepted and loved. If I would only look up and see that the stone had already been rolled away, I could have a new and abundant life. That resurrection changed my life.”

If you wondered why Robinson didn’t refuse the Bishopric of New Hampshire when it was offered to him, or why he and his partner decided to formalize their relationship in a civil union blessed by the church, or why Robinson feels it is wrong to exclude him from the Lambeth Conference (although he once told the Archbishop of Canterbury that he might stay away in the interests of unity), you will find his answers here.

This book isn’t entirely about “the gay issue”. There’s a marvelous chapter about Bishop Robinson’s regular Christmas Eve visits with the inmates of the New Hampshire State Prison for Women. There’s also a lot of stuff about religion and politics, about the duty of all Christians to get out into the world to do what they can to make it a better place. And although I agree with the principle, I find Bishop Robinson misses something important here.

Robinson tries, I think sincerely, to avoid claiming that God is on his side politically. That’s what the “Religious Right” does, in his view. “When people of faith mix religion and politics, the goal should be to allow our Christian beliefs and values to inform our personal politics and our political decisions without foisting them on others.” Still, like most politically liberal clerics, he has a hard time imagining that “Christian beliefs and values” could lead a person of good faith anywhere but liberalism. Thus, for example, in his list of “moral” issues that face us as citizens he includes “What is the most humane way to extricate ourselves from Iraq?”, not “Whether we should abandon the people of Iraq to terrorism and sectarian violence by withdrawing our troops prematurely?” He asks, “How can the United States of America, the richest country on earth, not provide health care coverage to the 45 million people who currently have none?”, without even considering whether, in a free country, it is the proper function of government to make everyone get insurance. And, unless I missed it, he doesn’t say a word against abortion.

These are minor cavils, however. No sensible person goes to a bishop for advice on politics. On the issues that count, and are of vital importance to our church and our community, Bishop Robinson is an excellent guide and an engaging writer.

Caveat: If you are unalterably opposed to the inclusion of gays and lesbians in our church, and you don’t want to read anything that would make you uncomfortable with your views, by no means should you read this book.