New Hampshire bishop pens new book
Episcopal News Service. April 24, 2008 [042408-06]
Daphne Mack
A sabbatical last fall was the impetus for the Rt. Rev. Gene Robinson's book "In the Eye of the Storm: Swept to the Center by God," by Seabury Books. The foreword was written by Anglican Emeritus of Cape Town Desmond Tutu.
"The title of course comes from the storm that I have found myself in for the past five years," said Robinson, the Bishop of the Diocese of New Hampshire. "But it's more about the eye of the storm. The tiny calm place I feel God has brought me to in the middle of that storm."
Robinson, the first openly gay priest to be elected bishop in the Anglican Communion, spoke about his book at an April 23 book signing at the Catalyst Café and Books in New York City. He described it as a "kind of spiritual memoir about what makes me tick."
"It's about the fuller gospel that is part of my life," he said. "The press has sort of painted me as a one issue person, but actually what I'm passionate about is the whole Gospel. Lesbian and gay issues are just one of them."
Robinson described his feelings after learning of his exclusion from the Lambeth Conference set for Canterbury, England, July 16-August 4, as "pretty awful." He credited a conversation shortly thereafter with Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori as helping him find comfort.
Since that time Robinson said he now "looks forward" to Lambeth from the perspective that if Jesus were around for this conference and had to chose between being on the inside with the higher ups or on the fringes with whoever else was going to be there, "I'm not sure that he wouldn't chose to be on the fringes."
"So I'm looking forward to meeting and talking with anybody that is willing to talk and let whatever light of Christ that is in me shine and whoever has the eyes to see it and ears to hear it will do so," he stated.
Robinson told those gathered that he continues to be "really hopeful about the Anglican Communion" despite what is read in the newspapers.
"What doesn't get reported are all the relationships that continue across this wonderful communion of ours between dioceses, bishops, clergy, and laypeople that are a part of the Episcopal Church," said Robinson. "Whatever happens at the highest level of the church, those relationships are going to continue and those "'bonds of affection' are not in jeopardy."
Reading from a chapter of "In the Eye of the Storm" Robinson told of his experience with a group of gay and lesbian Christians in Hong Kong and how it reiterated for him that "we are all in this together."
The Rt. Rev. Gayle Harris, Suffragan Bishop of the Diocese of Massachusetts, was in attendance and referred to Robinson as "a companion on the road, of living out our ministry and the call of our ministry."
"Gene is someone I look to as a colleague in Province I," she said. "I've known him for many, many years and he is a fine priest without any other label. His journey has been a deep one; one that is authentically a call from God."
Also lending her support was Robinson's daughter Ella who said she was "extremely proud" of her father.
"I think it's about time for his voice to be out there and really to get a chance, for those people that he doesn't get a chance to interact with on a one-on-one basis, to hear his thoughts and perception of things at the center of this storm," she explained.
Robinson said he hopes his book will be read by "conservatives and liberals in our church."
"I think both will be surprised at how orthodox I am," he said. "I think because I'm for the inclusion of gay and lesbian people in the life of the church a lot of people think I'm some wild eyed, crazy liberal setting out to destroy everything when in fact, I am theologically very conservative. So I'm hoping everybody will be surprised by that."