The book in question is this: Going To Heaven, The Life and Election of Bishop Gene Robinson. (Amazon Canada, Amazon UK)
With all the furore over Anglican Communion goings on of late, it is very timely that I could get around to reading Going to Heaven, a biography of Bishop Gene Robinson with particular emphasis on his election as Bishop of the Diocese of New Hampshire. My post on Women in the Church apparently caught the eye of the publishers and they asked if I'd like a copy to read. Well, what did I have to lose, so they sent it along and I put it into the reading pile.
The last week I've been alternating that with An Acceptable Sacrifice. The two complement each other quite well. Acceptable Sacrifice is more on the theory side (well, so far as I've read), while Going to Heaven is more on the practical side.
I'll admit I'm only two thirds through Going to Heaven, but there's no way this book can fail to keep my attention the rest of the way. The first forty pages or so, devoted to Robinson's life growing up in a dirt poor fundamentalist family in West Virginia, and his subsequent escape to college and the Episcopal Church are a bit slow. And, while I don't really want the prurient details, there is precious little about the experiences that shaped his sexual identity. Apart from a few oblique allusions here and there, you'd be hard pushed to tell this was the story of the most famous gay bishop in history.
Still, once we move on to his ordination to the priesthood and his marriage, the pace picks up a little. His first taste of parish ministry was, um, interesting. The narrative glosses over the details of his thirteen year marriage, although ti seems fairly idyllic, blessed with two kids, and there's precious little explanation about what triggered his decision to divorce. Still, it's amusing the way Adams describes the way he starts cruising the gay dad's scene, and in mid-winter, picks up a copy of the Advocate and signs himself up for a solo vacation in St Croix, where he met the guy who would be his partner for life. It's a bit jarring, really.
The narrative really picks up as we find out about Robinson's career in the Diocese of New Hampshire after the divorce as he starts working for Bishop Doug Theuner. It's easy to see why New Hampshire, after twenty years of service in the diocese, thought he was the right person for to succeed Bishop Theuner. Adams does a nice job weaving the different stories and themes leading up to the New Hampshire election, General Convention 2003 and on to the consecration. As a window on Episcopal polity it's without equal. Of course, books on Episcopal polity are pretty few and far between (with good reason, for the most part.) The General Convention chapter is gripping and brilliantly written - it alone is worth the price of the book.
Member of a New Hampshire congregation throughout, Adams writes from a perspective sympathetic to Robinson, but she does well to describe opponents in a fair light. This is no black and white, good guys-bad guys tale. The fallout for individual parishes in New Hampshire is made pretty evident - as happened across the nation, a lot of older, conservative members left the church with a heavy financial impact. Many in my diocese pretended this wasn't the case, but after a couple of years, it has become evident the attendance and financial impact was, and remains, significant. It's nice to see it reported fairly here.
There are plenty of thoughtful moments, nuggets of wisdom and insights into the liberal/conservative differences sprinkled throughout. Here's one that's not original, but is an important one. Responding to questions about the authority of scripture, Robinson (p 158) answered:
"...as Christians we take scripture very seriously. Episcopalians have always taken scripture seriously, but never literally. Some of the critics are calling themselves traditionalists, and yet are trying to take us to a place that has never been our tradition. Ever. We've never been a denomination that literally read and believed every word of the Bible. On the other hand we take it all seriously."
Really, for anyone around the Anglican Communion that's interested in the story that has played out over the last four years or so, it really is a must read. I'll write a wrap-up review when I'm finished. Kudos to Elizabeth Adams for writing this, and I wish her well in her new home city of Montreal.
In the event you'd really like a copy, but are short of ready cash, email me and I'll gift a copy to the first three people to ask.
