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storms are deeper than this

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I too was warmed by the engaging and heart warming person that I meet in this book. Those who have been hurt and wounded by inappropriate responses to their sexuality can learn much from the author. As an exploration of the human condition it is achingly honest, and inspiring in the firm resolution to `hang on in there' no matter what. Regretfully though, if it is read as a book based on Christian foundations it is somewhat weak, and in places very misleading. To take a simple and minor example, on page 128 he declares "The United States was founded by people escaping theocracies in Europe". Ironically the United States was founded by people seeking to establish theocracies in their so called New World. It cannot be said that there was a single theocracy in Europe anywhere near the time of the emigrations to the States. Much more seriously, the author writes what appears to a fabulous chapter (8) on the cross which at the end hugely disappoints. For him the cross would appear to be an act by God of solidarity with human suffering, which it is. It is also perhaps, though the author doesn't make this explicit, a demonstration of love without limits. Both of these understandings of the cross are vital but secondary to the traditional teachings of all mainstream Christian churches over two millennia. The disappointment lies in his complete omission of the cross as the place of sacrifice. This notion of sacrifice can be a deeply offensive notion to the modern ear, for it asserts that all humans have failings, and these can only be dealt with, by God, on our behalf. The sacrifice of the cross is the place of the transaction. Sadly we live in an age of growing denial of the seriousness of our failings, and complete unwillingness to explore sacrifice as a place of restoration and indeed healing. The gospels in the New Testament make this work of the cross clear from the lips of Jesus himself; the letters of the NT explain this with many metaphors; and the letter to the Hebrews describes the cross as the culmination and final act of the sacrificial process of at-one-making. Most regretfully Gene Robinson omits this key and definitive theology from his book, and indeed omits the key passages from the NT. Also seriously, the author all too often undermines the reliability of the Christian scriptures. eg he describes the many grievous faults of the church over the centuries, and rather than see these as departures from scripture, or manipulations of scripture, he describes them as the consequences of the scriptures. He then asserts that these errors were put right by modern understandings of scripture when in fact they (slavery, exploitation, theocracy, misogyny et al) were corrected from within traditional understandings of scripture. For the author modern human reasoning is put above the steadiness of scripture. History shows that when this approach is taken error and calamity follow. The book is also somewhat dated. It reads as a treatise in Liberation Theology. This theology has a serious pedigree of some 40 years in the catholic countries of Latin America. Its huge strength is its insistence that God seeks to help everyone from their place of persecution and oppression to the freedom of their Promised Land. It was and is viciously attacked by the wealthy and powerful of central and southern America, and for understandable reasons. This can be described as the horizontal element of salvation theology. The weakness of this theology, and the reason for opposition from the Vatican, is that there is a prior and more important vertical element to the journey, for each human being is called to travel from their broken and lonely present spiritual palce, into the promised land which is the loving presence of their heavenly father, ie the divine. This can be described as the vertical element of salvation theology. Whilst Gene Robinson writes eloquently and passionately and importantly about the horizontal element, he is somewhat weak on the vertical.

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Measured, intelligent, inspiring, and very moving. Experience Gene Robinson in his own words and actions - not through the media, or the opinion of others. Compulsory reading for all who care about love, justice, and the coming of the kingdom!

A Wonderful book!	Customer Rating:
This book is amazing! Bishop Gene's love for God and for all of creation pours out from every page. What he write is so clear and points to an all loving God. The best book I have read for a long time!

Sobering memoir

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Gene Robinson is known worldwide for one thing - his sexuality - and this book seeks to show that his ministry is rather more than just being part of the storm over gay priests in the Anglican church. The book is a series of reflections on different aspects of ministry, not offered in any particularly logical order but growing out of his experiences as a priest and then bishop over three decades. It's not an autobiography and there are many parts of his life alluded to but not really explained; instead he uses the pages to show how people's attitudes towards gay and lesbian people can be similar to those towards women, non-whites and disabled people, and how difficult it is to know, if we are part of a majority group, what it's like to be in the minority and how hard it can be to be treated fairly. What's remarkable about the book is the way in which Gene Robinson does not come across as bitter against his many detractors; he sees his ministry as the most important and overriding thing, such as in the local women's prison where he is a regular visitor. The final chapter, discussing the forthcoming Lambeth concert in 2008, is a plea for those in the church to genuinely listen to lesbian and gay members but is a plea that appears to have fallen on deaf ears. This is a sobering and at times moving book which doesn't really seek to discuss the issue of homosexuality and the Bible per se, but more looks at congregations in the church, Jesus's words that all are welcome, the difficulties for homosexual people within the church and the need for genuine discussion about the issues.

Inspirational, a highly recommended read for all

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I have just finished reading 'In The Eye Of The Storm' by Gene Robinson, (who was elected as the first openly gay man to be called by a Diocese to be the Bishop of New Hampshire in 2003) WOW ... talk about inspirational!!!! I knew it was going to be a great book by the number of comments of praise there are at the beginning including comments from several Rectors, Deans, Bishops, Directors from several organisations and the Forword by Desmond Tutu, who said ... "May I wholly inadequately apologise to my sisters and brothers who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered for the cruelty and injustice that you have suffered and continue to suffer at the hands of us, your fellow Anglicans; I am sorry. Forgive us for all the pain we have caused you and which we continue to indflict on you" Desmond goes on to say "Gene Robinson is a wonderful human being" ............ I totally agree and after reading this book, I can see and appreciate what a humble man he is. He is so down to earth, full of compassion and empathy, and can teach us all about loving our enemies. There are several passages that spoke to me pg 83 The debate about whose sexuality is acceptable may be just a way to avoid talking about minstering in the way jesus did. If we keep talking about what people do in bed, or who ought to get married, or which celebrity is in rehab and why, we don't have to talk about ourselves and the things that really mayter in our culture and our society - racism and homophobia, injstice and war pg99 It's not because gay and lesbian people are any different than others who have demanded equality, but because for religious bodies, and for the culture, the full equality of gays and lesbians strikes at the very heart of the patriarchy and misogyny that's been the way of the world for so long pg 127 If we leave Church [on every Sunday etc] and don't do anything any differently, then church is nothing but a religious theme park In his book, he shares his views, his knowledge, his experiences, his love and shows great compassion to those who object to him being elected and still try to silence him. I highly recommend this book to all, Christians and non-Christians, Believers and non-believers, Gay and straight, I feel it has a message for all.