Going to Heaven: The Life and Election of Bishop Gene Robinson

This is an excellent book on the election of Bishop Gene Robinson. I just love this man and loved reading about his extrordinary journey to become Bishop. I had already read his own book "In the eye of the storm" and this one helps to fill in more information about the foundations of the Episcopal church and how an election for Bishop is conducted and how different this one was because of Gene's same gender orientation.Going to Heaven: The Life and Election of Bishop Gene Robinson

"Going to Heaven" is less a biography or life of its subject, the first openly-Gay bishop in the history of Christendom, than it is a fine piece of journalism describing the death-grip of heterosexist patriarchy. The book's audiences include LGBT Christians of any denomination, those interested in the dynamics of church schism, and ordinary Episcopal laypeople who wonder what the heck is happening to their beloved Anglican Communion. Ms. Adams makes clear that the consecration of Gene Robinson as Bishop of New Hampshire is much more a symbol of schism than its cause. The wheels were set in motion long before anyone outside the diocese ever heard of the man. She traces the breakups within Anglicanism to the fall of the British Empire and the end of the Cold War, which left a shadowy, right-wing think tank called the Institute for Religion and Democracy, formerly aimed at destabilizing the Soviet Union, with nothing to do. So, like most such institutions, it simply traded missions and started focusing on liberal churches instead, lest they start influencing U.S. foreign policy toward such nightmares as world peace and justice for the poor. The poor bishop ends up caught in the crossfire. Born to landless farmers in rural Kentucky, raised in fundamentalist simplicity, attracted to piety, music, books and boys, he somehow lands a scholarship at the (Episcopal) University of the South, and from there his future is set in motion. He is introduced to a whole different world of liturgy, scholarship, gentility and faded wealth, which accomodates his own gifts of energy and open gregariousness. He goes to seminary, gets ordained and happily married, has two daughters; but inevitably he must confront his own inner nature. With the help of his gracious wife, he does so successfully; the day of their divorce, they dissolve their wedding vows in church and take communion together. He works long, hard and well as a bishop's assistant, and at some point meets the man of his dreams. Who this partner is is never quite made clear here, nor is Canon Robinson's ex-wife interviewed. Both those omissions weaken the book somewhat and keep it from being a complete biography. Privacy is respected a bit too much; some quotations fail of attribution and certain villains of the piece (other churchmen) are allowed to scamper away. But this reveals the author's real purpose: solid, insightful and original reporting on the hidden drama of church politics. There she seldom disappoints. The book is greatly enhanced by scores of photographs by Jonathan Sa'adah showing the bishop, his lover Mark and ex-wife Boo, their daughters, various church personalities, even Sir Elton John. What we are left with is a humble priest who has grown into the job of diocesan bishop and international symbol. In extensive, self-disclosive interviews, he shows himself to be just the sort of open personalty by whom some people come to know Christ. That he is the object of others' scorn, derision

The author of Going to Heaven is a life-long Episcopalian who is part of the Diocese of New Hampshire, so she is able to offer a lot of additional details about the process of electing Gene in this fascinating book. But what I loved most about the book is that it's not a salacious account of some flash-in-the-pan controversy; instead, it's the spiritual biography of a thought-provoking, deeply prayerful bishop. It is particularly interesting to see how a person as unassuming and grounded as +Gene steps into his new high profile role. In the numerous direct quotes from him, taken from his interviews with the author, he stresses that he didn't see himself in either side's depictions of him -- he sees himself neither as the devil conservatives paint him as, nor the angel he has become to progressives. I suspect the controversy over +Gene's election and consecration would be much less sharp if people on all sides were aware of who he is and what his agenda is. (Nine-tenths of that agenda is just being a good bishop for the Diocese of New Hampshire and dealing with the day-to-day needs of his flock.) This new biography is a great step toward clarifying precisely who he is and what he stands for, and I'm grateful to its author for bringing it to light.

As soon as I finished reading Elizabeth Adams' biography, Going to Heaven: The Life and Election of Bishop Gene Robinson, I gave thanks. As a lifelong supporter of human rights, a clergy wife and committed Episcopalian, I was grateful that the biography taught me so much. It taught me more about Bishop Robinson, the man, than all of the news coverage, feature articles and specials that have swirled into the popular press since the announcement of his election. It taught me about Gene Robinson, the gay man, and all that that meant for this individual. It taught me about Gene Robinson, the reluctant poster child for gay rights, and the history of the gay rights movement in the states and in the world. It taught me about Gene Robinson, the committed clergyman, and the inner workings of the church I call mine. I gave thanks, believing that Adams wrote the book with people like me in mind. Now that I have had time to think more deeply about Adam's biography, something that her writing and approach encourage, I have another perspective. This book is also written for the many people honestly struggling with the issue of gay rights and all that means. I remember well the summer of 2003 and the small knots of committed Christians who gathered after mass despite the suspension of coffee hour to talk about Gene, gay rights and the powerful sermons my husband delivered. I remember their struggles, their confusion, their desire to know more, to go more deeply, to do and think the "right" thing. Adams' biography is for them. She gives them much to think about. She helps them see the bigger picture. She holds their hands as they get to know a not-so-perfect creation of God, the world he occupied and the church he serves. In the end, her biography talks about the power of love, not such a bad message in a time of strife.