A bishop's calling.

In the Eye of the Storm: Swept to the Center by God

by Gene Robinson

Seabury Books. 176 pages, $25.

WAS your Sunday School teacher right about there being a loving God, or does the Bible condemn homosexuality as an "abomination"? Gene Robinson, the first openly gay priest to be elected a bishop of the Anglican Church, discusses this question at length in his new book, In the Eye of the Storm. When Robinson came out publicly as gay soon after his election, he became something of a hero in the GLBT community, but many in the Episcopal hierarchy bitterly opposed this development, a reaction that shocked and confused him: "Why," he asks, "would people ... debate my fitness for this calling, based not on my skills, experience, and faithfulness, but on my sexual orientation?"

In June 2008, Robinson and his partner were joined in civil union under New Hampshire's law--first at a civil ceremony followed by an unofficial exchange of vows at St. Paul's Church in Concord. Robinson insists on a distinction between what he calls "civil rights and religious rites." The latter are a matter for each religious body to decide for itself, while civil marriage should be a basic right under the law.

As for the biblical view of homosexuality, Robinson contends that the Bible's condemnation cannot be applied to contemporary culture. In biblical times, it was assumed that everyone was heterosexual and that homosexuals were merely "heterosexuals behaving badly." Even the word "abomination" is suspect, he adds, as this modern usage is probably a mistranslation of a word that appears so often in the Old Testament. Robinson also has some advice for those who are both gay and unwilling to abandon their faith. He urges such individuals to return to their place of worship, but to come out as openly gay when they do so. He especially wants to see older gay parishioners helping younger ones to come to terms with their sexual orientation and their faith.

Robinson writes with a thoughtful, gentle voice, and his words are both comforting and thought-provoking. He uses parables in interesting ways and--it took me a while to notice this--never refers to God by a pronoun. Robinson questions a literalist approach to the Bible, pointing out that it has been used throughout history to justify racism, slavery, and sexism. His interpretations of biblical passages are thoughtful and intelligently conveyed, and are offered as succor to anyone who's been on the receiving end of Bible-based homophobia. In fact, gay readers who've been feeling spiritually bereft for whatever reason may find In the Eye of the Storm to be a calming force as they wrestle with questions of faith.

On the downside, In the Eye of the Storm can feel like an extremely long sermon, the kind during which the pew becomes increasingly uncomfortable or you catch yourself nodding off or checking your watch yet again. The trick is to tread lightly over the preaching and absorb Robinson's many words of wisdom in this rich and introspective book.

Terri Schlichenmeyer is a freelance writer based in Wisconsin.