Bishop Gene Robinson: The Man Behind the Rhetoric

The name Gene Robinson invokes varied responses; a plethora of emotions and polarized opinions surround this man about the legitimacy of his ministry. Being the first openly gay man ordained as a bishop has brought him allot of notoriety, much of which I am sure he would gladly relinquish if possible.

Robinson's case has served to bring the divide within the church regarding homosexuality into sharper focus. For many years now homosexuals have lobbied among most of the mainline churches for recognition and equality. Some churches, such as the United Church of Christ, Episcopal Church USA, Evangelical Lutheran Church of American, just to name a few, have officially sanctioned the ordination of homosexuals to the ministry. Others, such as the Presbyterian Church USA have sanctioned compromises that allows the issue to be taken up within local bodies and decided there rather than taking an official stance that's sure to invoke a schism. There are a few mainline denominations, the United Methodist Church being the first that comes to mind, that is still holding to its standards; but the opposition is alive and well in the UMC and continues to challenge the general church to accommodate the growing number its gay and lesbian constituents.

Amid this worldwide debate within the church catholic, men like Gene Robinson are reduced to symbols and icons of the ongoing struggle. Many people formulate opinions and ideas about Robinson without having any first hand knowledge regarding the man himself. However, I think the first thing we need to do in this debate is to humanize these people who represent a departure from how its always been done. In so doing, I think it will bring a realism and compassion to the polemic that is not currently present. It is real easy to herald against ideals and to spout biblical mandates and prohibitions, especially when we are dealing with abstracts. But, we must realize that these mandates, positions, and prohibitions affect real people; people with real lives and aspirations whose future depend upon the ultimate conclusion of this controversy.

While its not a place one would normally go for information on the lives of religious icons such as Gene Robinson, GQ magazine ran an article about him in its June 2008 edition. I know this is old news per se, but I've found that allot of people missed this article and I think its an important read. No matter where you stand on the issue of homosexuality in the church, I think seeking to know the people behind the issue is important. GQ did an excellent job on this article/interview and I gained a deeper respect of Bishop Gene Robinson.

Go here to read this article.

There is also an excellent podcast that accompanies this article. I highly recommend it! You can listen to it here.