This wonderfully moving documentary follows the progress of Gene Robinson who in 2004 was elected as the 1st openly Gay priest Episcopalian Bishop. In 2008 he also became the first Bishop to be banned from attending the powerful Lambeth Conference (the highest forum of the Anglican Church) in London but he traveled there anyway in the hope of making some change. What exasperated the situation is that he was not even allowed to meet or even attend any fringe events with any of the other Bishops, because as Gene Robinson preached in the only London church to defy the ban & invite him, they are afraid. Of him and of all homosexuals.
Bishop Robinson on the other hand allowed the filmmakers unrestricted access and what really moved me in this very touching movie was no matter how bravely he stood facing the intense homophobia of the Church’s Establishment and of some evangelical zealots, along with several death threats, in unguarded moments it was obvious that all this hate really upset him.
From London back to his Diocese in New Hampshire where he had a Civil Union with Marc his partner of 20+ years, and then finally to the Episcopalian General Convention in California in 2009 when both the Bishops and the Laity voted overwhelmingly to allow gay man and women to become Bishops, and at the same time they also voted to allow Same Sex Marriages in their churches. Two major forward steps for which Bishop Robinson can take his fair share of the credit
I should also mention that along the way another career highlight was President Obama inviting Bishop Robinson to lead the Invocation at the Lincoln Memorial at the kick-off event for his Inaugural Weekend.
As an atheist I am never surprised about how so much hate and violence erupts from devout Christians, and equally worse is their immoral hypocrisy of it all. As one leading female Bishop said, if the Church really thinks that Robinson is the only Bishop who is gay, then they are living in a fool’s paradise. Whilst of course the other Holy Men are living in the closet from where they can continue to be self-loathing gay men.
Available on Amazon
Available on Amazon
