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

A sharecropper’s son, Gene Robinson rose to become an Episcopal priest and later, the first openly gay bishop in the Anglican Church. His election set off a worldwide firestorm of reaction, both positive and negative. Based on extensive interviews with Bishop Robinson and the people around him, Going to Heaven paints a portrait of the man who is, as he puts it, “neither the angel nor the devil some would make me out to be.” The book illuminates his early life; his struggle with his sexual orientation; his calling into the church; and finally, the tumultuous events surrounding his election and consecration. Gene Robinson’s life is a compelling story of challenges overcome by hard work, humor, and deep faith, but it is also a story of one man’s journey into his own “otherness” and the emergence of a ministry that speaks to countless people who believe in a Gospel of love and inclusion.