It is a shame that those who might benefit most from reading this book are probably least likely to do so. In the Eye of the Storm is neither an autobiography nor a manifesto, but gives a clear sense of a man whose life and views have become matters of huge controversy. In this series of short pieces arranged by themes ranging from the Bible and ministry to human sexuality and the Anglican Communion itself, Bishop Gene Robinson speaks frankly about himself and his faith.

Perhaps the greatest virtue of this book is its portrait of a real person, a man of deep faith and commitment who rises above the caricatures of his supporters and detractors alike. It is impossible to ignore the lively faith communicated in these pages, and easy to imagine how the people of a rural diocese discerned an effective episcopal leader. Many of the chapters read as though they began as sermons or occasional addresses, and it is not hard to gain a sense of the Bishop seeking to care for and inspire his colleagues and his people.

Robinson is concerned to disabuse his reader of at least two possible misconceptions. One is that he is a stereotypical liberal, indifferent or hostile to traditional Christian doctrine. The other is that he is a single-issue priest, a proponent of gay and lesbian agendas and little else. In each case, he is at least partially successful, and gives the lie to certain forms of continuing caricature of himself and of The Episcopal Church. His impressive commitment to working with and for the marginalized amounts to a powerful witness. Stories of his engagement with women prisoners in New Hampshire, or young gay and lesbian Christians in Hong Kong, are moving testimony to his pastoral as well as prophetic gifts. Robinson’s faith in Jesus as saviour and the Trinitarian cast of that faith are also certainly ‘orthodox’, with a strongly experiential flavour that may surprise some of his would-be supporters as well as others.

Yet the way these commitments are couched does point, more or less unwittingly, to some fundamental challenges across the Anglican Communion. One example may suffice. Near the end of the book, Robinson asserts with characteristic eagerness that the key to persuading African and Asian conservatives of the reality of communion is commitment to the Millennium Development Goals and such forms of engagement with the marginalized and the developing world. This is admirable, but probably not right. Rightly or wrongly, what some other Anglicans struggle to see in their relationship with The Episcopal Church is a partnership in faith itself. Robinson, remarkable as it may seem, has the capacity to demonstrate such a partnership.