Offers insight into the issue of vocation and ministry for a large number of prospective clergy
Along with the United Church of Christ, the Episcopal Church has been in the vanguard in opening up the option of ordination to holy orders for partnered gay and lesbian people. As a result, many gays and lesbians are considering an option, which just a decade ago, would have been impossible. The question then becomes, “Does God want me—in my full integrity as a gay “out” person—as a priest in the church?” This is the first book to look at the issue of discernment in the Episcopal Church while simultaneously taking seriously the dynamics for a gay person seeking to discern his or her future in the church.
GREGORY MILIKIN graduated from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and spent more than 10 years as a marketing executive in the film industry in Los Angeles. After discerning a call to ordained ministry, he obtained his Master of Divinity degree at Virginia Theological Seminary. He is Vicar of Grace Episcopal Church in New Lenox, Illinois.
“Gregory L. Millikin’s book tells the story of his coming out as a gay man, his being called to the priesthood, and how these two significant processes have been increasingly interwoven in his life. The story is peppered with some solid theological thinking. But this book is written largely as a reflection on what the Episcopal ordination process involves for those who believe themselves called to the priesthood of the church. It’s a good, honest read for anyone considering ordination as well as those already involved in the process.”—The Rev. Carter Heyward, author, She Flies On
“Millikin’s narrative quilt of wit, theology, and history warms the reader in a way only he can . . . an indispensable work. Hollywood certainly meets heaven in Greg’s thoughtful treatment of an all-too-fraught convergence of subjects.”—The Rev. Canon Broderick Lee Greer, Canon Precentor at Saint John’s Cathedral, Denver, Colorado
“Greg’s story offers encouragement to any LGBT+ persons seeking vocational clarity regarding a potential call to ordained service in the church.”—The Rev. Sam Portaro, author, Sense and Sensibility
“Touching, in places humorous, and deeply wise, this is a powerful, helpful, and potentially transformative book.”— The Very Rev. Ian S. Markham, PhD, Dean and President of Virginia Theological Seminary and Professor of Theology and Ethics
