Presences: A Bishop's Life in the City (ISBN 1561011681)

An Energetic Episcopate:
This is one of the most moving books I have ever read. It is the autobiography of Paul Moore, a man born with a silver spoon in his mouth amongst the "horsey set" of northern New Jersey. He went on to become a war hero in the Pacific theater during World War II but, shortly thereafter, found the planned course of his life arrested by an overwhelming urge to devote himself to the work of the Episcopal Church, in which he eventually rose to the lofty position of Bishop of New York. By far the most valuable and edifying portion of this narrative is the section dealing with Moore's days as a young priest in his first parish, Grace Church Van Voorst, in the ghetto of Jersey City. He and another young man assumed the co-pastorate of this church as seminary students, and decided to adopt the radical experiment (for the late '40's) of emphasizing social action in a neighborhood of crying needs. It took several years and much heartache to transform the church from a congregation of fourteen elderly ladies to one of three hundred lively neighborhood residents, and the story of the daily-changing demands of ministry to the homeless, gang members, and drug users would inspire anyone of good will to want to roll up his sleeves, plunge in, and get to work. Something of the challenge of the work and its contrasts is highlighted when Moore speaks of an evening spent at the ballet in New York City, where he was "caught up and swept away in a world of delicate form and beauty." He continues, "All the way back on the Hudson tubes, I lived on in that other world, until I walked up the steps of the rectory and found a dirty, ragged man covered with vomit, lying unconscious on the floor of the porch. I stepped over him, closing my eyes and my nose to his presence. It was too much. Oh, I knew he was more important than the fantasy world I'd come from. I knew Christ dwelt in him, that indeed he was Christ to me. And yet I could not face him, the stench of his vomit, nor my own priesthood, which bound me to him." Social action remained the hallmark of Moore's ministry as he rose in the councils of the Church to the pulpit of the cathedral in Indianapolis, and then to the offices of Assistant Bishop of Washington and Bishop of New York. In New York Moore had two Assistant Bishops under him, and thus was provided with more time for his political activities during the turbulent years of the 1960's and '70's when he became a leader in the Civil Rights and antiwar movements. His life was not without pathos and tragedy as his wife sank into a deep depression and eventually succumbed to cancer and his nine children forsook the Church for the liberated lifestyle of the drug culture. Of course the real tragedy in all of this is to see a life lived for service to man and to the Church but without much of a true spiritual dimension and bereft of the power of the Spirit in a real gospel message. Those who sat under Moore's ministry were exposed to such teachings as, "I believed that all human beings were created good, in the image of God, but often turned violent and cruel....Distortions of human beings, whom we believed were created good in the image of God occurred...through disease and conscious individual sin." Such subjective, relativistic views led to this analysis of the sexual revolution: "If it is loving and does not hurt anyone, and if it is not breaking marriage vows, I do not think sex outside of marriage is sinful per se. The New Testament teaches otherwise, but the Bible came out of a very different culture, where sex was tied up with property rights, where birth control was not reliable, and where women were treated as inferior beings." On one hand, it is refreshing to read the memoir of someone who came out of those radical decades with a sincere desire to change the world for what he believed to be the better. Yet, as the saying about atomic power has it, "If only it could be harnessed for useful purposes!"

Read the book. You'll enjoy it. And remember it.:
I found the book by Bishop Moore to be a story told with beauty, love and power, of a life spent serving others, and making an indelible mark on everyone he has touched, including friends, associates, family, critics, and his Church in many places throughout the world, including his own back yard. As an Episcopalian, I have a greater understanding of the Church, and the challenges and opportunities which are available to serve others. The author's experiences are many, and his journey is told with honesty, compassion and strength. Reading "Presences" is a great way to begin the new year and is a book I strongly recommend. Tom.

Disappointing:
I really tried to like this book. It's not poorly written or uninteresting but the name dropping and faux modesty become tedious. And that's too bad as he obviously has some stories to tell. He so badly wants to appear accessible and yet every anecdote shows the naivete of the super-rich. Does he really think it was his charm and skill that provided him with these opportunities and successes? We tend to dislike in others what we dislike in ourselves. I think he sums himself up perfectly when telling us, on the eve of his consecration, how he feels about St. Paul: "Although he is my patron saint, and I find his theology profound, I have never really liked Paul's personality. He seems to have been something of a misogynist, and although he spoke as if humble, he boasted a bit much about his sufferings for Christ, or so it seems to me." Couldn't have summed up Paul (Moore) any better myself.