Love is the Way: Holding on to Hope in Troubling Times by Bishop Michael Curry with Sara Grace

Bishop Michael Curry had the undivided attention of billions of people when he delivered the message at the royal wedding ceremony for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in Windsor Castle in 2018. The invitation was not lost on the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church. The wedding gave him an opportunity to speak to the world. And all who had ears to hear heard a message of hope lived in love.

Love is the Way is the backstory. Bishop Curry tells of his growing up as a Black child within the safety of a loving Christian extended family. He was shaped by the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s and the dreams of Martin Luther King Jr., Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and Nelson Mandela. He was ‘just a kid’ when he volunteered for Sen. Robert Kennedy’s campaign, only to be gently woken up by his father letting him know that Kennedy had been shot. 

Bishop Curry reflects on the troubling times in which his adult life and career as a priest and the first Black bishop of the Episcopal Church in the U.S. were and continue to be shaped by opportunity and experiences. Bishop Curry knew the oppression of ‘the other’ as a Black American, but his own heart needed to be opened as he was invited to hear the stories of Indigenous peoples, the marginalization of the LGBTQ+ communities, and other minority groups. 

Bishop Curry’s message is that love is the only power to lead to the change that all peoples and every nation desire. The way of non-violent love will not lead to victory, but it will lead to justice and reconciliation. Love is the Way is Bishop Curry’s storytelling profession of faith.

A good suggestion for a book club or small group conversation, Love is the Way is easy to read. Bishop Curry’s invitation, however, is to not just read the book but live out of its message of hope and love. And as such, it is hard to read. (Penguin Random House)