Title: What Price Priesthood? Perseverance in Living Faith
Author: Judy Beckman
Publisher: Xlibris
ISBN: 978-1-4257-7599-5
Genre: Biography
Pages: 108
Reviewed by: Ella Vincent
Pacific Book Review
What Price Priesthood is an insightful biography showing the complexity of love, mental illness, and faith. Judy Beckman has written a book that will easily engage readers. What Price Priesthood is Judy Beckman’s biography of her deceased husband, Father Joe Beckman, an Episcopalian priest who struggled with mental illness and many other challenges during their tumultuous marriage. Beckman wanted to write a memoir, Chaplain on Wheels, but he died before it was completed and published. Beckman’s widow completed the memoir by writing about her husband who ministers to people in New Orleans and traveled around to help draw people to Christianity. While Beckman wanted to serve people as a priest, church politics and his own emotional issues changed his life and made him question how he’s meant to serve God.
What Price Priesthood is a unique memoir that combines the points of view of both Beckmans. The text details Judy’s own struggles with a volatile upbringing and complicated relationship to her faith and her marriage. The book also explains how Joe’s mental illness and fights with church establishment colored his faith and his marriage. Excerpts of Joe’s memoir add more depth to his already compelling story of his life as a priest that served God on his own terms. Joe was an exceptional priest who traveled to meet potential converts and Judy captures his zest for spirituality.
Judy’s writing is incredibly heartfelt when detailing their personal lives and the ups and downs of their marriage. Judy also writes eloquently and sympathetically about Joe’s struggles with mental illness. The text also offers a refreshingly honest look at how church hierarchies can keep ministers and priests from fulfilling their true calling.
This book would be best for readers who are religious or even readers who are questioning their faith. As Judy Beckman herself wrote in the introduction of the book, the text is “calling all who are disgruntled with religion.” Ironically, What Price Priesthood could present the ugly side of organized religion. Despite the Beckmans’ disillusionment with organized religion hierarchy, this book also shows the perseverance of personal faith. The book would also be best for people who have struggled with mental illness. What Price Priesthood could be read in church groups or book club discussions. Judy Beckman has continued the impactful legacy of Father Joe’s service through this tribute to him in this text. What Price Priesthood is a book that will teach readers a lot about love, loss, and faith.
