We met at Stetson University in Florida several years ago. I am the Pastor of Colby Memorial Temple in Cassadaga, Florida, a Spiritualist Center. I am currently reading your book Eternal Life: A New Vision –Beyond Religion – Beyond Theism – Beyond Heaven and Hell. Are you familiar with the Spiritualist ideas on death? If so, how do you respond to those ideas in relation to your Christian thinking, even though you obviously think outside the box? Would very much like to hear from you. I do use your material on Easter when teaching the Easter experience to my congregation.
Dear Ben,
Thanks for your letter. I am not sufficiently familiar with “Spiritualists” ideas on death to write about them and I also find that when “Spiritualists” define Spiritualism” there is significant internal disagreement that causes me to have some difficulty in getting a firm handle on what they mean. I do not mean to be pejorative in this comment, but only to observe that this is slippery language, as is all language that attempts to describe that which is beyond the ability of the human mind to describe or to test in the normal way of doing investigative scholarship. As I understand those who refer to themselves as “spiritualists” their approach does not shape my primary understanding of life after death. I do not accept any dualism between the physical and the spiritual. I start from the perspective that the spiritual is a dimension of the physical. I would be interested if you could show me where the language of the “spiritualists” differs from or supports my conclusions in my book Eternal Life: A New Vision.
Good luck with your Easter sermon.
~John Shelby Spong
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