A Walk Down Memory Lane in England with My Wife

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on December, 8 2011

It was a nostalgic trip down memory lane for my wife Christine.  It turned out to be a moment of insight into life itself.  For that reason alone I …

Studying Christian Art in Florence Italy

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on November, 17 2011

The Florence Museum, known in Italy as the Musei Firenze, is best known for the massive marble statue of the youthful King David sculpted by Michelangelo.  Housed in the …

My First Mentor: Robert Littlefield Crandall

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on October, 20 2011

One of my favorite characters in the New Testament is an obscure man named Andrew.  While he is supposed to be one of the twelve disciples of Jesus, there …

Phyllis’ Garden Revisited (10/14/2011 Update)

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on October, 6 2011

A Note from the Publisher:

This article (originally published on 10/6/2011) was updated on 10/14/2011 with information on the current whereabouts of Phyllis Weller.  Please read on…

The Gladstone Library – A Final Visit

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on September, 8 2011

In the United Kingdom about ten miles from the ancient Roman city of Chester, inside the northern edge of a country called Wales, is located an institution that calls …

Meditation on Turning 80 in London

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on August, 25 2011

I marked the 80th anniversary of my birth in Green’s Restaurant, Duke Street in London this summer.  What I thought was to be a quiet, romantic …

Lecturing in the Church of Scotland

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on August, 18 2011

To come to Scotland is to come to that mysterious land of clans with their identifying tartans and clan warfare; to a nation that forced the English to build …

The Lecture Tour of Germany, Part III: Marburg

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on August, 11 2011

Our task and the agenda for the third day of our lecture tour of Germany was to go to the city of Marburg where the University of Marburg is …

The Lecture Tour of Germany, Part II: Gottingen

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on August, 4 2011

My lecture tour of Germany was joined from the very beginning by a unique Frenchman named Raymond Rakower, who accepted Gerhard Klein’s invitation to come to Germany and …

The Lecture Tour of Germany, Part I: Background and Content

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on July, 14 2011

Earlier this summer as part of a European lecture tour, Christine and I went to Germany for three public lectures in three cities and two press interviews.  The invitation …